Suzuki Guitar Training Expanding in Brazil: Unit One Course Held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The Suzuki Guitar Unit One Course was held for the
first time in Belo Horizonte, located in the state of
Minas Gerais (southeast region of Brazil) from July
21–26, 2019.
Nowadays, the city of Belo Horizonte has around 2.5
million inhabitants. It has two schools of music from
public universities: the School of Music from the Federal
University of Minas Gerais and the School of Music from
the State University of Minas Gerais. Besides that, the city
is home to Sala Minas Gerais, which is State Philharmonic
Orchestra’s headquarters, an important cultural and
artistic Brazilian center.
In the last years, there has been an increasing need for
courses that would teach Suzuki in Brazil. MaryLou Roberts
(US) and Diana Chagalj (Argentina), SAA Guitar Teacher

Trainers, have been regularly giving Suzuki training courses
in the country, mainly in the cities of São Paulo and Chapecó
(Santa Catarina state). The growing interest for these courses
shows a positive perspective of the growth of the Suzuki
method in Brazil.
The Ecos Centro Musical School of Music hosted and

organized the Suzuki Guitar Unit One course. Ecos was cre-
ated five years ago in Belo Horizonte and has been using the

Suzuki method for three years now. The school has around
200 students of several instruments and singing. The course
was taught by Argentinian guitar teacher Diana Chagalj.
Teachers from all different regions of Brazil have signed
up for the course, all of them excited to have their knowledge
deepened and learn how the Suzuki method is applied to
the classic guitar.

Teacher Thiago Berger Moreira
came from Rio Grande do Sul, the
biggest state in the South Region
of Brazil, traveling more than 1700
kilometers to get to Belo Horizonte.
He affirms: “It was very worth it doing
this course, and I intend to use what I
have learned here in the school where
I teach nowadays.”
The biggest majority of teachers who
took part in the course already had
experience in teaching the guitar,
working in schools, projects, and
private studios, as well as working
as performers. Through the course,
they sought to learn more teaching
strategies and approaches to enrich
their classes.
Teacher Anderson Reis, from Belo
Horizonte, left us this comment:
“Diana was very careful and helped
the teachers and students, correcting
our postures and techniques. It was an

opportunity to review our instrumen-
tal technique. The fundamentals of

good posture when playing the guitar
were worked with the same accuracy,
dedication and motivation. I hope to
be inspiring to others the way I was
inspired by the Suzuki methodology,
and that my actions can resonate with
my students, motivating them to be
better people, to have more discipline,
and to be more friendly and happy for
having the music as an indispensable
value in their lives.”

Lucas Padrão, teacher from Rio de

Janeiro, called attention to the inten-
sity and richness of information he

observed during the course: “They
were six days of intense learning! No
doubt the course will reflect on more
quality and refinement for my classes.”
Teacher Marco Papa, from São Paulo,
highlighted the change that the course
has provided to him:

“An incredible experience of com-
petence, dedication, organization,

love for teaching, and love for guitar.

During those days I lost some pre-
conceived ideas and gained a lot of new

concepts, as well as I reviewed matters
with more clarity and conscience, and
I learned a lot.”
Some of the Ecos’ students, along

with their parents, also had the oppor-
tunity to take part in Diana Chagalj’s

masterclasses as part of the course

schedule. The classes, with dura-
tion around 30 and 40 minutes, had

students from beginning and inter-
mediate levels and ages from 4 to 46

years old (children, teenagers, and
adults). It was notable the excitement
and development of the students who
took part in these classes!
Student Ronei Castro, 44, said about
the masterclass:
“The classes were amazing to me!
Not only for reviewing my guitar
technique but also for the welcoming
atmosphere I felt in the classes and

from the course teachers. I want very
much to continue with the Suzuki
method and learn more.”

The Guitar Unit One course, unprec-
edented in Belo Horizonte, has

promoted a rich musical experience
with a big of exchange of knowledge,
technical and human improvement, as

well it has expanded our jobs as teach-
ers and educators who are increasingly

aware of the roles we have in society.
This was only the first of many
courses that will happen in Belo
Horizonte and other parts of Brazil,
transmitting Suzuki’s knowledge and
values around the country, so being
able to transform people’s education
and lives.

Adonay das Neves holds
a bachelor in music (guitar)
from the State University
of Minas Gerais (2005).
He is the director and
pedagogical coordinator of
the ECOS Centro Musical since 2013. He has taken
part in several chamber music performances with
the Duo Belgrado and the Duo Corde in the project
“Italia-Brazil Lyric Songs.” He has performed in
places like Fundação de Educação Artística,
Minas Tênis Clube, Conservatório de Música
da UFMG, Itabira Winter Festival, Sabara Opera
Theatre, Santa Maria Church in Curitiba, as well
as the theater of the Federal Court of the Espírito
Santo state and of the Casa Thomas Jefferson
in Brasilia, among others. He participated of the
International Suzuki Festival in Peru in 2017 and
2018 and of the Suzuki Minneapolis Conference
in 2018. Das Neves has organized five Suzuki
courses for teachers in ECOS Centro Musical
since 2016, including the first course based on the
Volume One of the Suzuki Guitar School Book with

Diana Chagalj in Belo Horizonte.