The Aber Suzuki Vocal Performance Troupe

The Voice Program at the Aber Suzuki Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, has started an exciting new program offering for its students called the Aber Suzuki Vocal Performance Troupe. Last year, my older students asked me for a new performance opportunity. While my students enjoy singing on recitals, in the community, and for contests, they wondered if I could create an additional, different performance venue.

For several years I have had the idea of a performance troupe in mind, but was not certain whether I could add this to my agenda. With the students’ inquiries and the current state of the economy, I decided now was a good time to act upon this idea.

There are three goals for this troupe:

The first goal is to introduce and educate young people in our area to classical vocal music. There is a great wealth of wonderful vocal literature that the average child does not hear, nor do they see children their own age singing this repertoire.

The second goal, given the state of our economy, is to enable my students to contribute back to the arts. Our schools do not often have a budget for outside educational programs. We perform free of charge not only to provide more performance experience to my vocal students, but to heighten and broaden classical music in our area.

Our third goal is to provide the students with new and challenging performance opportunities.

How do we do this? Each advanced student learns an aria, duet, or other piece that fits with a particular theme. A script pertaining to the theme is written by the students and proofed by Kay Holz, our accompanist and volunteer program assistant. An accompanying PowerPoint presentation is created, costumes and stage props are found, and rehearsals begin.

For each theme, Kay, and her husband, Dave, produce a DVD with production highlights. With a cover letter, it is sent to various schools and community groups within the area offering to perform a forty- to fifty-minute presentation. At this point in time, we have performed at twelve locations. Each time we go out, we vary the script slightly to accommodate different students and new songs they have learned. This also gives flexibility to students. When we receive an invitation, we send out an email asking which students can perform and the script is adapted. Students attend a dress rehearsal, and off we go.

We gear our performances to kindergarten through sixth grade, but find that older students and adults love the programs as well. We have always had very positive and enthusiastic feedback from our listeners.

Observations? The students love to perform! A strong camaraderie has developed. They are very mature and work well together in the performance, set up and take down, costumes and makeup, etc. Parents assist, especially with transportation and costumes.

At this time, we have developed two programs. One involves opera, with arias such as “L’ho perduta” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “The Doll Song” from Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffman,” and the “Flower Duet” from Delibes’ “Lakme.”

Our second program centers around American Spirituals and their history, with relevant accompanying songs. It also incorporates students from the Aber Suzuki Center strings program. In the future, we plan on developing a program focusing on Earth Day, with songs about nature and water.

The interest shown and generated by the Aber Suzuki Vocal Performance Troupe, both by the performers and the public, has been wonderful. Younger vocal students continually ask when they will be able to sing with the troupe. The troupe singers are often congratulated on their performances, but most importantly, these students are learning to make good music and work together for the benefit of their community.

Regrets? I wish we had started this ten years ago.

The Aber Suzuki Voice Program has been in existence for over twenty years. For examples of what our program is about please view videos at What’s New at Aber Suzuki Center and Short Term Teacher Training at ASI.

Mr. Hamlisch invited Mikaela to sing at the Kennedy Center Holiday Concert last year after hearing her sing Schubert’s Ave Maria in the Milwaukee Symphony’s Holiday Concert. This year he invited her to sing in Washington, D.C. and in Dallas as well.

After the Dallas Concert one reviewer said this:

“As a child prodigy himself (mimicking radio music on the piano at age five and accepted into what is now the Juilliard School Pre-College Division at age seven), Hamlisch knows aptitude when he sees it. For this weekend’s concert, he brought along a slew of young talent. Vocalist Mikaela Schneider, whom Marvin met a year ago in Wisconsin, sang a breathtaking “Ave Maria”, and had you not known otherwise, you would never guess by the sound of her beautifully graceful voice that she was only sixteen.”

Mikaela has studied voice with Mary Hofer of the Aber Suzuki Center since the age of 9. In the past three years she has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Pops Orchestra, Present Music, the Milwaukee Children’s Choir, Music by the Lake, and was a National Anthem soloist for the Milwaukee Brewers. She also has been coached as UWSP by Professor Emeritus Marjorie Phelps Kampenga and studies flute with Jeani Foster of the Milwaukee Symphony.

The Aber Suzuki Center has two other alumni currently performing at the Kennedy Center: Eric Lee is associate concertmaster of the National Opera Orchestra and Joel Fuller is a violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra.

