Overview
Students participate in weekly, 50-minute classes led by Dr. Janice LaMarre. The have access to practice videos (over to the right, on this page). Students will perform at the end of first and second semesters, in class, in an informal setting with snacks after. Based on the current students enrolled, the classes are going to be amazing!
Getting Started with Violin!
1) Renting a Violin
Please consider renting from Shaker Violins ($10/month, with a $50 deposit returned upon returning the violin and 6 months up front – total upfront cost of $110). I always put aside the best instruments for my students. Please let me know before you go – and book an appointment in advance.
2) Purchasing a Violin
Please check with me before buying a violin — especially online. I only recommend buying online from Shar.com. In person is always best — and <<Maison du Violons>> in Quebec is by far the best shop I’ve seen. Their highest student level of violin costs $600, plus bow and case. You can resell for about 70% of the value. I always help my students to resell their violin to new students — as long as I have approved of it and it is a high quality instrument. I would recommend renting for $10/month until purchasing from Masion du Violons. Birthdays and Christmas are two good options!
3) Other Supplies
Once students have the violin, I will try different of my sponges and shoulder rests on him or her, to see which fits best. I will supply the violin book to students free of charge, which I’ve created for this class and update each time I teach from it. You do not need any other equipment.
4) How to Protect your Violin
Students must practice over a fairly thick rug. This way, if the violin or bow falls, it will not break. This is very important! Parents and students will practice tuning the violin during class, and must tune before each lesson. This will not only save us vast amounts of time during the lesson, but also will train your ear to hear good intonation. Never tune your E string with the peg, but rather with the fine tuner.
5) Cost of Class is $25/class, payable at the first class of each month via cash, zelle, venmo, or check.
Daily Practice & Special Events
Students must listen daily to the Suzuki Book recording, and practice daily for a minimum of 15 minutes. This can be with one of my practice videos, with a parent’s help, or by him or herself. Please use the practice chart on the violin book to keep track. Prizes will be given once students reach a certain number, and the chart will be displayed in the lesson room.
Each class will have in-house recitals at the end of each semester. We will also host a big recital at the Glens Falls Presbyterian Church with organ accompaniment, and it will be epic!
Extra opportunities include performing in the monthly Suzuki Assocation Recitals, Will Haye’s recitals, auditioning for the Saratoga Youth Symphony, competiting in online or in-person competitions, auditioning for precolleges, composing, conducting, learning piano, and more. Please see the list of events on the right, to find most events. For competitions, auditions, composing, conducting, piano, or others please contact me directly to ask.
Class Description
-Arrive to class 5-10 minutes early. Please place your violin case against the wall in the hall to open it, tune it to A=442 with an app or electronic tuner, tighten your bow, and gather your music book and two pencils to use during class.
-During class, parents will sit on their ‘teacher’ chair, arranged in a semi-circle around the room. Students will stand facing their parents. Dr. LaMarre will begin class directly on time, going to each parent-student dyad to guide their progress in terms of technique, bow hold, and violin hold.
-As the students play different pieces from homework, the parents will be given guidence on what to help the students work on. For the teen class, parents will not be needed once basic technique set up has been achieved, but for the younger class parents will actively participate throughout the class, alongside their child. An older sibling, grandparent, or other guardian may serve as the ‘teaching parent’, and I’ve seen that work very well in prior classes.
-At the end of class, students may put a sticker on the chart for a full practice week, as marked down on their chart. They will get an individual prize for 30 weeks of practice, and a group prize at the end of the year based on a goal we will set together.
-Class will consist of technique work (bow or violin) with the help of the parent; fingers, hand, & coordination dexterity exercises; memory work; phrasing, expresion, dynamics practice and ensemble work including breathing, watching, leading, and following; performance and audition preparation; note-reading, singing, dictation, composition, and music theory; character development, discussion of practice techniques, attitude towards learning, peer encouragement, motivation, discussion of current problems and ways to work on them; individual instruction in masterclass format.
List of Dates
✨Thursday homeschool classes at 11:40am and 1:20pm in Glens Falls
✨Wednesday classes at Saratoga Waldorf School, 6pm & 7pm
✨Thursday classes at Kensington Elementary in Glens Falls, 6pm & 7pm
GFHS – Glens Falls Home School
GFK – Glens Falls Kensington Elementary
SWS – Saratoga Waldorf School
*Classes will continue during school breaks, at the instructor’s home in Glens Falls. Students who must miss class may submit a video of their playing and receive an instruction video and lesson notes back, in place of the lesson.
**Students may attend unlimited make-up lessons for missed class, at the other two locations. However, no extra lesson/class times will be created or tuition refunded.
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Thurs, Sept 4 10:30-11:30am open house GFHS
Wed, Sept 10 6-8pm open house SWS
Thurs, Sept 11 GFHS classes begin!
Wed, Sept 17 SWS classes begin!
Thurs, Sept 18 GFKE classes begin!
Wed, Dec 10 SWS in-class concert and final class of first semester
Thurs, Dec 11 GFHS & GFKE in-class concerts and final class of first semester
Wed, Dec 18 GFHS extra class (optional)
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Wed, Jan 7 SWS begins second semester
Thurs, Jan 8 GFHS & GFKE begin second semester
May 27 & 28 class recitals & final class!
