About the Program:

The Springboro Community Schools Suzuki and Orchestra program are now in their third year of implementation.  The program started in 2006 as a project of the Springboro Optimist Club and has grown to include over 200 members this school year district-wide.

The Suzuki program starts in 1st grade with new teacher Minna Aminzadeh.  Children learn to play violin by rote in a class setting and use the Suzuki Violin Method.  Learning by rote strengthens the child’s awareness to tone quality, musicality and introduces the concept intonation.  Learning by rote develops memory skills, goal setting, team-work, establishes home-study habits and creates a basis for learning abstract concepts such as musical notation. 

  

By 2nd grade, students move on to teacher Kirsten Abrams at both Dennis and Five Points Elementary.  Students continue on in Suzuki method (including aural training and technical warm-ups), with the addition of the method book 'New Dimensions' (published by Kjos) which teaches students basic music theory and note reading.  Students can expect to develop more fully in their posture, tone production, rhythmic awareness and understanding of musical notation all throughout elementary school.  As the program progresses in implementation and as staffing allows, Kirsten Abrams will eventually head up the entire Elementary strings program grades 2-5.

  

Sarah Benedict will be teaching 3rd grade strings this year which is the turning point for the Suzuki program.  In 3rd grade, students are introduced to the viola and cello and the violin-only class becomes a string orchestra.  Students are taught almost exclusively with note reading and will use method book ‘New Dimensions’ published by Kjos. Students will also be playing easy literature for string orchestra written in 3-4 part harmony.  Sarah Benedict will also be teaching the traditional strings program for grades 6-8.  These classes are taught from a different approach in that new students are started with note reading from the start (although many students in these classes have taken private lessons for years and are quite proficient already in note reading).  Students can expect to play scales, etudes, 5-part harmonic string music and study music theory more in-depth. Students will also participate in Ohio Music Education Association Solo and Ensemble Contest as well as participate in District 13 Honors Orchestra.