Gala Recital at Alexander Theatre (Old Ópera House)

Left to right: Prytz Suzanne, Aldo Adrian Guerrero Moreno, Päivi Kukkamäki, Amelia Seyssel, Julián Molinero, Katrina Pezzimenti, Analia Capponi-Savolainen and Markus Savolainen

Julián Molinero in Ellivuori

Opening at Government Banquet Hall

Thanks to Analia Capponi-Savolainen for sending in these pictures.

For more info on Suzuki Voice see www.suzukivoice.com

The 9th International Suzuki Voice Workshop, “Songs for Sharing,” will be held in Vantaa, Finland, June 28 through July 2, 2010.

For more information, see the Suzuki Voice Website: http://www.suzukivoice.com/english/News.html

Last year, Mikaela sang the soprano solo with the MSO in Bernstein’s Chitchester Psalms.

Congratulations to Mikaela and Mary Hofer!

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.

Estamos muy felices porque el Séptimo Encuentro Internacional de Voz Suzuki “Canciones para compartir” se realizó en Argentina del 2 al 8 de Enero de 2009.

Ha sido maravilloso compartir la música, el canto y el amor como parte de un mismo espíritu; el del Método Suzuki. Los participantes fueron profesores capacitadores, profesores en entrenamiento y alumnos de Finlandia, Autralia, Argentina, Perú, México, Chile y Paraguay. Las profesoras capacitadoras fueron la Dra. Päivi Kukkamäki, que es la fundadora de este Programa (Finlandia) y Katrina Pezzimenti (Australia).

El Programa de Voz Suzuki está creciendo cada vez más alrededor del mundo. Esta ha sido una excelente oportunidad para los profesores latinoamericanos interesados en el Programa de Voz Suzuki, para participar en el primer “Short term Suzuki Voice Teacher training course”realizado en Latinoamérica. Se ha formado un maravilloso equipo de profesores latinoamericanos. Ahora a trabajar juntos por el bien de los niños através de la música y el canto!

En el Encuentro hemos compartido muchas actividades. Se realizaron todos los días clases grupales e individuales para los alumnos; bebés, niños y adultos -principiantes y avanzados. Los alumnos que participaron tenían entre 1 y 26 años. Se realizaron dos grandes conciertos; “Canciones para compartir” y “ Concierto de Cierre” en los que se presentaron obras solistas y grupales.

El repertorio de los recitales fue muy amplio; hubo canciones del libro 1 pero también repertorio perteneciente a los niveles avanzados (niveles 4 y 5) que incluye arias de ópera de Mozart, Verdi, Humperdink, Montsalvatge, otras obras artísticas de compositores famosos y música de cámara.

Cada tarde, se realizaron “actividades especiales” como por ejemplo conferencias y exhibiciones; “Qué es el Programa de Voz Suzuki?” y “Memorias del Programa de Voz Suzuki”. También se realizaron “Presentaciones culturales de los países” (Australia, Argentina, Chile, Perú, México, Finlandia y Paraguay). Esta fue una forma maravillosa de conocer más sobre la cultura y la música de otros paises.

Los profesores latinoamericanos que vinieron a capacitarse, recibieron un entrenamiento muy intensivo. Observaron clases grupales e individuales con bebés, niños de diferentes edades y adultos y también hicieron sus propias prácticas docentes que fueron muy buenas. Los tópicos centrales de este“Short term Course” se basaron en las ideas principales del Método Suzuki y del Programa de Voz Suzuki; escuchar, imitar y repetir, relación padres-profesor y alumno, orientación de los padres, rol de los padres y del profesor con alumnos de diferentes edades, practica en el hogar, ideas para favorecer la motivación y aportes e importancia de la “devolución” o feedback, el desarrollo y la practica de habilidades (proceso del “paso a paso”) entre otras. El trabajo se focalizó también en el estudio de las fases del desarrollo del niño -estadio 0 a 6 años de edad, el progreso del alumno en el canto y la aceptación del propio cuerpo como instrumento, el análisis del repertorio del Programa de Voz Suzuki; el texto y la melodía, la forma, la dinámica, el ritmo, las frases y también los ejercicios para relajación, respiración, postura y uso del cuerpo, articulación, fonética, resonancia y entonación.

Se realizaron también otras actividades durante el Encuentro como por ejemplo; charla sobre “La música académica Argentina de Carlos Guastavino” y conferencia sobre “Cognición Musical y Método Suzuki” y los talleres teórico-prácticos de música de “Candombe” y “Tango”.

