Latin America
Articles 1–20 of 130
Latin American Suzuki Programs

Translations: Español, Português
So what does it mean for the SAA to be the Suzuki Association of the Americas, plural? When the SAA was established in 1972, it was charged with the responsibility to care for and nurture the development of the Suzuki method in all of North and South America, which includes Canada, the United States and all of the countries in Central and South America! This is a huge territory and involves people speaking four different languages: English, Spanish,…
Practicum: A Great Way to Sharpen Your Teaching Tools

Practicum
Un gran medio para afilar tus herramientas de enseñanza.
Con comentarios de Etna Diemecke y Fabiola Sigala
Este extraordinario taller nos ha llevado a apreciar aún más el arte de enseñar.
Este arte involucra el instrumento, la música, el alumno y los padres de familia; cuando el instrumento está bien afinado o la altura del banco es la adecuada, cuando el cuerpo está en equilibrio, lo que resta es poner la música en las manos del alumno…y ahí es cuando comienza el arte…cuando la mente y la energía del profesor se unen, utilizando las herramientas correctas, que ayuden…
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News from Peru
The 26th International Suzuki Festival and 5th Latin American Suzuki Teachers’ Conference were held in Lima, Peru, in January 2011. More than 1500 people attended these events with participants traveling from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Scotland, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the United States and from all over Peru.
Many thanks to our SAA Teacher Trainers: David Evenchick, Doris Koppelman, Mary McCarthy, Marilyn O’Boyle, Fernando Piñero, Mary Lou Roberts, Shinobu Saito, Ann Montzka Smelser and Kelly Williamson. In addition to Suzuki courses, workshops for teachers in Dalcroze and Kodaly were offered by Iramar Rodriques from Switzerland and Lydia Mills from California. For David and Ann it was their first time in Latin America.
Los “Cubos” de “Estudio”
Es cierto que todos los maestros de Suzuki han trabajado con alumnos que, a pesar de practicar y escuchar, todavía tienen problemas tocando “Estudio” sin que se pierden. Como maestros, necesitamos tener muchas maneras de atacar el problema para encontrar la solución correcta para cada alumno. Espero el modo siguiente les ayude a solucionar el rompecabezas para algunos de sus alumnos.
Entre todas las canciones que encontramos en Libro 1, “Estudio” tiene la forma más complicada. Frases irregulares, y notas repetidas que van en direcciones diferentes presentan un puesto que constituye un reto. Algunos alumnos están…
Desarrolla Tu Habilidad Con una Pieza que Puedas Tocar
Este extracto de Cuando el amor es profundo se tradujo en el Festival de Lima, Perú, 2011.
No solo en la música, sino en todas las áreas, el éxito o el fracaso de la educación dependen de si cumples o no el “principio de la fomentación de la habilidad”.
Después de que un estudiante aprendió a tocar una pieza, le digo durante la lección, “Ahora que tu preparación está completa, vamos a practicar para poder desarrollar tu habilidad. La lección recién comienza.” Lo dejo practicar comparando su interpretación con la grabación, o tocando junto con ella. Esto sirve para, gradualmente, fomentar el…
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A Magical, Musical Experience: Suzuki Philosophy in Puebla, Mexico

It has become the custom in Mexico that wherever a Suzuki philosophy course is taught, piano students travel to participate in demonstration lessons, sometimes within the same city and at other times to a different state. Etna Diemecke has brought students from her city, Guanajuato, all the way to Xalapa, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, sometimes driving up to 11 hours to attend the course.
In the Mexican Suzuki Association, we have made it a point that one of us…
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Una Experiencia Musical Mágica: Curso de Filosofía Suzuki en Puebla

