Suzuki News #4: Happy Holidays!

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	December 2008
Happy Holidays! The SAA Board and Staff wish you and your friends and family happy holidays and good luck in the new year! View larger picture. SAA Virtual Leadership Retreat: Ideas Wanted Aprils 2009: An Online, Interactive Potpourri of Ideas and Opportunities Conversations, postings, moderated chats, panel discussions, audio and video presentations, live web-based discussion, special challenges, and presentation by the SAA Board—all of these can be ours in April, 2009! There is a leadership role for everyone in the Suzuki Community. Our challenge is to provide knowledge and skills to inspire and assist individuals in their local or regional roles, whether it be in official capacities as administrators or organizational board members or in the role of ambassador or spokespersons for Suzuki in their communities. The Virtual Leadership Retreat (VLR) will provide opportunities for new and experienced teacher alike to share, to be inspired, to learn and to grow. The VLR may be your opportunity to give back to the SAA, your Suzuki organization, through sharing your leadership knowledge and skills with newer members and less experienced Suzuki teachers and families! We want your ideas on how to make this new take on the Leadership Retreat valuable and exciting. Read more of what is planned and submit your thoughts. Fall ASJ (37.1) The Fall 2008 American Suzuki Journal is now being mailed to current SAA members. Look for it in your mail soon! In this issue: The View from My Corner of the Suzuki Triangle, Allen Lieb’s conference address Suzuki Guitar—in Japan? Building Community: The International Suzuki Guitar Festival Furthering the Mission: Ninth International Research Symposium on Talent Education Studio Memberships Studio Memberships are a great way for families to support the SAA and receive the American Suzuki Journal. Active teacher members of the SAA may collect 10 or more Associate memberships from families in their studio for only $30 USD per family. Right now there are 18 studios with 450 families who are members of the SAA through the studio membership program. Cleo Brimhall’s Studio in Salt Lake City, UT Suzuki School of Houston in TX Amarillo College Suzuki String Program in TX Suzuki Strings of San Marcos in TX Homewood-Flossmoor Suzuki Strings in IL Brenda Joyce’s Studio in London, ON Tarra Guera’s Studio in Ft. Lauderdale, FL Eric Ryan-Johnson’s Studio in Tulsa, OK Elizabeth Pritchard’s Studio in Southlake, TX Maria-Rosa Germain’s Studio in Mononak, WI Billy Switzer’s Studio in Durham, NC North Shore Suzuki Strings in Glendale, WI Dannielle Weems-Elliott’s Studio in Newport News, VA School for Strings in New York, NY Vicki Citron’s Studio in Somerville, MA Stephanie Judy’s Studio in Argenta, BC Andrea Cannon’s Studio in Spring, TX Lori Hammel’s Studio in Waynesville, NC 2009 Dues and Dues Reminders Please note that your Active dues for 2009 are $68/year, USD. A much-needed 4% increase ($3) is reflected in this new dues level. Membership dues for the Active Group category (schools, organizations, programs) for 2009 are $75/year USD. There are no other changes in dues levels or in mailing fees at this time. Have you been receiving your dues reminder by email? While we still mail dues renewal slips, email messages are going out to each member just prior to the mailing of the renewal forms. This serves as a notice that your renewal card will soon be in your mailbox. Annual Fund & Holiday Gifts The SAA’s Annual Fund Campaign 2008 is quickly drawing to a close. Please take note that this year’s Annual Fund information with return pledge envelope will not arrive as a separate mailing but is still very important to the SAA. The material is packaged with your next ASJ (mailed 12/8/08) and should be in your mailbox very soon. Please take a moment to read the letter from Board Chair, Diane Schroeder. SAA’s annual fund helps stretch our budget and allow our membership fees to remain as low as possible so that we can provide teacher scholarships, continue the development of our informative website, improve our teacher development program and much, much more. All donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. Teachers: Do you have enough holiday ornaments and knick-knacks already? Would you like to offer new ideas to your student families on some great gift concepts? You may wish to suggest a monetary contribution to your teacher training fund, or a donation to the SAA. See the holiday gifts flyer you can post in your studio. Items to watch for in future newsletters: For Active Members this coming February, the Board election ballot will be issued online. The location on the website will be announced through this newsletter. If you don’t already have a website account, get ahead of the game and set one up now by going to the members section and creating an account now so voting is quick and painless in Februaury. With your email address on file, the SAA can save mailing costs in these difficult economic times. (If you cannot receive emails, your ballot will be mailed.) Further details about the SAA’s April, 2009, Virtual Leadership Retreat Notification of online idea submissions for the 2010 SAA Conference in Minneapolis, May 27-31. You’ll want to keep up with developing plans for the SAA’s premier biennial event! It will soon be time to submit session proposals and prepare students for auditions to participate. News about the new automated course registration process that will be launched this spring. If you are taking a unit at an institute, workshop, or in another SAA-approved venue, your unit registration will managed through our website. Institute Directors and Trainers will get up-to-date instructions soon. You’ll be able to check your registration on the website and print your own training profile.	Update Your Email More Suzuki News Discussion Forums Upcoming Events Highlights: Alice Joy Lewis Workshop in Denver, Colorado 123 new members have joined the SAA in the last month. Welcome! Conference DVDs! Now available from the online store. $15 each, or $12.50 if you buy 2 or more. Latin American Ensemble International Ensembles Flute / Harp / Piano SYOA 2010 Conference: Save the Dates The SAA’s 14th Biennial Conference will be held again in Minneapolis, MN. Save the dates! May 27-31, 2010 2009 Minijournal Cover Contest Your student’s artwork could be featured on the cover of next summer’s Minijournal. Read contest rules here. 2009 Teacher Scholarships Remember, the teacher training scholarship application deadline is February 15, 2009. The Suzuki Association of the Americas is a nonprofit organization of teachers, parents, and educators dedicated to the advancement of the Suzuki Method in the Americas. Inclusion of paid advertising does not imply endorsement of the advertised products, activities, events, programs or positions.
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