Kay Fry moved to Peachtree City from Miami nearly 20 years ago. She had a small music program in Miami where she taught violin through the Suzuki method and was hoping to continue the program here. Fry knew no one in the town and was wondering if she would be able to continue teaching.
“I asked God, if you really want me to teach, send me a student. I need to get moving if I’m going to do this,” Fry recalled. “A friend called and asked me to meet someone at a school that afternoon. While I was there, a man asked if I lived in Peachtree City and would I mind teaching his son.”
That boy became Fry’s first student and he will be one of close to 25 students returning to perform with the Fayette Fiddlers at their annual Christmas concert next Tuesday at Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church. In the first year, Fayette Fiddlers taught 14 children the Suzuki method and now there are 60 students learning from Fry or one of the other teachers.
The Suzuki method is a Japanese music program that teaches children to hear and play music without page notes. It is the same way we learn language.
“This is how children as young as three years old can learn to play songs – listening repeatedly and being shown how to form notes on the violin,” Fry said. Suzuki philosophy also relies on positive reinforcement and parental involvement.
Fayette Fiddlers is one-of-a-kind music program in the area, with more than 400 students having participated in the program. In addition to weekly lessons and three annual concerts, they also attend public appearances at nursing homes, festivals and schools.
“We want them to bring out their good and beautiful hearts,” said Fry, who added that they are teaching life skills as well as music skills. “We also want them to have a reason for all their practice and playing together.”
Fry stated that the Suzuki method also helps in the students’ schoolwork and builds a sense of self esteem and accomplishment. The youngest student in Fayette Fiddlers is three years old and there are also two adults in the program who are learning with their children. All of the music is memorized and there are no music stands at all.
The impact of this program on the lives of it participants is far reaching. There is the life-long love of music children develop from this early music encounter. Studies bear out that early music exposure enhances brain development and learning. Add to that the boost of confidence gained from becoming comfortable in front of an audience. There is also the invaluable introduction to the high art of classical music in children’s formative years.
Some of the songs being performed at next week’s concert include Pachebel’s Canon in D, “Silent Night,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” Jingle Bells,” and more.
Fry remarked on how nice it has been to reflect on the first 20 years of the Fayette Fiddlers program.
“A former student e-mailed a picture the other day of her playing the violin when she was five years old. Now, she is at college and still playing,” Fry said. “It’s wonderful to see how you may have affected a student. It is also great to have a job that is your passion and doesn’t ever seem like a job.”
The concert will take place Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church. The public is invited to attend.
For more information about Fayette Fiddlers or the Christmas concert, contact Kay Fry at fiddlerfry@bellsouth.net or 770-487-8943
