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Please join us for the 40th Anniversary Conference in May!

We are looking forward to an exciting program of events at the upcoming 2012 conference! Among our esteemed speakers will be William Starr who will be presenting, along with Dorothy Jones, never before seen video of Dr. Suzuki reflecting on his views on Early Childhood Education.

Dr. Laurel Trainor, along with SAA member David Gerry, will be presenting their research on the Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) classes.

Leena Crothers (Piano teacher trainer), Edmund Sprunger (Violin teacher trainer), and Sharon Jones (SECE teacher trainer) will be among some of the many clinicians. These sessions look to be informative, inspiring and fun! We hope to see all SECE teachers! Please encourage your friends from other instrumental areas to join us too!

Now is the time to make your plans!

Learn more about the conference

Register now

Hotel reservations

See you in May!

Lynn McCall, SECE Coordinator
Wan Tsai Chen, SECE asst. Coordinator

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 meet new ones.

The location of the conference at the downtown Hilton Minneapolis is central to the city’s myriad offerings. Just steps from the hotel is Orchestra Hall, home of the Minnesota Orchestra and venue for the Kaleidoscope Concert. A short walk will take you to the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and the Guthrie Theater. Navigate downtown Minneapolis on foot to shops and restaurants. Nicollet Mall, the cultural and commercial heart of the city, is one block from the Hilton and features everything from world-class cuisine to comfortable coffee shops. For those who would like to explore the Minneapolis metro area, use the affordable, handy light-rail system. Make your way to the Mississippi National River and Recreational Area, or the fully-urban Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, one of only two of its kind in the nation—all in close proximity to parks and open spaces. Minneapolis has something to offer everyone. We hope to see you there!

Special Guests

The 2012 Conference Team is excited to announce very special guest performers for the 15th Biennial Conference, 40 and Forward: the trio Time for Three.

Time for Three has roots in classical music, but explores myriad styles in a unique fusion of sounds. Their first music video, “Stronger,” debuted online in October 2011, bringing a positive anti-bullying message to thousands of viewers.

Time for Three filming “Stronger”

The groundbreaking, category-shattering trio Time for Three transcends traditional classification, with elements of classical, country western, gypsy and jazz idioms forming a blend all its own. The members—Zach DePue, violin; Nick Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass—carry a passion for improvisation, composing and arranging, all prime elements of the ensemble’s playing.

What started as a trio of musicians who played together for fun while students at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute for Music evolved into Time for Three, or Tf3 for short—a charismatic ensemble with a reputation for limitless enthusiasm and no musical boundaries. Violinists Zachary DePue and Nicolas Kendall first discovered their mutual love of fiddling in the country western and bluegrass styles. Then bassist Ranaan Meyer introduced them to his deep roots in jazz and improvisation. After considerable experimentation, the three officially formed Tf3 and for the first few years enjoyed a close affiliation with, and were presented in performances by Astral Artists.

The ensemble gained instant attention in July 2003, during a lightning-induced power failure at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. While technicians attempted to restore onstage lighting, Ranaan and Zach, who were both performing as members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, obliged with an impromptu jam session that included works as far afield from the originally scheduled symphony as “Jerusalem’s Ridge,” “Ragtime Annie,” and “The Orange Blossom Special.” The crowd went wild.

To date, the group has performed hundreds of engagements as diverse as its music: from featured guest soloists on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s subscription series to Club Yoshi’s in San Francisco; from residencies at the Kennedy Center to Christoph Eschenbach’s birthday concert at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany; and from the Windpower Expo to the Boston Pops. Their jam-packed 2011- 2012 season will feature their Carnegie Hall debut, a residency at Princeton University, appearances with the Boston Pops and their first tour of South America.

Tf3 sets itself apart not only with its varied repertoire performed with astonishing technical acuity, but also through its approach. Its high-energy performances are free of conventional practices, drawing instead from the members’ differing musical backgrounds. The trio also performs its own arrangements of traditional repertoire and Ranaan Meyer provides original compositions to complement the trio’s offerings.

In 2009, Time for Three embarked on an ambitious three-year residency with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a groundbreaking project among American orchestras where the artists not only get involved at the community level, but also curate the wildly successful “Happy Hour” series of concerts with the orchestra throughout the season. The project has generated tremendous excitement and has greatly increased the orchestra’s profile, especially among the younger demographic, and made them household names in Indianapolis.

In January 2010, TF3 released its first commercial CD, Three Fervent Travelers, on the E1 label. It was an instant success, debuting in the top ten on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes, and remaining in the top ten on the Billboard Crossover Charts for more than ten months. This followed the group’s first two self-produced CDs, Time for Three and We Just Burned This For You!, which sold more than 20,000 copies.

The ensemble has embarked on a major commissioning program to expand its unique repertoire for symphony orchestras. The first project was Concerto 4-3, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was premiered in six performances by Tf3 with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach in January 2008 and has been performed dozens of times since to great acclaim. 2010 saw the premiere of Travels in Time for Three by Chris Brubeck, co-commissioned by the Boston Pops, the Youngstown Symphony, and eight other orchestras. The next work in the series will be by William Bolcom, commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony, for a premiere in 2013.

In addition to its demanding performing schedule, the trio is committed to reaching younger audiences and has participated in a number of educational residencies and outreach concerts including annual visits to Paul Newman’s Hole In The Wall Gang Camp for children with terminal illnesses; weeklong residencies at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; Carnegie Hall’s Family Concerts; and countless jam sessions and impromptu music-making with students, anywhere from university classes to pizza parties and coffee houses. “The guys” want to share their infectious love of music with everyone.

Time for Three has been seen and heard frequently on various television and radio broadcasts throughout the country, including numerous times on Public Television and NPR, and was featured in a documentary film about Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square directed by Robert Downey, Sr. The group recorded the soundtrack to the History Channel’s production The Spanish-American War.

Zach DePue comes from a musical family: he also performs and records with the DePue Brothers Band, and his father is a composer and professor emeritus of music composition at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Born in Bowling Green, Zach graduated in 2002 from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with renowned violinists Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo. He was the recipient of a merit-based full-tuition scholarship and held the Institute’s David H. Springman Memorial Fellowship.

Prior to entering Curtis, Mr. DePue attended the Cleveland Institute of Music. He made his solo debut with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and performed as soloist with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Mr. DePue has performed at the Isaac Stern Music Workshop; the Angel Fire, La Jolla and Sarasota music festivals; and at the Chautauqua Institution and Interlochen Arts Academy. In September 2007, he was appointed Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Nick Kendall studied at the Curtis Institute with the internationally renowned violinist Victor Danchenko. He maintains a strong interest in other musical instruments and genres and is an enthusiastic teacher who utilizes elements from both classical and non-traditional repertoires in his popular workshops.

