Memorial

Hannah Stieg, daughter of Linda and Roger Stieg, has passed away at the age of 23 after a 5 1/2 year battle with cancer.

Hannah grew up as a Suzuki child, attending many institutes with her parents. Suzuki piano became her main instrument which she studied from pre-school until graduation from high school. She then went on to pursue a degree in music, began training to become a Suzuki piano teacher and loved teaching Suzuki piano. She was a beautiful girl, both inside and out, and a true Suzuki star in her courageous spirit throughout her illness. She has left…

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We are sad to inform SAA members and friends of the passing of June Itami of Nampa, Idaho, on January 14, 2012. She was one of the pioneers of the Suzuki violin method in North America.

June’s first of many trips to Japan was in 1967. She became a close friend of Dr. Suzuki and was well known in the Japanese Suzuki community. June was especially instrumental to the development of the Suzuki method in the western U.S. She was beloved by her community and will be remembered throughout the Suzuki world for her contributions to Suzuki education.

To learn more…

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We are saddened to learn that Yasuko Joichi passed away on December 28, 2011. A memorial service is planned as follows:

Saturday, January 07, 2012
3:00 p.m.—03:45 p.m.
St. James the Less Episcopal Church
550 Sunset Ridge Road
Northfield, Il 60093

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Kristi Ann Rassmussen Knecht, 61, of Gladstone, Missouri, passed away September 12, 2011.

Kristi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was the second of seven children. At age five, her family moved to Northfield, Minnesota, where Kristi graduated from high school, and then from St. Olaf College in 1972, magna cum laude. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in education in 2005. She was a Suzuki cello and bass teacher and was recognized as the MoASTA Studio Teacher of the Year in 2009. Kristi is survived by…

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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of
Doris Koppelman, Piano Teacher and Trainer from San Diego. Doris was beloved by thousands of students, parents and teachers. A leader in the SAA, Doris was known for her wisdom, dedication and graciousness. She understood the heart of the Suzuki method and knew how to apply that knowledge in ways that have made a difference in so many lives. Doris was very special. We mourn her loss.

From Doris’ family:

Doris Koppelman of San Diego, California has died from complications of cancer. She was 85 and maintained an active personal and professional life until her final two months.

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With sadness we are sharing the news that Louise Behrend passed away August 3, 2011.

In the fall a memorial concert will be planned by the 40-year-old music school Miss Behrend founded, The School for Strings in New York. We will post information about that event on the website when it becomes available.

Miss Behrend was an early Suzuki method pioneer who will be greatly missed by colleagues and former students throughout the Americas.

*From December 2009 issue of “The Tuning…

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Dr. Masaaki Honda, long a respected supporter and leader in the Suzuki movement, passed away on June 8, 2011. A memorial service and concert are scheduled on Monday, July 18, 2011.

Memorial Service: 16:00—17:00
Memorial Concert: 18:00—19:00

Fujisawa Catholic Church
1-1-17 Ishigami Kugenuma Fujisawa-shi
Kanagawa-ken
Japan
Tel: +81-466-27-2787

Dr. Honda played a large part in bringing the Talent Education Tour to the United States and introducing the Suzuki Method to the Americas. Read more about his life and influence here:

An Angel in the Outfield

My Father and the Talent Education Tour

Read more of In Memoriam: Dr. Masaaki Honda »

It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Frank Longay on Wednesday, January 19.

Frank was a founding member and chairman of both the Guitar Committee of the International Suzuki Association and the Guitar Committee for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Frank took a leadership role in developing a graded repertoire for the guitar through Suzuki methodology and, as a registered Teacher Trainer, he worked tirelessly to pass along his knowledge and experience to guitar instructors in the U.S. and around the world.

Read more of Frank Longay, 1948-2011 »

John D. Kendall

August 30, 1917 – January 6, 2011

John Kendall, 93, a violin pedagogue widely known for his role in introducing the Suzuki method of music education in the United States, died at Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 6. Mr. Kendall’s health had been in decline after he suffered a mild stroke in November 2010.

In 1958, Mr. Kendall and several other American violin teachers saw a film of 750 small Japanese children, students of Shinichi Suzuki, playing the Bach Concerto for two violins. Impressed and curious, Mr. Kendall applied for and received a grant to spend three months in Japan observing Mr. Suzuki and his young violin students. Following Mr. Kendall’s return from his path-breaking visit to Japan in 1959, he laid the groundwork for implementation of the Suzuki method in the United States, publishing the first English-language edition of the method books and helping to organize a 1964 concert tour by Japanese Suzuki students that captured the attention of audiences across the United States.

