As teachers, we are constantly looking for ways to tend to the excellent musical and character development of our students. But do we put as much care into nurturing ourselves?
The conference serves the same function for us as group class does for our students. Think about it: The conference motivates us, it makes us think about things in new ways, it gives us new tools, and it connects us with other like-minded people.
Don’t miss out on the special opportunities for personal growth that our conference group class provides! If you haven’t already done so, make plans to attend the [url=/conference/]SAA…
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,…
The 2012 Conference Team is excited to announce very special guest performers for the 15th Biennial Conference, 40 and Forward. Time for Three (Nicolas Kendall, Ranaan Meyer, Zachary DePue) will be the featured performers at the SAA conference on Sunday night, May 27, 2012.
Time for Three has roots in classical music, but explores myriad styles in a unique fusion of sounds. Their first music video, “Stronger,” debuted online in October 2011, bringing a positive anti-bullying message to thousands of viewers:
The Minnesota Orchestra announced Thursday the appointment of American violinist Erin Keefe, 31, as concertmaster. Keefe was a Suzuki student of SAA violin teacher and teacher trainer Teri Einfeldt for eight years.
The announcement praised Erin’s “depth, refinement, and exquisite artistry” as a concertmaster, chamber musician and solo violinist. Congratulations, Erin!
To see the announcement and read more about Erin, visit the Minnesota Orchestra website:
During the past few years it has been exciting to watch the area of Suzuki piano develop. Through workshops, institutes, and teacher development courses, parents and teachers have been able to grow and improve their skills in an unprecedented way. I…
The title of Kay Collier Sloan’s fantastic book They’re Rarely Too Young and Never Too Old to Twinkle was put to the test in January 2009. I was working as an administrative assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Science, which houses…
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.
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.
On my fifth birthday my sister came home with a violin. That was how it all started. This is how I came to know Martin Goldman. This is how I came to know the violin.
At first, I hated it. I didn’t like going to class and I didn’t like playing. I would hide under my bed so my mom wouldn’t find me when it was time to practice, among other things. If it weren’t for my mother’s persistence and my teacher’s easygoing manner, I would have dropped out a long time ago. Today I thank my mother and Martin that I didn’t.
We have all heard this quote by Dr. Suzuki, but what does it mean?
Photo by TJ Boatman
Think of an electronic keyboard, one that has many different instrument settings. Have you listened to the violin setting? A keyboard I use on occasion has a violin setting, but it does not sound like the violin I know and love. It sounds too electronic, too machine-like. This synthesized tone lacks the personal touch. It lacks the “soul” that a human violinist has.
When I traveled to Matsumoto, Japan, in 1986 to study with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, I packed so much music in my head and in my violin case. I was only to be there for a few weeks but I was told we would have daily lessons and I wanted to be very prepared. I was in college at the time and it was important to me to be considered an advanced student and play my hardest repertoire for “proof, so I brought three major concertos and several pieces by Kreisler and some unaccompanied Bach, just in case.
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.
Margot Jewell and Sue Baer, conference violin coordinators, are excited to announce the many special violin sessions that will be offered this year.
Teachers are always inspired by the excellent performances and insightful teaching we can observe at the instrument-specific master classes. In keeping with our theme of teamwork, master classes will be team-taught by father and daughter, Tom and Allegra Wermuth.
New to the conference will be a master class focusing on Suzuki core repertoire taught by Scott Conklin, violin professor at The University of Iowa School of Music.
Sessions will be offered on a variety of violin-related subjects. These include…
Teachers of violin, viola, guitar, flute, and recorder are encouraged to bring instruments. If possible, bring cellos and basses too. (We’ll try to borrow extras cellos.) Some informal chamber music playing opportunities are possible on Saturday evening.
The SAA would like to welcome three new Teacher Trainers:
Mary Hofer
Voice
Stevens Point, WI
Joseph Pecoraro
Guitar
Winston-Salem, NC
James Hutchins
Violin
Silver Spring, MD
These Trainer Candidates completed the final steps in the approval process following the ISA Teacher Trainer Conference in Boston last month. We look forward to their service in this new and important capacity.
The 14th biennial SAA Conference will “feature our own” distinguished SAA members, friends, and former Suzuki students who are now young artist-teacher professionals as our special clinicians for the instrument master classes. True to the theme of the Conference, the format of these master classes will include both team teaching and solo instruction. The young artist clinicians will also be involved in side-by-side chamber music coachings and perform a selection on the Young Artist Recital. Read further about the impressive list being showcased for 2010!
Bass: Paul Sharpe, Nicole Castleberry Cello: Gilda Barston, Amy Barston Flute: Bart Feller, Sara Traficante Guitar: William Kossler,…
