Suzuki Philosophy Course in Juliaca
May 5-8, 2005
The organizer of this course was Amador Ccala, a cellist who was among the first group of teachers from Juliaca to attend the Suzuki Festival in Lima. At an Association meeting following the festival, he announced that he wanted to bring the Suzuki philosophy to the south of Peru. He said he would organize it and he did!
Juliaca, a city in the south of Peru about 3800 meters above sea level, is located one hour from Puno, Lake Titicaca and the Bolivian border. I traveled to Juliaca the day before the course was to begin in order to acclimatize myself to the altitude. Local musicians playing traditional music greeted the passengers as we collected our bags. Amador was there to meet me and take me into the city. He told me that people were just beginning to register for the course. The streets of Juliaca are crowded with large tricycles, which transport entire families and farmers with their goods to sell in the market. In the morning, the streets look very colorful as the tricycles carry children dressed in their uniforms to school. Each taxi tricycle has its own name. The photograph depicts “taxi Goliath”.
The music school is in a commercial centre where internet cafes, photocopying services and street vendors abound. I had forgotten to bring the Association stamp with me, but I was told that was not a problem. They can make anything in Juliaca, and sure enough the following day a stamp identical to the one I had on a sample certificate had been produced. The first night I was taken to three television stations for interviews. Because I was introduced as the Scottish teacher, the newscasters were all very interested to find out about Scotland! The strong sun during the day contrasts with piercing cold at night. I rested fitfully because of lack of oxygen.
The next day the course started. It took place at the Escuela Superior de Formacion Artistica Publica. Over fifty people came to register! There simply was not room for any more. A group of teachers had traveled many hours by bus from Cusco and nearby Sicuani. One teacher had come from Huancayo. A mother sat in the back of the class nursing her baby, Efigenio. In the Escuela de Musica students planning to make music a career start their instrumental instruction at the age of 17. Many are students of band instruments. For them, Dr Suzuki’s message “we must start younger” was revolutionary and left a deep impact on the students, teachers and administrators.
A delegation of more than fifty teachers, students and parents came from Cusco to participate in the master classes and to give a final concert. I gave piano and violin master classes to these children for the participants to observe. The one Suzuki student in Juliaca, four-year-old Evelyn, the daughter of Amador, who had started to play the violin during the January festival, also came forward for a lesson. She performed her takataka taka beautifully and with confidence. As there was no piano, we used a clavinova. The children were unperturbed when frequent problems with the electricity caused us to stop the class temporarily. They simply got off the bench and helped check the outlet and then hopped back on. The same clavinova was transported to the locale of the final concert on a tricyle!
The final concert was superb. After the Suzuki repertoire was performed on violin, guitar, recorder and clavinova, all the students joined together in ensemble to play and sing traditional Andean music. The public was thrilled. The next day, as we said goodbye, the teachers in Juliaca asked me if they too could form an Association as the Cusco teachers had done. I realized how important the participation of the tour group from Cusco had been. Thanks to Flor Canelo, piano teacher from Cusco whose idea it was to support the Juliaca workshop in this way. Flor announced at the concert that the Cusco teachers would help and support the teachers in Juliaca in any way they could. Teachers in Juliaca are now planning to make the five-hour bus journey to Cusco to take and observe lessons, before attending the annual festival in Lima. Our family continues to grow and become stronger thanks to Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy. Every child can, including the children from Juliaca.
Last updated September 27 2007