Alumnos y profesores en entrenamiento han comentado:

“He comprendido que el proceso de convertirse en profesor de Voz Suzuki debe ser abordado con paciencia y perseverancia y que esto le da a uno la alegría de ver los resultados y los frutos que uno mismo sembró”
—Gabriel Huaroc (Perú)

“Realmente he podido sentir el Espíritu Suzuki que es compartido entre todas las personas que practican el Método. El Espíritu Suzuki es un sentimiento muy especial de amistad y compañerismo que no es común encontrar en otros lugares o grupos”
—Julián Molinero (Argentina)

Los grupos mas grandes de alumnos fueron los de Finlandia y Argentina. El grupo de Finlandia que estuvo en el Encuentro era el grupo “original” de alumnos, es decir, quienes iniciaron este Programa. Ellos comenzaron Voz Suzuki en Finlandia en el año 1986 con la Dra. Kukkamäki. Cuando comenzaron eran bebés o incluso estaban en la etapa de gestación y ahora son jóvenes de alrededor de 20 años. Participaron además alumnos nuevos que se sumaron mas tarde a este Programa.

Ha sido conmovedor ver cómo los alumnos argentinos y finlandeses y sus familias se encontraron, compartieron su cultura y cantaron juntos con tanta alegría.

Desde el año 2001 los alumnos argentinos han aprendido canto siguiendo el Programa de Voz Suzuki. Durante todos estos años, ellos han percibido nuestro “trabajo de equipo” y se han sentido parte de este grupo. Por ese motivo se sentieron tan unidos; se podía percibir un ambiente muy especial que surgió desde el primer momento que se encontraron.

Fue maravilloso cuando tuvimos el primer ensayo con el pianista… Eramos muchos, viniendo de diferentes partes del mundo, pero cantamos todos juntos y fue perfecto! En mi opinión, este pequeño detalle representa el estilo de “trabajar juntos” al que estamos acostumbrados en el Programa de Voz Suzuki. Al estar permanentemente en contacto, apoyarnos mutuamente, mantenernos abiertos a aprender cosas nuevas cada día, a aprender de la cultura del otro, y trabajando en un constante “paso a paso”, compartimos la música y la vida de una manera natural; es decir, trabajando juntos como amigos Suzuki a pesar de tener lugares de residencia tan diferentes.

Durante este Encuentro hemos compartido experiencias que nunca vamos a olvidar! Sentimos que estamos unidos por el presente, el pasado y para el futuro. Pudimos compartir las actividades de los últimos años a través de videos y fotos y encontramos las conexiones que hemos tenido todos estos años gracias al trabajo de equipo creado y sostenido por la Dr. Kukkamäki. El repertorio que cantamos proviene de diferentes países; cantamos en diferentes idiomas y lo más importante es que sentimos la conexión con la cutura desde la que provienen la obras.

Los recuerdo de este Encuentro estarán en los corazones de los alumnos y profesores para siempre. Esta experiencia fue especial y única para todos nosotros. Y como les dije a los alumnos en el final del Encuentro, no debemos estar tristes porque este Encuentro termina; debemos sentirnos felices porque este es un nuevo “comenzar” en el proceso de crecimiento de la familia de Voz Suzuki. Debemos conocer y amar nuestra historia y seguir mirando hacia el futuro.

Gracias a las profesoras capacitadoras por viajar hasta Argentina y hacer realidad este Encuentro. Sin su ayuda nada de esto hubiera sido posible. Los Sponsors de este Encuentro fueron la Municipalidad de La Plata, la Embajada de Finlandia en Buenos Aires, la Asociación Suzuki families-Finland y la Asociación Suzuki de La Plata.

Gracias al grupo organizador y colaborador del Encuentro; familias Garganta, Terracciano, Molinero, Paoli, Soto, Vides, Caceres, Barbero, Capponi, Savolainen.

We are very happy because the Seventh Suzuki Voice International Workshop “Songs for sharing” was held in Argentina, January 2-8, 2009. It was wonderful to share the music, the singing and the love in one same Spirit based in the Suzuki approach. Participants were teacher trainers, teachers-in-training and students from Finland, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Chile and Paraguay. The teacher trainers were Dr. Päivi Kukkamäki, the founder of the Suzuki Voice Program (Finland) and Katrina Pezzimenti (Australia).

The Suzuki Voice program is growing and growing around the world. This was excellent opportunity for Latin American teachers who were interested in the Suzuki Voice Program, to participate in the first short-term Suzuki Voice Teacher Training course held in Latin America. We are expecting to have this wonderful Latin American teachers’ team working together for the good of the children through the singing and the music.

