Happy Summer!

Happy Summer!

We hope you are all enjoying your summer activities!

Individual lessons are still going on at OPSA throughout the summer although on a much more flexible schedule. Be sure to check your lesson schedule!

Here is some beautiful music to enjoy on this summer day. This is young violinist, Soo-Been Lee,  who won 2nd Prize in the Junior Division with her performances at the Menuhin Competition in Beijing in 2012. Our four OPSA violin students attending the Indiana Summer String Academy for four weeks this summer will all be playing this. We wish them fun with their beautiful music making!

Chicago Suzuki Violin Playdown @ Grant Park

Chicago Suzuki Violin Playdown @ Grant Park

Chicago Suzuki Violin Playdown

at Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago

 

Every June, Suzuki violin students from across Chicagoland come together for a Playdown-style concert as part of the Grant Park Music festival’s Young Artists Showcase. Plan on joining hundreds of other Suzuki children to play your pieces together on stage! Pack a picnic and stay to listen to the Grant Park Orchestra Concert afterward.

What a great way to kick off a musical summer!

Friday, June 29, 2018 | Jay Pritzker Pavilion | 5:30-6:00pm

Mandatory Rehearsal for Participants: Sunday, June 24, 11am-1pm, Polk Hall, Merit School of Music

2018 Repertoire

Book 1: Theme and Variation A; Lightly Row; Song of the Wind; Aunt Rhody; Long, Long Ago; Allegro; Minuet 2

Book 2: Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus; Hunter’s Chorus; Witches’ Dance; Gavotte from Mignon

Book 3: Gavotte in G Minor; Humoresque

Book 4: Concerto No. 2, Movement 3 – Fritz Seitz

Click here for more details regarding rehearsal location, concert attire, parking and more.

2018_Chicago_Suzuki_PlaydownOak Park String Academy at Grant Park Music FestivalOak Park String Academy at Grant Park Music Festival

Book List

Book List

Love to Learn?

Top 10 Books to Build a Brain, a Relationship and Feel Better while doing so!

  1. Mindset by Carol Dwek
  2. The Genius in Every Child by Rick Ackerly
  3. Simplicity Parenting or The Soul of Discipline by Kim John Payne Oak Park String Academy Summer Reading
  4. No Bad Kids by Janet Landsbury
  5. NurtureShock by Po Bronson, Ashely Merryman
  6. How Children Succeed Paul Tough
  7. Children the Challenge by Rudolph Dreikurs, Vicki Soltz
  8. Parenting from The Inside Out by Dan Siegel, Mary
  9. Kids are Worth It! by Barbara Coloroso
  10. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

Even before I had children, I loved to read about the youngest members of society and why, when and how people raised them to become not only informed and capable people, but also kind, helpful and aware citizens of the world. Raising kids in a culture where parents are quick to be villainized and slow to be supported is still mighty challenging, although we are making progress in many communities. Parenting is a relentless job that often leaves us feeling like we are sprinting only to reach a long line in which we suddenly find ourselves waiting, with little to do.

But take heart! We live in exciting times of research and information! It seems that every day we can read about new research and understanding about Growth Mindset, child development, the plasticity of the brain, the power of modeling and environment.  I have hope that the world around us is slowly but surely developing strategies for growing kindness and laying the seeds of empathy in the hearts–and brains– of our children.

When I feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn and wonder whether what I am doing is hurting more than helping, I find solace in books. Sometimes this is an escapist novel, but often it is a book like the ones on this list. Rather than feeling like I am reading a book about everything I am doing wrong, these books help me fill my cup with concepts, strategies, and ultimately, the inspiration to try a different way, keep at it and carry on. Even the most balanced and steady parent with a loving and peaceful upbringing has moments when they wonder, “What is this behavior about? Why is it happening and how do I handle it with this child at this moment?”  If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed as a parent and wondered how to make things easier or more peaceful (and what parent hasn’t?!), try one of these books and I hope it helps you find encouragement for what is, no doubt, the challenge of a lifetime.

Happy summer reading!

Oak Park String Academy Summer Reading