Student Perspectives: Suzuki Guitar

By Francisco Laurnagaray

I am Francisco Laurnagaray, from Argentina, and I had the privilege of participating in the 2024 SAA Conference in Louisville. During the event, I performed in a master class and was part of the youth guitar ensemble at the closing concert. Although I have participated in other concerts before, this was the largest audience I’ve ever performed for. In addition, the participants were from different places and ages, which made it much more interesting.

Because of the large structure of the conference, I was able to listen to and interact with many other musicians. There were many instruments, which surprised me because it is not usual to see such a large amount and such a wide variety. It was extraordinary and I enjoyed it very much.

I performed in a master class taught by the guitarist René Izquierdo, who gave me corrections about my posture when playing the guitar. He also told me that the musical part was very good, and that I have a good sound quality and projection. In relation to technique, he said that you learn with time, but that there are other things more difficult to learn such as controlling nerves and confidence when playing. All his observations are a great contribution to my musical development and a great motivation to continue playing.

I also met Mary Lou Roberts, who directed the ensemble. I found that playing with people I did not know and had never played together was a great challenge for me. Mary Lou was very kind and although she made virtually no corrections or individual suggestions, I found the rehearsals and her instructions to the ensemble very enriching, and in the end the ensemble sounded great! It was a wonderful experience.

We also participated with my teacher, Manuela Iparraguirre, in an activity called “Join the Jam!” I found it a lot of fun and enjoyed it very much. Any musician could join in and, unlike the rest of the activities I participated in, there was nothing pre-arranged. Someone would start playing a song and the rest of us had to follow. I had never participated in anything similar before and found it new and very interesting.

I found the whole conference very well organized, the people extremely friendly and attentive from the moment we started exchanging emails and even more so in person. Erin Rushforth was very helpful in making my participation possible.

If I had to mention a few things that could be improved, it would be, for example, to have translators. My English is not that good and I regretted not understanding some things. I also felt that it was more focused on technical topics for the teachers than for the students. And I would have liked to participate in more activities like “Join the Jam” where we played more guitar and participated more actively.

The experience was very enriching not only for all that I learned and enjoyed at the conference, but also for the opportunity to get to know the city, its people, and its culture. Participating in this environment was truly wonderful. Participating in a similar experience in any country not only enriches my musical knowledge, but also provides the opportunity to explore other cultures, an experience I would love to repeat in the future. Many thanks to the Suzuki Association of the Americas for inviting me to be part of this great event!

I’m Francisco Laurnagaray, from Argentina. I’m 15 years old and I’ve been studying guitar since I was 8 years old. I’m in my second last year of high school. Besides playing guitar I like to play video games, hang out with friends, and learn about different topics.