“Children learn to smile from their parents.” -Suzuki
1. Student/Parent Responsibilities
Children need only have a general interest in music to be a good fit for Suzuki violin lessons. Parents are where the method flourishes.
For success both in developing a musical skill and developing the child’s ability to willingly tackle new challenges in life, parents are expected to schedule, initiate, and guide daily practice sessions. They will also initiate daily listening sessions of the Suzuki repertoire, so the child may learn this new “language” the way languages are best learned – regular exposure.
At an absolute minimum, practice and listening expectations are four times weekly – more days than not.
In the lesson, the parent must be fully present, taking notes in order to re-create the lesson at home. The child having lessons deserves their undivided attention – they need to be sent the message that their parent is ready to learn, just as the child is expected to be.
The primary practice parent should be somewhat versed in the Suzuki philosophy and are required to read some of the Suzuki literature. Beyond The Music Lesson by Christine Goodner is the top recommendation, as it dissects the information from Suzuki’s own book Nurtured By Love and presents it for modern-day families.
2. What to expect as a new student
The first private lesson will be an orientation session on the expectations for the student/family, and what you can expect from your teacher.
For very young students (6 and under), this session will be for the parent and teacher only. The parent will continue to take a number of lessons alone before introducing the child to the new learning environment. This provides better emotional stability for the child, as their trusted adult is already familiar with the space and expectations.
The child’s introduction to basic skills may move slower than envisioned. For student satisfaction, ability, and injury prevention, we master each small step before moving on. As Suzuki said, “Without stopping, without haste, carefully taking a step at a time forward will surely get you there.”
Students are expected to observe at least one group class before joining in. Parents are welcome to bring quiet activities (colouring, reading) for young ones, but electronics are not permitted.
3. Equipment
Do not purchase any equipment without consultation. Your teacher can properly size you and find the best fit of various rests for comfort and injury prevention.
Students will need: a violin and bow in the correct size, rosin, music books, a notebook, a music stand, and an easily accessible method for daily listening.
4. Lesson Format, length and location
All beginners start with 30 min lessons and increase to 45mins at the discretion of the teacher. Book 2+ students take 45 min lessons.
Until it is deemed appropriate by the teacher for the child to study solo, students must have a parent present and taking notes at all private lessons.
The studio is located near Royston Elementary School. Upon completion of registration, you will receive the exact address.
5. Group Classes
All Suzuki students are expected to take group lessons in addition to their weekly private lessons. There are many skills that simply can not be taught by a single adult, and peer interaction in a musical setting is often reported as the top motivator for practice.
Group classes are held at St Georges church in Courtenay on Wednesday afternoons.
4:15-4:55 Beginners (ages 4-10)
5-5:55pm Community group (ages 10-16)
2025/2026: 5-5:15 will be a mini fiddle jam for participants of both group classes.
In the history of the Sprouting Strings studio, more than 80% of students who quit did not attend group classes, and it has been observed time and again that those who do attend group classes are more confident and motivated. For this reason, potential students who can not attend group classes will not be admitted into the program.
6. Absences
If you must be absent from class, please inform your teacher as soon as possible.
Students who are late to a lesson by 15mins (or 20mins for back-to-back siblings/students with 45min lessons) without prior warning are considered absent and their remaining lesson time is forfeit.
Online lessons can be held in case of snow-days and illness, provided the child is in a mental state appropriate for a class.
7. Make-up Lessons
Make-up lessons generally do not exist in the Sproutings Strings studio.
Several “sick days” are already factored into annual tuition to cover occasional absences. Daisy aims to give as much notice as possible, but due to the unpredictable nature of chronic ailments, you may receive only a couple hours notice. Please try to check your email before attending a lesson. If you would prefer to be sent a text regarding last-minute cancellations, Daisy can help you set up email forwarding to text with the keyword “Cancelled”, as she does not use texting as a method of business communication.
Any absences beyond those already factored into tuition are used as summer lessons.
Lessons missed by the student for any reason will not be made up. The student may in advance organize with another student to switch lesson times with 24hrs notice. If given enough advance notice of absence from a lesson, it may be rescheduled for earlier/later that same week. However, this can not be guaranteed, as it depends on other students giving advanced notice of an absence too.
If a short-term injury precludes you from participating in lessons as normal, they will be altered to accommodate the injury. If a student wishes to stop lessons temporarily as a result of a short-term injury, tuition will still be charged to maintain the spot in the studio.
8. Recitals
Sprouting Strings holds two recitals each school year, in December and June. We are also often invited to play at the annual Comox Valley Telethon in November.
While students will never be forced to perform, performance is an expected part of the Suzuki curriculum and will be practiced in group class, regardless of a child’s decision to perform at the event. Recitals are an opportunity for the important adults in a child’s life to carefully curate stressful situations so the child can develop awareness of their nervous system and observe themselves succeeding.
Students are expected to prepare 1-2 pieces and learn a group piece for each recital (even if they decide not to participate!)
It has been observed that students who do not attend their first recital (as a performer or as audience) are far more likely to quit by the end of the school year. Live music is just such a fantastic motivator for beginning students!
9. Tuition 2023/2024
Your tuition, charged September through June, guarantees 38 private lessons per year, and weekly group classes during the school year. Tuition includes an annual parent information session, recorded resources, parent conferences at any time upon request, and assistance with normal violin maintenance. Sheet music outside of the Suzuki repertoire (that is not included in other method books) is written or transcribed by Daisy, and is also included in this service.
Invoices are sent at the beginning of each month, due by the 8th, and can be paid by e-transfer to sproutingstrings@gmail.com
2025 pricing (monthly):
30min lesson program: $200.70
45min lesson program: $261.42
There is a yearly registration fee of $15 per family to cover recitals, certificates, and printed music, which will appear on your first or September invoice.
Prices raise annually to match cost-of-living increases.
There will be a $20 fee added for every week that tuition is late. If tuition has not been paid in full by the end of June, summer lessons and priority scheduling for the following school year will be withheld until payment is received.
10. Summer Lessons
Your tuition includes 38 private lessons. In an average school year, a student will have 34 lessons, leaving a few available for summer use. Maintaining hard-earned skills is a year-round necessity for the enjoyment of the child and their family.
Summer scheduling is flexible. Lessons cancelled or rescheduled within 48hrs of the lesson time will not be made up.
Students may have a maximum of 2 lessons per week and are not permitted to schedule lessons 2 or more days in a row. Special exceptions will be made on an individual basis.
You will be informed of the final date of summer lessons when you receive the link to schedule via Calendly. It is the responsibility of the student to plan ahead – the final weeks of summer often fill up fast and additional slots will not be added in the event that space runs out.
Unused summer lessons do not roll over to the following school year.
11. Holidays
This studio follows the calendar of the local public school district (SD71). There will be no lessons during the Christmas holidays or any other national and provincial holidays EXCEPT Labour Day Monday in September.
Lessons continue through the first week of Spring Break, but do not occur during the second week. There are no group classes during either week of Spring Break.
There are mid-term breaks during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Family Day, and Victoria Day. Your tuition takes these breaks into account.
12. Scheduling
Scheduling is often extremely limited for new students. When filling out the registration form, feel free to give as many options as possible.
Once the schedule has been set (in August or at the time of registration), it is expected that the lesson time will not move. Please prepare in advance for seasonal activities such as sports and dance/theatre when scheduling your lessons.
Priority scheduling for existing students opens during the last week of June and is not done on a first-come-first-serve basis to ensure that no existing student is forced to quit due to scheduling issues. Scheduling for new students begins on August 1st. At that point, all students, including existing students who have not submitted a form during the priority registration period, will claim spots first-come-first-serve.
13. Cancellation/Dismissal
It is expected that students continue lessons from September to June. Termination of lessons mid-year is subject to a 1/2 month’s tuition cancellation fee. If lessons are terminated mid-month, the remaining month’s tuition will count towards the half-month cancellation fee.
If a student repeatedly does not meet expectations (repeated no-shows, little to no practice for several weeks unrelated to injury/life changes), the student may be dismissed from the studio. The Suzuki method is made to create an environment where success is inevitable, but that takes effort from the parent and child. Like everything else, this method does not fit every family’s lives. Every effort will be made to support the family and avoid dismissal. Should things come to a point where continuing lessons does more harm than good for the child’s wellbeing and self-esteem, written warning will be provided prior to an official notice of dismissal.
Sprouting Strings 