Hello Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying your summer, whether here in St. Louis, or traveling around the country or around the world!  At various music camps and Suzuki Institutes this summer, Kirby and I have had the opportunity to work with students both from around the St. Louis area and from all parts of the country.  And while that is always invigorating, rewarding, and a lot of fun, what it has really left me feeling is that what we have the opportunity to do day-in and day-out, year-round at West County Strings is special and doesn’t happen just anywhere.  Every day, students at West County Strings are getting a clearer vision of what musical excellence is, and what holding themselves to the highest standard of ability looks like.  They are getting the skills that help them achieve that musical excellence, skills that carry over as personal qualities and characteristics that help them succeed in many other areas of life.  We strive to hold ourselves to the highest standard as teachers each and every day, and to create the absolute best musical education and experience for you and your children that we can.  And we look thank you for joining us in this pursuit!

So now, even as another half of the summer stretches out in front of us, it’s time to start preparing for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year!  Here is your copy of our 2019-2020 Registration Form.  Please complete and return this form, along with your registration fee as soon as possible, and no later than July 31.  Please note that if you have not completed the “Policies” portion of your form or included a registration fee, we will not be able to process your registration.  The sooner we receive everyone’s forms, the sooner Kirby and I will be able to see how our teaching days and blocks will fill out this school year, and the better job we will be able to do of creating a schedule that works for everyone.  If we do not receive your form in a timely fashion, it is likely we will not be able to schedule you at your desired time, and possible that we will not be able to schedule you at all.  So please act promptly!

As Kirby and I prepare for another new school year, we are thinking about each and every one of our returning students, and those new students that we’ve had the pleasure to meet this summer and are asking ourselves: How can we create a vision for this student of just how wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and worthy of pursuing music is?  How can we inspire them to dedicate themselves to the daily practice and improvement of their skills and abilities?  What concrete steps does this particular student need to take this year, and what insight and information can I pass on to them to best help them in that journey?  What kind of musical opportunities and connections can we create for this students, both here in the St. Louis area and abroad?  How can we make this year a year that this student and their family will look back on fondly as a cherished musical memory for years to come?  I trust that you will be able to see these questions being answered as the 2019-2020 school year unfolds, and we look forward to each special moment of this year’s journey with you!

As always, as you go through the registration process please let me know if you have any questions at all, and I will be happy to answer them as quickly as I can.

Thanks, and have a wonderful rest of your summer!

– Brad