Every Child Can! Guidelines
General Information
Course Content
Every Child Can!© (ECC) is an introduction to Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy and its application to Suzuki education. For parents, teachers, prospective teachers and others, this course provides an inspiring, in-depth look at the Suzuki approach to teaching and learning.
In addition to exploring the elements of the Suzuki approach and its far-reaching goals, it includes an introduction to learning styles, history of the development of Suzuki education, the role of parents, the importance of Suzuki pedagogical training, and an overview of the SAA’s role in supporting teachers and parents. A fast-paced, engaging and inspiring program, ECC includes video materials and SAA-developed courseware, and provides each participant with useful reference materials (manuals) for later study. For teachers, ECC serves as the first course in the Suzuki Association of the Americas’ Teacher Development Program.
Basic Set-Up
Course Presentation
Every Child Can!© is a 6 hour course. The 6 hours may be offered in one day (with added time for a meal break), or may be presented in two or more shorter segments over several days’ time.
Audience
It is required for all new Suzuki teachers, but open to non-teachers, prospective teachers, parents, administrators and all others interested in learning about Suzuki approach to education. It is not instrument-specific. Experienced Suzuki teachers are also encouraged to participate for renewed inspiration or review.
Venues
It may be offered at an institute, at a workshop or other event; or offered as a free-standing course. It may be presented at any time during the year. It may be sponsored by an institute, workshop, school, university, program, chapter affiliate or by the SAA. It is to be given as a ‘live’ course (not on internet or CD).
Course Facilitator
Only SAA-registered Teacher Trainers may teach the course. The Trainer must also have a current ECC license in order to qualify to teach the course and use the ECC trainer’s kit materials. (All SAA-registered Teacher Trainers who wish to teach the course may be licensed to use the materials.)
Class Size
Maximum number of participants per class is 30.
Qualifications to Participate
High school graduation completed or within 6 months of graduation. There are no instrument proficiency requirements. (No audition is required.) There will be no auditor status for this course.
Fees
Recommended fee for the course is $95 US, or a fee within the suggested range of $70-$125 US. Fees will vary, depending upon the sponsor’s specific costs—trainer’s fees and expenses, A-V or venue rental, other overhead costs, anticipated enrollment, etc., less any subsidies available to the sponsoring organization/event. This fee must include SAA’s materials and participation fee per participant of $30 US / $40 CAN.
Course Approval
Any organization sponsoring Every Child Can!© during the September-May months must complete the ECC course sponsorship application, and send it to the SAA office at least 6 weeks before the course date. SAA will post the course, when requested, on its website within 2 weeks of application approval. When information is available well in advance of the ECC course date, the course information will also be listed in the American Suzuki Journal.
Exceptions
-
Institutes are required to schedule the course in the fall using the ECC sponsorship application, along with their other application materials, due October 15.
-
Trainers offering the course in a private studio situation as an apprenticeship must apply to sponsor the course no less than 3 weeks in advance. (In this situation, no publicity will be provided by the SAA.)
Additional Details on Offering the Course
Sponsor/Host
The organization, school, program, workshop or institute offering the course is normally the “sponsor.” The agency providing space/venue for the course may be considered the “host.” A Trainer licensed to teach ECC may offer the course in his/her home program or studio as an apprenticeship; in such situations, the Trainer is considered the sponsor and the host. The SAA itself may also choose to sponsor the course.
Budgeting for the Course
In budgeting for the course, the sponsor should consider the following factors:
- SAA’s per participant fee of $30 US / $40 CAN
- Teacher Trainer’s fee (set individually by Trainers)
- Any travel/lodging/meal costs for Trainer (as arranged)
- Any room or A-V rental
- Publicity/mailing costs
- Any additional personnel costs
- Scholarship needs
- And other factors specific to the situation
While SAA’s per participant fees cannot be made flexible, the sponsor is welcome to offer discounts on the sponsor’s regular fee rate to parents or other non-teachers, teachers who have previously taken 1A and wish to review the material, and in other situations deemed appropriate.
Marketing the Course
The sponsor must use the course name (Every Child Can!© An Introduction to Suzuki Education) on promotional and registration materials. The Association’s name (Suzuki Association of the Americas) must also appear on such materials. The use of the copyrighted ECC logo is permissible and recommended on promotional and registration materials, and is available in electronic formats. Color postcards announcing the course are available for a minimal cost. (You fill in specifics of the course.) The purchase of postcards can be elected on the ECC sponsorship application form.
ECC Attendance Roster and Prerequisite Verification Forms
This required form must be returned to the SAA by the sponsor after the course (see below). Only those participants who have completed all 6 hours of the course can be listed on this form. All columns must be completed for SAA record keeping purposes, and the roster signed by the Trainer. It is recommended that an attendance clerk be designated to handle sign-in, and keep roll to finalize and verify the attendance roster.
At the end of the course, the Trainer will sign each participant’s prerequisite verification form in the back of their manual as proof of completion of all 6 hours of the course. This should be kept by the participant and given to the institute, workshop, or Trainer (apprenticeship only) from whom they are to take Book 1. There is no SAA registration for ECC, so no registration forms should be issued, nor should the signed prerequisite verifications be sent to the SAA office.
Obtaining Materials and Payment
If in the US, no less than 10 days prior to the course, the sponsor must provide to the SAA office a count of course registrants so that participants’ materials may be shipped. If the sponsor is located in Canada, this deadline is 14 days prior to the course, to allow for longer transit times and possible customs delays. Any materials ordered later than these dates, and which require expedited shipping to arrive prior to the course, will have shipping fees added to the invoice. Normally, the sponsor will be invoiced at the time of ordering for the SAA per participant fee (including their materials), payable by 10 days after the course. (This payment deadline includes summer institutes who are offering ECC, and thus would be making a payment for the ECC course separately from their institute payment.) If the sponsor is affiliated with a college or university, please coordinate in advance with their payment department, so that the SAA payment deadline noted above can be met.
Unused, unopened materials in perfect condition may be returned within 10 days after the course (at sponsor’s shipping expense) for credit at the SAA per participant fee rate against the invoice. The sponsor of this course bears full financial responsibility for the safe return of these materials, and by 10 days after the course. Please pack returns adequately to prevent damage during transit, and return by a traceable and insured delivery method. If this shipment is not received by SAA within 15 days after course completion, a 5% charge on all amounts past 15 days due will be added to the invoice.
Course Wrap-Up
Within 10 days after the course, the SAA office must receive the following:
- Completed ECC attendance roster form of all participants.
- Completed course evaluation forms from participants’ manuals.
- Any memberships received.
- Invoice payment (one check per invoice, please)
- Any unused, unopened ECC participants’ manuals in perfect condition
Additional Notes on Teacher Trainee Participation
As with SAA book unit courses, no trainee may participate in overlapping courses or in more than one course simultaneously. Institute participants may begin Book 1 immediately following participation in ECC. However, the ECC Committee hopes that many trainees will take the ECC course further in advance of Book 1, to allow for time to digest the ECC material, complete the video audition process for Book 1, and enroll in Book 1 courses on time.
SAA Subsidy Fund
In situations in which the enrollment is quite high and expenses have been met, it is recommended that excess revenue be set aside for the sponsoring organization’s scholarship fund, when such a fund is available. To fulfill anticipated needs, SAA has set up a special ECC Scholarship Fund which will also welcome voluntary donations from sponsoring organizations. As this fund grows, subsidies will become available to assist with setting up ECC courses in remote or isolated locations.
Last updated August 8 2008