En México se ha hecho costumbre que, en donde sea que se de un curso de Filosofía, hay alumnos de piano que viajan para participar en clases de demostración; algunas veces dentro de la misma ciudad y algunos otras a otros Estados de la República. Etna Diemecke ha llevado alumnos desde Guanajuato hasta Guadalajara, Monterrey, Ciudad de México e incluso a Xalapa, manejando hasta 11 horas en algunas ocasiones.
En la Asociación Mexicana del Método Suzuki (AMMS) nos hemos…
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News from Peru
X National Workshop, Iquitos May 10-15
Iquitos is a city in the Amazon jungle. It is accessible only by plane or by river. This was the first Suzuki event ever held in the jungle region of Peru.
Everything began in July 2009 in California, when Gretchen Klein, a participant in the Holy Names University Teacher Training Institute expressed interest in helping the Suzuki program in Peru. She was particularly interested in Iquitos as she had been there. Gretchen made a donation to our Latin American Scholarship Fund, earmarking it for a participant from the jungle city of Iquitos.
Thanks to an agreement between…
Flute Dreams Take Flight
Fernando Formigo and flute group from Patagonia, Argentina in front of a billboard advertising their public concert in Asuncion, Paraguay
The excellent quality and affordability of Di Zhao flutes have made dreams come true for a number of students in Latin America, and they are inspiring many others to see their own dreams as a real possibility.
In the fall of 2009, a group of Suzuki flute teachers and students in Canada, the US, and Taiwan contributed to the purchase of a Di Zhao alto and bass flute for the Orquesta de Flauta Traversas de San Martin de los Andes in Patagonia, Argentina.
In September 2010, members of the ensemble traveled to Paraguay to give demonstration concerts in local schools, and participate in master classes in Suzuki pedagogy for twelve teacher workshop participants. The twenty-seven-member tour group included flutists from the ages of seven to adult, and they performed Argentinean folk music as well as standards like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the concerto for two flutes in C major by Vivaldi, and Passacaglia by Handel. They made big waves: the teachers who heard them play in Asunción immediately set the goal of founding a flute orchestra in Paraguay over the next few years.
Musicalis Ars Suzuki: Una Experiencia con el Método Suzuki en Colombia
En el año 2004, mi hermana, profesora Suzuki de Piano, y yo, empezamos un proyecto que cambió totalmente nuestras vidas: Formamos una pequeña escuela de música con el nombre “Musicalis Ars Suzuki”, que poco a poco ha ido creciendo.
Allí tenemos clases individuales y grupales de varios instrumentos (violín, piano, guitara, chelo y flauta) y desde que empezamos, siempre hemos llevado a cabo actividades adicionales a las clases, para que los niños disfruten más profundamente su experiencia con el instrumento. Estas actividades son el concurso, el periódico, talleres de padres, ciclo de conciertos, la fiesta de los niños y la…
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Musicalis Ars Suzuki: A Suzuki Method Experience in Colombia
Back in 2004, my sister, a Suzuki piano teacher, and I, began a project that changed totally our lives: We formed a small school of music named “Musicalis Ars Suzuki,” which has grown little by little.
There we have individual and group lessons of several instruments (violin, piano, guitar, cello and flute) and since we began, we have always carried out additional activities to the lessons, so that children enjoy their experience with the instrument more deeply. These activities are the contest, the newspaper, parents’ workshops, concerts season, the Halloween party and the orchestra.
The Contest
This event reunites…
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2011 Scholarships & Latin America Festivals
Now is a great time to start working on your Scholarship Application for next year. 2011 scholarships are for short-term, long-term, or apprenticeship teacher training between May 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012 and must be postmarked by February 5, 2011.
Scholarships for Latin Americans attending Festivals are also available prior to each Festival.
Reflections on Attending the 25th Annual Suzuki Festival of Lima, Peru
I had been preparing for this trip for a long time. Whether it had been in practicing my instruments, (piano and violin), learning Spanish, or packing clothes, I had done a lot of it, and there was no reason whatsoever to feel nervous about not being ready for my first trip out of the U.S. Needless to say, on the morning of our flight, January 1, 2010, I was so tense, I nearly threw up.
Back in August, I accepted an invitation from Caroline Frazer to come to the 25th International Festival in Lima, Peru. Caroline Fraser, the director of the…
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The Peru 2010 Adventure: A Mom’s Reflection
My son David and I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 25th annual Suzuki Music Festival in Lima, Peru, where David had 2 1/2 weeks of intense, exciting, beautiful and emotional experiences making music, making friends and celebrating with Suzuki students, parents, teachers and community from all over Latin America. The months leading up to our New Year’s Day departure to Peru included planning and preparing several fundraising recitals in community and house concert settings, with enthusiastic and generous guidance and support by David’s piano teacher, Doris Koppelman.
Last summer Caroline Fraser, the director of the Lima Festival…
Latin American Update

