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!

Trio: Time for Three
Kaleidoscope Concert Master of Ceremonies: Bill McGlaughlin
Keynote Address: William Starr, “SAA is 40! Visiting the Past-Vitalizing the Future”
Keynote Address, Eleventh International Research Symposium on Talent Education: Laurel Trainor, “Neural Plasticity and the Effects of Musical Experience on the Brain”

Bass: Nicholas Walker
Cello: Julie Albers
Chamber Music: Brian Lewis
Flute: Jeanne Baxtresser
Guitar: Connie Sheu
Harp: Karen Gottlieb
Piano: Ann Schein
Recorder: Renata Pereira
Viola: Kirsten Docter
Violin: Katie Lansdale and Brian Lewis
SYOA 1 Conductor: Emmett Drake
SYOA 2 Conductor: Kirsten Marshall

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.

Master of Ceremonies, Kaleidoscope Concert, Bill McGlaughlin

Photo by Bill Richert

William 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

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

William Starr

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.

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

Laurel Trainor

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

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

Ann Schein

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.”

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

Renata Pereira

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.”

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Connie Sheu

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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

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

Kirsten Marshall

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.

Sponsored by Robertson & Sons Violins

In celebration of its 40th anniversary and over 50 years of Suzuki education in the Americas, the SAA proudly announces a very special event, the Kaleidoscope Concert. A unique feature of the 15th SAA Conference in Minneapolis, the concert will take place on Friday evening, May 25, 2012.

The Kaleidoscope Concert will showcase student performers from all Suzuki instrument areas who have achieved a high level of development at a young age. In addition to outstanding musical performances, the program will feature a special guest host and interviews with the students. The event will be presented to conference attendees, aired through various media and recorded for future use by the SAA.

The SAA is setting up a library of excellent student performances in all instruments/levels. Audition materials submitted for the Kaleidoscope Concert may also be considered as additions to the archival library.

Information for Teachers

• Teachers will be in charge of recommending excellent student performers and preparing their repertoire.

• Teachers should oversee the audition recording process.

• It would be expected that the teacher would be attending the Conference in May. If one of the teacher’s students is chosen, the teacher should be available to provide positive support to the student on the day of the performance.

• No teacher may have more than one student represented at the concert, but there is no limit to how many submissions may come from the students of one particular teacher.

Criteria for Applicants

• Applicants must study with an Active SAA Teacher Member who has been an SAA member for at least three years.

• Applicants must have been born on or after January 1, 1997. For a show piece at a level beyond the Suzuki repertoire in violin, cello, and piano, applicants must have been born on or after January 1, 1995.

Application

• Application fee: $40 US/CAN

• Student must choose a piece from the Repertoire Guidelines provided below. No exceptions will be granted.

• Applications must be postmarked by November 30, 2011. Late submissions will not be considered.

• Completed application must be accompanied by a DVD submission (see below) and sent to:

  SAA Kaleidoscope Conference Audition
  PO Box 17310
  Boulder CO 80308

  Use physical address for any courier deliveries:
  1900 Folsom St Ste 101
  Boulder CO 80302

DVD Submission Guidelines

• Audition video recordings should represent the highest level of performance.

• Applicants should record with the highest lighting and sound quality available for the best professional results.

• Helpful hints for the video process:

  • Use a tripod.
  • For all small video cameras use an external microphone either hanging or placed close for better sound quality.
  • If using an H4 Zoom make sure it is synced at 48K so the audio and video match.
  • If possible, find a space with a solid (dark) background.
  • Submit all auditions in DVD format.

• For the video recorded audition, applicants should wear concert attire.

• All applicants should perform with accompaniment, unless submitting an unaccompanied work.

• Performance is limited to 6 minutes or less. No recordings over 6 minutes will be considered.

• Memorization is required.

• Four copies of the DVD should be submitted. DVDs will not be returned after submission.

• Label the DVDs with applicant’s name and “Kaleidoscope Concert.” A code will be substituted for the name before the videos are sent to the evaluators.

• The piece submitted for the audition must be the piece performed on the Kaleidoscope Concert.

• DVD submission must be accompanied by a completed application form.

• By submitting this application, the students and their parents/guardians give permission for their student to be recorded and broadcast/webcast/podcast/etc and that both the submitted video and any subsequent performance recordings are owned by SAA.

If Selected

• Students must pay for their own transportation, room and board.

• In addition to performing in the Kaleidoscope Concert, students must be available to rehearse and record a studio recording on the same day.

• SAA will provide the collaborative keyboard artist for the rehearsals and the concert.

• Student must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian while at the conference (signed release required).

• Student and parent/guardian must release to the SAA the rights to photograph and/or record sessions in which the student participates.

• Parents interested in attending other parts of the conference must pay the full participant conference registration fee for the day/days attending.

• It is the policy of the SAA that there be no recording of any sessions, rehearsals, or concerts, except as contracted by the SAA. The Kaleidoscope Concert will be professionally recorded, both audio and video.

Selection Process

In addition to a high musical standard, the application review committees will be asked to consider a balance of ages, levels, instrumentation and geographic area when prioritizing their results. Students who are selected to participate in the Kaleidoscope Concert will be notified by January 31, 2012.

Repertoire

For the DVD audition, students should record polished repertoire which has been previously performed with accompaniment (if applicable). Accepted DVDs will exemplify Suzuki’s vision of the potential of the young child.

Choose any piece/movement from the following, not to exceed 6 minutes in length.

• Bass: Suzuki Bass School
• Cello: Suzuki Cello School
• Flute: Suzuki Flute School
• Guitar: Suzuki Guitar School
• Harp: Suzuki Harp School
• Piano: Suzuki Piano School, new International Edition
• Recorder: Suzuki Recorder School
• Viola: Suzuki Viola School
• Violin: Suzuki Violin School, new revised edition
• Voice: Suzuki Voice School, published and officially designated repertoire

For violin, cello, and piano, a virtuosic work/showpiece beyond the level of the Suzuki repertoire may be chosen (see age requirement in Criteria for Applicant above). A firm maximum of 6 minutes for all selections must be met. (No concerto movements, please.)

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.

Attending the SAA Conference has brought me many unexpected surprises, and has changed my life for the better. I am reminded of Dr. Suzuki’s writing about his father in Nurtured By Love:

Father taught me that the people we meet and those who sit next to us or opposite us on trains have been placed there by destiny. Therefore, greet them. It may lead to a conversation. Learn to be a good listener. The other person lives a quite different kind of life from you, and knows something you don’t know, and you are bound to learn something. Rather than talking yourself, learn to draw the other person out, and above all listen. You will enjoy it.

Years ago at a conference, my walk fell in sync with that of Doris and Bill Preucil. As Bill was serving the conference in a leadership capacity, I warmly congratulated him, expecting a simple “thank you” in return. Instead, he looked me in the eye and said “You could help next time!” I was speechless! Little old me help? What would I have to offer? Oh dear! I was on Suzuki’s train. I listened to Bill’s words. They haunted me for years, until I learned to enjoy them. I volunteered and climbed on many conference trains. Some scary—all good!

My first conference train was in San Francisco. What an adventure—and misadventure! I remember being over the moon to be able to attend. It was not easy finding childcare for my four young children, so I was determined to make it worth the effort by seeing, doing, and attending everything humanly possible. My notebook was soon running out of pages! I sat spellbound at the ensembles concert hearing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto meticulously crafted. Could I ever create a group that could perform and inspire like that? A seed was planted!

At a dinner break, the Utah group went to Fisherman’s Wharf. While buying our cable car tickets my greenback was grabbed by a thief who immediately walked away as if nothing had happened. A colleague saw this act and that what I thought was a five dollar bill was really a fifty dollar bill. She chased the man, yelling, “You stole her money, give it back!” Confused for a second, I realized my friend was in danger. I started chasing her yelling, “It’s okay! Live! Who cares about justice!” but she wouldn’t stop! Finally, after they passed many security guards, one approached the thief and demanded he give the money back. We all watched as he pulled the money out of his mouth. Yuck! Despite my germ phobia, I took it. Dinner was on me! What a friend! What a conference!

Photo by Michiko Yurko

Latin American Suzuki ensemble students relaxing after their performance at the 2008 SAA Conference

At another conference many years later, I was co-director of a performing group. We had been accepted to perform in the ensembles concert. I was living my dream! Our group was practicing at seven every morning before any of the other activities began. The students looked and dressed the part of tortured morning musicians—pajamas, hats, funky t-shirts, slippers, wild hair! We were bonding! Rhythm! Nuance! Pitch! Get it and don’t rush! Above all, hold the tempo!

The evening of the concert we could hear the Las Vegas group performing before us. They were playing the third movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. We were going to be on the same concert with a group like that! No jealousy, just pride and gratitude. Then, it was our turn. I remember the focus of the students, the determination in their eyes. They were on a quest to be the very best they could be! They had practiced countless hours for years. They represented Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy and work ethic. They represented Utah, their families, their teachers, their souls. Did they hold the tempo? I bet you can’t remember, and I’m not telling! It was one of the greatest experiences of our lives, a fabulous train ride!

Oh yes, there is more about that conference—as I was watching a documentary film in the ballroom with my colleague and performing group co-director, Ramona Stirling, a voice from behind quietly said, “Are you Ramona Stirling? I want you to come to Argentina!” There is no one in the world who likes travel more than Ramona! Her head whipped around and there was Fernando Pinero, Argentinean Teacher Trainer. He had heard our group and wanted their enthusiasm for his program. Two years later, our performing group was on a plane to Argentina to give concerts and to do workshops with local students. We played to huge audiences that clapped, cheered and stomped their feet and asked for more, more, more! The students thought they were rock stars. Fernando arranged for us to eat, dance, play games, and make music with the Argentine children. There were so many wonderful people on that train! As a result, we have a love for the Argentine people and their land that is cemented in our hearts. Attend a conference, and prepare for the unexpected!

Now, I’m wondering if I am boring you with some of my experiences. (You’d be wise to say yes, because I’m only getting started!) After all, they are my memories, not yours. You must make your own conference memories.

If you attend a conference and follow the philosophy of Dr. Suzuki’s father, you will be changed for the good. Your vision will expand. You will remember what you forgot. (I’m always doing this!) Your teaching will become more directed. You will renew old friendships, make new ones, and be enriched by the environment. You will be grateful to Dr. Suzuki, to the SAA board, to the conference team, and for your good fortune to have a job that means so much in this world.

Don’t miss the 2012 Conference Train!

— Debbie Moench, 2012 Conference Coordinator

Photo by Carey Beth Hockett

Cello ensemble session at the 2010 Conference

Cello

Do you need:

• New teaching ideas?
• More group rehearsal techniques?
• Fresh motivational ideas?
• Greater understanding of children and their various learning styles?
• Ways to manage difficult students or parents?
• New repertoire for your ensembles?
• Expert help with the business end of your studio?

