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.

The 2012 Conference Team is excited to announce very special guest performers for the 15th Biennial Conference, 40 and Forward. Time for Three (Nicolas Kendall, Ranaan Meyer, Zachary DePue) will be the featured performers at the SAA conference on Sunday night, May 27, 2012.

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:

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—Zachary (Zach) De Pue, violin; Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass—carry a passion for improvisation, composing and arranging, all prime elements of the ensemble’s playing.

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 January 2010, TF3 released its first commercial CD, Three Fervent Travelers, on the E1 label. It was an instant success, debuting in the top 10 on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes, and remaining in the top 10 on the Billboard Crossover Charts for more than 10 months. This followed the group’s first two self-produced CD’s, 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 8 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.

See their website at www.tf3.com

Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

The Minnesota Orchestra announced Thursday the appointment of American violinist Erin Keefe, 31, as concertmaster. Keefe was a Suzuki student of SAA violin teacher and teacher trainer Teri Einfeldt for eight years.

The announcement praised Erin’s “depth, refinement, and exquisite artistry” as a concertmaster, chamber musician and solo violinist. Congratulations, Erin!

To see the announcement and read more about Erin, visit the Minnesota Orchestra website:

Minnesota Orchestra names Erin Keefe as new concertmaster

Group Lessons for Suzuki Violin and Viola

By Carolyn McCall
Book, 84 pages, $12.95

Group lesson ideas for violin and viola, organized by book level and technique/skill.

Focus on Suzuki Piano: Creative and Effective Ideas for Teachers and Parents

By Mary Craig Powell
Book, 76 pages, $12.95

During the past few years it has been exciting to watch the area of Suzuki piano develop. Through workshops, institutes, and teacher development courses, parents and teachers have been able to grow and improve their skills in an unprecedented way. I have seen their craving for more information and techniques, and it is my hope that Focus on Suzuki Piano will be a contribution in those areas and the growth of the remarkable Suzuki movement.

Amy Matherly

Charlton, MA
Violin

Nightingale Chen

Powell, OH
Piano

Priscilla Jones

Bainbridge Island, WA
Cello

Sharon Jones

London, ON
Suzuki Early Childhood Education

Haukur Hannesson

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

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

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

The performance can be seen here:

http://windycitylive.com/episodes/Learning-with-the-Suzuki-Method/8326125

Photo by Jentry Barrett

Jentry Barrett and her class of adult learners with the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education

The title of Kay Collier Sloan’s fantastic book They’re Rarely Too Young and Never Too Old to Twinkle was put to the test in January 2009. I was working as an administrative assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Science, which houses the Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI). This community outreach program provides interesting and diverse learning opportunities for people fifty years of age and older throughout the United States. I wondered if I could start a Suzuki violin program with older adults—what a great way to put Kay’s theory to the test!

My idea was met with some hesitation from the OLLI director, Dee Aguilar. UNL-OLLI had never offered a music class, and she was unsure if the subject would garner enough interest for the course to carry. She took the risk with me, though, and it paid off handsomely. The class filled completely, and twelve nervous students greeted me in January as I came into the classroom carrying “their” violins.

Class tuition covered violin rental, a shoulder rest, and the Suzuki Book One CD. Students met ninety minutes weekly. My goal was to have them learn Variation A by the end of the six-week course.

The basic outline of the class follows:

• Week One: violin and bow holds
• Week Two: Variation A rhythm, Mountain Song, and left hand set up
• Week Three: fingers, Monkey Song and Flower Song
• Week Four: Variation A
• Week Five: rehearsal of Variation A, Mountain Song, Monkey Song, and Flower Song
• Week Six: quick rehearsal and then a recital for friends and family

The class sequence was half master class and half group rehearsal. I discovered if I started with the master class to check the preceding week’s concept, and then taught the new concept to everyone individually, my students learned faster. Everyone had multiple opportunities to listen and observe by watching the others, thus reducing the time needed to refine and master new information.

