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Short Score - Your Key to the Suzuki Community
Newsletter June 2023FacebookTwitter

Dear Suzuki Community:

Our Short Score is filled with news from a very busy month within the SAA. I’m so excited to share the Call for Proposals for the SAA’s Conference in 2024. We look forward to receiving your submissions! Be sure to check back for details about the evaluation rubric, evaluators, and volunteer opportunities in the next two weeks.

The Board of Directors has been hard at work this year and has announced updated Bylaws of the SAA, which go into effect July 1, 2023. You can also look forward to hearing more from the Board at our Annual General Meeting Tuesday, July 25, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. PST! Learn more and register at the links below.

There is so much Suzuki activity all around our region at this time of year. I am grateful to the Los Angeles Suzuki Institute for hosting me last week, and I’m sending a huge thank you to all Institute and Festival Directors, teachers, parents, students, and the many involved in making sure students learn music through Suzuki during this season, and throughout the year. It’s inspiring to see young musicians grow and learn, and to see our community come together.

Wishing you a wonderful month ahead!

Best,

Angelica Cortez
Executive Director
Suzuki Association of the Americas

Call for Conference Proposals!

Interested in submitting a proposal to the SAA’s 2024 Conference in March? Check out the call for proposals at the link below!

We’re Hiring!

Interested in joining our team? Be sure to check out our job postings! If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@suzukiassociation.org. If these jobs aren’t a fit, be sure to check out our Job postings page! Did you know we post teaching positions within the SAA on our website? If you’re looking for Suzuki-related work, please be sure to check out our Job Listings!

Remembering Rick Mooney
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We are saddened to hear about the passing of renowned cello Teacher Trainer, friend, and colleague to many, Mr. Richard W. Mooney. He had a profound impact on the Suzuki community. We have seen a number of wonderful posts, memories, and stories about him, and his work with students and families. While our words are not enough, we offer our condolences and our sympathy goes out to his family and those who knew him.

Read the ISA FaceBook Post

Read the The Strad Memoriam

We will share more in our next issue of the American Suzuki Journal. We send our deepest condolences to all who are processing this loss, and we are ever grateful to Rick for the impact he had on the SAA.

We are Suzuki Mini-Retreat—Connecting Noble Hearts and Music Learning

Thanks to all who attended and shared at the SAA Mini-Retreat! In case you missed it, you can watch the replays below!

Suzuki in Action!

The SAA and Alfred partnered to offer several Suzuki in Action! webinars, free to all members of the SAA this year, and there are plenty more to come! Did you miss Barbie Wong’s webinar Music, Mayhem, & Memories from last February? The recording of this session is now available!

About this session: What can Yo-Yo Ma, Elton John, and Dolly Parton teach us about inspiring kids to make music? Plenty, despite their very different backgrounds. The similarities in their early environments reveal the passion that each of these accomplished artists developed for music and their ability to sustain it throughout their lives. This session offers parents tools to best support their students in their learning journey and encourages them to embrace their love of life-long learning.

Did you miss Owning Entrepreneurship with Eric Branner? Watch this webinar too!

About this session: A conversation on embracing and developing your entrepreneurial spirit as a private studio owner. In this webinar, we will provide an overview of essential business knowledge that may not have been covered in your music education, including topics such as cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset, defining your mission, setting rates, marketing your studio, managing finances, and optimizing operations. Discover practical strategies to help your studio thrive while maintaining intention towards your best work as a music educator. At the end, attendees have the opportunity to ask questions in a town hall-style with Angelica Cortez, Executive Director of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and presenter Eric Branner.

Stay tuned for more Suzuki in Action sessions to come!


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Last Call for the Suzuki Summer Institutes promotion!

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Special offer from Fons

Check out this amazing offer from Fons! Fons is part of the Peaksware family which Alfred Music is also part of!

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Our friends at Fons are excited to offer you Fons for free all summer long plus $100 in Alfred Music credit (when you run your first $250 in transactions) to help you stock up on Suzuki materials for fall!


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Board News

Save the date! Our annual general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 from 4:30–6:00 p.m. PST. This event allows us an opportunity to come together and hear about the state of our wonderful organization. We encourage all members to seize this opportunity.

Active Members should also cast their vote for an elected Director position before the voting process concludes on July 1, 2023.

In addition, we are delighted to announce that the Board has recently updated our organization’s Bylaws. These carefully crafted revisions bring our organization in line with current standard practices, provide necessary clarifications in accordance with the law, and reflect our current operations and practices.

Please note that the Governance Policies currently in place will be reviewed over the course of the next year to ensure there is proper alignment between the Bylaws and the Policies. We have taken the last year to carefully reflect on the Bylaws. Our next task is to review the Policies in the same manner, in order to ensure that they, too, are in alignment with our current practices.

As we adapt to the evolving nonprofit landscape, it is crucial for our Bylaws to embrace current practices in accordance with contemporary laws and statutes. In doing so, we align ourselves with standard non-profit practices and embrace the flexibility that technology offers. Some highlights include:

  • Ensuring alignment with the Executive Director title (formerly CEO).

  • Adding a "purpose" section that is congruent with the ISA’s policies. [Read the ISA’s Regional Policies at this link.]

  • Including Treasurer as a Board Officer position. This position will be held by the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and will help ensure the long-term financial health of the organization.

  • Changing standing committees to include: Nominating Committee (which now incorporates Honorary Board Committee), Governance Committee (previously named "education committee"), Development Committee, and the Finance and Audit Committee. The Communications Committee will continue to operate as an ad hoc committee.

  • Requiring through our bylaws that at minimum four members of the Board are elected by the membership. There is a maximum of twelve Directors and a minimum of seven.

The Bylaws will go into effect on July 1, 2023. You can also see the Bylaws in effect through June 30, 2023 at this link.

The Board thanks the Board Education committee, which has dedicated significant time and effort to meticulously read, revise, and update our Bylaws. The Board’s approval of these Bylaws helps to ensure that the SAA remains compliant, adaptable, and forward-thinking while continuing to support our organization.

Thank you for your attention, and for your continued support.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors of the SAA

News from the ISA

For Teacher Trainers who have not registered, June 30th is the final date to register for the Teacher Trainer Convention in Japan at this link! Please note that the Conference is only for Teacher Trainers. You can learn more via the ISA webpage.

New to the ISA Video Archive. Now available:

The Suzuki Method Video Guidance Series

Use the following link to access these newly posted videos of Dr. Suzuki speaking about the philosophy of Talent Education and the pedagogy of the Suzuki Method.

The Suzuki Method Video Guidance Series

This series was produced in the mid-1970’s under sponsorship of the Sony Corporation. The videos were made on the recital hall stage of the Talent Education Research Institute, at the National Concert in Tokyo and in venues around Matsumoto used for the TERI Summer School. View more at the link above!

News from Argentina

Check out this article about Lorena Barile, flute teacher from Argentina! Congratulations, Lorena! La flautista y picolista rosarina Lorena Barile será la solista de la primera ejecución en Argentina de una obra del israelí Avner Dorman. Gratis, el jueves, en el teatro El Círculo.


Many thanks to our

Premier Business Members:

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Alfred Music

Clarion Associates, Inc.

Connolly Music Company

Johnson String Instrument

Robertson & Sons Violin Shop

Shar Music

University of Evansville Music Conservatory

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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.

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Suzuki Association of the Americas
PO Box 17310, Boulder CO 80308
Phone:1-888-378-9854
https://suzukiassociation.org