Suzuki Violin Lessons at Age Four? One Year Later

October 21, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

If you've read my blog for a while, you might remember that my daughter started taking Suzuki violin lessons last fall at age four and a half. She had expressed an interest in learning violin after listening repeatedly to a fictional story featuring Vivaldi's music. I was concerned that formal music lessons might require too much rigor for her age, but we took the leap after talking with friends who had started Suzuki lessons at a young age. Now, a year later, I'm thrilled that we started lessons when we did, and my daughter has loved playing! Here's my quick summary of the Suzuki method and what I've learned about music lessons as a parent:

Eyes Wide Open: What Children See & Recognize

June 03, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Contentment, Cultural Reflections, Reflections on Parenting

My five-year-old daughter and I sat in blinding sunlight yesterday and read a picture book that deeply impacted me. The Man With the Violin follows the story of little Dylan, who notices many things that his mother doesn't. One day he hears a musician in the subway playing beautiful violin music, and though he wants to stop and listen, his mama rushes him on. There's more to the story, since it's based on this American cultural experiment:

French Children's Music: Radio Stations and Apps

February 19, 2014 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning, French Resources, Teaching French, Education

Aren't you grateful for the ways in which music can enrich bilingual parenting and teaching? When I taught middle school French, I occasionally streamed Radio Junior for students on my desktop computer, but now that I'm a parent of preschoolers, I've been searching for a French children's station that doesn't feature Disney soundtracks or Katy Perry mixed in with the French pop and dance hits.

Radio Ouistiti is the best fit I've found: A Switzerland-based web radio station (named for a type of monkey), Ouistiti features French music and stories for ages 0-8.