Teaching the senior population is very rewarding, because everyone wants to be there. The majority of the students had always wanted to play the violin but never had the opportunity. Now, they were retired and had the time to learn. They practiced at home and came back with fantastic questions about the process or why we were playing a certain way instead of what they had seen on TV or at concerts. It was a crucible in my teaching career. I had to be very logical with them, and I also had to be able to defend my instructional decisions with more than “that’s how I was taught.”

Quite unexpectedly, teaching seniors required overcoming some physical challenges. Arthritis and being able to see the violin with bifocals were the two biggest ones. We eased the arthritis with hand exercises, and after practicing for a few weeks, most said they felt less pain when playing because of their increased hand strength and flexibility. Students who couldn’t see with bifocals changed to their reading glasses, and I changed a lot of chin rests to the center of the violin, which helped tremendously.

I continued to teach multiple OLLI violin classes until March 2011. Approximately fifty senior citizens completed the course during a two year period. After the students finished the six-week OLLI class, I continued to teach some of them privately and in small groups. Fifteen of the OLLI graduates are still my students. The first group of graduates is now polishing the Minuets in Suzuki Book One. We “gig” about once a month playing at nursing homes, luncheons, and other venues. The group collects a fee they generously donate to a scholarship fund enabling disadvantaged students to have music lessons.

I could never have predicted the great success of my experiment when I started teaching the OLLI class. It has been a wonderful addition to my studio and my methodology and has taught me the ultimate lesson that anyone can learn by the Suzuki method if they put in the effort of listening and practicing daily. Many of them learned they can play music without the printed page in front of them; they were astonished at their capacity for memorization and ear training. Some adults start the class completely convinced that they can’t ever play the violin, but want to try anyway. After the final recital, they are so proud of themselves and their accomplishments with the violin. I would encourage anyone to accept the challenge of teaching this senior population. The rewards are endless!

If you would like more information on the OLLI program, or to see if there is one in your area, please visit www.osherfoundation.org.

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 Arthur Montzka

Louise Behrend at the 2002 SAA Conference

With sadness we are sharing the news that Louise Behrend passed away August 3, 2011.

In the fall a memorial concert will be planned by the 40-year-old music school Miss Behrend founded, The School for Strings in New York. We will post information about that event on the website when it becomes available.

Miss Behrend was an early Suzuki method pioneer who will be greatly missed by colleagues and former students throughout the Americas.

From December 2009 issue of “The Tuning Fork”:

After an illustrious seventy year career in teaching and performing, Louise Behrend, the Founder and Director of The School for Strings, a long-time violin faculty member at The Juilliard School, a mentor to hundreds of violinists and teachers, an inspiration to countless students, a musician whose spirit has imbued the lives of so many, has retired to a quieter life in the environs of Washington, DC.

Ms. Behrend’s contributions to music education have received both national and international recognition. In 1989, she was honored by the InterSchool Orchestras of New York at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, as the recipient of their second Annual Achievement Award. In 1992, she became the first teacher to have students win the Grand Prize in both the Pre-College and Pre-Professional Divisions of the National Competition, and in 1994, she received the ASTA Distinguished Service Award. In 1996, Miss Behrend was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and in 2002, the Suzuki Association gave special recognition to her contribution to the field of music education with a Creating Learning Community Award. In 2003, Miss Behrend was presented the Betty Allen Award by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, in recognition of her life-long dedication and distinguished contribution to music education in the area of chamber music, and in 2007, she received the Paul Rolland Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Conservatory.

Miss Behrend’s love of the violin and its voice, of music and its expression, of exploration and experimentation and her contagious enthusiasm for music and teaching are at the heart of the legacy she leaves behind in New York. We, at The School for Strings, are fortunate to inherit her spirit and to be entrusted with her vision, so deeply affected by the work of Shinichi Suzuki.

Photo by Arthur Montzka

Louise Behrend gives bow hold pointers in a violin masterclass at the 2002 SAA Conference.

