Thanks to Midsummer's Music and the Griffon String Quartet, you can catch children as young as two years old playing string instruments at a series of events next weekend.

The performing arts groups will reprise its winter retreat from last year, featuring the Suzuki Strings of Madison. The students prescribe to the philosophy of Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese pedagogue who believed that every child could learn to play an instrument with loving encouragement, a rich musical environment, and respectful cooperation between teacher, parent, and student. It means the students learn to play their respective instruments by relying on the sounds they hear rather than the notes on a page. Midsummer’s Music Executive Director Allyson Fleck fell in love with playing music through the Suzuki method and says it is an excellent way for young children to get involved.

The Winter Retreat opens on Friday morning when the Suzuki Strings of Madison perform for students at Gibraltar before participating in workshops with the Griffon String Quartet and hosting an instrument petting zoo. The Suzuki Strings of Madison will meet with students of the Griffon String Quarter at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay for a night of music, games, and pizza. On January 6th, the Suzuki Strings of Madison will participate in instructive classes with other students before hosting a community performance at 1 p.m. at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay.