View Online
Translate: Español / Français / Português
Short Score - Your Key to the Suzuki Community
Newsletter October 2022FacebookTwitter

Dear SAA Community,

I loved connecting with our members this month! Teacher Trainers and Institute Directors had the opportunity to reconnect with me, and our Community Gatherings and Virtual Coffee sessions continue to offer rich dialogue, feedback, and learning. In the next few months, we’ll gather about topics such as online teaching—we want to hear from you! We want to know how you feel online teacher training is going, what you think needs to be considered or reconsidered, and how the SAA can ensure quality and accessible teacher training. We know this is a key topic for our organization as we move forward. Keep an eye out for information about upcoming feedback sessions.

We made several announcements last month, which you can learn more about below and on our website. Please continue to reach out to us at , or write to any of our staff if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We look forward to hearing you, and hope to see you next month!

Best,
Angelica Cortez
Executive Director, Suzuki Association of the Americas

Announcing the Suzuki Training Committee!l

The Suzuki Association of the Americas is thrilled to announce the Suzuki Training Committee (STC). The Suzuki Training Committee is an advisory committee that will support the Executive Director in ensuring Teacher Development courses offered by the SAA maintain the vision and direction of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. The committee will provide support and advice to the Executive Director, ensuring that the SAA meets its mission to, “improve the quality of life in the Americas through Suzuki education,” and to “create a learning community which embraces excellence and nurtures the human spirit.”

Learn More
Applications open November 15th, 2022

Institute Guidelines Updates

For our Suzuki Institutes, we have updated the Suzuki Institute Guidelines and Timeline. Please be sure to see the most recent documents via the links below.


ADVERTISEMENT
In-Person Gathering

Please note that we are planning for an in-person conference in 2024. While we are not currently planning for an in-person meeting in 2023, we will keep everyone informed of any local gatherings that can take place.

SPA Course Announcement

The SAA is hosting a Suzuki Principles in Action course November 11-13! Suzuki Principles in Action (SPA) is a course designed to help teachers incorporate Suzuki’s principles effectively in their teaching. The course focuses on how to teach, not what to teach, and to allow for the sharing of ideas among all instrument areas. It is based on Dr. Suzuki’s belief that knowledge is an important first step, but “knowledge plus 10,000 times” is what produces ability.

Learn more about course requirements and times at this link.

SAA Community Gatherings

Join us at our next Community Gathering December 1, 2022! SAA Community gatherings are a time for us to connect as a community—to hear about recent updates and share time and space together. Have questions you’d like to have answered by our Executive Director? You can register for the meeting, and submit questions at the links below!

Meeting Date:

December 1, 2022 9-10a PT| 11a-12p CT| 12-1p ET

Register Here

Have a question you’d like to ask our Executive Director or staff?
 Submit it here.

In case you missed it, we have Community Guidelines for any time members of our community come together. We encourage you to reference this in hosting community meetings, and, of course, always welcome feedback on our guidelines!

Community Celebrations!

Check out this review on Eri Hotta’s book Suzuki The Man and His Dream to Teach the Children of the World! Stay tuned for more…!

Policy Governance 101

This 75-minute introductory course is for anyone who is serving on a non-profit board, or is considering SAA board service, or is just interested in knowing more about board governance.

Outcomes of the course will include:

  • Understanding the importance of identifying ownership and its effect on policy

  • Understanding the difference between ends and means

  • Understanding the four main policy categories

The course will be presented by former SAA Board Chairs Pat D’Ercole and Joanne Melvin, and was written with assistance from former SAA Board members. Together we offer our interest and experience in board governance that spans 24 years.

Meeting date:
November 14th at 9a PT|11a CT|12p ET

Notes from The Board

The SAA Board has been busy meeting in our various committees. We will be coming together later this month as a full board to discuss finances, governance, and our core priority of clarifying policy within our organization. Along with our Executive Director, we work for you, the membership, to ensure our organization is moving towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future through access and belonging.

Castle of our Skins

Now available for purchase: Castle of our Skins’ first ever educational workshop, A Little History!

We’re commemorating our 10th anniversary season with the publication of our signature educational workshop A Little History, a fun-filled interactive educational workshop for solo narrating violist and kids, grades 2-6.

A Little History

A Little History tells the simplified stories of nine legendary figures in Black History: Phillis Wheatley Peters, Garrett Morgan, Madam C. J. Walker, George Washington Carver, Margaret Bonds, Ed Bland, Angela Davis, Bayard Rustin, & Barack Obama. Through original music, poetry and interaction, students are encouraged to get up and move, sing, clap, invent, and play make-believe as they learn about these historic individuals.

Originally composed by Associate Artistic Director Anthony R. Green in 2013, this new edition comes with:

  • A performance score;

  • Curriculum guide with buildable lesson units;

  • Portrait cards of all nine figures;

  • Student worksheets for in class and take-home assignments; and

  • A PowerPoint presentation to accompany the performance

All of which have been updated to feature NEW original artwork by Aaliyah Lachel’e (aka @peanutbuddarart on Instagram) commissioned in honor of the release.

Violists, music educators, and history-lovers: go to castleskins.org to purchase A Little History now for $30. Use the code ‘SUZUKI20’ at checkout for an additional 20% off your purchase through the month of November.

Direct purchase link: https://www.castleskins.org/store/p6/a-little-history.html

ADVERTISEMENT
News from Latin America
LA Image

News from Bolivia!

We are happy to share that Lois Tabita Pfeifer (15 years old), a student at the Escuela de Cuerdas Suzuki, became the third student from Bolivia to successfully complete the Suzuki program for violin. She did it in September of this year.

Lois Pfeifer Lois began her studies in 2013, at the age of 6, at the Escuela de Cuerdas Suzuki, with teacher Magalis Pinto.

Currently, she continues to be her student, and actively participates with the Santa Cruz Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lois was the winner of the First Bolivian National Classical Music Contest 2022, where she had the honor of performing as a soloist the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 by Félix Mendelssohn with the Santa Cruz Philharmonic Orchestra.


¡Noticias desde Bolivia!

Con alegría compartimos que Lois Tabita Pfeifer (15 años), estudiante de la Escuela de Cuerdas Suzuki, se convirtió en la tercera estudiante de Bolivia que culmina con éxito el programa del método Suzuki para violín. Lo hizo en septiembre del presente año.

Lois Pfeifer inició sus estudios en el año 2013, a la edad de 6 años, en la Escuela de Cuerdas Suzuki, con la maestra Magalis Pinto. Actualmente continúa siendo su estudiante, y participa activamente con la Orquesta Filarmónica de Santa Cruz.

Lois fue ganadora del Primer Concurso Nacional de Música Clásica Bolivia 2022, donde tuvo el honor de interpretar como solista el Concierto para violín en Mi menor, Op. 64 de Félix Mendelssohn con la Orquesta filarmónica de Santa Cruz.


Notícias da Bolívia!

Com grande alegria compartilhamos que a aluna da Escola de Cordas Suzuki, Lois Tabita Pfeifer (15 anos), se tornou a terceira aluna da Bolívia a concluir com sucesso o programa do Método Suzuki para violino, no mês de setembro.

Com grande alegria compartilhamos que a aluna da Escola de Cordas Suzuki, Lois Tabita Pfeifer (15 anos), se tornou a terceira aluna da Bolívia a concluir com sucesso o programa do Método Suzuki para violino, no mês de setembro.


If you are interested in becoming a Premier Business Member please contact .


Translate: Español / Français / Português

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.

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