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

On my fifth birthday my sister came home with a violin. That was how it all started. This is how I came to know Martin Goldman. This is how I came to know the violin.

At first, I hated it. I didn’t like going to class and I didn’t like playing. I would hide under my bed so my mom wouldn’t find me when it was time to practice, among other things. If it weren’t for my mother’s persistence and my teacher’s easygoing manner, I would have dropped out a long time ago. Today I thank my mother and Martin that I didn’t.

My teacher and my violin have opened countless doors for me, educationally, and even socially. To put it plainly, the violin rules in every possible way. With the violin you can cry without tears, and jump without ever leaving the ground. The violin kills boredom; I still count to see how fast I can put my dog to sleep. Sometimes I pick up and play an old piece just out of the satisfaction I get when hearing my neighbors applauding, or smelling the smoke of the man who smokes cigars outside his house hearing me play. The violin is also an awesome social tool. Girls like it. Mothers love it. You want to win over your girlfriend’s mom, learn to play the violin, and prepare an encore piece (note: also works with teachers). All this without mentioning how well it looks on a résumé. Thanks to the violin I feel comfortable in situations where my friends freeze, I feel no stage fright and no fear to express myself. It’s also an interesting topic to talk about when you meet someone new.

But the best part is playing. So many times have I walked along the hallways of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico and just bump into some friend of mine who carries some random sheet music. We find an empty classroom and start playing. Before you know it, you have cramped up eight people in little room playing and having a good time.

11 years later, the violin has become a part of me; it is how I identify myself. For this I thank my sister, my mother, and Martin Goldman, my teacher.

We have all heard this quote by Dr. Suzuki, but what does it mean?

Photo by TJ Boatman

Think of an electronic keyboard, one that has many different instrument settings. Have you listened to the violin setting? A keyboard I use on occasion has a violin setting, but it does not sound like the violin I know and love. It sounds too electronic, too machine-like. This synthesized tone lacks the personal touch. It lacks the “soul” that a human violinist has.

That is what tone is: the sound you make on the violin that gives your playing its distinguishing characteristics. If you listen to a recording of any famous violinist, you will hear his distinctive sound. If you listen to that same violinist enough, you will be able to recognize his sound anywhere. I believe that what “tone has a living soul” means is that tone is what makes each of us unique and human in our playing.

So how do we make tone the most important thing in our music? Without a beautiful human tone, we will sound too much like that electronic keyboard. It is easy to get carried away with notes, rhythm and bowings. The hard part is focusing on your tone, figuring out the sound you want to have for each phrase of each piece in order to make exceptional music.

I have had some teachers in the past who focused on tone more than others. One teacher in particular was most concerned about rhythm and intonation. She would plunk away on the piano to try to get me to match pitches. She never really taught me to listen to my own playing, however, which might have helped more.

A later teacher seemed more concerned with my ability to produce a great volume. I worked for months on sustaining my sound through my whole bow. It seemed that each week she insisted I play louder than before, until one day I finally achieved the volume she wanted, or rather, the ability to play at the volume she wanted. During this time, the more I listened to my tone and to the sound I was producing, the more I was aware of the ring from each note. As a result, my intonation began to improve.

The last teacher I studied with definitely made tone a priority. With him, I felt the goal was to have the most beautiful tone possible, the sort of tone that makes people spontaneously burst into tears. I certainly burst into tears enough after my lessons as I struggled to play as beautifully as he did! During those lessons I learned how to listen to my tone with great focus and concentration. I focused on how to use my bow and vibrato to make my violin produce exactly the sound and phrasing I wanted for each piece.

As the years passed after I left school, my practicing became more sporadic and less focused. Without weekly lessons, I would only practice to learn a specific piece for an audition or concert. I paid more attention to my rhythm and intonation than my sound production, conveniently forgetting the connection between tone and intonation.

