Board

Please vote on this year’s Board Ballot to elect new members of the SAA Board of Directors.

Voting is primarily online. Paper ballots will be mailed to those eligible voting members without email addresses. Current individual Active members are eligible to vote. The ballot includes a proxy option for those unable to attend the Annual Membership Meeting in person.

Voting closes on April 10. Paper ballots must be postmarked by that date.

2012 Board of Directors Candidates

Dr. Susan Baer, TX/WA
Margot Jewell, ON
Joan Krzywicki, PA

Annual Membership Meeting

In accordance with Bylaws Section 3.3b of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc., official notice is hereby given of the 2012 Annual Membership Meeting. The Meeting will be held on Saturday, May 26, 8:30 am at the Hilton Minneapolis during the SAA 15th Conference. All members are encouraged to attend. In addition to annual reports, announcement will be made of Board members elected by this ballot. Arrangements will be made for those who are not able to attend to submit their questions.

The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) is celebrating its fortieth anniversary, a time to recognize the remarkable accomplishments of Suzuki education in the Americas. Hundreds of thousands of students and families have been touched by the teachings of Shinichi Suzuki. Moreover, instrumental music education has seen a radical shift in philosophy.

Forty years ago, music educators had low expectations for most children, with special attention reserved for the so-called gifted or talented students. Today, largely because of the influence of Suzuki teachers, it is widely recognized that with excellent teaching and support, all children can play in tune, make…

Read more of Chair’s Column »

Listening to Doris Preucil’s violin group performing the Schubert Ave Maria at the 2011 National Conference of the American String Teachers Association in March gave me goose bumps. Being surrounded by a number of our Suzuki teachers who were present at this conference, seeing Alice Joy Lewis and her husband, Tom, in the front row, and hearing the piece that inspired Suzuki to learn to play the violin was a moment in time that reminded me of the greatness of what we do and the special people we work with. Beauty, artistry, education, friendship, admiration, respect, and wonderment are all…

Read more of Chair’s Column »

The SAA’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, May 28, 5 PM, at the American Airlines Conference Center’s Flagship Auditorium during the SAA’s 2011 Leadership Retreat. All members are encouraged to attend. (Registration for the Retreat is not required for attendance at the AGM.)

The AGM will provide you the opportunity to meet the newly elected Board members and thank the outgoing Board leaders, to hear about your Association’s recent accomplishments and upcoming plans, and to learn ways you can be involved. In addition, you will have a chance to learn a bit more about how the SAA Board…

Read more of 2011 Annual General Meeting »

Do you ever wonder how you got to this point in your life? Which path did you originally choose to follow that led you to the place that now surrounds your everyday being?

Oftentimes I find myself reflecting on my life as a child and how extremely different it was from my life now as an adult. What happened that inspired me to move away from the safety of my supportive, loving family and follow a dream that differed from the expectations of my parents, yet which brings me extreme happiness and satisfaction?

Reflecting back to my junior year in high…

Read more of Chair’s Column »

Why do we have an appointed board and not an elected board?

The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) does not have an appointed board as you suggest. Our by-laws state that, “At least two of the vacancies created by the expiration of the [Board of] Directors’ terms shall be filled by a majority vote of the voting members from the nominees presented by the nominating committee and approved by the Board.”

The Board of Directors of the SAA has developed a process for electing new board members known as the endorsed slate method. Over a…

Read more of Ask the Experts #22: SAA Board »

Read more of Stay Connected »

Board member Patty Purcell describes SAA membership benefits.

Support the SAA Annual Fund here

Read more of Why the SAA? »

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

The Board of Directors of the SAA is seeking nominees for board service. We would like to ask you to consider who among your colleagues and associates you like to see involved in shaping the future of the SAA.

Exemplary board nominees might be drawn from your network of parents, former Suzuki students, friends or professional contacts from the corporate, academic or philanthropic communities. Nominees must have a strong belief and dedication to the Suzuki Philosophy and may have specific skills or experience in such areas as higher education, psychology, marketing, business management, fund raising, technology, communications or other areas of knowledge and experience.

Read more of Board Nominations »

As the van edged its way down the highway, purple-hued mountains poked out along the horizon. Prairie dogs darted in and out of their holes as the vehicle passed by the open land. Was this a setting for a movie perhaps? No … the van then veered onto the exit ramp, and burst upon the bustling sights and sounds of Boulder, Colorado. I had just arrived for my first SAA board meeting.

