Where are Suzuki Guitar Lessons by Everett held?
Lessons are held at my home-based guitar studio in Capilano, just a few short blocks from Suzuki Charter School. There is also a once per month online Zoom Lesson component as well. 

When are lessons held and how long are they?
I teach Monday – Friday (between 3:45pm – 7:30pm). Lessons are 30 minutes in duration, except Monday and Friday lessons, which are 35 minutes in duration. This discrepancy in lesson length is to address an inequity of instructional minutes due to the number of statutory holidays and PD days falling on Mondays and Fridays. It depends on the student, but I find it is sometimes preferable for very young students (pre-K or kindergarten for example) to have a slightly shorter lesson duration (say, 20-25 minutes), for the first few months as 30 minutes can be a bit much for them.

How long does the program run?
The program is 9 months in duration and runs from September until the end of May.

Are there lessons during holidays?
No there are not. Holidays are based on the Suzuki Charter School calendar. As a rule of thumb, if there is no school, there is no lesson.

How do I register my child and when is the deadline?
You can register your child by sending me a message from the contact page. The registration deadline is June 30. 

How much does it cost to Register?
A one-time-only non-refundable registration fee is required for your child’s first year of lessons. The registration fee is $145 and is due on or before June 30. Visit the Registration page for more information.

What ages do you teach?
Ages 4 and up. I typically begin teaching kids when they start kindergarten at Suzuki Charter School but I can start them at any grade level.

How are fees paid?
Fees are to be made in 9 equal payments of $145 payable at the first lesson of each month. Fees can be paid by cash, cheque or by INTERAC E-Transfer.

What is your cancellation policy?
If a student misses a lesson I will provide several possible times for a make up lesson as openings become available (students have 60 days to book a make-up lesson after an absence). I do not offer make-up lessons or refunds for any “no shows” without 24 hours notice.

How are Suzuki Guitar lessons different from other guitar lessons?

The Suzuki Method is a music curriculum, philosophy and system of learning developed by Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki in the mid-20th century. It is specifically tailored to young children. Typically a student of the Suzuki Method will take private lessons as well as participate in group lessons and performances as part of their musical education.

The Suzuki Guitar Method is a classical guitar program and as such children learn to play nylon string classical guitar. Through listening to music and playing a series of musical games children learn to play first by ear, and then by learning to read standard musical notation (notes).

The program requires a solid commitment of time from the parent who must not only attend every lesson with the child but also serve as the “home teacher” for the child. This is known as the “Suzuki Triangle”. One of the main roles a parent has is to take notes during lessons of what needs to be practiced and find ways to maintain a practice schedule at home. There is a learning curve here for parent as well as student. It can take some time to figure out what makes practice time at home the most pleasant and productive for your child.

The Suzuki Method also follows a specific repertoire of songs to be played on classical guitar which form the basis what the kids will learn. Kids may learn other songs as well, but the bulk of lesson time is spent playing Suzuki repertoire.

What kind of guitar does my child need for Suzuki Method?
Suzuki Guitar Method is essentially a classical guitar program and as such, your child will need a nylon string classical guitar.

There are lots of good guitar stores in Edmonton, but the two I frequent most are Acoustic Music Shop and Long & McQuade. You will notice that classical guitars are not nearly so common as steel string acoustic and electric guitars, but both of these stores tend to have decent classical guitars in stock. (Some other good stores are Myhre’s Music and Stang Guitars).

You can look at some good examples of possible classical guitars for your child by clicking here (link to Long & McQuade Music’s webstore) or clicking here (link to Acoustic Music Shop’s website).

What size of guitar should I get for my child?
A full size guitar is way too large for a very young guitar student – it simply will not work. Use the chart below to help you decide what size of guitar is appropriate for your child. (In spite of the recommendations in the char below, most of my pre-K and kindergarten students will begin and do fine with a 1/2 size guitar because 1/4 size guitars are not readily available.)

Is there anything else my child will need?
Your child will need a foot stool, a soft shell guitar case and a Suzuki Guitar Method Book. For foot stools, I recommend the black metal ones with rubber feet like this one. Don’t be tempted by the wooden ones — they look nice but are often slippery on socks and floors – not too helpful! I have foot stools and Suzuki Method Books available for purchase at my guitar studio. As for guitar cases, most kids do best with a soft shell case, which is not so bulky and heavy as a hard shell case and, a lot easier for them to manage. If you can find one that has a bit of padding, that is preferable.

Finally, it is always good to have an extra set of nylon classical guitar strings on hand as well because strings do break from time to time (I have strings available at my studio).

What is the Suzuki repertoire?
My Suzuki Guitar program begins with a series of very incremental and achievable learning steps geared to young children for the first few months. There is plenty of encouragement and positive reinforcement along the way. A young student will learn about the parts of the guitar and how to hold the guitar before learning several simple musical games to develop some basic skills and rhythmic fluency. After several lessons, we move along to some simple melodies and finally, to what is known as the Twinkle Variations. These are 5 different versions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, each with a slightly different rhythm. This is followed by several folk songs geared to young children such as “Lightly Row” and “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”.

Eventually the Suzuki Repertoire moves into pieces originally written for the lute in the Renaissance as well as baroque and classical period pieces including works by Sanz, Vivaldi, Bach, Carcassi, Giuliani, Sor, Tarrega, Albéniz, Mudarra, and Yocoh’s Sakura Variations.

What qualifications do you have to teach Suzuki Method?
I have been teaching guitar for over 20 years but I didn’t begin teaching Suzuki Method until 2011 when I was hired to teach classical guitar at The Suzuki Charter School in Edmonton, Alberta. This is where I received my first teacher training and observations of the Suzuki Method from Grazyna Sobieraj. At this time I also began teacher training with Suzuki Guitar co-founder William Kossler. I received my official Suzuki Method certification in August 2015 after completing an intensive summer institute with William Kossler.