Guitar
News 
December 7, 2011 / ASJ 40.1 / Topics: Bass, Cello, Conference, Conference 2012, Early Childhood Education, Flute, Guitar, Harp, Piano, Recorder, Students, Suzuki in the Schools, SYOA, Teachers, Viola, Violin
Plans are well underway for the SAA 15th Biennial Conference, May 24-28, 2012, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mark your calendar! Don’t miss our 40th anniversary!
SAA Conferences are sentinel events for teachers, parents, and students. Expect enlightening sessions on Suzuki philosophy and pedagogy in general and for each instrument. Learn to run your studio and work with parents. Become adept in new technologies. Enjoy special topics of Bach and outreach. Share and learn from colleagues. Listen to master classes, performing ensembles, the 40th anniversary Kaleidoscope Concert, Suzuki Youth Orchestras, and professional artists. Connect with the Suzuki community. See old friends, and…
Read more of Clinicians & Special Guests »
August 12, 2011 / ASJ 39.4 / Topics: Bass, Cello, Conference, Conference 2012, Flute, Guitar, Harp, Piano, Recorder, Students, Viola, Violin, Voice
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.
Read more of Kaleidoscope Concert »
May 25, 2011 / ASJ 39.3 / Topics: Bass, Cello, Conference, Conference 2012, Early Childhood Education, Flute, Guitar, Harp, Piano, Recorder, Students, Suzuki in the Schools, SYOA, Viola, Violin, Voice / by Susan Baer, Gail Gebhart, Marilyn George, Kevin Hart, Malgosia Lis, Cynthia Man, Lynn McCall, Deborah Moench, Patricia Purcell, Janse Vincent, Carol Waldvogel
Photo by Michiko Yurko
2008 Conference attendees. Front row: Dee Martz, and Joanne Martin. Back row: Delaine Fedson, Mary Kay Waddington, and Michiko Yurko.
Plan now to attend the 2012 SAA 15th Biennial Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota!
The conference will be held May 25-28, 2012, and will feature valuable sessions for teachers, teacher trainers, and parents—not to mention Suzuki Youth Orchestras of the Americas (SYOA) and other exciting events for your students!
Read on for many more reasons to save the dates in 2012.
Read more of 2012 Plans »
April 1, 2011 / Topics: Guitar, Meeting Reports
Present: Mary Lou Roberts, Andrea Cannon, Seth Himmelhoch, Mychal Gendron, Frank Longay, David Madsen, Joe Pecoraro
SAA Conference Video Updates
Dave reports that the video is not done yet, we are also waiting for the SAA office to send him some transcripts of the interviews. Dave can send us material from the video for us to screen. He has seen footage taken so far and it’s good.
Recording of Books 8-9: Progress Report
All the recording and editing is done but there are still a few details to deal with. Both William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant are involved in the project. Frank…
Read more of SAA Guitar Committee Conference Call Notes, October 17, 2010 »
March 25, 2011 / ASJ 39.2 / Topics: Guitar, Memorial, Trainers
It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Frank Longay on Wednesday, January 19.
Frank was a founding member and chairman of both the Guitar Committee of the International Suzuki Association and the Guitar Committee for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Frank took a leadership role in developing a graded repertoire for the guitar through Suzuki methodology and, as a registered Teacher Trainer, he worked tirelessly to pass along his knowledge and experience to guitar instructors in the U.S. and around the world.
Read more of Frank Longay, 1948-2011 »
October 11, 2010 / Topics: Guitar, Meeting Reports
Present: Dave Madsen, Andy Lafreniere, Seth Himmelhoch, Bill Kossler, Mary Lou Roberts, Mychal Gendron, Joe Pecoraro, Andrea Cannon, Frank Longay
SAA Teacher Trainer syllabus (voting to adopt)
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Seth mentions: the section for Unit Three needs the inclusion of the phrase “arpeggios using A finger”.
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Also, in unit 5, clarify “chord spacing”: instead write as in the Aaron Shearer book: “two and three note chords on non sequential strings.”
