Teachers

Plans are well underway for the SAA 15th Biennial Conference, May 24-28, 2012, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mark your calendar! Don’t miss our 40th anniversary!

SAA Conferences are sentinel events for teachers, parents, and students. Expect enlightening sessions on Suzuki philosophy and pedagogy in general and for each instrument. Learn to run your studio and work with parents. Become adept in new technologies. Enjoy special topics of Bach and outreach. Share and learn from colleagues. Listen to master classes, performing ensembles, the 40th anniversary Kaleidoscope Concert, Suzuki Youth Orchestras, and professional artists. Connect with the Suzuki community. See old friends,…

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This new column will feature a variety of brief tips for Suzuki teachers. To submit your own tip of 150 or fewer words, please email [javascript protected email address] with “Grace Notes” in the subject line.

The following tips were presented during the session “Great Ideas for Your Studio: Mini-Presentations” at the 9th SAA Leadership Retreat in May 2011.

Correct posture is a key element of playing with ease and producing a beautiful tone. At the first lesson, after you have shown the child and parent the best posture, ask them to take a picture of the student during home practice and bring it to…

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The 2009 SAA Teacher Development Scholarship Application is now available. 2009 scholarships are for short-term, long-term, or apprenticeship teacher training between May 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010 and must be postmarked by February 15, 2009.

The 2008 SAA Teacher Development Scholarship Application is now available. 2008 scholarships are for short-term, long-term, or apprenticeship between May 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009 and must be postmarked by February 15, 2008.

…that you may want to use right away! Read a letter about the value of SAA parent memberships.

Fall is a nice time of year to offer a Studio Membership to parents. These group memberships provide a simple way to keep families connected to the benefits provided through Suzuki study. A minimum of 10 families is required and dues are US$28/family/year. Checks and a list of subscribers must be submitted at one time by the group. Membership not only provides issues of the Journal sent to each family’s home but also lends support to the goals of the SAA.

After much discussion, SAA plans to begin offering its Certificates of Achievement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the SAA Office. Applications will be available online this winter.

After many years in Montreal, Kelly Williamson recently moved to London, Ontario where she has begun teaching for Thames Valley Suzuki School.

Kim Lorimier recently moved to Needham, Massachusetts, after many years in Western Massachusetts. She is currently teaching in a private studio and working with several apprentice teachers in the Boston area.

Laurel Ann Maurer has been accepted as the newest SAA flute teacher trainer. She has recently relocated from Utah to Vermont. Congratulations!

Alice Joy Lewis, beloved Suzuki Teacher and founder of Ottawa [KS] Suzuki Strings, has been named the recipient of a 2007 Governor’s Arts Award. The Governor’s Arts Awards is an honor given annually to distinguished Kansas artists and arts educators; the award has been given annually since 1974 by the governor and the Kansas Arts Commission. Alice Joy will be honored at a ceremony on June 7 in Topeka, KA. In addition to her many achievements in the Kansas area, Alice Joy is well-known and respected throughout the worldwide Suzuki community. She received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the…

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The 2007 teacher scholarship application is now available. SAA teacher members may apply for support to continue their unit training at institutes and workshops or through long-term training programs. Decisions are based upon the required portfolio materials submitted and the audition video (DVD). Postmark deadline for all materials is February 15, 2007.

945 people have participated in an Every Child Can! course so far in 2006. Perhaps you’d like to take the course or recommend it to others?

Allen Lieb shared feedback from a participant in his recent ECC course in New York:

“Thank you very much for the wonderful presentation you gave at The School for Strings this past Sunday. It was a wonderful mix of dedicated, intelligent, thoughtful people, and I was greatly stimulated, stirred, and challenged to think more deeply on a subject that is fast becoming the most important in my life: how can I become a better, happier…

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