From the Suzuki Association of Peru: Caroline Fraser and Roberta Centurion
I Encuentro de Alumnos Suzuki de América Latina
(The First Latin American Suzuki students “Get-together”)
January 9th through the 12th, 2010, Lima, Peru
This was a historic occasion for Suzuki programs in the Americas and the result of a long-time dream of the Latin American Suzuki teachers. An “Encuentro” is literally a “meeting together.” Children from…
From Quebec to Guatemala with Music
The first victim of my attempts to teach the violin was my own sister. She was six and I was sixteen. Not yet knowing any better, I used the old fashioned method of teaching. My sister nevertheless attained a decent level of competence in music before moving on to other things.
Both my sister and I followed our hearts. Mine led to the violin, and I have made a living from it ever since. I have 40 Suzuki students and play regularly with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. I also have two young children. My sister ended up in Guatemala. She has…
Festival Internacional de Flauta Traversa Suzuki, Patagonia Argentina, Octubre 2009

Me gustaría en estas pequeñas líneas poder plasmar, aunque resulte muy difícil, la experiencia vivida en el Festival Internacional de Flauta Traversa Método Suzuki de la Patagonia Argentina, realizado en octubre pasado.
Ante todo quiero dejar expresado mi agradecimiento a la Prof. Kelly Williamson (Canadá) y al Prof. Fernando Formigo (Argentina), ya que han dado su mayor esfuerzo para realizar tan importante evento, logrando que el Método Suzuki de Flauta Traversa llegue cada vez más cerca de la comunidad y se afiance con mayor fuerza…
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Latin America
cavelicaVIII Taller Nacional en Huancavelica
Compilado por Caroline Fraser
Asociación Suzuki del Perú
VIII Taller Nacional en Huancavelica, Mayo 20-24, 2009.
Traducido por Ximena Marky
Todos los años, la Asociación Suzuki del Perú (ASP) organiza un taller fuera de la ciudad de Lima. El propósito del evento es brindar apoyo a profesores y alumnos del Perú que se encuentran geográfica y económicamente marginados. Este año, el taller se realizó en la región menos accesible del Perú: Huancavelica. La provincia de Huancavelica se sitúa al centro del país, en lo alto de las montañas. No hay un aeropuerto cerca. Desde Lima, hay que viajar 7 hasta…
El Programa de Voz Suzuki sigue creciendo en Latinoamérica

Estamos muy felices porque el Séptimo Encuentro Internacional de Voz Suzuki “Canciones para compartir” se realizó en Argentina del 2 al 8 de Enero de 2009.
Ha sido maravilloso compartir la música, el canto y el amor como parte de un mismo espíritu; el del Método Suzuki. Los participantes fueron profesores capacitadores, profesores en entrenamiento y alumnos de Finlandia, Autralia, Argentina, Perú, México, Chile y Paraguay. Las profesoras capacitadoras fueron la Dra. Päivi Kukkamäki, que es la fundadora de este Programa (Finlandia) y Katrina Pezzimenti (Australia).
El Programa de Voz Suzuki está creciendo cada vez más alrededor del…
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