Armed with a huge binder filled with minutes, policies, reports, and instruction on Carver governance, I felt excited and apprehensive. What…

Read more of Once Upon a Board… »

As my three-year term as a member of the SAA’s Board of Directors comes to a close, I can look back over those years and see growth—growth in the SAA as an association and proponent for excellent music education, and growth in me as a person, teacher and an individual champion for the Suzuki philosophy. I have found that Board service is a two-way street. I have gained as much as I have given.

I felt that it was a great honor to be considered for Board service. I very much enjoy “behind the scenes” work, and it has been fascinating…

Read more of SAA Board Experiences »

Board Chair Teri Einfeldt opened the SAA’s 2010 Annual General Meeting, welcoming and thanking everyone who came.

Marilyn Kesler talked about this summer’s institutes. With 67 institutes planned, there are 10 more than in 2009 and 4 more than the average number over the past six years! 32 states are to hold one or more institutes, and the eight to be held in Canada will take place in six different provinces. In addition to the North American Summer Institutes, Festivals, which are the Latin American equivalent of Institutes, were held in Mexico, Peru, El Salvador and Costa Rica. A few of the additional sites where teacher training was held included Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

Read more of 2010 Annual Meeting Summary »

Active members can now vote on the 2010 board ballot. Voting members without an email address will be mailed a paper ballot.

The four candidates are Dan Browning, Sarah Bylander Montzka, Patricia Purcell, and MaryLou Roberts. You have until April 10th to submit your vote.

The Board ballot will be online again this year. Active members will receive an email notification in March.

Suggestions for consideration by the Board Nominating Committee should be submitted this month to the Nominations Committee, c/o Dr. Mark George [javascript protected email address] . In addition to teachers and parents, names of individuals with financial, organizational, fundraising and/or business skills are always welcome!

Read more of Board Nominations »

The thought of being Chair of the SAA Board is causing me great excitement. Although I have had a two-year “break in” period, I feel there is still so much to learn, given the scope of our organization. With over 7500 members in 10 areas (violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, flute, guitar, harp, recorder, organ, plus voice, Suzuki in the Schools and ECE) serving teachers, parents and administrators, we are a diversified group with a wide variety of needs.

I would like to publicly thank Diane Schroeder, my predecessor, for the gentle patience, vision and financial wisdom that she shared with…

Read more of Chair’s Column »

As I write my last column as Chair of the Board of the SAA, I wish to look forward to what the SAA can become. Your SAA Board has the charge to be visionary and to see that the organization has the funds it needs to see that vision become a reality.

Fundraising is crucial to any non-profit, and an international organization such as ours needs to be creative in finding those individuals, corporations and foundations that are interested in talent education. It takes hard work and determined effort to fundraise, but more importantly, it takes team effort. The SAA Board…

Read more of Chair’s Column »

Congratulations to the SAA’s newly elected Board members: Sue Baer, Ellen Berry and Marilyn O’Boyle. Their three-year terms will begin August 1, 2009. Chair-Elect Teri Einfeldt will assume the role of Board Chair in August and Betsy Stuen-Walker will fill the role of Board Secretary. The Board has named Dr. Mark George as Chair-Elect. Many thanks to the Board members whose terms are completing in July: Christie Felsing (Secretary), Lamar Blum, Diane Schroeder (Chair), and Beth Titterington. Each provided valuable and dedicated service to the Association as Board members. Their thoughts as their terms draw to a close are posted…

Read more of Board Election Results »

The SAA Annual Meeting took place on the web on April 4th, 2009, in the SAA office in Boulder, Colorado. Many of you participated through the live broadcast on the SAA website. With skits and presentations delivered in a lighthearted vein, the Board covered a variety of topics, including board election results, fundraising, 2009 Institutes, a tour of the SAA office, 2010 Conference preview, and the unveiling of the new Teacher Development video focusing on life-long learning. Please take a few moments to learn more about your association!

Broadcast correspondents: Diane Schroeder, Teri Einfeldt, Christie Felsing, Lamar Blum, Ruth Engle Larner,…

Read more of Annual Meeting Live Broadcast »

This year’s board ballot for election of new Board members is online and ready for voting by all current Active members whose email we have in our database. You will need to log in to your online account to access the ballot, so be sure you have set up an account as mentioned above. Paper ballots have been mailed to those few eligible members without email addresses. Ballot process will end on March 25, 2009.