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Dave mentions: vibrato is not included in any Unit. He says that violin teachers do it at different times, so he is not saying where it should go, just that the syllabus…
Read more of SAA Guitar Committee Conference Call Notes, April 25, 2010 »
September 27, 2010 / ASJ 38.4 / Topics: Awards, Conference, Conference 2010, Guitar, Video / by Andrea Cannon
It is my pleasure to share with you the work of William Kossler in bringing the experience of his Matsumoto Training to Suzuki Guitar in the Americas. Suzuki Teachers place high priority on Dr. Suzuki’s Philosophy. Those who worked with Dr. Suzuki in Japan offer us much as role models with a first-hand perspective. Among guitarists, our only member who graduated from the Talent Education Institute of Matsumoto is Bill Kossler. His experience brings us many unique viewpoints and continues to have a major impact within our Guitar community.
Bill is…
Read more of William Kossler: Bringing Suzuki’s Ideas to Guitar in the Americas »
March 23, 2010 / ASJ 38.2 / Topics: Conference, Conference 2010, Guitar / by Andrea Cannon
Our 2010 SAA Conference includes a full palette of Guitar opportunities—varied and informational activities for our instrument. As a bonus we will enjoy keynote sessions, concerts and camaraderie with the wider community of Suzuki Teachers. In keeping with the theme of “Teamwork,” our invited clinicians for the Master Classes are William and Adam Kossler. Bill is a Co-Founder of Suzuki Guitar and one of two original Teacher Trainers. His son, Adam, began his music lessons at the age of two as a violin student in Matsumoto, Japan. Adam is now a doctoral student of renowned Guitar Professor Bruce Holzman at…
Read more of Guitar Gathering »
March 16, 2010 / Topics: Bass, Cello, Conference, Conference 2010, Flute, Guitar, Recorder, Viola, Violin
Teachers of violin, viola, guitar, flute, and recorder are encouraged to bring instruments. If possible, bring cellos and basses too. (We’ll try to borrow extras cellos.) Some informal chamber music playing opportunities are possible on Saturday evening.
Previous Headlines
See the Guitar news archive for more.
Staying In Touch and Keeping Informed
Database: Helping Us Stay In Touch With You
If you would like to be placed on the Guitar mailing list please print this form, fill out the pertinent information and mail it in to be added to our database. Teachers on this list are sent occasional updates concerning Suzuki Guitar training opportunities.
Current Projects, Issues, and News
Interested in the latest developments in Suzuki Guitar method? The SAA Guitar Committee meets regularly via a monthly phone conference. Check back here periodically for their latest conference call notes.
Contacting Other Teachers Through the Suzuki Guitar Listserve
One of the best ways to communicate with other Suzuki Guitar teachers is through the Suzuki Guitar Listserve. The Listserve is an informal and unofficial meeting place for Suzuki Guitar teachers worldwide. It is maintained through the kind efforts of Seth Himmelhoch.
To join the Listserv, teachers can email Seth at [javascript protected email address] . Please provide the name of your teacher trainer, the unit studied, and the Institute name where you took their training.
The International Suzuki Guitar Committee
The International Suzuki Guitar Committee (ISGC) is the official Instrument Committee of the International Suzuki Association (ISA) designated to represent the guitar community of the various regions. Currently the European Suzuki Association (ESA), Pan-Pacific Suzuki Association (PPSA) and the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) are represented by Harald Söderberg of Sweden, Zeah Riorden of Australia and MaryLou Roberts of the United States respectively. For more information on the work of the committee see the ISA website at www.internationalsuzuki.org/guitar.htm
SAA Guitar Committee
The members of the Suzuki Association of the Americas Guitar Committee welcome your communication.
Andrea Cannon
Phone: 281-320-9656
[javascript protected email address]
Mychal Gendron
Phone: 401-781-3451
[javascript protected email address]
Seth Himmelhoch, Chair
Phone: 201-928-1641
[javascript protected email address]
William Kossler
Phone: 336-722-9064
[javascript protected email address]
Andrew LaFreniere
Phone: 203-264-1247
[javascript protected email address]
David Madsen
Phone: 860-768-7768 ext. 8660
[javascript protected email address]
MaryLou Roberts, Representative to the ISA Guitar Committee
Phone: 734-769-5704
[javascript protected email address]
