New Board Members

The Board is delighted to introduce our new members!

Four individuals were chosen from a deep field of applicants who responded to our call in September. Following Board training and orientation, they will be seated at the Board’s meeting on November 18.

Michelle Diggs, Texas, brings many years of experience as a Suzuki parent, and a wealth of experience of non-profit Board service in her community. Michelle wrote “I understand the power of the [Suzuki] methodology, and want to make it more accessible to music students throughout the country.” She is employed by 3M Corporation in its marketing department.
Daniel de Lima, Brazil, is a guitarist. He has had considerable experience organizing programs and grants that expand opportunities for his community to participate in Suzuki lessons, concerts, and training courses. Daniel is inspired to use his experience “to trace a more complete picture of all three Americas.”
Bruce Walker, Washington, is a conductor, a Suzuki cello teacher, and grew up as a Suzuki student. He is a tenured professor at Columbia Basin College. Bruce brings energy, insight, and a “solution-centered mindset” to his work on University committees, non-profit Boards, and teaching. Formerly a school strings teacher, Bruce is pursuing a DMA in Music Education.
Kerri Williams, Pennsylvania, has been active in the SAA and in her Chapter Affiliate for many years. She has taught Suzuki piano and violin, been a Suzuki parent, and currently teaches school-based Suzuki strings programs. She has served on many Boards, including the Philadelphia Orchestra Educational Advisory Committee. Kerri writes “I observe a need for a stronger connection” between local membership and SAA leadership. She is committed to “encouraging more diverse participation,” as well as increased communication in the SAA.
Our fifth new Board member is well known to the SAA. MaryLou Roberts, Michigan, is a teacher trainer of Guitar. She has a long record of service to the SAA, including as a (former) board member, member of the TDAC, and on the SAA and ISA Guitar committees. She was appointed in September to fill the seat made vacant by the resignation of Holly Blackwelder-Carpenter. Her prior years on the Board made it possible to “hit the ground running.”

20th TERI Suzuki Children Piano Concert

The Suzuki Children’s Piano Concert is a nationwide concert hosted in Japan by TERI. With this concert, we aim to improve the musical performance level of the Suzuki children and develop healthy, emotionally rich human beings following Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s example of raising excellent students through the graduation recording system.

We had planned to hold the Suzuki Children’s Piano Concert in May of this year at the TERI Hall in Matsumoto. However, the spread of COVID-19 made it difficult to gather students from all over Japan.

In order to provide students an opportunity to share the results of their practice, we decided to distribute their performance videos on YouTube Live. We were proud to share the performances by these selected students from all over Japan on October 25 as a live stream on YouTube. The students’ performance videos are available on the official TERI YouTube channel, and we hope you enjoy them.

• The new Violin recordings (Volumes 1-3) by internationally renowned violinist, Hilary Hahn, in collaboration with pianist Natalie Zhu, are now available for download on Amazon, the iTunes Store, and alfred.com!
• The Trumpet Committee has completed their work on Volume 1 and we are anticipating a December release date.
• We are entering the final editing stage for Voice Volume 1 and are in the third proof for the revisions to Guitar Volume 1.
• Cello Volume 1 revisions have been received from the committee. In general, the overall plan/budget for 2021 will be finalized in the coming weeks.
• NEW! Customers can now purchase Suzuki materials directly from alfred.com! Visit Alfred.com/Suzuki for all of your Suzuki needs.
• The new 2020 Suzuki Catalog (PDF) is available. This all-encompassing catalog is a fantastic resource for the Suzuki Community.
• Please keep in mind: ALL new Suzuki products will launch simultaneously in SmartMusic, a great educational tool for both educators and private teachers.

	NEWS & INFORMATION

Latin American Country Associations Committee News

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The Latin American Country Associations Committee was formed in September 2020 as an official SAA Committee. Representatives of Latin American countries had already been holding meetings and frequent work in the previous months and will continue their work under this new designation. The new context in which we find ourselves as humanity generates a stronger call to create collective spaces for information and exchange. For this reason, the committee’s fundamental purpose is to maintain communication and continuous contact between all countries in Latin America and with the SAA.

We are happy to report that the Latin American Country Associations Committee has held meetings since September with representatives from Suzuki Association of Peru, Mexican Association of the Suzuki Method, Suzuki Musical Association of Brazil, Suzuki Association of Guatemala, and Suzuki Equator Network. Soon, we will expand the invitation so that other countries in Latin America can also participate.