Recently I played for a violinist who told me that I played very nicely in tune and with good rhythm, but I needed to “rip out my soul and attach it to my bow arm.” At the time, this made me very upset. How dare he suggest my playing lacked soul? Were my technical achievements worth nothing? After I thought about his comments further, I realized that I had been so focused on perfecting my technique that I had forgotten to use my own voice, my own tone…my own soul!

Since then, I have tried to change how I practice and play. With each phrase, I try to produce a tone that has a soul, a tone that fits what I feel in the music, so that I may convey that emotion to the audience. How do I do this? By really listening to myself play, listening with as much concentration as I can muster, and listening to the ring of each note I produce. I feel good knowing that I am making my tone a priority again, with the added benefit that I am enjoying my practice sessions more than I have in years!

Photo by LOCATION IMAGES/iDream.tv

“Tone has a living soul without form.”

When I traveled to Matsumoto, Japan, in 1986 to study with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, I packed so much music in my head and in my violin case. I was only to be there for a few weeks but I was told we would have daily lessons and I wanted to be very prepared. I was in college at the time and it was important to me to be considered an advanced student and play my hardest repertoire for “proof, so I brought three major concertos and several pieces by Kreisler and some unaccompanied Bach, just in case.

At our first lesson I chose Praeludium and Allegro because Fritz Kreisler was one of Dr. Suzuki’s favorites. I played with quite an excess of adrenaline and was greatly anticipating what Dr. Suzuki would say. When I finished playing Dr, Suzuki smiled and laughed a little and thanked me for playing. He said, “This is a very good piece for you.” Then we got to work, playing one note.

The note was G. It was third finger on the D string. He plucked the note and waited a very long time until the ringing had dissipated, then he did the same thing with his bow. He had me try this same thing. We did this over and over without much talking. It occurred to me after the 12th try that the release of the note was just as important as the time spent playing the note. I started relaxing as I was trying less to perform and more to just revel in the ring and release. The less I tried the better the sound the more I wanted to do this. I enjoyed this circular effect.

Dr. Suzuki was 87 at the time but his energy and enthusiasm were more like someone in their 20s. I think Dr. Suzuki aged in “dog years.” Even though he had sustained a shoulder injury years earlier he could sing that note so purely through his instrument. Each lesson was similar; we played that note, back and forth for the next several lessons. Sometimes I would get to play a phrase or two of Chorus from “Judas Maccabeaus” while feeling, seeing, hearing and sharing the same ring. Dr. Suzuki was so excited as he patiently waited for more resonance. There seemed no doubt to him… it was in there, an endless supply of ring, and I would find it. Maybe it would be today, maybe tomorrow and maybe next month when back home in DeKalb, Illinois—I would find more and more resonance.

I have to admit; sometimes I was a bit antsy to play more repertoire. I wanted more secrets and tricks for off-the-string bowings. I kept practicing my one note, sometimes not sure I was getting anywhere and sometimes getting to a Zen-like state where I quieted my brain and became one with this note. I was encouraged in the class when I started hearing a deepening to my sound and the “ahhs” from fellow classmates at our shared masterclasses. I heard this blossoming of sound in others and loved hearing more when I had thought the maximum ring was reached on the previous note. I enjoyed the unity of this quest.

On the last week of my stay I was privileged to hear Ken Selden’s graduation. He had been studying with Dr. Suzuki for two years and performed the Beethoven “Kruetzer” Sonata as well as several pieces from early Suzuki books. This performance was my “ah ha” moment. Something in the way Ken traveled effortlessly up and down the bow finding a “pinging” resonance in every single note. It was not what Ken played, but how he played it that struck me. I felt electrified by the vibrating strings; I understood why this work is so important. This is the purest form of communication. Our tone reflects our self-expression and connection to the world. The “Living Soul” Dr. Suzuki speaks of is created from the musician, the instrument, the teacher, the composer, the listener and all of humanity that craves its beauty. This pure sound is not owned by the musician but lives independently in our hearing and then heart, however deeply we choose to accept it. Much like love, tone has no form. It cannot be contained and is best expressed when released and shared.

