Music Without Borders

Submitted by Catherine Walker—Canton de Hatley QC

Last Saturday, five of my cello students had the opportunity to play at the Haskell Library and Opera House which is literally situated on the border between Newport, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec. There is actually a black line indicating the border on the floor passing through the room in which we played! Music Without Borders is a concert series intended to bring children together from the United States and Canada and to teach them about different types of music and various instruments.

My students ranged in age from age six to fourteen and we played solos and group pieces from Twinkles to the Gigue from the first Bach suite. This was a wonderful way for them to prepare for our Christmas recital.

February 8, 2019
Topics: Canada, Music

Catherine Walker received a Bachelor of Music degree (performance-cello) from McGill University in Montreal and continued her studies for a year in Geneva, Switzerland with cellist Guy Fallot. Upon her return to Canada in 1975, she started her training in Suzuki pedagogy with Yvonne Tait and has worked with most of the other North American teacher trainers over the years. She had a large private studio in Montreal, Quebec for close to thirty years and, in 2005, she moved to the Eastern Townships in southern Quebec where she has taken on the challenge of teaching the majority of her students in French. She is also an active clinician and has taught at numerous institutes, international conventions and workshops throughout Canada, the United States and in Spain, Japan and England.

Catherine has been a SAA sanctioned teacher trainer since 1983 and has taught long-term Apprenticeship courses as well as short-term training courses during the summer months.

Catherine was the founding President of the Suzuki teachers’ association in Montreal (Suzuki Musique Montéal) and served on the SAA cello committee from 1984-1988. In 1988, she went to Matsumoto, Japan and spent six months working with Dr. Suzuki. From 1996-1999, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and during that time was also the Canadian representative to the International Suzuki Association (ISA).
In 2008, Ms. Walker translated the ECC philosophy course into French. She has recently been asked to join the faculty at Bishop’s University as cello teacher.

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