Recent highlights of his career include performances with Israel’s Jerusalem Symphony under conductor James Judd; an acclaimed Philadelphia recital debut under the auspices of Astral Artistic Services; a quartet performance at Carnegie Hall; performances as a member of the Astral Trio at both the Los Angeles Chamber Music Festival and at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall; and a guest artist appearance on tour with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. Nick debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra as the winner of their Young Artists competitions. He has since performed in the concert halls of Anchorage, Chapel Hill, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Louisville, San Francisco and Tokyo. In addition to his extensive recording and performance activities as a member of Tf3, Nick is also a member of both the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) and the Dryden String Quartet.

Ranaan Meyer began his musical studies at the piano at age four and, when he was big enough to hold it, took up the double bass at eleven. He attended the Manhattan School of Music and graduated from Curtis in 2003. Beyond regular appearances with ensembles such as the Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Meyer is increasingly in demand as a composer, creating unique new works for Tf3 as well as for other ensembles and for solo bass. Most recently, Ranaan completed a commission, “My Zayda” (for violin, piano and double bass), for the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island. Other recently completed commissions include a solo double bass piece for Network for New Music, a double bass and harp duet, a set of pieces for Astral Artistic Services, and a Tf3 composition for the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony, “Of Time and Three Rivers.” All commissions have been expedited through the American Composers Forum.

Ranaan is also an accomplished jazz musician who has performed with Jane Monheight, Victor Lewis, Jason Moran, Mark O’Connor, Ari Hoenig, Duane Eubanks, Mickey Roker and many others. At age nineteen, Ranaan produced, directed and performed in the very first Washington Township Jazz Festival that was also broadcast live on Philadelphia’s WRTI. An avid teacher, Ranaan has held adjunct Double Bass professorships at both Princeton University and the University of Delaware. He spent several summers teaching alongside Hal Robinson, Principal Bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra, at the Strings International Music Festival in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He has also taught at the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute in Sandy, Utah, and at Mark O’Connor’s String Camp in San Diego, California.

Ranaan is the founder of a new program called Project Interactive (PI), whose purpose is to culturally connect communities’ artistic possibilities. He is also committed to expanding the double bass repertoire and will compose eight new works for the instrument by May 2008. In the summer of 2008, he launched a double bass camp along with Eric Larson (of the Houston Symphony) and Hal Robinson.

For more information, see their website at www.tf3.com.

Photo by Bill Richert

William McGlaughlin

Master of Ceremonies, Kaleidoscope Concert, Bill McGlaughlin

For millions of music fans, the intimate voice of Bill McGlaughlin signals another adventure into the heart of music-making. Whether he’s chatting with one of the great string quartets, hosting an intermission at the Met or seated at the piano with a Beethoven score, Bill’s insight and magnanimous charm are a cornerstone of classical broadcasting.

William McGlaughlin took his first piano lessons at fourteen. “Happily, I understood immediately what a wonderful thing I’d stumbled into. I can remember thinking as I walked away from my second piano lesson — ‘Well, that’s it. I’ll be a musician.’ Of course, I had no idea what that decision meant exactly.’”

Over the years, McGlaughlin was to discover that ‘being a musician’ could embrace a great many paths. He has served as an educator, as a performer—a trombonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony—and as a conductor, most recently as Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony.

McGlaughlin has also been active in broadcasting, serving as host of the popular public radio program St. Paul Sunday since its inception in 1980. In 1996 the program received the highest honor in broadcasting, the George Foster Peabody Award. He has been the host of the nationally syndicated program Exploring Music since its debut in 2003.

In 1997 McGlaughlin made a public debut as a composer. His works include Three Dreams and a Question: Choral Songs on E. E. Cummings, Aaron’s Horizons, Walt Whitman’s Dream, for large chorus and orchestra, Angelus, Three Pieces for Wind Trio, Echoes, for horn trio, Three by Six for chamber ensemble, The Bells of St. Ferdinand, and Remembering Icarus.

Clinicians

William Starr

Keynote Address, William Starr—“SAA is 40! Visiting the Past-Vitalizing the Future”

William Starr is an internationally recognized Suzuki pedagogue and a founder of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He has appeared at workshops and conferences throughout the world, as teacher, conductor, soloist, and lecturer, and is founder of numerous Suzuki programs and pedagogy programs throughout the United States. Mr. Starr was a faculty member of the University of Tennessee Department of Music for many years, serving as chair from 1977-1982. During this time, he was first violinist with the University String Quartet and concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony. He has also served as an adjunct professor of music at the University of Colorado–Boulder. He is author and co-author of numerous books, including Perceiving Music, a college theory text, and many Suzuki-related texts, including The Suzuki Violinist and, with his wife, Constance, To Learn with Love. From his experience as a university symphony conductor, Mr. Starr has first-hand knowledge of the relationship between the understanding of music theory and the reading skills of many young violinists. Passionate about teaching theory and music reading to children, he has published a series of reading books that incorporate what he calls “usable” theory. Mr. Starr is currently a faculty member of Boulder Suzuki Strings, which he has worked with since its inception in 1982.

Laurel Trainor

Keynote Address, Eleventh International Research Symposium on Talent Education, Laurel Trainor—“Neural Plasticity and the Effects of Musical Experience on the Brain”

Dr. Laurel Trainor is a professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University, a research scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, and the director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. She has published more than one hundred research articles and book chapters on the neuroscience of auditory development and the perception of music in journals including Science, Nature, Journal of Neuroscience, Signal Processing and Psychological Science. She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and an Innovator of Distinction. She holds major grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Science Research Council of Canada and the Grammy Foundation. She has given invited keynote addresses at many major academic conferences and her research has a high media profile. Laurel is the founding director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, a multidisciplinary group of researchers whose mandate is to promote the scientific study of music, to promote music education, and to engage the community. This group recently received a $6 million grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and partners to build cutting edge laboratories to study music performance and performer-audience interactions. Laurel also has a bachelor of music performance from the University of Toronto, likes playing chamber music, and is currently principal flute of Symphony Hamilton.

Suzuki Early Childhood Education

We are looking forward to an exciting program of events at the upcoming 2012 SAA Conference. Among our esteemed speakers will be William Starr, who will be presenting along with Dorothy Jones never before seen video footage of Dr. Suzuki reflecting on his views on Early Childhood Education.

Dr. Laurel Trainor along with SAA member David Gerry will be presenting their research which is now complete on the Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) classes.

Leena Crothers (piano teacher trainer), Ed Sprunger (violin teacher trainer), Sharon Jones (SECE teacher trainer), and Mary Lou Cobb (President of the Connecticut Montessori Association) will be among some of the many clinicians. These sessions look to be informative, inspiring and fun. We hope to see all SECE teachers there!

For those of you who have been curious about Suzuki Early Childhood Education and how it relates to all instrumental studios please join us! We look forward to seeing teachers and parents alike.

