There are stories out there. Teachers know them. I have a Suzuki teacher friend who received a call from a woman, now 32, who took Suzuki violin lessons while in foster care as a five year old. She was only able to take for a year and a half while in that foster home, but remembers her lessons, particularly the group lessons, and performing at the Mall. Those are among her precious childhood memories. This teacher and I marveled that she remembered so much and then were just amazed that a foster parent would enroll a child in a Suzuki program even if for a short time. Obviously that foster parent thought it would make a difference and it did. The young woman is now a mother and is seeking the same opportunity for her two small children.

At the University of Evansville Spring Suzuki workshop the parent session was a talk and question/answer session by three Suzuki parents whose children are now adults and have children of their own. Two of the parents now have grandchildren in the same program. They talked about how the philosophy of Dr. Suzuki affected their children, themselves and their family. Although the music was important, the skills and lessons learned were stressed again and again. It was so satisfying to listen to these parents and know that the message of love and nurturing was the main message of the day.

I asked Karen Jones, Jayson’s mother, for permission to share in this column her thoughts and part of her story. I do know that when she was through speaking, one of the clinicians said to me in a hushed voice, “She’s got it”.

Karen shared of learning about the Suzuki method from someone at church and thought this was something she wanted for her son. Her husband’s business is seasonal and money was always a concern. But Karen wanted this so badly for her son that paying for lessons came before paying many of their bills. Karen shared also about growing up in a family where education was not stressed and wanting more for her family. She credits Dr. Suzuki and his way of teaching for changing not only her son, now an engineer with Eli Lilly, but for changing her as well. Karen went back to school after her children were grown and is now a teacher. She and Jayson credit Dr. Suzuki with giving them a way of approaching challenges in life and working toward goals.

Stories are so important to each generation. We know the importance of preserving the legacy of Dr. Suzuki through the Heritage project. Those who knew him and studied with him are sharing their stories. But don’t let the stories stop there.

The Journal and the SAA website are places where stories need to be shared. Expertise also needs to be shared. If you have been teaching for many years, we need to hear from you. You have stories and experiences to share as well as wisdom from your years of teaching the Suzuki method.

As Board chair, I see the need for stories to tell potential donors. If you read the above stories, they give a much better picture than any pamphlet of graphs, statistics and numbers could possibly show. If an organization is worth giving to, its stories will touch the living soul and tug just a little at our heart strings.

So this Chair column has one message. Please share your stories. Take the time to write an article sharing a story of your own. If you are a teacher, you may have an area of expertise you wish to share, or the story of starting your studio—the list is endless.

If you are a parent, your stories are just as valuable. Many parents subscribe to the Journal. In addition, many teachers put the ASJ out in their studios for parents to read—to provide parents with encouragement and help. We need to hear from parents like Karen who can look back and see all the benefits from participating in this great program.

So, please share. It’s an old tried and true way of passing on the good from one generation to the next.