The action of this committee is based on the following functions:

• To become a means of communication between SAA and the country associations, teacher networks and teacher organizations in Latin America.
• To maintain active and permanent communication between country associations, teacher networks and teacher organizations in Latin America.
• To define the role of an association within the SAA.
• To provide mentoring for new associations or for those that are in the process of being created.
• To define the use of funds to maintain greater Latin American presence and communication within the SAA.
• To discuss the process of affiliating associations with SAA.
• To promote the submission of articles to the SAA Newsletter ShortScore and the American Suzuki Journal.
• To promote periodic reports from each association to SAA.
• To promote fluid communication with the Committee of Latin American Teacher Trainers.

We extend the most cordial invitation to all Latin American countries that work with the Suzuki Method to send information about actions being taken in your country (organization of an association, events and activities being planned, etc.). Thus, we will be able to share them in the next publications. Send this information to the email: asociacionesamericalatina@gmail.com.

Institute Director Meeting News

Generativity: Connecting Community

In September 2020, the first virtual meetings for Institute Directors were convened, under the title Generativity: Connecting Community. Over 70 Institute Directors from Belize, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the U.S. participated, looking for answers to their questions:

• How can I plan and prepare my institute for 2021 in the midst of such uncertainty?
• In what ways will the SAA support the future viability of institutes?
• Will the SAA approve online institutes, and if so, how can we make them successful?
• How will the evolution of online Teacher Training impact institutes?
• How can institutes address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA)?
• What is generativity? (It’s a term that denotes a concern for establishing and guiding the next generation.)
• How can institutes create more sustainable models which can be passed to future generations of Suzuki leadership?
• Is there space at this virtual conference for my thoughts and my voice?

Read More…

Did you know? The 2020 season of Parents as Partners Online is still available for everyone already registered. The current series of videos will stay up until December 15th, so be sure to check out any you may have missed! View the 2020 Parents as Partners videos.

Our 2021 season will launch mid-January with many new videos, especially around the topic of motivation and practice. You’ll be hearing from many Suzuki parents, as well as teachers, sharing their tips and insight in this inspiring series of short videos. We can’t wait to share them with you.

Registration information will be coming out later this year.

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	AMERICAN SUZUKI JOURNAL NEWS

American Suzuki Journal – Call for Submissions

We want to hear from you!

The ASJ is calling on our colleagues of all cultural backgrounds to share how you are addressing racial equity within your own communities and studios. What programs do you have in place to ensure a more just Suzuki community? What resources can you share with other teachers who are starting the journey of making Suzuki education more equitable? What have you learned along the way?

Likewise, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and virtual and other socially-distant teaching is necessary, we’re learning more every day. By sharing what you’ve learned, you can help other teachers who are facing the same challenges. Do you have great ideas for group class on Zoom? Safe and socially distant recitals? Wisdom for returning to in-person lessons?

The stress of 2020 is taking a toll on all of us. If you have come up with fun and creative ways to keep students engaged, support parents, or nurture yourself as an artist and teacher, please consider writing an article for ASJ!

As a learning community, let us share, listen, and help one another through this!

Please see https://suzukiassociation.org/news/guidelines/ for article guidelines.
Submit articles and questions to publications@suzukiassociation.org.

—Libby Felts, editor

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Communications Updates:

If you are not receiving messages from the SAA, remember that you can always update your email and web settings under your SAA Account. You also may wish to add the suzukiassociation.org domain to your email providers whitelist and add the info@suzukiassociation.org email address to your contacts. If your mailbox is full or your email provider has overly aggressive SPAM settings, messages might not be delivered because of your email provider. All messages sent by the SAA are DKIM verified and signed and sent through Amazon AWS.

	OUR SUZUKI COMMUNITY

The October Wind Whipped, But We Played On!

Jill Thomas’ studio in Plymouth, MN took advantage of one of the last warm afternoons in October to perform for friends and family.

Have a great picture to share? We are looking for photos of students performing in their community. Did you invite the neighborhood to a book recital? Or the general public to a group concert? Have you played in an assisted living facility, street fair, or mall? Submit your own picture today!

Many thanks to our

Premier Business Members:

Alfred Music

CodaBow International, Ltd.

Connolly Music Company

D’Addario & Co. Inc.

Johnson String Instrument

Potter Violins

Shar Music

Southwest Strings

William Harris Lee

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Phone:1-888-378-9854
https://suzukiassociation.org