During the workshop we shared many activities. Every day there were group and individual lessons for students: babies, children, adults—beginners and advanced. The students who participated were between ages one and 26 years. There were two big concerts, “Songs for Sharing Recital” and “Farewell Recital” with soloist and group performances. The recitals’ repertoire were huge; there were Book 1 songs but also advanced level repertoire (level 4 and 5 songs) including opera arias from Mozart, Verdi, Humperdink, Montsalvatge and other art songs of famous composers and chamber music. Every evening we had Special Activities like lectures and exhibitions: “Qué es el programa de Voz Suzuki?” and “Memories of the Suzuki Voice Program.” There were country presentations about the culture represented: Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Finland and Paraguay. This was a great way to know more about culture and music of each country.

Teachers-in-training worked very intensively. They observed group and individual lessons for babies, children of different ages and adults and also they made themselves very nice teacher-in-practice lessons. During the short-term course we focused on the Suzuki Voice Program and Suzuki Method ideas: listening, imitating and repeating, parent-teacher-student relationships, parent orientation, role of parents and teachers across the ages, home practice, motivation ideas and feedback, developing practice skills (step-by-step process), developmental phases for the 0-6 year old stages, child’s progress in singing, and the understanding of the body as an instrument. The work also focused on analysis of the Suzuki Voice repertoire, text and melody, form, dynamics, rhythm, phrasing and the practical work for relaxation, breathing, posture and body use, articulation, phonetics, resonation and intonation.

We had also other activities during the workshop, including a lecture about “Academic Argentinean Music, focusing on Carlos Guastavino,” a lecture about “Music Cognition and Suzuki Method” and a lecture and practice about “Candombe and Tango Music.”

These were a few comments from students and teachers-in-training:

“I understood that the process to become a Suzuki Voice teacher needs to be taken with patience and perseverance and that this brings us the happy possibility to see the fruits (results) that we sowed”.
—Gabriel Huaroc (Perú)

“I could certainly felt the Suzuki Spirit shared between all the persons who know the Method, the Suzuki Spirit is a very special feeling of friendship not often found in other places or groups.”
—Julián Molinero (Argentina)

A big group of students were from Finland and Argentina. The Finnish student group at the workshop was the original Suzuki Voice Program group which started in Finland in 1986 with Dr. Kukkamäki. The students had started the program already when they were babies or when they were in the womb. There were also new students in this big group traveling to Argentina.

It was touching to see how the Argentinean and Finnish students and families got to know each other, how they shared their culture and sang together. Since 2001 Argentinean students have been learning singing by following the Suzuki Voice Program. During all these years by studying with the Suzuki Voice Program, they have perceived our “teamwork” and have felt being part of this Program. That would be the reason of that special feeling they had when they met. They felt they had known each other from a long time. It was amazing when we had the first practice with the pianist. We were so many coming from different parts of the world, but anyway we sang together, perfectly! From my point of view, that little detail represented the “working together” style we use in the Suzuki Voice Program. We are permanently in contact, we support each other, we are open to learn new things every day, we learn from each others’ culture, we work step by step, we share music and life in a natural way—we work together as Suzuki friends in spite of our different places of residence.

During the workshop we shared experiences which we will never forget! We felt we were joined by the present, the past, and for the future. We could share last years’ activities through videos and photos and we could find the connections we had all these years thanks to the teachers’ team-work created and supported by Dr. Kukkamäki. The repertoire we sang came from different countries, we sang in different languages and the most important thing was that we felt the connection with the culture from where the music came from.

Memories of the workshop will be in the students’ and teachers’ hearts all their lives. This experience was special and unique for all of us. As I said to the students at the end of the workshop, we do not need to be sad because the workshop ended. We need to be happy because this is a new beginning for the Suzuki Voice Family to grow, knowing and loving our past but looking forward to the future.

Thank you to the teacher trainers to came to Argentina and made this Workshop a reality. Without their help nothing of this would had been possible. The Workshop sponsors were: the city of La Plata, La Plata Suzuki Association, Suzuki Families Association Finland and the Finnish embassy in Buenos Aires. Thanks to the families Garganta, Terracciano, Molinero, Paoli, Soto, Vides, Caceres, Barbero, Capponi and Savolainen for helping in the organization of the Workshop.

The 7th International Suzuki Voice Workshop will be held in Latin America for the first time, in La Plata Argentina, January 2-8, 2009. The workshop will include Voice Book 1 teacher training with Päivi Kukkamäki and Katrina Pezzimenti. The teacher audition deadline is November 30, 2008. For more information see the Suzuki Voice website.