Since my time in Matsumoto I continue my unending quest for more resonance both for myself and for my students often by using this one note from Dr. Suzuki. This note has centered me and the child and the parent to a safe and supportive place in only a few bow strokes as we begin Tonalization. This resonance work has repeatedly eased headaches and tension issues. This kind of tone has made me cry at its beauty, coming as honestly from a child’s polished Twinkle to an adult’s mastered Mendelssohn Concerto. A ten-year-old student commented just two weeks ago, “Miss Ann, our tone is never “done” is it—it can always grow deeper, can’t it?” I was pleased Paul had realized that “Tone has a Living Soul” a lot sooner than his teacher.

Mr. John Kendall passed away on January 6, 2011 at the age of 93. John’s life’s work as an educator has influenced thousands of students and teachers. The SAA will forever be grateful to him for his contribution to music education. Funeral services have not yet been arranged. We will inform the membership when details are available.

Condolences to John’s family and friends.

—The SAA Board of Directors

Blake Brasch
Cello
Mount Prospect, IL

Timothy Durbin
Violin
Carlisle, KY

Sarah Salz
Piano
Miami, FL

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

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

Teachers are always inspired by the excellent performances and insightful teaching we can observe at the instrument-specific master classes. In keeping with our theme of teamwork, master classes will be team-taught by father and daughter, Tom and Allegra Wermuth.

New to the conference will be a master class focusing on Suzuki core repertoire taught by Scott Conklin, violin professor at The University of Iowa School of Music.

Sessions will be offered on a variety of violin-related subjects. These include the bow hold as it relates to sound production, prevention and rehabilitation of playing related injuries, the technique of interpretation, splendid spiccato, the needs of the advanced student, and a session focusing on the new editions of the Violin repertoire led by Allen Lieb. Be sure to bring your violins with you to the conference so you can participate in this session!

We are also very pleased to feature Sandy Reuning, one of the SAA founding fathers, giving a special presentation on Dr. Suzuki’s most beloved subject: tone.

The full line-up of Violin Session Presenters also includes Barbara Barber, Mark Bjork with Jonathan Reynolds, Teri Einfeldt, Cathryn Lee and Ruth Meints.

–Margot Jewell, Violin Coordinator

The following report consists of three sections:

1. A history of the book revision process,

2. A description of the procedure for the compilation, editing, and publication of the revised editions for Books 1-5 and,

3. A look forward at the upper books in the Suzuki Violin School.

History: 1950s through 1990s

Let’s begin with a brief history of the book revision process. Dr. Suzuki began compiling his materials, which later came to be called the Suzuki Violin School, from his earliest teaching days. He is often quoted as saying that Book 1 itself took 10 years. And every piece in the repertoire was “child-tested” before its final inclusion. If you are fortunate enough to have access to copies of the earliest Zen-On editions from the 1950s, you will see how the books evolved into what most teachers in the West have been using since the publication of the first international edition in the mid-1960s. There have been repertoire additions, deletions and editing through the years. Dr. Suzuki undertook a major revision to the books in 1964, but after meeting with quite a bit of resistance from the Japanese teachers, he postponed any changes at that time.

The first English language edition of the Suzuki materials was the “Listen and Play” series edited by John Kendall and first published in 1961 in the United States by Summy-Birchard. The accompanying LP’s were recorded by violinist Angel Reyes. Eventually an agreement was reached between Zen-On in Japan and Summy-Birchard, leading the way to the first international editions of the Suzuki Violin School printed in Japanese and English. The accompanying recordings were the Zen-On originals performed by Dr. Suzuki for Book 1-3, and Koji Toyoda for Books 4-8. Several years later, the international edition was revised to include translations in French, German and Spanish, necessitating smaller print and unfortunately, the exclusion of some text and exercises. New recordings appeared of Books 1-4 by David Cerone from Ability Development, and later by David Nadien from Summy-Birchard. Intermittently, new printings corrected some, but not all, obvious misprints in fingerings and bowings, especially in the upper books. Teachers were encouraged to select fingerings and bowings that reflected their particular teaching situations and the needs of a particular student. Even Dr. Suzuki played and taught various fingerings and bowings depending on his “new idea!” for that year.