—Lynn McCall, Coordinator, and Wan Tsai Chen, Assistant Coordinator, Suzuki Early Childhood Education

Suzuki in the Schools

Suzuki in the Schools will offer a variety of sessions at the 2012 Conference that demonstrate how the Suzuki philosophy has influenced the lives of children through the efforts of teachers who are dedicated to connecting with families in private or public school programs.

We will feature a performance by Parker Elementary Performing Strings: a group of students, teachers, and parents from Parker Magnet School in the Houston Independent School District. Approximately fifty students in second through fifth grades will perform a concert highlighting the result of more than thirty-five years of talent education in a diverse community. In addition, teachers and parents will discuss how the program has evolved and is continuing to evolve in order to meet the shifting demands of the district, state, parents, and community. The Parker program is committed to achieving academic and musical goals through the Suzuki philosophy of providing a nurturing environment for the parent and the child, and we’re excited to see them perform and speak with parents and teachers during this enlightening session.

Other sessions will feature programs that range from elementary school to university settings, including: a comparison of public school programs and private studio programs with regard to expectations of excellence; better ways to provide parent education and communication in the public school setting; a demonstration of how a private and public school partnership has collaborated to benefit the underserved in an urban area; and a look at how a university program introduces music education majors to the ideas and philosophy of Dr. Suzuki.

We are looking forward to continuing the discussion of the role of school-based programs in the SAA and discussing how we can better meet the needs of the teachers and families in these programs as we move into the future.

—Patricia Purcell, Coordinator, and Loren Abramson, Assistant Coordinator, Suzuki in the Schools

Ann Schein

Piano, Ann Schein

From the moment I learned in 2008 that I would hold the position of Piano Coordinator during the 2012 Conference, my thoughts were of Ann Schein. To us pianists, she does not need an introduction—she is simply one of the greatest contemporary pianists today. She is also one of the most sought after teachers of our time; she combines her incredible pianistic skills, expertise, knowledge and love of music with a love of teaching.

However, what makes Ann Schein so wonderful in my eyes is her love of Chopin. Those who know me a little know of my slight obsession with Chopin. In 1980-81, Ms. Schein gave six concerts of the major Chopin repertoire in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and she has been long-honored for her performances and recordings of Chopin. Her expertise does not stop here, however. Ms. Schein’s recordings and performances range from Bach to Copland to contemporary music written especially for her.

She is spending her 2011/2012 season teaching many master classes and celebrating the birthdays of Robert Schumann, Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt by performing works by these composers in venues all across America from Boston to California. I am thrilled that she will make her stop in Minneapolis in May 2012.

—Malgosia Lis, Piano Coordinator

About Ann Schein, the Washington Post has written “Thank heaven for Ann Schein … what a relief it is to hear a pianist who, with no muss or fuss, simply reaches right into the heart of whatever she is playing—and creates music so powerful you cannot tear yourself away.”

From her first recordings for Kapp Records, and her highly acclaimed Carnegie Hall recital debut as an artist on the Sol Hurok roster, Ann Schein’s amazing career has earned her high praise in major American and European cities and in more than fifty countries around the world.

She has performed with conductors including George Szell, James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, James dePreist, David Zinman, Stanislaw Skrowacewski, and Sir Colin Davis, and with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the Washington National Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the White House during the Kennedy administration.

In 1980-81, Ann Schein extended the legacy of her teachers, Mieczyslaw Munz, Arthur Rubinstein, and Dame Myra Hess performing six concerts of the major Chopin repertoire in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall throughout an entire season to outstanding reviews and sold-out houses, the first Chopin cycle presented in New York in thirty-five years.

With the great soprano Jessye Norman, she has appeared in cities across the United States, as well as a tour in Brazil. The artists are featured in songs of Alban Berg on the Sony Classical label.

She is one of an exclusive roster of pianists chosen to present piano recitals in new venues in American cities and communities under the auspices of the Adams Foundation Piano Recital Series. The series has already sponsored 103 recitals in 25 communities in 19 states.

From 1980 to 2000, she was on the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. She has been an artist-faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 1984. Her performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Concerto during the 2006 season with conductor Joseph Silverstein was one of the most recent of over 100 performances of this work she has given since the beginning of her career. She was chosen to hold the Victoria and Ronald Simms Chair, awarded to a member of the Aspen piano faculty for two years, for the summers of 2006 and 2007, extended to 2008 in special recognition of her teaching prominence.

Her recent recordings include an album of solo Schumann works on Ivory Classics, featuring the Arabeske, the Humoreske, and the Davidsbündlertänze. An all-Chopin CD on MSR Classics includes the 24 Preludes, Opus 28, and the 3rd Sonata in b minor, Opus 58. In December, 2008, honoring the one hundreth birthday of Elliott Carter, MSR Classics released her recording of American works, including Elliott Carter’s 1945-46 Piano Sonata, the Copland Piano Variations, the Copland Sonata for Violin and Piano with Earl Carlyss, violinist. A new work by John Patitucci, “Lakes,” written for her, is also featured.

She has received many distinguished honors for her Chopin performances and recordings. The Marston label has included her Nouvelle Etude in A-flat Major recorded for Kapp Records in 1958 in their special collection of outstanding Chopin performances, entitled “A Century of Romantic Chopin,” and chosen by Gregor Benko and Ward Marston where her biography reads, “Ann Schein was trained in her native United States, where she studied with both Mieczyslaw Munz and Arthur Rubinstein. Her first recordings, made when she was 18 and 19, established her as one of the premiere Chopin pianists of our time.”

Renata Pereira

Recorder, Renata Pereira

With her youthful energy and outstanding skills in interpreting Baroque music, Ms. Pereira has a dynamic rapport with students and audiences alike. We are delighted to welcome her as a clinician for the 2012 Conference.

—Mary Halverson Waldo, Recorder Co-Coordinator

Brazilian Renata Pereira holds a master’s degree from the University of Sao Paulo, and a bachelor’s degree in re-corder from the Parana School of Music and Fine Arts. She received awards in several contests highlighting the Furnas Musical Generation Program in 2004. A member of several chamber music groups which have recorded CDs, including the recorder quartets Compassolivre and, currently, Quintessentia, she toured with the latter throughout Europe in 2009. In Brazil, Ms. Pereira teaches Suzuki Method recorder in schools, at festivals, and in masters classes, and is working toward developing her PhD on the Suite Sonates of the French Baroque virtuoso flutist and recorder player/ treatise writer, Jacques Hotteterre, “Le Romain.”

