Shaw Strings and 2024

Reflecting on 2024: Growth, Success, and Lessons from Shaw Strings Studio

As 2024 draws to a close, I find myself celebrating the incredible growth and milestones experienced at Shaw Strings Private Studio. Running a private music studio is a personal journey – no one cares about your studio as much as you do. This year has brought moments of synchronicity and gratitude, and I want to capture these memories to inspire myself during more challenging times.

I hope this reflection encourages you to pause and recognize your own progress this year. If you'd like a more detailed recap, I’m hoping to share a stream-of-consciousness video on YouTube soon. Feel free to check it out!

About Shaw Strings Studio

Hello! I'm Renee Shaw Nutwell, the proud owner and sole Suzuki violin teacher at Shaw Strings Private Studio. I teach from my home studio in Hagerstown, Maryland, and also work through Shepherd University's Community Music Program in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Current Studio Overview

In 2024, Shaw Strings served approximately 40 students weekly, offering lessons ranging from 30 to 60 minutes. Here’s a glimpse into our year:

• Teaching Schedule:

  • January-May 2024: Private lessons were available Sunday through Wednesday.

  • June-December 2024: Private lessons shifted to Monday through Wednesday.

• Group Classes: Held on Sunday afternoons, grouped by age and ability in 40-minute intervals. Adult students enjoy separate sessions for duets and ensemble skills.

• Student Demographics:

  • 38% Preschool and Elementary

  • 21% Middle School

  • 15% High School

  • 26% Adult

• Playing Levels: Pre-Twinkle through Suzuki Book 5, with one advancing student approaching the Mozart concerti.

• Unique Studio Aspects:

  • Students navigating depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, and c-PTSD.

  • 31% of students are homeschooled.

  • Multiple families from split households.

2024 Studio Highlights and Achievements

Community Engagement:
This year, our studio stepped further into the community, performing at downtown Hagerstown events. This was important both in the sense of local pride, but also in creating more bonds between studio mates as we had more informal opportunities for students to connect. Two standout moments included:

• Flying Boxcars Game: Performing the Star-Spangled Banner at Meritus Park during the inaugural year for the Flying Boxcars.

• Houses of Worship Tour: A moving final performance for the year as we shared holiday music in the downtown tours happening at the local historical churches.

Group Class Overhaul:
Following an experimental summer group schedule, we transitioned from monthly all-inclusive classes to smaller, ability-based groups. This fostered deeper connections and enhanced peer learning while maintaining our community feel.

Studio Branding:
A long-overdue project came to life – studio t-shirts! Special thanks to Amy Guessford for updating our logo and making this possible.

Parent Education Initiatives:
This 18 month deep dive into parent education led me to countless books, video resources, in person trainings and more! After all this research, I prioritized parent involvement through individual parent-teacher conferences, regular studio meetings and lots of printed material. These sessions started many interesting conversations and provided insights into each student's journey, strengthening our student-teacher-parent triangle.

Studio Handbook:
A comprehensive handbook now guides studio operations, streamlining communication and expectations. I am grateful for the direction it gives my students and their families, and found writing it to be a useful thought exercise for how I view the studio. You can view this document on my studio website here.

Mentorship and Outreach:
I shared my experiences as a private music teacher and freelance musician with music students at Shepherd University and even connected with my first student from 2011, now studying at Berklee College of Music. I am looking forward to the sessions I have scheduled for this spring semester to continue these conversations with more emerging music teachers!

Professional Development in 2024

SAA/ASTA Conference:
The first post-pandemic conference for both the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) and American String Teachers Association (ASTA) was held in Louisville, Kentucky in March. Attending this combined conference opened so many new pathways for learning and networking. I prioritized attended sessions on parent education, early childhood education, string technique, and teacher self-care.

Colleague Connections:
Meeting peers like Claire Allen, Sarah Coley, and Jessica Retana at conference really opened the possibility of ongoing invaluable professional friendships. I’m so grateful we’ve been able to stay in touch through coffee dates and Marco Polo videos!

Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE):
Completing Level One training in Omaha, Nebraska, was a personal and professional highlight. I enjoyed learning this curriculum with Sharon Jones and hearing about all the thought put into the song selections and activities. My daughter’s participation in our daily sample class made it even more special!

Continuous Learning:
I resumed taking lessons by traveling to study with a new teacher, auditioned for an orchestra, and challenged myself musically. Though I didn’t secure a seat, the preparation period was one of high focus and improvement. I am proud of myself for going through the steps to get ready mentally, physically and emotionally. I have a lot of gratitude to my family, friends and the students who were supportive and understanding in this process, too!

Personal Growth Beyond Music

This year, I dove into hobbies like gardening and baking, which led me to learn about things like canning and cross stitching, too. Engaging in these non-musical activities balanced my life and indirectly supported my teaching practice.

A recent reel asking musicians what they do for fun implied that musicians don’t have fun. It was funny because it can easily become true. My experience in the last year has really confirmed that exploring interests outside of music can lead to renewed creativity! I hope you can find something like that for you in the new year.

Challenges and Lessons from 2024

Summer Group Classes:
Despite efforts to making summer group classes fresh and exciting, attendance remained low. While it gave me some important information about how we enjoyed being split into groups based on ability level, the overall participation in summer group classes has given me a lot to think about as I look ahead to summer 2025.

Difficult Lesson Endings:
This aspect of the job continues to be the most difficult part of the private music teacher life for me. The challenging lesson endings typically involved an abrupt notice. There were a lot of hurt feelings that still sting.

Gratefully, most ended with positive, appreciative notes and we’ve been able to stay in touch. I am grateful I took the time to really work through the process of writing my studio handbook because it helped me articulate what a respectful lesson ending looks like. When those policies are followed, I’ve noticed our student-teacher-parent relationship stays much more intact even when our regular lesson time is over.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we move into 2025, I carry forward the successes and lessons of this year. I’ve been around a while. I will be here and teaching for a long time to come. For fellow teachers, know that both highs and lows are part of the journey. I hope you take the time to celebrate your good work and honor the dedication you pour into your studio.

Thank you for taking a walk down memory lane with me! If you’d like to connect, feel free to leave a comment or find me on Instagram @shawstrings. Here’s to an exciting and fulfilling 2025!