Overview of the 13th Conference, including introduction of the clinicians and messages from the instrument area coordinators.
Karibu! Suzuki Flute in Tanzania
Aug 1, 2007
SAA 13th Biennial Conference
Previously printed in American Suzuki Journal 35.4. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc.
Dr. Michael Fanelli is an educator, professional bassist, and string specialist. He studied bass with Warren Benfield, Michael Cameron, Edward Krolick, Joseph Guastefesta, and sting pedagogy with John Kendall, Samuel Applebaum, Marvin Rabin, and workshops with Dr. Suzuki. He has performed and presented at national and international conferences, and has authored numerous articles on double bass pedagogy, history, and string education. He is a member of the Suzuki Bass Committee, and forums editor for the SAA Journal and the ASTA Journal. He teaches bass at Grinnell College and Wartburg College. He is a member of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, located at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performance Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Education Psychology and Foundations at the University of Northern Iowa where he teaches dynamics of human development and conducts qualitative research in the fields of child and adolescent cognitive development and arts education.
Mychal Gendron is a registered teacher trainer in guitar. He maintains an active Suzuki guitar studio at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School and teaches at Suzuki institutes and workshops throughout the country. He has been a regular presenter at SAA conferences and was guitar coordinator in 2008 and 201
A native of the Chicago area, Sally Gross is currently Cello Director at the Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northern Illinois University where she studied with Marc Johnson, and a Masters of Music in Suzuki Pedagogy from Ithaca College where she worked with Carey Beth Hockett and Sandy and Joan Reuning. Before returning to the Chicago area in 2004, Sally taught at the Suzuki String School of Guelph in Ontario where she was also Artistic Coordinator. She has been a teacher trainer since 1990. As a dual citizen of the US and Canada, Sally has a keen interest in expanding Dr. Suzuki’s vision in both countries through her leadership, teacher training, and guest clinician appearances.
At age ten, Sharon Jones met Dr. Suzuki and participated in his group classes at ASI in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Three years later, she had the unique opportunity to work with Dr. Suzuki at an ISME Conference in her hometown of London, Canada as part of a small group of North American children. After spending four months in Japan in 1985, her mother, Dorothy Jones, returned home and began work on the Suzuki school she had promised Suzuki she would start. It was at this time she asked Sharon to begin developing the baby/toddler curriculum, which is now known as Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) and used in SECE classrooms worldwide. Sharon is an SAA registered Teacher Trainer in SECE. She is the founding director of the Thames Valley Suzuki School in London, Ontario. Sharon has been a clinician in Canada, US, Ireland, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and Australia.
Gail Lange is a Suzuki Piano teacher in Guelph, Ontario. A teacher trainer since 1984, Gail studied four months in Japan with Dr. Suzuki and Haruko Kataoka. Always inspired by the spirit of sharing in the Suzuki community, Gail has continued to observe and work with outstanding teachers. She is a frequent clinician at workshops and institutes particularly in Canada and offers training courses throughout the year in her Studio. Past-Chair of the Suzuki Association of Ontario, and former Piano Director of the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute, Gail has also served twice on the SAA Board, was Piano Coordinator of the 2008 Conference and was Piano Ensembles Coordinator of the 2016 Conference. Along with Joan Krzywicki, she spearheaded the production of a video promoting Suzuki Piano. Currently, she is Translation Coordinator for the bilingual Canadian Suzuki e-Newsletter and is active on the Canadian Visioning committee promoting Suzuki in Canada. In 2005 Gail was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal by the Canadian government for her contributions to music
Ann Montzka-Smelser is a Suzuki Student, Teacher, Parent and Suzuki Teacher Trainer. In between receiving her Bachelors of Music Education and Masters in Performance and Pedagogy at Northern Illinois University, Ann studied with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan.
Ann has performed in many orchestras and ensembles and is currently principal 2nd violinist with Camerata Chicago and concertmaster of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Ann is on the music faculty of Northwestern University teaching Suzuki Pedagogy and Director of the NIU CSA Suzuki Strings Program at Northern Illinois University. Ann maintains a studio of 35 violin and viola students and enjoys working with Suzuki families at Festivals in Lima, Peru, Singapore, Mexico, Costa Rica and though out the US. Ann lives in DeKalb, IL with her husband Linc. Their Suzuki-raised children, Benjamin and Genevieve are currently professional musicians.
Noelle Perrin-Bryson is a Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the Asia Region Suzuki Organization, Director of the FluteStars® Summer Instensive, and head of the Suzuki Flute program at Thurnauer School of Music. In 2016 Noelle had the pleasure of training 12 new music teachers at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. She has been guest flute clinician for many additional music institutes including the Cedros International Music Festival, Colorado Suzuki Institute, Boston Flute Institute, Fairbanks Suzuki Institute and Great Lakes Suzuki Institute. Noelle has extensive formal teaching experience as well as Dalcroze, Suzuki, and Montessori training. Noelle maintains a large teaching studio in North Jersey where she grows beautiful flutists and conducts teacher training courses.
Kathleen Schoen earned her undergraduate music degree from the University of B.C., then studied at the University of Toronto, Royal Conservatory of Music, and Banff Centre for the Arts.
She performs on period and modern flutes and recorders. Recent performances have mixed both historical and modern performance practice in arrangements and original compositions.
A Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Kathleen has been invited to programs in Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, United States, Australia and the Netherlands. At home, she teaches at the University of Alberta and her home studio. For more: https://fluteplayer.ca
Phala Tracy teaches Suzuki harp and music theory at Studio Fidicina in Minneapolis, MN and she is adjunct professor of harp at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. She teaches at summer Suzuki Institutes across the country and she is a registered Suzuki harp teacher trainer. Phala plays in a band with Minneapolis singer/songwriter Matt Wilson and she is an active arranger, composer, improviser and freelance musician in the Twin Cities. She holds a BM from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. She has a whimsical collection of songs about animals Critter Songs and an ever-growing curriculum of Music Theory in Song and Rhyme.
theorysongs.com, studiofidicina.com
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Vanessa Vari studied the violin with Mary Cay Neal and the Buffalo Suzuki Strings for 16 years. She was a proud member/chaperone of their advanced touring ensemble for 6 international tours, and enjoyed some training with Dr. Suzuki in Australia. After a music education degree from BGSU in Ohio, Ms. Vari received her Master’s Degree in Suzuki Pedagogy from Sandy Reuning and Ithaca College. She enjoyed teaching for 3 years with Sally Gross and the Suzuki String School of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, followed by being a partner of Boulder Suzuki Strings, led by Amy Gesmer-Packman, for 6 years. Ms. Vari now directs the Suzuki Strings of Denver, where private and group Suzuki Violin lessons as well as Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes are offered. She was co-coordinator of the SYOA orchestras at the ‘08 & ‘10 SAA Conferences.
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