In 1996, at the behest of Dr. Suzuki, Koji Toyoda presented a paper to the teachers in Japan on the necessity of revisions to the books. Prof. Toyoda’s main points addressed the issues of instrumental technique, musical knowledge and respect for the original score. Subsequently, under Dr. Suzuki’s directive, a committee of Japanese violin teachers, with Prof. Toyoda as its head, was formed by TERI (Talent Education Research Institute in Matsumoto) to consider these issues. The revised Book 1 was published by Zen-On in Japan in 1998, shortly after Dr. Suzuki’s death. Books 2 and 3 were published soon thereafter, prompting discussion about revisions to the international edition.

To be clear about this, Zen-On has the publishing rights to the Suzuki materials in Japan, and Summy-Birchard (now a division of Alfred Publishing) has the worldwide publishing rights outside Japan.

ISA by-laws, approved by Dr. Suzuki, state that there is to be only one international edition, and that revisions or new editions can be authorized only by the particular ISA instrument committee subject to ISA guidelines. There were now two editions of the Suzuki Violin School, which created the need to re-establish one international edition. As a result, the ISA Violin Committee was charged with reconciling the two editions and publishing a revised international edition.

Revision Procedure for Violin Books 1-5

ISA Violin Committee

The ISA Violin Committee is composed of five members, one representing each regional Suzuki association: Asian Suzuki Association (ASA), European Suzuki Association (ESA), Pan-Pacific Suzuki Association (PPSA), Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and TERI. Each regional association has one vote. All matters for discussion are decided by majority vote.

The members of the ISA Violin Committee became Christophe Bossuat (ESA) as Chair, Kyung-Ik Hwang (ASA), Yasuki Nakamura (PPSA), Louise Behrend (SAA), and Fumiyo Kuramochi (TERI). Gilda Barston, then ISA Chair, was appointed the ISA Board liaison to the committee, and Paul Landefeld, ISA Executive Secretary, became an advisor to the committee. Both the liaison and the advisor are non-voting positions.

Books 1, 2, and 3

Discussions began in earnest on Book 1 in 2003. There were no changes to the repertoire in the revised Zen-On edition. The discussions were mainly about the added/revised text, the study points and suggested exercises. There was also intense deliberation about the use of the left-hand fourth finger beginning in the “Twinkles” and subsequent early repertoire, with no open string alternative offered. The new edition also contained a posture photographs, a glossary of musical terms, basic explanations of notation, finger charts and an illustration of the parts of the instrument.

It was decided that the international edition would carry only English, French, German and Spanish text as the Zen-On editions would continue to be sold in Japan. The translation of all the new material from the Japanese into the four other languages would prove to be daunting, as well as create problems in formatting. As we all know, Dr. Suzuki wrote in a particular style of Japanese, which is sometimes hard to understand even in its original version. The challenge was to retain the flavor of his writing while finding ways to express these important precepts in the various vernaculars. This work would continue right up to the eventual print deadline which stretched to the summer of 2007. There was also the issue of the photographs to be used to illustrate posture. The main idea agreed upon was that the pictures should be of children rather than of a teacher, as in the new Zen-On edition.

In March 2004, a meeting was scheduled in England for the ISA committee to decide on issues concerning Books 2 and 3. Louise Behrend asked Allen Lieb if he would go in her stead to represent the SAA committee for this meeting. There were major points of divergence in the repertoire between the revised Zen-On edition and the then-current international edition. Additionally, the Zen-On edition contained added exercises and text for harmonics, vibrato, scales and arpeggios, ornamentation, and the introduction of position studies. Prof. Toyoda and the TERI committee felt strongly about their research that had culminated in the revised Zen-On edition, and also felt a deep sense of loyalty to the wishes of Dr. Suzuki and the confidence he had placed in Prof. Toyoda to lead this project. There was vigorous debate over every issue, tempered by the dedication of each ISA committee member to the uniqueness of the Suzuki pedagogy, its heritage and its future.