Nicholas Walker

Bass, Nicholas Walker

Versatile. Accomplished jazz performer. Chamber musician. Professor. Composer. Soloist. These are just some of the hats Nicholas Walker wears. If that is not enough, he has a great personality and is a kid magnet! Attend a workshop or festival and the kids follow him around. Nicholas Walker has a versatile, creative and fresh approach to the double bass. We are thrilled to have Nicholas wearing his Suzuki hat at the 2012 Conference as a soloist, master clinician and presenter.

—Nicole Castleberry, Bass Coordinator

Nicholas Walker is a musical omnivore, a musician who brings a broad range of training and experience to the double bass—classical and jazz, modern and baroque, solo recitals, chamber ensembles, and orchestral work. His enthusiasm and aptitude transcend arbitrary musical boundaries.

Walker studied bass with Paul Ellison, François Rabbath, and Joe Carver; he earned his DMA in early music at Stony Brook University with the viola da gamba. Walker toured for two years with saxophone legend Illinois Jacquet, among many other rewarding collaborations in jazz. He has been featured on a dozen CDs, three as a leader. His composition EADG for Solo Bass won the International Society of Bassists (ISB) composition prize in 1997, and he has performed his two double bass concertos, Pop Song for Double Bass and String Orchestra and A Grease Fantasy, at a number of venues, most recently at the ISB convention in San Francisco.

Walker is an associate professor of music at Ithaca College and leads a rewarding career as a freelance musician, composer, and educator. Walker has played with the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra in Boston and the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic in Russia. In December he premiered a new double bass concerto by Dana Wilson with the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra. Recently he performed at the International Double Bass Festival in Berlin, and at the Kaleidoskop festival in Michaelstein, Germany. Walker lives in Ithaca with his wife, Katherine, and their two daughters.

Karen Gottlieb

Harp, Karen Gottlieb

We are excited to have Karen Gottlieb as our guest clinician for the conference weekend. Her positive approach with students, her motivating style and her ability to imbue students with joy and a desire to learn and practice will be a wonderful asset to Suzuki harpists and teachers.

—Jill Whitman, Harp Coordinator

Karen Gottlieb grew up in a wonderfully artistic and musical family, her mother as one of the first female architects to work closely with Frank Lloyd Wright, and her father as violist and student and friend of Hindemith as well as a conductor and ethnomusicologist. Karen is a superb teacher and performer, having served for twenty years as principal harpist with the California Symphony, and currently as second harpist with the San Francisco Symphony. She is an advocate of contemporary music as harpist with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, performs with the San Francisco Girls Chorus, as well as the popular San Francisco Symphony’s “Adventures in Music” ensembles. Karen holds a bachelor of music from the University of Washington, and a masters in performance from Cleveland Institute of Music. She teaches privately and at San Francisco State University and Mills College. Karen is also a certified harp technician for Lyon and Healy Harps, so we are looking forward to plumbing her knowledge and expertise in harp repair and maintenance. In addition, Karen has an energetic teaching style, acquainting students with the intimate details and nuances of the pieces they are studying, giving them a great excitement for the music, a confidence musically and technically, and much encouragement.

Julie Albers

Cello, Julie Albers

American cellist Julie Albers is recognized for her superlative artistry, her charismatic and radiant performing style and her intense musicianship. She was born in 1980 to a musical family in Longmont, Colorado. Julie began violin studies with her mother, Ellie Albers, at the age of two, switching to cello at four. Julie was submerged in the Suzuki philosophy while growing up in her home and while attending many Suzuki summer institutes where both of her parents taught. Now she is a young artist, and it is a pleasure to welcome Julie as our cello clinician at the 2012 SAA Conference.

—Marilyn George, Cello Coordinator

Julie Albers made her major orchestral debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1998, and there-after has performed in recital and with orchestras in the US, Europe, Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand. In North America, Miss Albers has performed with many important orchestras and ensembles. Her 2009-2010 engagements include performances with the Florida Orchestra, and the Utah, Vancouver, San Diego, Edmonton, Memphis, Syracuse, West Virginia, Santa Rosa, Brevard and Fairfax Symphony Orchestras. She also performs in recital at the University of Wyoming, Laramie.

In addition to solo performances, Miss Albers regularly participates in chamber music festivals around the world. 2009 marked the end of a two year residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Three. She is currently active with the Albers String Trio and the cello quartet CELLO. Miss Albers is also a Distinguished Artist of the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University.

October 2005 marked the release of Miss Albers’ debut album on the Artek label. This disc includes works by Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, and Piatagorsky. Julie Albers performs on a N.F. Vuillaume cello made in 1872 and makes her home in New York City with her husband, Bourbon, and their dog, Dozer.

Connie Sheu

Guitar, Connie Sheu

We have known Connie Sheu without realizing it: she is the little girl pictured in the beginning of Suzuki Guitar Book One; she studied for an extended period with Frank Longay. My favorite story is one told by Seth Himmelhoch: while he was observing Frank’s teaching, a seven-year-old girl came in for the lesson. Frank had her warm up, then asked her what piece she would like to play. She replied, “Canarios.” Seth was blown away by the idea that someone this young could play Canarios and play it so well. It began to make us all think about children really being unlimited in their potential. Connie also loves Bach, so we hope to benefit from her ideas.

—Kevin S. Hart, Assistant Guitar Coordinator

Past performances and teaching engagements have taken Connie Sheu from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall to Florida, Oklahoma, Moldova, Italy, Hungary, and throughout California. She released her solo album Waking or Sleeping in 2008, of which Classical Guitar Magazine wrote, “Her debut recording displays, without a doubt, her talents as a concert artist.”

Connie received a Diploma of Study under scholarship at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana with Oscar Ghiglia in Siena, Italy, and has been a prize winner in numerous competitions, including the American String Teacher’s Association National Competition, San Jose Young Artist Competition, and the Donald Miller Guitar Concerto Competition. She performs extensively as both a soloist and as a member of Duo Solaris with guitarist Scott Wolf.

She holds degrees in US history and music from Columbia University and the Juilliard School, earned a doctor of musical arts at the University of Southern California under William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero. Her former teachers include Sharon Isbin, Antigoni Goni, Sharon Wayne, Marc Teicholz, and Frank Longay. Connie serves as Director of Communications for the Guitar Foundation of America and is a faculty member at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.

Brian Lewis

Chamber Music, Brian Lewis

This year at the chamber music sessions, we are delighted to be featuring Brian Lewis, a versatile performer and teacher with strong Suzuki roots. During the 2010–2011 academic year, he worked closely with students in the graduate program at the Yale School of Music, teaching a very successful course in community engagement that helps musicians develop skills as educators and communicators. Lewis’ own exciting violin performances are an example of that communication with an audience. We are looking forward to him sharing this passion with the young artists participating in the chamber music sessions.

—Jessica Meyer and Carlynn Savot, Chamber Music Co-Coordinators

Brian Lewis is not only an acclaimed violinist, but is also widely recognized as a leader in music education. Guided by the practiced hand and beautiful heart of his mother, Alice Joy Lewis, Brian was bathed in a ripe Suzuki environment as a child and even studied with Dr. Suzuki in Japan. At the conference, Brian will speak to us about audience and community engagement, and he will work with students in violin and chamber master classes. He will also exhibit his virtuosity as he performs for us on the Clinicians Concert. Brian is currently very active as a performing artist and is professor of violin at the University of Texas.

Katie Lansdale

Violin, Katie Lansdale and Brian Lewis

Have we got some exciting clinicians lined up for your educational and entertainment delight on the violin front! Not one but two multitalented and world-renowned artists will grace our podium and stage. Both were introduced to the violin using the Suzuki Method and have gone on to have stellar careers as teachers and performers.

“Performance should be fused with music education, and I try to show how music study is relevant to other disciplines.” —Brian Lewis

—Sue Baer, Violin Coordinator

Katie Lansdale is lauded for her wide interests and repertoire. As a keynote speaker and performer, Katie will join the conference to share her particular expertise and passion for the music of Bach.

Katie frequently performs the complete Bach unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas in concert and has recorded them on Cyberphunx Music label. The winner of the Scholsspresis Prize for solo Bach at the Salzburg Mozarteum, Katie will share insights and perform movements from this landmark violin literature. Additionally, Katie will conduct a student violin master class dedicated to performances of the solo Bach literature. Katie is a professor of violin at the Hartt School of Music. She performs regularly as soloist and chamber musician in the Lions Gate Trio. Katie is parent to two young Suzuki violinists!

Kirsten Docter

Viola, Kirsten Docter

As viola master class clinician for the conference, Kirsten Docter is coming home to both Minneapolis and the Suzuki method, which she studied as a child. Participants in her class are sure to enjoy her warm personality and benefit from her musicality and deep knowledge of the instrument. We are very pleased she will be joining us for the weekend.

—Janse Vincent, Viola Coordinator

Kirsten Docter is a member of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award-winning Cavani String Quartet. She was the first prize winner of the Primrose International and American String Teachers Association Viola Competitions. As a member of the Cavani Quartet, Ms. Docter performs regularly in major series and festivals throughout North America and Europe. Appearances include the Carnegie Hall Centennial Series in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Festival de L’Epau in France. The Quartet records for the Azica Records label.

Docter has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Robert Mann, Donald Weilerstein, Franklin Cohen, Warren Jones and Stephanie Blythe. A member of the viola and chamber music faculties at the Cleveland Institute of Music, she also runs the string chamber music program at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Docter has performed and taught at numerous summer festivals including Interlochen Arts Camp, Madeline Island Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, Yale Summer School of Music and Art at Norfolk, Yellow Barn Music School and Festival, the Mimir Festival and Perlman Music Program.

She was a featured artist at the 36th International Viola Congress in Phoenix, AZ and served on the jury of the 13th Primrose International Viola Competition. Major teachers include Karen Tuttle, Jeffery Irvine and Lynne Ramsey.

Docter studied Suzuki violin with Nancy Ohnstad and Mark Bjork in Minneapolis and and Tove Detreköly in Copenhagen, Denmark. She resides in Cleveland, OH, with her husband, Paul Cox, and their two sons, Sebastian and Benjamin, both Suzuki cello students.

Jeanne Baxtresser

Flute, Jeanne Baxtresser

When I think about my experience as a student of Jeanne Baxtresser, what immediately comes to mind is her wonderful capacity to adjust her teaching style to the individual needs of each student. Understanding the person rather than just the flute player is essential to her teaching, and the connection between teacher and student is remarkably strong. Ms. Baxtresser’s vision for her students begins from the ground up, with personal artistry blossoming from a foundation of established fundamentals. Teaching more than just specifics of flute playing, she addresses all types of challenges musicians face in the professional world. Whether it is the mental processes in the practice room or tactics for public speaking, Ms. Baxtresser prepares her students to be well-rounded musicians. She is truly an inspiring and motivating mentor.

—Rebecca Swain, current student of Jeanne Baxstresser at Carnegie-Mellon

Jeanne Baxtresser has held principal positions with three major orchestras, culminating in her fifteen-year tenure as Solo Flutist of the New York Philharmonic. Making her heralded debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at age fourteen, Ms. Baxtresser began her professional career as Principal Flutist of the Montreal Symphony immediately following her graduation from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Julius Baker. She was subsequently appointed Principal Flute of the Toronto Symphony before being invited by Music Director Zubin Mehta to join the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Baxtresser appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic on more than fifty occasions, and has been featured as a soloist across North America and Europe.

Recipient of the National Flute Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for significant, lasting contributions to the flute world, Ms. Baxtresser was also awarded the National Medal of Arts from the Interlochen Center for the Arts and serves as a member of the Honorary Board of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She is recognized internationally as a leading recording artist, author, and lecturer.

In great demand as a teacher, many of Ms. Baxtresser’s students occupy principal and section positions in major orchestras throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. While in New York, Ms. Baxtresser served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. In 1998, she was appointed the Vira I. Heinz Professor of Flute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she has attracted many outstanding flute students from around the world. Ms. Baxtresser was also named University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University’s most distinguished professorial position awarded to those individuals who have achieved exceptional international recognition.

Ms. Baxtresser’s exceptional career as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician has produced numerous recordings, including New York Legends—Jeanne Baxtresser (Cala), Jeanne Baxtresser—A Collection of My Favorites (MSR Classics), and Chamber Music for Flute (Cala), featuring her performances with principal players of the New York Philharmonic. She has recorded many of the major symphonic works with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Kurt Masur.

Emmett Drake

SYOA 1, Emmett Drake

Combining energy, excitement, and a high level of musicianship, Emmett Drake is sure to win the hearts of the lucky participants who will perform under his baton in SYOA 1. Emmett already has a long list of fans comprised of the students in Connecticut and New York that have been fortunate enough to work with him. They look forward to his sense of humor and whimsical-yet-structured nature during rehearsals that encourages them to work as a team to bring their music making to the highest level.

Emmett Drake began his musical journey as a Suzuki student on Long Island, New York. As a composition major at The Hartt School, he studied violin with SAA Teacher Trainer Linda Fiore. After Linda asked him to compose a piece for one of the Suzuki orchestras, Emmett became captivated instantly while rehearsing the students for their concert, subsequently assuming the position of conductor and music director of Suzuki orchestras at The Hartt School, a post that he has held for the past three years. Emmett’s musical ambitions are diverse and have led him to fill his life working with groups as varied as a capella choral ensembles, high school drama departments, YMCA-sponsored summer musicals, and middle school orchestras, while remaining an active composer.

—Teri Einfeldt, Suzuki Department Chair, The Hartt School Community Division

Kirsten Marshall

SYOA 2, Kirsten Marshall

SYOA 2 is in great hands once again!

As you will discover by reading Kirsten Marshall’s biography, SYOA 2 is very fortunate to be lead by an energetic and dynamic powerhouse of a conductor, scholar, performer and composer with a background steeped in Suzuki tradition. Students will be drawn to her infectious energy while being lead through fun and challenging repertoire. SYOA has often been a life-changing experience for participants, and it is sure to be once again with Ms. Marshall at the podium. You will not want to miss this inspiring concert!

—Jim Van Reeth, SYOA 2 Coordinator

For more than fifteen years, Kirsten Marshall has inspired students across the Americas with her boundless enthusiasm and passion for making great music. Ms. Marshall is Director of Orchestral Programs and a violin instructor at Ithaca Talent Education in Ithaca, New York. In addition, Ms. Marshall is a part time lecturer in violin performance at Ithaca College. During the summer months, she is widely sought after as a conductor and clinician for her commitment to artistic excellence and dynamic ability to engage students.

Ms. Marshall received bachelor and master of music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) with majors in violin performance and Suzuki Pedagogy. Ms. Marshall also holds a bachelor of science degree in music education from Case Western Reserve University, with an emphasis in strings. Her conducting studies were with David Einfeldt (Hartt School of Music, Connecticut), Carl Topilow and Louis Lane (CIM). She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society.

In 1998, Ms. Marshall conducted the Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas. In 2008 and 2010, she conducted the faculty orchestra for piano soloist at the Suzuki Association of the Americas conference. An avid supporter of contemporary music, Ms. Marshall conducted and produced two premiere string orchestra pieces that appeared on the 2002 recording Bach to the Future. She is an active performer in the Ithaca area and holds the David and Leslie Sagan Chair in the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca’s professional ensemble. In 2003, she co-commissioned and premiered a sonata for violin and piano by Robert Paterson. Her love of contemporary music is further demonstrated through her own original compositions for string orchestras.

Sasha Garver

Flute Performing Ensemble, Sasha Garver

The Flute Performing Ensemble will once again be conducted by Dr. Sasha Garver.

Dr. Sasha Garver is chair of the music program at Northern New Mexico College in Espanola, NM, where she teaches flute, voice, aural skills and music theory. Sasha maintains a Suzuki studio in Santa Fe. She has been a soprano soloist with the Santa Fe Symphony. Sasha performed for two years as second flute/solo piccolo of the Macau Orchestra, SAR China. While in Asia, Sasha studied with Mr. Takahashi and helped to form the Suzuki Association of Hong Kong and Macau. Sasha holds her DMA from CU-Boulder and has her MM from The University of Cincinnati. She received two Bachelor of Music degrees in flute and voice from CU-Boulder. Sasha is a columnist for Flute Focus International Flute Magazine (NZ), and has contributed to the American Suzuki Journal. Sasha has given lectures on topics ranging from pedagogy, Suzuki and performance practice at the Suzuki World Conference, the National Flute Convention and the Suzuki Association of the America’s International Conference. Certified in Suzuki Flute Books 1-8, Practicum, and Orff-Schulwerk level 1, Sasha has been faculty at Regis University, Colorado Christian University, Desert Suzuki Institute, Santa Fe Suzuki Institute, Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department, and the 2009 Suzuki World Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

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.

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 Stage One, you will be fully qualified to begin your own Suzuki music classes for baby and parent. The Suzuki Prenatal Listening classes are also covered in the course.

Go to www.suzukiece.com for more detailed description of the curriculum.

Need Every Child Can before taking ECE? Sign up soon!

Every Child Can will be offered in Houston!

Teacher: Andrea Cannon, NCTM, Suzuki Guitar Teacher Trainer
Date: Saturday, October 16, 2010
Time: 11am-5pm
Location: Studio of Andrea Cannon
Cost: $100

For application form and more info:

Email andrea@cannonsong.com
Or call Andrea at 281-320-9656

We hope to see you SOON!

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 for the 2nd International Conference, he said, “I was wrong. The education of a child should not start nine months before birth, but nine months before the birth of the mother.”

In 1985 Dorothy traveled to Japan with her son David and had the opportunity to observe and study with Dr. Suzuki, Dr. Kataoka, and Miss Mori. Dr. Suzuki encouraged her to observe the preschool classes at Talent Education Institute and encouraged her to start a school when she got back home. He always added, “…. And don’t forget the babies.”

In 1986, Dorothy began work on her school, Children’s Talent Education Centre. Over the next few years Dorothy and her daughter Sharon, developed a curriculum that has become the Suzuki Early Childhood Education program throughout the world. Through correspondence with Dr. Suzuki, Dorothy established a number of programs at her school including a prenatal program for expectant parents, a weekly baby and parent class, a weekly preschool and parent class, a five-day Suzuki preschool and a five-day Suzuki elementary school.

Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki were tremendous supporters of her school. Teachers from around the world came to Children’s Talent Education Centre for training in Suzuki Early Childhood Education. At the 1989 Suzuki International Conference in Japan, Mrs. Suzuki herself introduced the Suzuki Early Childhood Program to the teachers in attendance.

Since retiring from the school she founded and directed for 12 years Dorothy has travelled the world extensively, focusing on Early Childhood Education Teacher Training. She has dedicated her life’s work to promoting what Dr. Suzuki believed was the most important job for all teachers: preparing parents and children for lifelong learning by creating an environment in which success is possible and happiness can prevail.

Alice Joy Lewis:

In her tribute to Dorothy, Lynn McCall, Suzuki ECE teacher from W. Hartford, CT, stated: “Because of her enduring efforts and unique contribution, there are now Suzuki ECE programs in Canada, the U.S., Latin America, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong and even Iceland. She is a most gracious, caring and humble human being and a pioneer in the truest sense. It is my great honor to call her teacher and mentor and friend.

Suzuki Pioneer Bill Starr sent his congratulations, recalling a conversation with Dr. Suzuki late in his life when he expressed his regret for not having done more in the area of general education rather than just music. Bill feels that Dr. Suzuki would be very happy to see Dorothy receive recognition in an area that he was so very passionate about.

Message from David Gerry:
I first met Dorothy when I returned from a sabbatical year in Matsumoto and my graduation from TERI. For a few years, I travelled weekly to Dorothy’s school and started a flute class there. I like to think the children learned a lot from me, but during my time there I learned much from Dorothy. When I was having a challenging moment with a student, down we would trot to play for Dorothy. I was a regular visitor in her office to talk teaching, and I was able to play on many occasions for the baby class, where my reputation as the Pied Piper of CTEC was cemented.

Fast forward to 2006, when at another crossroad in my life, I was offered the amazing opportunity to do a Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience, under the supervision of one of the world’s most famous scientists in the field, Dr. Laurel Trainor. My research has focused on the cognitive and social benefits of participation in Suzuki baby classes, I am delighted that preliminary results are sure to bring world-wide interest in Dorothy’s life work. Every step of my journey towards this new milestone in my life, I have felt Dorothy alongside me. I am pleased that I will be receiving my Ph.D. this fall in the field of Psychology, Neuroscience and Dorothy Jones. Thank-you, Dorothy, for your help and inspiration.

From Sharon Jones:
I have had the very unique and wonderful opportunity to have Dorothy Jones play a number of roles throughout my life; that of a loving parent, a Suzuki parent, a mentor, a colleague, and a partner in this journey we’ve shared through Suzuki Early Childhood Education. Over the years I have witnessed the way my mother has impacted communities of parents and teachers around the world with her ability to ignite her listener’s imagination and to inspire. Her own belief in the potential for all children and her enthusiasm can be mesmerizing—the impetus for so many who have caught the excitement of Suzuki Early Childhood Education.

A final tribute was paid to Dorothy in the form of a reading from a beloved children’s book often read in Suzuki ECE classes. It was dedicated to Dorothy’s unwavering and patient nurturing of so many people in the global Suzuki community and read by Dorothy’s granddaughter, Claire:

The Carrot Seed:
A little boy planted a carrot seed.
His mother said, “I’m afraid it won’t come up.”
His father said, “I’m afraid it won’t come up.”
And his big brother said, “It won’t come up.”
Every day the little boy pulled up the weeds
around the seed and sprinkled the ground with water.
But nothing came up. And nothing came up.
Everyone kept saying it wouldn’t come up.
But he still pulled up the weeds around it every day
and sprinkled the ground with water.
And then, one day, a carrot came up,
just as the little boy had known it would.

Image by Michiko Yurko

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:

   • Every child can learn
   • Ability develops early
   • Environment nurtures growth
   • Children learn from one another
   • Success breeds success
   • Parental involvement is critical
   • Encouragement is essential

5. In Japan in 1985, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki asked Dorothy Jones (Registered Suzuki Association of the Americas [SAA] Teacher Trainer, Past-President of the SAA, 10-year Board Member of the International Suzuki Association [ISA], founding member of the Board of Directors and Past-President of the Suzuki Association of Ontario [SAO] ) to develop a Suzuki ECE program. In 1993, Dr. Suzuki and the Board of Directors of the ISA approved the curriculum Dorothy Jones developed and named her school in London, Ontario, Canada, as the first World Centre for Suzuki ECE Teacher Training.

6. Suzuki ECE helps the parent, the child’s first and most important teacher, learn how to observe his/her child, and then how to inspire and motivate his/her child’s learning.

7. Suzuki ECE can progress into a 1-hour weekly preschool class for child with parent that also incorporates origami and science experiments. Suzuki ECE can also be developed into a daily Preschool and/or Elementary program.

8. Suzuki ECE (both Teacher Training and parent/child classes) is being offered at more Institutes and workshops each year.

9. Suzuki ECE is global, with programs and teachers in Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, Canada, and the U.S.

10. Suzuki ECE is exciting, fun, and a wonderful readiness experience for parent, child, and teacher to prepare for Suzuki instrumental lessons, or just for future life-learning.

Check out Suzuki ECE and super-size YOUR success!

Early Childhood Training This Summer

The Thames Valley Suzuki School Early Childhood training courses were inadvertently omitted from the last Journal. So here is the complete list of 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 Dorothy Jones

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

More info: www.thamesvalleysuzuki.com

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 One was offered with 20 participants coming from New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, and Japan.

There were over 40 individual Suzuki ECE teachers (Music for Babies and Toddlers) in attendance at the conference. They gathered for a brief meeting to extend mentoring opportunities among the newer and more experienced SECE teachers. Many of the experienced teachers presented sessions at the Conference.

Topics presented to the Conference at large included:

• Vision for Suzuki ECE Concerts using the common curriculum and involving hundreds of babies and toddlers.
• A grandparent perspective of the impact of SECE classes
• Incorporating SECE classes and training in the Summer Institute training
• Team teaching in the Baby Classes
• Panel discussion of smooth transition into the instrumental studio

The establishment of the Application for SAA Teacher Trainer Candidacy (Prenatal and Baby Years) Document in 2007, generated great interest among current Suzuki ECE teachers. The 5 stages of training have now been completed by 7 Suzuki ECE Teachers. They are:

• Sharon Jones London Ontario
• Lynn McCall, New Haven, Connecticut
• Shirley Koch, Ottawa, Kansas
• Wan Tsai Chen, Calgary, Alberta
• Jennifer Webb, London, Ontario
• Nancy Brown, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Joyce Hodge, Regina, Saskatchewan

Dorothy Jones is hoping that some of these teachers will complete the application process as there is a great need for more Baby/Toddler teacher trainers. In the past 2 years, Dorothy has trained teachers in Calgary Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Ottawa Kansas, London Ontario, Minneapolis Minnesota, and Hartford Connecticut. In 2009, Dorothy has trained some 37 teachers in SECE.

Within the SAA, Maria Luisa Labarthe del Rio and Roxana del Barco who studied with Dorothy in 1999, have generated a considerable interest and following in Peru, Columbia, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba, Costa Rico, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Spain.

For further information about Suzuki Early Childhood Education go to the website: www.suzukiece.com

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

In Australia, Dorothy was invited to establish the Suzuki ECE program in Australia and has travelled to that country many times. There now three qualified teacher trainers in Suzuki ECE (Prenatal and Baby Years). They are:

• Emma O’Keefe, Western Australia
• Lucy Adeney, Victoria
• Natalie Bergen, Victoria

A very successful baby/toddler music program was one of the features of the 15th World Suzuki convention in Melbourne Australia in April 2009. There was also a overview lecture presented by Emma O’Keefe, Natalie Bergen and Kate Bergen on Suzuki ECE at this Convention.

The Suzuki Baby/Toddler Classes have grown and participants number in the hundreds throughout Australia and, more recently, New Zealand.

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

In 2007, The ESA nominated Dorothy as a teacher trainer in Suzuki ECE in The European Suzuki Association. Since that time the Syllabus has been written in the ESA region. In September 2007, Dorothy gave a keynote lecture to the ESA leadership retreat in Cambridge England. Numerous teachers have traveled to North America to study with Dorothy since that time. These teachers have come from Iceland, Switzerland and Italy.

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

The KinderU Suzuki Music Academy in Hong Kong, sent 2 teachers to study with Dorothy. One came to London Ontario and the other studied in Hartford Connecticut. The Suzuki Baby Toddler Program will be offered this year for the first time.

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

Yasuyo Matsui writes in her report about the great and growing need for Early Childhood Education in Japan. She describes the 0-3 year old and maternity course that has been implemented for two years on a trial basis.

Current ISA Suzuki ECE Committee

The various regions have nominated the following people as their representative on the ISA Suzuki Early Childhood Committee:

SAA: Dorothy Jones, Chair
ASA: Jeong Cheol Wong
ESA: no one yet
PPSA: Lucy Adeney
Japan: Yasuyo Matsui
ISA Liaison: Pam Brasch, CEO SAA

Read more at TheSpec.com

McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind website

Early Childhood Education Prenatal and Baby Years Stage 1 teacher training with Dorothy Jones will be held Thursday, May 22 (2 PM) through Monday, May 26 (12 NOON). If you register for the ECE course, you will be able to attend quite a bit of the Conference as well as the course itself. Required classroom hours and observation hours are interwoven into the Conference schedule. The required introductory course, Every Child Can!, will be offered on Wednesday evening. Please register separately for ECC!

At the 2006 Conference in Minneapolis, 28 teachers registered for Stage 1 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. We are happy to announce that at the upcoming 2008 conference we will again be offering Stage 1 training in the area of Suzuki Early Childhood Education. Plans are underway to include more observation classes with parents and their babies/toddlers.

As we consider our theme for this conference, “Expanding the Vision,” we hope to encourage young Suzuki teachers to consider “expanding” their instrumental studios by implementing Suzuki ECE classes. There will be an ECE session describing our vision for Suzuki ECE concerts using our common curriculum and involving hundreds of babies and toddlers. Another session will highlight a ‘Grandparent’s perspective’ of the impact of Suzuki ECE classes. The topic of how to incorporate Suzuki ECE classes and teacher training in the Summer Institute setting will also be addressed.

We would encourage Suzuki ECE colleagues to consider other session ideas and to contact either Sharon or Shirley with your thoughts or proposals. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. We need you to make the 2008 SAA Conference our best ever!

—Sharon Jones and Shirley Koch, Early Childhood Education Coordinators

Of the ninety people who attended the course, approximately forty were men. Many of the participants took their children along with them to the class. Many came from far away places; some from Huancayo and two from Cuzco. Many were classroom teachers or music teachers and some were just parents. We also had several preschool teachers who were very interested in improving their work and finding out about early childhood development.

When Roxana and I have this kind of diversity amongst the participants, we are always ready to change our program to adapt to the needs of the majority. We change certain activities so that most of the teachers will be able to apply them to their age group, according to their needs. We also show one activity in different levels so that the participants understand the goal of the activity over a period of time. For example, the activity in which we work with colored scarves. We did this first with the babies and then with children aged two to four, showing the different goals according to the age group.

We had demonstration classes with mothers and babies during three consecutive days and we gave the teachers observation sheets. At the end, we had questions and comments about the class.

We explained lesson plan to the teachers with both the set activities and the ones that can vary. In the latter group there are some suggested songs and others that each teacher chooses according to his/her own experience. At the end of the demonstration, the Huanuco teacher Gladys Sanches de Ortega, presented her students in an activity. She had taken the course during the Suzuki festival in January. It was very moving to see how much she has achieved in such a short time. We could see that through her creativity and freedom this teacher had greatly improved the activity, which had been presented during the first course she had attended. This is not the first time that this has happened, and it gives us great satisfaction every time. The most beautiful part of her presentation was that the babies who attended were holding their mother and father’s hands and they all sang along together. Now Gladys will be the pioneer of early childhood development in Huánuco and the students from our course will be able to attend her classes and learn from her wonderful work.

The course also included music and movement activities, some of which were directed and others were free. The teachers that had their babies with them practiced holding them. Others simply used balloons instead of babies. The interest of the students increased every day as well as their enthusiasm. We left Huánuco hoping to come back soon and enjoy the good results.

Translated by Marisol Stiglich

Tuvimos la participación de 11 profesores en el curso 1 durante la mañana y 12 profesores en el curso 2 durante la tarde.

La demostración de clase para bebés de 0 a 2 años se dio durante la mañana y para niños de 2 a 4 años en la tarde.

Fué muy emocionante para nosotros ver cómo muchos bebés ya habían experimentado con las actividades y escuchado y cantado las canciones del repertorio.

Actualmente hay varios programas de Estimulación Temprana que se vienen desarrollando con un gran éxito y los bebés con sus reacciones , respuestas y logros nos muestran el trabajo que vienen realizando tanto sus padres como sus maestros, estos últimos capacitados el año anterior durante el 6º Festival Suzuki de Colombia.

Tanto papás como mamás se hayan muy comprometidos con la Filosofía. Hay un gran respeto por el avance y aprendizaje de los bebés.

Fue sorprendente ver la dedicación y entrega de los papás. ¡Qué hermoso ver cuantos papás trabajaron con sus bebés; por lo general es la mamá la que siempre participa. Esta vez no fue así; los papás participaron con tanta alegría y amor que los profesores que observaban se sintieron muy conmovidos incluyendo algunas lágrimas de emoción.

Ellos jugaron, hicieron las rondas, bailaron con sus bebés en brazos con mucha entrega tal como lo harían sus mamás disfrutando de cada gesto de alegría en la carita de sus bebés.

Fueron 5 días intensos que culminaron en una linda presentación en el concierto final.

Una presentación de los bebés y sus padres acompañados por 7 violinistas que decidieron colaborar con nosotras tocando en vivo la pieza musical de Mozart “Le petit riens” . Ellos demostraron sus habilidad y filosofía al compartir entre todos la tarea final de reproducir una audición totalmente de oído en el lapso de una hora para acompañar a los bebés . Y lo lograron…y cómo lo lograron. Este es el espíritu Suzuki ¡felicitaciones¡

Gracias Dilva, Eric,Pilar, Juan Pablo, Andrés, y muy especialmente a Lisbeth y Jaime quienes nos brindaron en todo momento su ayuda incondicional y colaboraron con nosotros en todos los dias del festival.

Las ideas de la filosofía estuvieron tambien muy presentes en las profesoras durante todo el curso, tanto en sus comentarios como en las propuestas de trabajo con los bebés.

Ambos grupos se han integrado y comprometido a compartir juntos sus ideas.
El grupo 1 irá a observar las clases de las profesoras del curso 2 que ya tienen implementados en sus escuelas los programas de estimulación.

Después de esta semana de trabajo Roxana y yo regresamos muy satisfechas de los resultados y con la esperanza de que cada día el espiritu Suzuki llegará a más corazones de las familias de este lindo país Colombia.

Early childhood is not a time for good results but a time of developing abilities, imagination, intelligence, self conscience, self-control and self-assurance. It is a period of great creativity. Adults should observe and wait. The most important stimulus is love. With lots of care, smiles, physical and visual contact, respect and no pressure we will achieve wonderful results. While playing, the baby will move ahead step by step in his developmental process.

Excerpt only. Read the complete article in the American Suzuki Journal.