If you are saying yes! to any of these questions, then put May 24-28, 2012, on your calendar now! You will return home with your notebook full of ideas. Think about brainstorming ideas at various sessions, observing master classes, learning about alternative styles, having lunch with old friends and meeting new friends, and listening to beautiful concerts played by professionals and students.

Finally, I believe you will be returning home with a greater awareness that you are involved in one of the most gratifying of all professions: introducing the next generation to the beauty of music, the joy of being creative and the art of living.

—Marilyn George, Cello Coordinator

Photo by Jay Brasch

Carol Tarr, Ronda Cole, Allen Lieb, and others participate in a session at the 2010 Conference

Violin

The SAA Conference has always come at just the right time of year for me. After nine months of putting everything I’ve got into teaching and nurturing my students and their families, after the recitals, concerts, and festivals are over, after families have made their plans for summer music study, I’m ready for some “me time.” I can’t wait to get out of my own work environment and go somewhere that doesn’t constantly whisper to me about obligations left unfulfilled and projects yet unfinished. I’m eager to escape to a place that is meant to nurture me, just me. I need this opportunity to drink from the fountain of new ideas, to let my ideas dance with those of my friends and colleagues, to bathe in a community of common ideals, and to soak up the energy that is generated by the convergence of so many good-spirited souls. I need something to not just rejuvenate me—I need something to challenge my creative mind, something to make me excited and eager to make plans for a new year.

Here’s what I’ve come to expect from SAA conferences:

• Keynote speakers that are informative and inspirational.
• Presenters from within the SAA who are exceptional teachers and are willing to share their expertise and keys to success.
• Guest clinicians who offer unique perspectives.
• Inspiring performances by professional artists.
• Master classes that exhibit teaching at its finest.
• Performance opportunities for student in master classes, ensembles, and orchestras.
• Sessions covering topics such as specific teaching techniques, parent education, health, studio management, psychology, communication, motivation, technology, philosophy, teaching strategies, and more.
• Exhibits where I can check out the latest products and make purchases.
• A Board-sponsored raffle or auction where I can take my chances on winning fabulous prizes—and support the SAA at the same time.
• The annual general meeting where I can learn about SAA’s most recent achievements and vote on pertinent issues.
• The Creating Learning Community Awards presentation where I can celebrate the accomplishments of my member colleagues.
• Social time to reconnect with treasured friends.

Please put the dates in your calendar now. Plan to join your friends and colleagues for a weekend of rejuvenation and growth. This is your chance to invest in yourself because you’re worth it! Indulge the needy creature that lies buried within and let SAA fill your empty vessel!

—Sue Baer, Violin Coordinator

Pam and Willa Brasch with Sharon Jones at her Early Childhood demo class

Suzuki Early Childhood Education

Think about attending a session for Suzuki Early Childhood Education at the 2012 SAA Conference!

Current research tells us that the birth to three years old time frame is crucial for all later learning. Dr. Suzuki was well ahead of his time in his thinking! In the Suzuki Early Childhood Education class, children are able to learn, through music, focus, concentration, and all readiness skills. Through the SECE approach, children are guided naturally through a three-year process which creates strong scaffolding in the brain to support all later learning. This is the SAA sanctioned program.

—Lynn McCall, ECE Coordinator

Photo by Jay Brasch

William Preucil presents a viola session at the 2010 Conference

Viola

Oh, boy! A four day weekend and I get to spend it with some of the most amazing people. They are passionate about the art of teaching and playing their instruments. Each one has a soul that shines with a love of children and the quest to develop their abilities and nobleness. Why would I be anywhere else? There are sessions for my instrument like the viola reading session where we experience firsthand new arrangements and compositions or others that explore existing repertoire in depth or discuss technical issues. Aside from the instrument-specific sessions, there are the general sessions which bring together a wider range of attendees.

Whatever the format or focus, I’m always pleased with the number of new teaching ideas I encounter and hope to integrate in my home studio. And did I mention the inspiring keynote speakers who enrich our teaching with new ways to perceive how we learn and interact with our students? Reconnecting with old friends as well as the core principals of the Suzuki method and being exposed to new concepts from other disciplines are why you don’t want to miss the next SAA biennial conference in 2012. Come and find out what we can accomplish together.

—Janse Vincent, Viola Coordinator

Photo by Jay Brasch

Guitar session at the 2010 Conference

Guitar

Guitarists, it’s not too soon to make plans to attend the SAA 2012 conference in Minneapolis. Held over the Memorial Day Weekend (May 25-28), this is a fantastic chance to meet with your colleagues in the Suzuki community. If this could be your first conference, you may be wondering what it’s like. Is it just the same as attending institutes? Is it worth the time and expense? To answer these questions, I asked two recent attendees about their experiences.

The conference offers much of what you love about teacher training and summer institutes, but with some important differences. Christopher Becknell (MN) notes that “what makes the conference even better than a summer institute is that every instrument in the Suzuki family is represented. At the conference we can garner ideas that we might never hear otherwise on account of never crossing paths with a teacher or guest speaker of another instrument.”

As classical guitarists, we can often feel isolated from each other. Stephen Bondy (CO) attended his first conference in 2010. “We in the Suzuki Guitar world are not so densely packed!” Steve says, “There are a few of us here in my town of Denver, but there’s only so much we can work on together. Getting together with teachers from across the country and beyond was very inspirational for me this past year. I came home motivated to examine different aspects of my own teaching as well as my playing.”

