Early Childhood Education

Plans are well underway for the SAA 15th Biennial Conference, May 24-28, 2012, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mark your calendar! Don’t miss our 40th anniversary!

SAA Conferences are sentinel events for teachers, parents, and students. Expect enlightening sessions on Suzuki philosophy and pedagogy in general and for each instrument. Learn to run your studio and work with parents. Become adept in new technologies. Enjoy special topics of Bach and outreach. Share and learn from colleagues. Listen to master classes, performing ensembles, the 40th anniversary Kaleidoscope Concert, Suzuki Youth Orchestras, and professional artists. Connect with the Suzuki community. See old friends, and…

Read more of Clinicians & Special Guests »

The SAA would like to welcome five new Teacher Trainers:

Amy Matherly

Charlton, MA
Violin

Nightingale Chen

Powell, OH
Piano

Priscilla Jones

Bainbridge Island, WA
Cello

Sharon Jones

London, ON
Suzuki Early Childhood Education

Haukur Hannesson

Uppsala, Sweden
Cello
ESA Level V Trainer, added to SAA Registry

We look forward to their service in this new and important capacity.

Looking for a Trainer? Search for Teacher Trainers by instrument or location.

Photo by Michiko Yurko

2008 Conference attendees. Front row: Dee Martz, and Joanne Martin. Back row: Delaine Fedson, Mary Kay Waddington, and Michiko Yurko.

Plan now to attend the 2012 SAA 15th Biennial Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota!

The conference will be held May 25-28, 2012, and will feature valuable sessions for teachers, teacher trainers, and parents—not to mention Suzuki Youth Orchestras of the Americas (SYOA) and other exciting events for your students!

Read on for many more reasons to save the dates in 2012.

Read more of 2012 Plans »

There’s Still Time!

One month left to sign up for the Suzuki Early Childhood Teacher Training class in Houston with Dorothy Jones!

Levels: ECE Stage One & Stage Two
Date: Wed-Sun, November 10-14, 2010
Time: 9am-4pm each day
Location: Stafford, TX (suburb of Houston)
Cost: $525 + $15 SAA registration fee

For application and more information:

Go to www.dolcemusic.org
Or call Danette at 832-886-1745

Suzuki Baby Classes are amazing experiences and will change your studio forever! Imagine students entering your studio for lessons who already sing on pitch, can keep a steady beat, listen to a CD every day with their parents and more! After…

Read more of Suzuki Early Childhood Training and ECC Near You »

Dorothy’s introduction to the Suzuki Method was in the winter of 1968/69 when daughters Beth and Sharon began Suzuki violin study. Dorothy soon learned about the developments in Suzuki Piano and embarked on her career as an instructor and trainer in that area.

When Dorothy first met Dr. Suzuki in 1972, she heard him say the words that would forever change the direction of her life: “Music education of a child should not start at birth but should start nine months before birth.” Two years later when she returned to Hawaii…

Read more of Dorothy Jones: The Heart of Suzuki Early Childhood Education »

Some of the good news is out with regard to David Gerry’s PhD thesis. You may remember from discussions during Suzuki ECE training or from the last two SAA conferences in Minneapolis that David undertook a project to examine whether or not Suzuki ECE plays a significant role in the development of babies in the very early years. Indeed he has been working steadily on this for a few years.

He has been working with Dr. Laurel Trainor. Laurel Trainor (Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster) is the founding director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. She has done groundbreaking research on musical development in children and infants.

Read more of Early Childhood Research »

Ten Things to Know

1. Suzuki Early Childhood Education (ECE) is a program for parent and child 0-3 years old. (There also is a Prenatal component in Suzuki ECE.)

2. Suzuki ECE is unique in its emphasis on natural development from birth and the Suzuki learning triangle of parent, child, and teacher.

3. Suzuki ECE is different from other early childhood programs, as it is a mastery-based, pressure-free, Suzuki Pre-Pre-Twinkle program.

4. Suzuki ECE has 7 important concepts:

   -…

Read more of Super-Size Your Success with Suzuki ECE! »

Since you’ve taken teacher training in Suzuki Early Childhood Education in the past, you might like to know about these ECE training opportunities this summer:

Ottawa Suzuki Institute Mid-Southwest

Ottawa, Kansas

Every Child Can
June 13 with Dorothy Jones

Early Childhood Stage 1
June 14-18 with Dorothy Jones

Early Childhood Stage 2
June 21-25 with Dorothy Jones

More info: www.ottawasuzukistrings.org

Thames Valley Suzuki School

London, Ontario, Canada

Every Child Can
June 27 with Dorothy Jones

Early Childhood Stage 1
June 28—July 2 with Dorothy Jones

Early Childhood Stage 2
June 30—July 4 with Dorothy Jones

Early Childhood Stage 3
June 30—July 4 with…

Read more of Suzuki Early Childhood Teacher Training This Summer »

• Collaborate with colleagues on new layer ideas for Suzuki ECE Weeks 1 and 2!
• Learn the developmental advantages of Suzuki ECE!
• Discover the history of Dr. Suzuki and ECE!
• Investigate how to promote and develop your Suzuki ECE program!
• Enrich your Institute with Suzuki ECE!
• Invigorate your studio instrumental program and concerts with Suzuki ECE!
• Improve your Suzuki parent education program with Suzuki ECE! (General Session)

Presenters include Dorothy Jones, Sharon Jones, Shirley Jamison Koch, Alyse Korn, Lynn McCall, Danette Schuh, Joyce Hodge, Nancy Brown and Jennifer Webb.

See you there!

–Shirley Koch, ECE Coordinator

SAA: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

At the 2006 SAA conference in Minneapolis, 28 teachers registered for Stage One (25 hrs)of the Suzuki Early Childhood Education: Prenatal and Baby years training. This was a new initiative of the SAA and proved to be a very exciting addition to the conference. In 2008, again Stage…

Read more of Suzuki Early Childhood Education Report »