VSSA
The Valley of the Sun Suzuki Association is a local organization of teachers who provide the group lesson element of the Suzuki Method. If your child is between the ages of 3-13, joining is a studio requirement.. Positive Peer Encouragement, and attitudes improve with group playing and it is essential. Classes are held every other Sat. from August-May. Please visit their website, valleysuzuki.org , for more information. VSSA also provides recital opportunities, workshops, and fun activities. Student’s who are older are asked to be in either their school orchestra program or other orchestral group such as Southwest Youth Symphony or the prestigious Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

Recitals
Recitals include the Annual Christmas Recital held at Keystone Montessori, and a Spring Duet Recital as well as any VSSA recitals you may sign up for throughout the year. Participation in atleast 2 recitals per year is a studio requirement.

Lesson Length
Beginning August 1, 2006, students who are on Bourree by Handel in Book 2 will be required to take a forty five minute lesson per week. New techniques such as vibrato, shifting, and sight-reading are now added. In order to have enough time for the learning of new pieces, this extra fifteen minutes is needed. Otherwise, progression moves slowly.

If your student is on Book 4 or above, an hour lesson is recommended.

Make-Up Lessons
Please do not attend if you or your child are ill. If you know in advance that you need to miss, you can arrange to swap lesson times with another student. Please make these arrangements yourself. In addition Miss Joy will provide 1 make-up lesson a year, for times of illness, if able to find a time that works with both schedules.

Studio Closed
Miss Joy takes off the weeks of Fall Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, and 3 weeks during the summer for training and personal vacation. Full monthly payments for June, July, and August must be made to keep your child’s spot for the fall.