Chris echoes that sentiment: “As teachers, we often have somewhat isolating day-to-day routines, and being immersed in an environment of talking shop and hearing ideas on how to approach musical mastery from different perspectives helps us all learn how to rethink old ideas in a new light that really will help every child we teach.”

The benefits of attending a conference are clearly valuable to both teachers. “I learned some great teaching techniques from a couple of great sessions, but it went much further than that,” said Bondy. “Getting to discuss difficult teaching situations with colleagues over meals was worth the price of admission alone!”

According to Becknell, he was able to “…soak up just as many ideas for improving my own teaching and group classes as I might learn at a whole week of institute. Plus, the added benefit of seeing so many colleagues, friends, and new friends, makes for the icing on the cake.”

We’d love to see you at the next conference. It’s truly a worthwhile experience. As Stephen Bondy observed, “Good things happen when so many of us get together.”

—Kevin Hart, Guitar Coordinator

Photo by Jay Brasch

Flute and recorder playing session at the 2010 Conference

Flute

The 2012 SAA Conference in Minneapolis will continue its tradition of wonderful flute sessions and outstanding guest clinicians. Many teachers are under the impression that this conference is for Teacher Trainers only. On the contrary, the sessions are geared toward flute teachers, with sessions on teaching techniques, new repertoire, ensemble repertoire, group class ideas, twenty-first-century techniques, non-instrument specific presentations and more. You will be inspired, encouraged and revitalized in your teaching and personal goals.

I have a personal goal of having at least one student from each state and province that has an active Suzuki flute studio represented in our Student Flute Ensemble. Details have yet to be worked out, but I encourage each of you to start talking to your students and parents now about auditioning. Audition videos are due in October and students are notified in December of their status. There will be both ensemble and master class opportunities for them. I look forward to hearing from many of you as plans get under way. Your session proposals, ideas, talented students and dedicated parents will help make the 2012 Conference a fabulous experience.

—Cynthia Man, Flute Coordinator

Suzuki in the Schools

As we make plans for the Leadership Retreat, the Suzuki in the Schools committee members are also looking forward to the 2012 Conference. Loren Abramson and I will be coordinating activities and sessions for the next conference in Minneapolis. There are many ways that the Suzuki Method and philosophy are integrated in public school music programs around the country. We would like to hear from you and know your interests. Specifically, what topics would you like to discuss or hear discussed? Would you like to participate in a panel or forum or propose a topic for consideration? We also invite other input concerning aspects that would make the either the retreat or the conference most valuable to you. If you would like to participate or share your ideas, you may email patriciapurcell@hebisd.edu .

—Patty Purcell, Suzuki in the Schools Coordinator

Photo by Michiko Yurko

Vivaldi Strings takes a bow at the 2008 SAA Conference

International Ensembles Concert

Do you have an advanced performing ensemble within your Suzuki program? If so, consider applying to perform for the International Ensembles Concert at the 2012 Conference. Groups who wish to apply can be composed of any instrumentation (primarily Suzuki-recognized instrument areas) and should have eight or more students. The ensemble must be affiliated with a program or teacher with a current SAA membership. Several groups are chosen for this concert. It would be great to see groups that are not often represented such as bass, flute, guitar, harp, recorder or a combination of instruments. Chamber orchestras would also be fun! Taped performance of well-polished repertoire should be ten to twenty minutes long and should be submitted by October 15, 2011. For more information, please check the SAA website.

—Carol Waldvogel, International Ensemble Coordinator

Photo by TJ Boatman

Xinran “Ryan” Liu rehearses with the with the teachers’ orchestra at the 2006 SAA Conference

Piano

We sincerely hope that you are going to put May 24-28, 2012, in your calendars and join us for the 2012 Suzuki Conference, taking place again in beautiful downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What can you expect at the 2012 Conference? You can expect world-class master classes with world-renowned clinicians as well as our very own world class Suzuki master teachers. The master classes and the teaching you will experience there will leave you inspired and ready to try new ideas with your studio. You can expect to be enthralled by the magic of all of piano students’ performances (some of them, perhaps, your own), be it a piano concerto, master classes or group classes. You can expect round table discussions and panels that will leave you with new ideas, and new wisdom.

But most of all, you can expect to be surrounded by people who think alike, who love teaching, and want to continuously learn. You can expect to exchange ideas, to ask questions and have them answered, to feel nurtured, invigorated and relaxed! There will be ample opportunity to socialize in the many first-class Minneapolis restaurants. What is better than sharing teaching ideas with a group of teachers over a cup of good coffee and tiramisu?

If you have never been to a conference, this is the one you will want to make your first; if you are a conference veteran, you really don’t want to miss this one! Please, join us for this wonderful adventure.

—Malgosia Lis and Gail Gebhart, Piano Coordinators

Photo by Jay Brasch

Bass Choir performance at the 2010 Conference

Bass

When Dr. Suzuki said, “Tone has a living soul,” I’m sure he had just heard a bass! Where would the orchestra be without the bass? Where would any band be without a bass? Where would the 2012 SAA Conference be without the bass? Devastated! Incomplete! Like missing your heart and feet!

The Suzuki Method has opened up the way for countless young children to grow up experiencing the beauty of bass tone! As teachers, we have the opportunity at the SAA 2012 Conference to inspire each other in sessions, master class, bass choir, orchestra, concerts, and more, to better mentor those young children. This is an amazing opportunity! Plan now to attend the conference—in May 2012, you will be so glad you did!

