Annual Parent Retreat

Our group was small this year but as always uplifting and inspiring!  Thanks to all my wonderful Suzuki parents who came and those who wanted to come but were unable.  I appreciate all you do to support your violinists at home, at lessons, at concerts, etc.  You are awesome!!!

Summer Student Activities

Every summer provides many fun opportunities for young musicians to learn and grow on their instrument.  During the 3rd week of June, one of my students attended Intermountain Suzuki String Institute (ISSI) here in Utah on a partial scholarship.  She was so motivated when she came home from working with Suzuki Teachers from around the world that she practiced consistently for long periods of time, just for fun!!!

One of her favorite classes was technique; the teacher called it... "Torture Class" 

Violin Fun Times! :)  Bow Hand Placement...

Another of my students participated in the Summer Strings Adventure Camp (SSAC) for her second year in-a-row; she rehearsed and performed movie-theme music with the orchestra for a concert that was held in conjuction with a fair, costume contest, face-painting, etc.  I took my boys to it and we had a blast!

My student dressed up as Elsa from Frozen 

 Concert at the Park ~ July 31, 2014

Violin Injury

I was teaching one Thursday morning in May, my student and I had just finished playing a note-reading duet and I was writing something in the music when my metronome/tuner fell off the side of the stand and crashed into the edge of my violin.  Although there have been plenty of scratches throughout the many years I've had this violin, it has never been hit in this way or done such quick damage in so little time.  I took it into Charles Liu on the way to a family reunion and picked it up the following weekend after a date planned in the Midvale area with my husband; gratefully I was not scheduled to teach that week in-between so it worked out perfectly!  The moment the metronome fell and I could see how my violin got hit, being familiar with the costs of instrument up-keep and repair, my first thought was: 'well there goes at least 100 bucks' (which ended up being a really close estimate).

I salvaged what pieces I could, some of which were glued back on but with the way it shattered some had to be wood-filled and re-stained.

Violin back in working order and with a few bonus touch-ups that I would have otherwise waited on for a few more years.

Annual Student Party

 2014 Annual Student Party

Friday, May 9, 2014

It had been raining all day so I re-arranged the furniture and we met indoors.  This year we did a brief instrument-care workshop along with several of the brain-gym exercises we did last year.  Afterward, the sun came out so we enjoyed refreshments and the kids, who had been cooped up for several days due to rainstorms, got to run around and enjoy my back yard (as you can see, rolling down our steep hill).  I made cookies in honor of Dr. Suzuki who served delicious cookies to his students and encouraged them to serve each-other in simple and meaningful ways.

SAU Annual Parent/Teacher Convention

 

2014 Annual Suzuki Parent/Teacher Convention

American Prep Academy in Draper, UT

Saturday, May 26, 2014

 This year I had the privilege of car-pooling with one of my sweet studio moms.  We made a day of it and had so much fun!  These events are always so inspiring for me and I am grateful Suzuki parents are able to attend and enjoy the nurturing spirit that our Suzuki program offers.  There were other parents from my studio who were able to attend part of the day, it was great to see you there!  For anyone who wanted to come but were unable to this year, our SAU President sent digital copies of class handouts.

2014 Spring Violin Recital

2 Dozen Violins Lined Up for Performance...

Students Receiving Last Minute Instructions...

2014 Spring Violin Recital
Monday 4.14.14 from 7-8pm

Clearfield Library Auditorium

It was a wonderful evening with magical musical moments!

Book 7 Teacher Training

In February/March 2014, I completed Suzuki Book 7 Teacher Training with Jeanne Grover in Bountiful, Utah.  This picture was taken to commemorate 15 hours of class, 8 hours of observation, 

7 pieces re-learned, & 4 pieces re-memorized.  :)

2014 Suzuki Graduation

2014 Suzuki Graduation

I got re-married a few weeks ago (1.18.14).  

What a great job to sign my new name so many times! 

Cathy Butler Marlor Christiansen 

I had 27 certificates for 22 students who participated.  

The following are pictures from their performances on stage.

February 1, 2014 Graduation Concert at Davis High School

 Twinkles

 Level 1: Gossec Gavotte

 Level 2: Boccherini Minuet

 Level 3: Bach Bouree

 Level 4: Vivaldi A Minor

 Level 6: LaFolia

SAU Davis-Weber Area Teachers Presenting Certificates

Congratulations to all my 2014 Suzuki Level Graduates!!!

2013 Fall Violin Recital

Monday, November 18, 2013

Clearfield Library Auditorium

Rehearsal from 4:00-6:30pm, Recital Program from 7:00-8:00pm

 Refreshments from 8:00-8:30pm

My traditional relax time at home after cleanup & checkout

What a wonderful recital and super yummy refreshments (as always)!!!

Fall Recital Coming Soon...

