Sarah Bish teaches Suzuki cello group class and private cello lessons at Silver Music. Here is a bit of insight into her early study:

Age you began studying: 5 years old 

Why did you choose the cello? My mother is a violin teacher so at first I started playing the violin when I was 3/4 but I have never been a fan of the E string, so I told her that I wanted to play the “jello.” Probably because of the amazing C string and warm sound. The rest is history!

One memory from your lessons or early study:
Even in my 30 minute lessons, my teacher, Marianne Wion, would give me a break and I always got a piece of chocolate. She was from Switzerland so it was really good chocolate. 

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice? I think that “liking” practicing and feeling successful in a practice session are two different things. There are (and definitely were) days that I don’t want to practice, but I knew that even a short amount of efficient and focused practicing makes a big difference in my cello playing. When I was younger I had sticker charts and getting jelly beans for good practicing. I still use rewards today for myself and my students, although now I prefer Skittles to jelly beans… 

Did you ever want to quit?
No, definitely not. There are some days when you realize that what we are doing is really hard and sometimes it would be easier not to play, but whenever I have to go a few days without playing, I miss it. That makes me remember that I could never not play the cello. 

How did music education affect your life?
I have had teachers (cello teachers, chamber music coaches, other role models) who showed me that being a musician is so rewarding. I am a very goal-oriented person so working on a piece satisfies my want to learn and improve my technique, and then polishing it and finding the beauty satisfies the artistic side of my personality.

Do you have a musical role model?
All of my cello teachers- Madeleine Golz, Merry Peckham, Astrid Schween, and Jonathan Spitz. As a female cellist, Jacqueline Du Pré is the ultimate inspiration!

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:
It’s hard to pick! I love The Two Grenadiers, Danse Rustique, and French Folk Song.

Any advice for budding string-players?:
Try to have fun when things get tough! I know practicing can feel like a chore, but when you realize how much you are improving, that is the best feeling in the world. 

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing cello?
I love baking! I am not that great at it, but my fiancé doesn’t seem to complain. I also love to watch nature documentaries and doing puzzles to relax. 

Zara (Zadie) Lawler teaches Suzuki flute lessons, flute group classes, Flute Readiness, and Ready, Set, Play! at Silver Music.

Name:  Zara Lawler, but everyone calls me Zadie

Age you began studying: 9 

Why did you choose the flute?  This is kind of a silly story.  I had started on piano when I was in 4th grade.  My father played the piano all the time and I thought it would be really fun, but the teacher and I were not a good match, and the piano and I were not a good match either!  So, the summer after 4th grade, I took drum lessons as our local public school summer music program.  I chose the drum because I loved banging on things in cool patterns and drums looked so exciting.  In reality, I found it to be very boring!  All my friends were playing either flute or clarinet and having such a good time playing tunes and songs…so I thought I would switch AGAIN to either flute or clarinet.  How to decide? In the end, I chose the flute because I thought it had a cooler case.  Lucky for me, it turned out to be the Best Instrument In The World!

One memory from your lessons or early study:  My first performance was London Bridge is Falling Down, played for my whole elementary school.  Afterwards, I cried because my tone was so airy!  I had only been playing for about a month at that time…  Anyway, I always think of that while working with my own students on making a beautiful sound.

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?  At first, I didn’t really understand what practice was all about…I think mostly because my parents were both musical but I never saw them practice.  My father would just sit down at the piano, and out would come the Maple Leaf Rag, sounding complicated and amazing.  And at first, it didn’t take much work for me to progress on the flute.  But I do remember distinctly learning to practice when I was in 7th grade, and I wanted to audition for a better seat in band.  I had to play a really tricky passage from the theme song to MASH, a TV show Silver Music parents might remember!  It was the first time I ever really had to work out how to get my fingers and my air to work together to be consistently successful.  It was like I could feel the neural pathways forming themselves as I worked out how to play it and then how to play it over and over again the same way.  

Did you ever want to quit?  I did not ever want to quit but every once in a while I’ve gotten so frustrated I feel like throwing the flute out the window. Thankfully, I have never actually done that!

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:  I love the Woodall Serenade in Book 3, and also By the Brook in Book 7.  I’ll be performing both at Flute Day at the Suzuki Music School in Westport CT on March 22:  https://www.suzukischools.org/pillow-concerts

Any advice for budding flute-players?: Don’t wait until 7th grade to learn how to practice!  

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing flute?  In addition to being a Suzuki teacher, I’m also a Suzuki parent, and I am having a lot of fun learning about the cello, and learning about what this whole Suzuki triangle thing is like from the parent side. 

Zadie playing flute in 8th grade!