At this meeting, William Preucil Jr. was selected as the recording artist for Books 1, 2 and 3. The recordings were completed in March 2005. Repertoire questions left for further discussion after the London meeting were finalized during an ISA committee conference call just prior to the recordings. In the middle of this procedure, Summy-Birchard, as a division of Warner Music Group, was sold to Alfred Publishing. Luckily for us, the main representative of the publisher for the Suzuki materials, Judi Bagnato, retained her position with the company. We are very much indebted to her cooperation and advocacy during this entire process.

It was also about this same time that Louise Behrend asked to step down from the SAA committee. The committee reluctantly agreed but asked her to remain on as ex-officio. Allen Lieb was appointed to be a full member of the SAA committee and voted as Chair by the committee during the 2006 SAA Conference.

Following the recording session of March 2005, there was a lull in editing the books awaiting the text translations from Japan and from the publisher, now Alfred. During this period, there was discussion concerning the new recordings. Neither the ISA committee nor the artist had been completely happy with the process or the results. After meeting with the SAA Violin Committee at the 2006 Conference on this issue, Judi Bagnato was able to arrange for a re-recording of the books from the publisher. Extensive review was accorded to the tempi, articulations, etc., prior to this second recording session. The piano accompaniment parts were thoroughly vetted by the ISA committee and compared to the newly re-revised Zen-On edition. Additionally, Alfred Publishing asked Doris Preucil to advise on the piano parts in light of her editing and recording the piano parts for the Suzuki Viola School. This second recording session for Books 1-3 was held in April 2007, and it is this recording that comprises the new CDs issued with the revised international edition.

The remaining editing of Books 1 and 2 took place by pdf files over the summer of 2007. Considering that the ISA committee must communicate across four continents, two hemispheres and many time zones, there was concern about the logistics of meeting the publisher’s deadline. And as a result, there were mistakes in the first printing of Books 1 and 2, which were published during early fall of 2007.

Book 4

In October 2007, the ISA committee reconvened to edit Book 4, using Prof. Toyoda’s text about to be published by Zen-On. The ISA wanted both Book 4 versions to be consistent before being published by Zen-On or Alfred. The ISA committee accomplished this task. The ISA committee voted to make no changes in the present repertoire of Book 4, but with the addition of the Bohm “Perpetual Motion”, which Dr. Suzuki had originally wanted to include but could not obtain copyright permission, and a dual score of both parts for the Bach Double. This book also includes suggested preparatory exercises for the Seitz Concerti and the Bach Double. There are several new fingering suggestions in the repertoire reflecting the earlier introduction of position work in Books 2 and 3. The committee decided to retain the Nachez edition of the Vivaldi Concerto for its pedagogical value.

A recording session for the Alfred edition of Book 4 was held in April 2008, with William Preucil as violinist and Linda Perry on piano. The revised edition of Book 4 was published in December 2008.

Corrections to Revised Books 1, 2, and 3

Also during the London 2007 meeting, the ISA committee completely reformatted the newly printed Books 1 and 2, and was then able to give a comprehensive final proof of Book 3 to the publisher prior to its going to print.

Both the ISA committee and the publisher want the best editions possible, and have worked diligently to make the corrections in the reprints of these volumes. A reprint of the Revised Books 1, 2, and 3 was completed and subsequently published in December 2008 by Alfred. The text translations underwent a comprehensive review by the regional associations affiliated with each language, in cooperation with the publisher who supplied the original translations. There was a tremendous effort on the part of all the ISA regional association violin committees to address issues in the first printing. Alfred was wise enough to limit the numbers of the first printings to allow for what they anticipated as needed corrections. We thank them for their foresight and continued assistance in publishing the best editions possible.

