Our studio has become a cell Phone Free Zone !!!
I am so grateful to all the studio parents who joined me in making the studio a phone-free zone. 
What a message you are all giving to your children. 
I know it's not easy... but as I say to the kids when they claim: " I can't do it ! It's too hard", i say   : "it's not hard. It's just new.. We'll keep practicing it until it becomes easy"...
Thank you parents for your participation from the heart !!

Last week i've had a chat with a Suzuki teacher overseas. It repeated a topic which i had heard many times from instrumental teachers. It was about children quitting and the way the message is being delivered to the teacher.
Sometimes parents  just send a text message to say: "we are going to stop".
Sometimes the message comes a day or two before the term/semester/year starts, 
and after the parents had already secured their place in the studio.
Sometimes an email,  short and not  saying much : " We've decided to stop".
i had this experience a few times too; i know the feeling  and i'll dare to share. 

i would like to talk on behalf of Suzuki teachers (at least the ones i talked to about this subject), as this is my tribe of teachers. I'd guess the same happens in other areas of instrumental teaching.
We Suzuki teachers, do not teach only music. Suzuki Way is a holistic approach towards children education, and as such, we  teach the child how to be, how to learn, how to live. 
We accompany the family throughout the many years; usually from  very early years of childhood until children mature and finish high school ( and sometimes later).
The families become close to our heart. The child becomes very important in our life, and so are we in the the child's life. 

I  understand  that parents sometimes decide  to stop. This is their prerogative.
But please - don't just notify us. Talk to us. See if there's anything we can help (and many times we can).
If you  already made up your mind - please tell us the reason and don't leave on a vague cloud.
Let us know the truth. If you decided to go to another teacher - tell us. If you decided that you don't like the way we teach - tell us. If you don't want to commit any longer - tell us.  And please don't do it in the last minute. Give us enough notice to fill in your time slot. 
Any other way leaves us hurt and confused. 
Open communication is what we need , so  we can genuinely bless you on your decision(even if we don't agree). 
​

So much noise around.. so much stimuli... Everyone has something to say. 
And most of us are terrified of the silence within. 
This is the place that we meet ourselves. This is where we find many answers to our longing. This is where the BELOVED resides - and speaks to us. With no words; in SOLITUDE.