Read more of Suzuki Community Mourns the Loss of Leader and Mentor, John Kendall »

Mr. John Kendall passed away on January 6, 2011 at the age of 93. John’s life’s work as an educator has influenced thousands of students and teachers. The SAA will forever be grateful to him for his contribution to music education. Funeral services have not yet been arranged. We will inform the membership when details are available.

Condolences to John’s family and friends.

—The SAA Board of Directors

December 19, 1924 – September 6, 2010
Presented at the Memorial Service by Gilda Barston

My first encounter with Nellie Robin Novak was in 1973. I had met her husband, Kal, at an informal chamber music gathering, and we discussed the emergence of Suzuki cello. I was interested in the method, as was Nell, and in the fall of 1974 we began to team-teach a Suzuki cello group class at the Skokie School in Winnetka. This was the beginning of a long friendship and teaching collaboration.

Nell was active in the Suzuki movement from 1973 through her association…

Read more of A Tribute to Nellie Novak »

Read more of Nehama Patkin: Artist & Friend »

Our good friend and colleague, Nehama Patkin, passed away on Friday, March 26, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. She was 70 years old. Nehama had been in the ICU at Epworth Hospital for 19 days being treated for a massive infection which caused multiple organ failure. Her good friend, Kenneth Madl, wrote the following in his message about Nehama’s passing:

“We are all better people for having known her. She was kind, selfless, and infinitely more patient than I was. She loved life, was passionate about music, and lived to pass on her knowledge and…

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Robert Klein Reinsager, age 59, passed away unexpectedly of a cardiac arrest on January 25, 2010, at his home in Muscatine, Iowa. A private memorial service was held on February 7 at the Muscatine Presbyterian Church. Robert was an organist, an opera buff and a world traveler, who enjoyed visiting cathedrals and churches to hear live organ music.

Robert is especially remembered by Suzuki teachers for his ten years’ service to the SAA. In 1981, he succeeded Glenn Pannell in the position of Executive Secretary and Carey Beth Hockett, as Journal Editor. With this personnel change, the SAA Office moved to…

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In October of 2009, the founder of the Suzuki Institute of Dallas, Dr. Evelyn Hermann, passed away. A short while before she died, she sent a tape of herself speaking about how SID was begun. I listened to it and have put together the story as a tribute to this great lady.

Dr. Evelyn Hermann attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and while she was there, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. That was on a Sunday, as everyone knows, and the very next day, all the boys at CCM enlisted in the military bands and…

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Carole L. Bigler of Big Flats, NY, died Saturday, April 18, 2009 at home in Big Flats surrounded by her family. Carole was born in Kingston, PA on October 16, 1940, the daughter of the late Hans and Irene (Papp) Lindemann. She married William Charles Bigler in 1963.

Carole was an honors graduate in Music from Syracuse University, where she studied piano and organ. Upon graduation she taught music in the New York school system for two years and did graduate work at Ithaca College with further graduate studies at Cornell University and Elmira College. She taught piano pedagogy, philosophy, and…

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Barbara Schneiderman, pianist, and nationally acclaimed author, lecturer and teacher who brought music into the lives of hundreds of grateful young students and their families died Saturday, June 14, 2008, at her home in Del Mar, California. She was 73. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

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Julian Leviton, 89, resident of Albuquerque, died peacefully in his home Tuesday morning. He is survived by his son Lawrence Leviton, of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, daughter, Barbara Leviton of Albuquerque, her husband, Kenneth Hodder, and their son Sam Hodder.

Read more of In Remembrance: Julian Leviton »

Lynn Sengstack, educational music industry leader and well-known equestrian, died in her Ottsville, PA home on Sunday, December 9, 2007 of colon cancer. She was 53. She was well-loved and will be missed very much.

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Lynn Baughman, a long-time SAA member and Teacher Trainer, died unexpectedly on April 25th while on a trip to Italy. A memorial mass with family and friends was held at St. Benedict Church on May 7th in Duluth, Georgia. She was highly regarded, not only as a wonderful teacher, but also as an outstanding mentor of students at every level of ability.

Read more of In Remembrance: Lynn Baughman »