When my 4 year old said she wanted to play violin, I knew nothing about the Suzuki method or what to expect. My older daughter and I play piano and this was going to be a whole new experience for me.
Ariana introduced us both to the violin and the Suzuki method. She graciously recommended books and found ways to encourage my daughter at each new level of her playing.
Four years later, I am amazed at what my daughter has been able to accomplish with Ariana and how she is able to create different practice plans and teaching games to address my daughter’s needs.
I wanted my daughter to learn violin using correct technique and posture but to still have fun and that is exactly what Ariana has accomplished.
My daughter is now reading music and is using both the Suzuki method and traditional note reading to play her first concerto, but more importantly she has developed an appreciation and love of music that will last a lifetime.
Michele, Suzuki Mom
Ariana was Rose’s first violin teacher, starting at age 5. We were so lucky to find her! She is fun and energetic and so kind but – make no mistake – she is teaching technical and musical rigour all the while. I have a background in music and my mother is a music teacher, and we were both consistently impressed with her.
Rose studied with Ariana for about 4 years, until moves made the weekly travel to lessons and group too much for us. I should note that we persisted with traveling this distance for a good couple of years following the moves because we were so pleased with Ariana’s teaching, and Rose was so connected to her Suzuki group friends. We were SO sad to leave her studio! Rose has since had 3 other private teachers as well as several orchestra conductors and chamber coaches (we’ve had a couple additional moves) and each one has made a point of noting how well set up Rose was by Ariana.
Rose is now 13 and violin is her passion. She is working toward her Grade 8 Royal Conservatory of Music exam and was recently accepted into an audition-entry strings program at our local Music Conservatory. She hopes to pursue a career that includes music. Rose had little difficulty transitioning from primarily Suzuki method to incorporating other approaches and repertoire as Ariana built in basic music literacy from the start.
We credit Ariana with instilling in Rose the pure joy in playing violin and making music, a positive work and practice ethic, and a commitment to technical rigour.
We are so grateful that Rose got her start with Ariana!
Kathryn, Suzuki Mom
Our 2 girls have been with Ariana for almost 6 years and the growth we've seen has been tremendous.
Our daughters (ages 14 and 12) are very different in their learning styles and personalities. Ariana has many different strategies and she changes things up to get the best results out of each of them. She has been a huge help as the girls have gotten older and started performing in their school and regional orchestras. They know that she will help them break down a difficult piece and get it polished and performance ready. Overall, we couldn't be happier!
Kathy & Jerry, Suzuki Parents
I have had two boys in the Suzuki program with Ariana for three years and one year. What I love about her specifically is that she is patient with the children, gets the best out of them in every session with positive energy. She always has a positive comment to say before correcting technique which is important for their personalities.
She also has been able to work around difficulties that one of my sons has, by changing the typical Suzuki theme and thinking outside of the box, and helping him get over a hurdle that he otherwise may have quit over.
It is a lifestyle change to join Suzuki violin, one that will benefit the children enormously (think dedication, work ethic, parent-child bonding, learning to overcome) and they end up becoming musicians in the process! You need to have a partner you can trust to help your kids reach their best and that is 100% Ariana.
Carolyn, Suzuki Mom
Ariana Straznicky is a wonderful teacher who has high expectations of her students (and her Suzuki families). My daughter started taking Suzuki violin lessons as a 4-year old.
She really enjoyed the bi-weekly group classes with several students around her level (and some above) where she strived to improve and play the more advanced songs.
She also enjoyed the 100-day practice challenges where she pushed herself to practice on days she didn’t want to just so she wouldn’t loose her perfect streak! She has since switched to traditional lessons and is really working to improve her sight reading. She is playing Vivaldi, Bach, and Seitz!
She has grown so much as a musician over the last eight years, thanks to the focused attention from Ariana at the Straznicky Violin Studio.
Janina, Suzuki Mom
Dear Ariana,
It has been SoCCA’s pleasure these last few years to rent studio space to you so young people can receive instruction to play the violin. Straznicky Violin Studio has been a great addition to the overall mission of SoCCA; to offer all forms of the arts to people of all ages and abilities.
Your dedication to your craft and to your students is clearly evident in their twice yearly performances in SoCCA’s gallery. From the youngest to the oldest we have witnessed your students display their skillful knowledge, a direct result of your dedication to teaching and your own talent playing the violin.
We are looking forward to sharing space with you at SoCCA for years to come.
Thank you for being part of Southington Community Cultural Arts.