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Thurs June 4, 11, 18, 25 — summer lessons! GFHS only (optional)
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Weeks of June 29 & July 6: Ithaca Suzuki Institute
July 13-19: Glens Falls Suzuki Institute!
July 19-25: Montreal Suzuki Institute
Aug 4-17: Glens Falls Suzuki Institute!
an example from the Ontario Institute https://vimeo.com/854389081
Purchases
1. Rosin: I will have high quality rosin to use in class. Please do not use the rosin given in your case. You can purchase high quality rosin from Shar Music (much more reliable than Amazon). These are the only three rosins I recommend: Salchow Rosin, Hill Rosin, or Leatherwood Rosin. The first two are about $12, the last one is expensive but I do use it myself and it lasts forever. I love & use all three!
2. Shoulder Rest: Students should use either Kun 3/4-1/2 size, Kun 1/4-1/16 ($30), or Poly Pad ($10). A general rule of thumb is that ages 4-9 should use Poly Pad, and age 8-11 should use the collapsible Kun. (There is an overlap of age, we test both for each individual). For full size violins, please try my collection before deciding. These last forever – don’t lose it! I will help you sell it to a future student, at 70% of the value.
3. Book bag (free +): Please have a small book bag that contains the following — your violin book, two pencils with eraser and sharpener, and a small lined notebook to take extra notes as needed.
4. Violin rental & purchase: This has been addressed elsewhere on the website. Please just ask me before purchasing. I always help my students to buy, and often can help them resell their instruments. Give the kids a fighting chance with the highest possible quality of instrument. Treat it well, and resell. Make a plan to purchase a high quality instrument in the future – by around 1/2 size, ideally.
Practice Resources
Find the daily recording, practice videos, and more below.
Daily Work
Pre-Twinkles
<practice video for open strings song>
Pre-Twinkles prep to play E section (A1234321A — flower or monkey song, and E321 which is the full E section)
Twinkles
Learning the Notes
<put here>
Lightly Row, Song of the Wind, Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Lightly Row to May Song, with finger numbers
O Come, Little Children
May Song, Long Long Ago, Allegro
So fun!!! <put here>
Perpetual Motion
Allegretto & Andantino
Étude
Minuet 1, 2, & 3
Happy Farmer
Gossec Gavotte
Further Research on the Pieces
This website is a treasure trove of info on the Suzuki pieces, including lyrics and research.
Bach Double
sheet music Suzuki Vol 4, last in book
Instructions- open the PDF, scroll to the 6th piece at the end, titled ‘Concerto for Two Violins’. It is 2.5 pages long and we are learning the whole piece.
Review of Copland vln 1 part, Bach Double beginning, and Twinkles 3rd position
page 1, second video (18 minutes)
whole Bach double, mm=76 (23 min)
Teleman Concerto for Two Violas
Opportunities
Find local performances, orchestras, summer camps, inspiring concerts to attend, competitions, and auditions info for precolleges and other advanced programs
Performances, Classes, Orchestra
Suzuki Association of the Captial District — churches between Albany – Malta, monthly. Fee $20 per year. Very fun Halloween recital.
Suzanne’s Group Class — Niskayuna Library, monthly. By my recommendation only (please ask me). Fun to take out tons of books afterwards and spend time reading by the big windows.
Will’s Recital — Albany area, twice yearly. Next one is October. Fee is $20/student. Reception to follow, bring a snack to share.
Saratoga Youth Symphony — auditions in late Spring and summer. Sue Nazarro
Summer Camps
Concerts
Precollege Auditions
Juilliard Precollege
Manhattan School of Music Precollege
Mannes Precollege
Build your own Precollege?
Consider joining our Ear Training and Music Theory Class, forming a Chamber Music Group, doing regular performances, attending summer camp, and joining an orchestra. These are the activities that comprise precollege.
Graduation Recital!
After mastering Twinkles, and at the end of each Suzuki Book, students must put on a solo recital of the pieces they have learned. This could be as simple as having the family sit down to listen, and then having a nice dinner together at home. Or, you could invite friends and make it a party.
Future Plans!
In the past, I invited my students to perform on my solo recital at Carnegie’s Weill Hall. This is something I plan to repeat in the future.
I hope to collaborate with a truly wonderful teacher-conductor in Montreal. I envision our studio traveling to Montreal to take lessons and play concerts with his group or on our own.
I will be booking summer concerts for myself, my kids, and of course my students to perform on together, beginning either 2026 or 2027. My concept is to select local architectural gems and outdoor spaces in which to create exceptional musical experiences for the community.
I also normally run concerto competitions in which my students can be featured. This is for a more advanced level, but I do create accompaniments even for Book 1 students.
Christmas Carol concert — hosting it during class, in an evening at my home, or at a local church or another family’s home. If you have ideas, let’s talk! I love to combine singing with violin playing. What could be more lovely?! Last Christmas our kids played “O Come Little Children” at our church as a part of the Children’s skits. The whole congregation sang along, and it was very meaningful. Please think about creating your own Christmas tradition featuring music and your child’s violin playing.