In the summer of 2009, there was a third printing of Book 1 with a revised illustration of the violin and bow reflecting ideas from all the ISA regional committees, and some further tweaking of the text and layout.

It is important to remember that the revisions are an on-going process, and discussion about these volumes will continue in subsequent ISA committee meetings.

You can distinguish the reprints from the first printing as follows:

• Book 1 now has a picture of Dr. Suzuki following the Forward. The first printing has no picture. The third printing has a full side view of the bow.
• Book 2 now has 36 pages. The first printing had 38 pages and a blank page 25. There are no blank pages in the reprint.
• Book 3 now has revised text on Vibrato instead of bullet points (a., b., c.), and additional text in italics about ornamentation on page12 as differentiated from the first printing.

Misprints in Book 4

Please note two bowing misprints in the Practice Suggestions for the Bach Double Concerto on page 24 of the first printing:

• vln. 2 (p. 27, mm. 40-41): The slur on the third beat in the first measure of the example should begin on the note D, not on the note E.
• vln. 2 (p. 29, mm. 75-76): There should be no slur on the first beat of the first measure. The bowings in the corresponding main text of the Bach Double are correct.
• vln. 2 (p. 29, mm. 76): The last note of the second beat should be a D not an E.

The second printing of Book 4 was issued in spring 2010. The reprint has corrected all errors in the first printing of Volume 4.

Piano Accompaniments for Books 1-4

The revised Piano Accompaniment books for Books 1, 2, and 3 were published in December 2008 and Book 4 in March 2009.

Book 5

Work on Book 5 by the ISA Violin Committee began at its meeting in Reykjavik in October 2008. The ISA Board had directed that each regional association bring its own proposal for this volume (and for each succeeding volume) without a previous model from TERI. Each regional association’s proposal would be examined on its own merits, and a consensus of the ISA committee would determine the distillation of the best material to be included. There are no changes to the repertoire in Book 5, but there are some changes in fingerings and bowings to reflect more current performance practice and pedagogy. There are some addition technical exercises including three octave G Major and G Minor scales and arpeggios. William Preucil recorded the revised edition with Linda Perry in May 2009. Volume 5 was published in December 2009. The piano accompaniment book is due by summer 2010.

Future Revisions: Books 6, 7, and 8

Preliminary discussions on revisions to Volumes 6-8 by the ISA committee began during the International Teacher-Trainers Conference in Boston in October 2009. Essentially, the current repertoire in Books 6-8 will remain intact. There are two important changes to take place, however. There will be editing to the fingerings and bowings of the Handel Sonatas, the Bach A Minor Concerto, and possibly the Eccles and Veracini Sonatas. Additionally, a list of selected corollary pieces appropriate for Volumes 6, 7 and 8 will be published in each volume, with recommended editions and a brief description of technical merit. This is currently scheduled as a two-year project.

The book revisions continue to be an extremely exciting and productive process for the Suzuki movement as a whole. This process examines important issues that go to the very core of our teaching philosophy, and so we are understandably sensitive about them. We have the tremendous advantage, however, of starting from a position of strength in our professionalism, and unity in our ideals and goals. Our first challenge is to incorporate the revised notes and bowings in the first four volumes. We all understand there may be some general confusion during this transitional phase, but students are often much more resilient is these situations than we adults. Like many “previews” in the repertoire, this will take a little extra patience, practice and review.

The ISA comprises literally thousands of teachers across six continents who function as a coherent group and actually like each other! We have had issues in our past that led to acrimony and tension. We realized that we did not function well as an association under these conditions, and that any successful process needs time, thought, inclusion and re-evaluation—in essence, the same qualities that inform all good teaching. The Kreisler Highway can have many lanes, and take us in many directions. What better tribute can we pay to Dr. Suzuki’s legacy than to continue his pursuit of excellence in all aspects of our teaching, including the repertoire, and to honor his spirit of constantly seeking the better way for students and parents around the world.

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.