You are invited to attend a

Violin Recital

Presented by the students of Cathy Butler Marlor

Monday, November 18, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

Clearfield Library Auditorium (562 S. 1000 E.)

www.marlormusicstudio.blogspot.com

2013 Suzuki Grand Concert

Playing from the most advanced literature all the way back to our twinkles, adding students accumulatively to the stage with each piece, has been a fun tradition here in Utah since I was a little girl.  Now I have the privilege of preparing my studio to enjoy this same experience and how grateful I am for these wonderful opportunities that were provided for me.  Thanks to all of my students for their many hours of preparation and contribution to this wonderful concert!

I got a video recording of one of our fun supplementary pieces:

Donkey Doodle by William Kroll

Performed by Suzuki Violin Students in Davis-Weber Area of SAU

October Group Lessons

Fun!

Fun!

Fun!

Random Highlights

Shared with me by a former studio family who has this on their wall at home; I love and often use this clever quote by Dr. Suzuki:

 Three students joined the 100-day club!

(practiced for 100 days in-a-row)

One ninja warrior obtained a summer orchestra scholarship!

 One student competed in the Miss Davis County Teen Pageant!

A former student made the celebrity round for American Idol!

I am so proud of all my students and what they accomplish each and every day they practice.  Not only does it improve their technique but it creates strong character and important life skills too.  I love my work and what I get to observe - I feel blessed to witness such growth!

Annual Parent Retreat

We hold our Annual Parent Retreat near the beginning of each school year.  This year we met on Friday, September 13, 2013.  I made garden-grown zucchini bread and provided what has become a studio staple: carmel and chocolate peanut-butter bugles. :)

Thanks to all studio mom's who were able to attend and to those who wanted to come but couldn't for various reasons, you were missed.

A special note to all my studio parents: I learn so much from you as I observe you nurturing your children, you are so wonderful and set such a good example to me.  I feel honored to know you and work with you.  Thank-you for all that you do!

Inspirational Notes from our Meeting: If you have not yet read Dr.Suzuki's Nurtured by Love, I encourage you to do so.  It is a great book that gives an enlightening perspective on the Suzuki method and where it originated from.  The inspiration I offered at our meeting was something my son's preschool teacher shared with me a couple years ago: “If your child is testing you at home that means they feel safe because you are being a good parent”.  I realize that sometimes students aren't always consistent with how they behave at lessons versus how they behave at home so I hope that gives some encouragement as it did for me.  Another saying I heard recently also came to mind: “Don’t let the problem at hand become more important than the person to love”.  We are a 3-way team (teacher, parent, child) learning a complex and technically challenging instrument and the experience we create through this process matters.  We “practice to make it EASY” - isn't that a wonderful concept!  The parents attending had great thoughts to share.  We discussed the importance of considering the personality, nature, and love language of our young students as we work with them.  We also talked about creating long-term goals with short-term steps to get us there based on what we hope to accomplish with lessons.  Please be thinking about that as we go into this new school year; let me know where you want to go and help me understand the unique characteristics of your child so I know how best to work with them.  I love Suzuki's motto that "every person can learn" - at any age, with any background, talent is a trained skill that can be taught. Own your violin journey, no matter where you are now. Enjoy the process and set goals that motivate you!

Davis/Weber Area Teacher Meeting

This morning I enjoyed our area teacher meeting.  We are planning details for the upcoming Grand Concert (Oct/Nov2013) and Graduation Concert (Jan/Feb2014).  I love associating with these women, several of them I have known since I was a little girl.  They have nurtured me and helped me grow and they continue to cheer me on.  As we were in the process of scheduling things I mentioned something about my upcoming wedding and they stopped the meeting to congratulate me, it was so very sweet.  Thank-you for your encouragement, both personally and professionally, I appreciate it very much!

Annual Student Party

Our student party is held each summer either right before or shortly after school gets out.  Sometimes the weather has not been so cooperative but today ended up being perfect for our party.  We were able to spread out on the back patio to enjoy some yummy treats...

 ...and some active brain-gym exercises.

We did 10 Brain-Gym Exercises: Cross Crawl, Brain Buttons, Lazy 8's, Arm Activation, Hook-Ups, Thinking Caps, Calf Pumps, The Elephant, Energy Yawn and Positive Points.  If you would like a description of each of these you may copy and paste this into your web browser:
sspw.dpi.wi.gov/files/sspw/pdf/sascevanshandouts.pdf 
If you decide to print, please be sure to only print the first 3-5 pages
(or you will end up with 57).

2013 Spring Violin Recital

This was our first recital at a new location.  My studio got too big for the Layton Library where our recitals had been held for many years.  We moved to the Clearfield Library and enjoyed the larger auditorium.

2013 Spring Violin Recital

Monday, May 6, 2013 at 7 PM

Clearfield Library

 Violins Lined Up

 Refreshments Lined Up

  Students Lined Up

Recital Time!!!