— Debbie Moench

SAA Conference Video Updates

Dave reports that the video is not done yet, we are also waiting for the SAA office to send him some transcripts of the interviews. Dave can send us material from the video for us to screen. He has seen footage taken so far and it’s good.

Recording of Books 8-9: Progress Report

All the recording and editing is done but there are still a few details to deal with. Both William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant are involved in the project. Frank states he will lobby hard to get the CD project through and get it released soon.

RH fingerings ideas from Harald Soderberg

Harald Soderberg from Europe has written to Mary Lou and he wants to know what the view of the SAA committee is concerning the printed right hand fingerings. Should we expect complete fidelity to printed fingerings? What is our sense of the need to follow them exactly? How does this fit into the ESA teacher exams where they have to teach in front of a panel?

Seth says there are two sides to the issue: Are the fingerings good in themselves? And how much do teachers need to adhere to book? Mychal asks do we want the fingerings to express principles of pedagogy, or do we want teachers to just follow directions? Seth mentions the pamphlet Frank hands out at Teacher Training workshops which contains the updated right hand fingerings for Book 1. Frank says the purpose of the new fingerings is to help the kids have good habits of fingering and further he says the way he does it, the advanced kids do indeed have great habits. Mary Lou says ESA is really just looking for a way to compare standards with us as a help in setting up their teacher training process. Frank will write up a response to Harald and send it to us for our suggestions before sending it on to Harald.

Audition Requirements for Teacher Trainee Candidates

This discussion concerned several difficulties that arose recently in training situations. It seems that unqualified candidates are arriving at teacher training workshops with the trainer having to deal one or more of the following situations: trainees enrolled who were not classical guitarists, or who have very limited training on the guitar, trainees not playing rest stroke, and some who had never used nails. Several highly qualified trainees stated that they thought the Suzuki training should be at a higher level of classical guitar technique. The Committee discussed several ways to let prospective trainees know more of the expectations involved with taking training. We will follow up this topic in the next Conference Call.

It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Frank Longay on Wednesday, January 19.

Frank was a founding member and chairman of both the Guitar Committee of the International Suzuki Association and the Guitar Committee for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Frank took a leadership role in developing a graded repertoire for the guitar through Suzuki methodology and, as a registered Teacher Trainer, he worked tirelessly to pass along his knowledge and experience to guitar instructors in the U.S. and around the world.

Frank’s efforts distinguished him as an internationally recognized music educator. He performed and conducted teacher development courses and children’s workshops on numerous occasions in Australia, several countries in South America and Europe and across the United States. His students have won prestigious awards including the Bay Area Unicef Concerts and the Junior Bach Festivals. He was featured in articles in Suzuki World, the American Suzuki Journal, Soundboard (the journal for the Guitar Foundation of America) and in an interview for Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

For his dedication to the development of Suzuki Guitar School™ and the creation of the Longay Conservatory of Guitar, Frank was honored as a 2006 recipient of the distinguished Creating Learning Community award presented by the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

More information will be posted when available.

SAA Teacher Trainer syllabus (voting to adopt)

1. Seth mentions: the section for Unit Three needs the inclusion of the phrase “arpeggios using A finger”.

2. Also, in unit 5, clarify “chord spacing”: instead write as in the Aaron Shearer book: “two and three note chords on non sequential strings.”

3. Dave mentions: vibrato is not included in any Unit. He says that violin teachers do it at different times, so he is not saying where it should go, just that the syllabus needs to include it so it won’t be skipped.

4. Several committee members say they teach it in Book 1 and the consensus is that it should be included in Unit 1.

5. It should be put in after “Left hand: form and finger placement, balanced alignment” and listed as a separate bullet point.

6. All committee members present vote in favor of the syllabus. Frank will look at it soon.

7. Joe asks is our committee decision binding on the teacher trainers?

8. Bill says it’s more of a set of guidelines.

9. Andrea and Mary Lou say it is important to teach all the topics in each unit so the training is complete, but the approach is up to the teacher trainer.

10. Bill points out that everything is driven by the repertoire.

11. Mary Lou points out the feature in the syllabus of the different books the trainees need to read for each unit. Other committee members like this feature, too.

12. In the ESA teacher training, Harald Soderberg asks for extreme fidelity to printed fingerings, Mary Lou wants to know what our opinion is. ESA trainees need to play for him the printed fingerings in order to pass their Units.

13. Bill and Dave think it is not practical to do this. Dave says understanding why a fingering is being used is more important than following fingerings slavishly.

14. Andrew says the Suzuki piano books have alternate fingerings already.

15. Some committee members like the idea of including alternate versions of tricky passages, both easier and harder versions.

16. A discussion of alternate versions of difficult passages will be added to the next call agenda.

17. Frank says he is fine with the syllabus that was adopted.

Revision of the Repertoire

18. Mary Lou asks now that the nine volumes are published, when do we start revising them?

19. Frank says we should first discuss how we will proceed with the process.

20. It is agreed to put an item in the next agenda to discuss the process of revising the books.

21. Dave mentions that Pam Brasch at SAA has money to get the committee together so that revisions could be done face to face.

22. Frank says we should remember that revision of the repertoire is an ISA issue, and we only suggest things.

23. Bill mentions the idea of Book 10. We need to add that discussion to next call as well.

It is my pleasure to share with you the work of William Kossler in bringing the experience of his Matsumoto Training to Suzuki Guitar in the Americas. Suzuki Teachers place high priority on Dr. Suzuki’s Philosophy. Those who worked with Dr. Suzuki in Japan offer us much as role models with a first-hand perspective. Among guitarists, our only member who graduated from the Talent Education Institute of Matsumoto is Bill Kossler. His experience brings us many unique viewpoints and continues to have a major impact within our Guitar community.

Bill is a modest, unassuming person. He does not self-promote and sincerely puts the best interest of others first. Every recommendation letter noted this. Sean Behrens referred to his “purely selfless generosity.” Michele Horner stated, “It’s never about him.” Joseph Pecoraro said, “He has many times gone out on a limb to assist his students …working to get them enrolled at North Carolina School of the Arts, even if this would mean losing them as a student.” This ethic energizes our larger community to follow his model.

As a Trainer, Bill values the growth of Suzuki Guitar by thoroughly equipping his trainees—even if it takes years. He desires to serve “struggling Institutes” as he calls them, where he builds community guitar programs at the grass-roots level.

In 2008, Professor Koji Toyoda invited Bill to return to Japan where there is still no program in Suzuki Guitar. Through a concert and two workshops, Bill helped raise awareness of the method.

Bill and his wife Lauren, a Suzuki violinist, raised their three sons, Adam, Sam and John, in the Suzuki Method. When Prof. Thomas Patterson (University of Arizona) auditioned Adam, he was very impressed and stated, “You could not ask for stronger evidence that Suzuki is an effective method. Look at the results!”

Bill Kossler builds the Suzuki guitar community not just by having a large, impressive program, but by building people. He began with his own sons. Beyond the scope of his family, he works for his students and their parents. He puts hours of effort towards his local community and has the vision to begin a Charter School there. He is devoted to Institute work and the teachers who train with him. His reward is truly to see others blossom successfully, to develop their full potential and then to share, in turn, with their communities. I personally witnessed his support and caring when I completed my Teacher Trainer Internship with Bill.

From Joanne Bath, Violin Teacher Trainer, Greenville, NC:

Bill Kossler has made a remarkable contribution to the formation and growth of the Suzuki approach in guitar. I am impressed by the way Bill has quietly, gently and intelligently spread the word about the possibilities of Suzuki guitar study and teaching. Bill is one of the reasons that North Carolina has become such a strong Suzuki state. Those of us from North Carolina congratulate him and thank him for giving so much to our state!

From Kathleen Tyree, Institute Director, who was unable to be present:

Bill has taught at least 25 years in New Orleans Summer Camps and Guitar Workshops for the GNO Suzuki Forum. He has worked with me to get a credible Suzuki guitar program going here. Matthew Hayes, my former violin student who changed to classical guitar, will be a graduating senior in guitar performance next year at Loyola University. Bill encouraged him in this, giving him the confidence that his guitar skills qualified him for the college of music.

From a parent in Bill’s program:

I am so appreciative for everything Bill has done for my children and this community. The Suzuki guitar experience is so much a part of our lives and helped to shape my sons into the people they are today. Without Bill we would not have had that, and I am so thankful for him and the Kossler family.
–Amy S. Oakley, Winston Salem, North Carolina

Other Guitar sessions include:

• Alexander Technique for Suzuki Guitar Teachers (Chris Mincer)
• Making the Most of Suzuki Guitar Accompaniments (Seth Himmelhoch)
• How to Structure a Reading Development Curriculum (William Kossler)
• Great Ideas for Guitar Group Class (Brent Weaver, Daniel Srugo, and Kevin Hart)
• Teaching Rest Stroke and Relaxation (MaryLou Roberts)
• Rasgeados and Alzapuas and Golpes, Olé! (Eric Schroeder)
• Developing Reading Skills for the Young Suzuki Student (David Madsen)
• A general session with Guitar participation: Family Affair: Teaching your Own Child (Concert & Round Table Discussion) Moderated by Andrea Cannon

We hope you will join us in Minneapolis and partake in what promises to be a most exciting Gathering of Guitarists!

–Andrea Cannon, Guitar Coordinator

Trainers Report from the Boston Conference

Mychal says it was great, and the other committee members who attended agree. Mychal mentions that meeting Mr. Toyoda was a particular pleasure. Dave says it was great and inspiring. Mary Lou mentions that the sense of Japanese philosophy and culture coming from the Japanese teachers was very affecting. Just the bow itself had deep meaning, and the respect it engendered spread through the rest of the things going on there.

The guitar trainers at the conference got a lot done on the new Guitar Teacher Trainer Syllabus, with attention to each book in turn. A higher playing level will be required for trainees at each higher level of teacher training. The syllabus is now being finalized and email exchanges are being made to get this done. The syllabus in intended as an ISA syllabus, not just SAA. One suggestion being considered is to have different books to be read for each training level, for example, Nurtured by Love for Book 1, and Ability Development From Age Zero for Book 2.

Progress on the Book 8 and 9 Recordings

Frank says that he has been sending in edit requests. The committee expresses its thanks to Frank for the work he is doing on the recordings.

Argentina/South American Developments

Mary Lou reports that many more trainees in South America are now joining the SAA.

Mary Hofer
Voice
Stevens Point, WI

Joseph Pecoraro
Guitar
Winston-Salem, NC

James Hutchins
Violin
Silver Spring, MD

These Trainer Candidates completed the final steps in the approval process following the ISA Teacher Trainer Conference in Boston last month. We look forward to their service in this new and important capacity.

Last summer, focus groups at summer Institutes were asked to submit questions for a panel of “Suzuki Experts” to answer. This is the fifth installment.

How can we maintain the joy of playing guitar without weighing the student down with technique?

The better technique a student has, the more joy in making music she will experience. When a child has good technique, he can play expressively and musically without any restraint from the fingers, in the same way children use their voices. When technique is carefully presented and fully developed a child will not be weighed down, but will be free to develop their ability to the fullest. Creating a fun environment is important and we should remember Dr. Suzuki’s words, “Without hurry, without rest.”

Are there ways to familiarize students with the composers of the guitar repertoire to make the pieces more accessible?

Your teacher should be able to help with information about the composers. There are several books about the history of the classical guitar and composers. My favorite is Grunfeld’s Art and Times of the Guitar. It is out of print, but still can be found. It is worth it just for the painting of several guitarists “discussing” the nails or no nails issue.

I just Googled Mauro Giuliani and came up with the wikipedia article on him. There is a cool picture of him with an earring and an Elvis look to his hair. The Internet can be a great resource!

Is there a resource for technique tips? How do you help your kid differentiate between free stroke and rest stroke? At what point beyond learning notes and rhythms do students need to learn how to play soft/loud or slower/faster for each song’s taste (develop musicality?)

A Suzuki teacher should be able to answer any questions you have about technique and should be asked first, as he is the most knowledgeable about your child’s technical status. In the broadest sense, free strokes break up chords and are played across strings, and rest strokes are scalar and have consecutive notes on the same string. There is a great grey area in between, and I don’t generally teach children the same way for their free stroke development.

I feel that Twinkle is where students should begin to develop musically. As Dr. Suzuki taught, the point when a student can play all the notes correctly is the point where the student can work on the music.

— Expert of the Week, David Madsen

See more Ask the Experts columns.

• Bass: SYOA 1, SYOA 2, Bass Choir
• Flute: Masterclass, Performing Ensemble
• Guitar: Masterclass, Non-Preformed Chamber
• Recorder: Masterclass, Recorder Consort, Non-Preformed Chamber

Applications are being accepted until November 30.

See the student participation criteria and online student application.

• Bass: SYOA 1, SYOA 2, Bass Choir
• Flute: Masterclass, Performing Ensemble
• Guitar: Masterclass, Non-Preformed Chamber
• Recorder: Masterclass, Recorder Consort, Non-Preformed Chamber
• Piano: Concerto performance (due December 15)

Applications are being accepted until November 30.

See the student participation criteria and online student application.

Frank Longay, Andy Lafrienere, Seth Himmelhoch, Mary Lou Roberts, Andrea Cannon

New Teacher Trainer

Congratulations again to Joe Pecoraro who is now a Teacher Trainer.

Progress on Recordings of Volumes 8 and 9

Frank Longay traveled to Los Angeles to supervise the recordings of Volume 8 and 9 at Penguin Recording. Bill Kanengiser was easy and cooperative to work with and was receptive to ideas. It was great to work with such an artist. Editing is now in place and an ETA of the finished product is expected by the first of the year.

Guitar Foundation of America Convention by Andrea

Andrea felt proud that Suzuki guitar was well represented at this event. She gave a talk on Suzuki Method at the ensemble showcase and really put in a plug for Suzuki Method. GFA education people said that we’re now on the map and we’ve set a high bar for future youth ensembles! Yossi Kohrman and Henry Johnston placed first and second in the Youth competition. Congratulations to Andrea and Andy for this wonderful achievement by their students! The next conference will have a focus on youth orchestras. The GFA will try to keep costs down so kids can come.

SAA Conference 2010 update

Pre-formed or ad hoc ensembles can register to participate at the Conference. There are (top ten) tracks for presentations with a focus on pedagogy topics. The top ten works like Dave Letterman, with areas listed on the web site.

Colombia report from Mary Lou

Mary Lou did teacher training at Javieriana U. in Bogota. There were nine trainees there. There is a teacher there who is also a chemist and guitar builder. He has a nice prototype of a ukulele sized guitar there.

New Source for Guitars

Frank recently mentioned on the listserv guitars made by Tom Malapanis of Anchorage Alaska. Frank’s student Ayoush is playing one. They have great sound and great tone and Frank is very excited about them. Frank says we need to push harder to get families to buy quality instruments. Compared to other instruments such as violin, we are still spending less for each guitar.

Mychal raises the point that its different for violin etc. because they do long term rentals with the small instruments, and then make the big push with the full sized instrument. Mary Lou mentioned that she starts with small guitars that are not as good, but makes a push for better and better instruments as time goes by. Frank and Andy point out that families can invest in a guitar and sell it to recoup the money and buy a bigger one.

Bass: Paul Sharpe, Nicole Castleberry
Cello: Gilda Barston, Amy Barston
Flute: Bart Feller, Sara Traficante
Guitar: William Kossler, Adam Kossler
Harp: Elinor Niemisto, Angela Dastrup Willis
Piano: Doris Koppelman, Hikari Nakamura
Recorder: Patrick O’Malley
Viola: William Preucil Sr., Matthew Dane
Violin: Thomas Wermuth, Allegra Wermuth, Scott Conklin

SYOA Conductors: Marilyn Kesler, Winifred Crock
Special Guests: Bad Boyz of Bass Quartet

See Clinician bios >>

Welcome to the Guitar Committee new members Mary Lou Roberts and Mychal Gendron!

Agenda

1. The SAA Virtual Retreat online during April
2. Suzuki Guitar at GFA
3. Continuation of the printed newsletter
4. South American progress report on Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Paraguay, and Peru, Mexico
5. Suzuki Guitar in Brazil
6. Suzuki Guitar in Japan
7. Additional miscellaneous topics

Discussion

1. The SAA Virtual Retreat online during April

   Andrea offered the following information concerning the Retreat:

   • the deadline for registration has been extended to March 25th.
   • you are supposed to prepare 3 questions to pose to the online forum.
   • information is available online and in Journal . It continues April 4th to 30th. We are all encouraged to join to show support for the effort.
   • David is to do a talk. The details have not been finalized.

2. Suzuki Guitar at GFA in Ithaca

   • Andy has a student who is competing, as does Scott Gossage and Julia Miller. Adam Kossler and Chas. Pheiffer are competing as well.
   • On Saturday June 20th Andrea’s group is to play in a showcase concert for which they had to win a competitive audition. They will play a Casellacci piece, Rak Rumba, Take the A Train, and some Bach Inventions.
   • Andrea will also do a presentation on how they prepared for the performance.
   • Andrea says next year’s GFA is in Austin, TX. The dates are 6/22/10-6/27/10.

3. Continuation of the printed newsletter

   • The Committee is thinking it’s a bit obsolete to do a print newsletter. Maybe a nice pdf for downloading would be better.
   • It is also suggested that we send a yearly email newsletter.

4. South American progress report on Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Paraguay, and Peru, Mexico

   • Frank is doing work in Mexico, Mary Lou in other countries. Mary Lou reports that in Lima, teachers were from Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Paraguay, and Peru. It was a good year, and the training brought up especially the issues of changing fingerings, and properly sized guitars.
   • Mary Lou suggests that we provide an exhortation to trainees to try to keep to the fingerings in the books, so as to preserve the pedagogical content of the material. If changes are suggested, we need to consider how it will affect the student’s long term learning.
   • The Committee agrees with Mary Lou’s suggestion, with the understanding that we need to also be always open to the ideas of others, and to considering other options to the existing fingerings.
   • The Committee agrees that in regard to fingerings we must balance two objectives: we should encourage trainees to be creative in responding to their students needs in relation to fingerings, and we need to also communicate the fact that that the existing fingerings are well thought out and have relevance to other upcoming repertoire in the books.
   • In South America, trainees must play all the pieces from a given book in order to get credit for training in that book. Some took the course and will send a DVD of their playing later to get the credit. Nine trainees took Book 8, five took the Practicum.
   • For the Practicum, the lessons on the videos were in Spanish.
   • There was a also especially good communication and sharing of ideas from the advanced trainees down to the Book 1 class.
   • Mary Lou saw an Improvement in the number of children with small guitars. Both parents and teachers came away motivated to make sure that the children did not continue to play improperly sized guitars
   • Mary Lou is sending notes for translation to the children concerning observation and polishing points.
   • A teacher named Carlos Alberto Cardena was contacted about starting a listserv in South America.
   • Frank stated that insistence on high standards and on basics is important for the trainers who go to South America.
   • Frank says he observed many of the same things in Mexico.
   • Mary Lou suggests using CDs of more advanced programs to help show what is possible when kids are well equipped and properly taught.

5. Suzuki Guitar in Brazil

   • Elio Galvagno from Italy recently asked Bill if we had any contacts in Brazil.
   • Mary Lou says the Brazilian government has sponsored Suzuki violin and it’s so big that unfortunately all the work is group class. There are no guitar teachers coming from Brazil to the festivals in Lima.

6. Suzuki Guitar in Japan

   • Frank will be meeting K. Toyoda on his next trip to Australia.
   • Mary Lou asks can Frank ask Toyoda about Suzuki guitar in Japan? Bill mentions that there is not much interest in it there.
   • Frank met a Japanese fellow who is reporting from Japan who is interested in Suzuki guitar in Japan.
   • Frank asks what about the father of K. Yamashita? Does he teach young kids? Also there is the Nibori School which is widespread in Japan. The committee agrees that we wish to know more.

7. Additional miscellaneous topics

   • Bill says there is one more institute in Alaska that needs to be added to the Institute list, and that he is going up there.
   • Bill Kanengiser is contracted to do the CDs for books 8 and 9. It’s just logistics now and it will be done soon.
   • There was discussion concerning the writing of articles for the SAA Journal. The members of the Committee will share the responsibility for making sure the guitar has a constant presence in the Journal. Other members of the Suzuki Guitar Community are encouraged to write articles also.

Mychal Gendron is a registered Teacher Trainer in guitar. He maintains an active Suzuki guitar studio at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, has taught at the Ann Arbor, Colorado, and Hartt Suzuki Institutes and at the International Suzuki Guitar Festival in Santa Clara, California. He has been a regular presenter at Suzuki Association of the Americas Conferences and was Guitar Coordinator for the conference in 2008. His compositions and arrangements have been published and recorded by Mel Bay Publica­tions and by Opus Guitar Publications. In addition to teaching at the RI Philharmonic Music School, Mychal is an Artist Teacher in Guitar at the University of Rhode Island and a Teaching Associate in Guitar at Brown University. He has performed in the US, France, and Brazil.

MaryLou Roberts, MM the Cleveland Institute of Music, BM Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, studied with John Holmquist and Gilbert Biberian. She has been a registered teacher trainer in Suzuki Guitar since 2007, studying Suzuki pedagogy with Frank Longay, William Kossler, and David Madsen. MaryLou lives and teaches in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she is coordinator of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute, and directs the Ann Arbor Suzuki Guitar Institute.