Shaping the SAA’s New Strategic Plan

By Ingrid Tung 

Suzuki teachers are natural strategic planners. They know that making music does not start with silence or just notes, it starts with intention. For, as Edmund Sprunger has explained, “If the first note is shaky, things can often be dicey from there.”

It’s the same with ongoing organizational development. And so it is that the Board of Directors set about to create a new Strategic Plan for the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

The intent of our new Strategic Plan is to produce the clear, confident first note of the next stage in our development. It defines where we are headed, aligns our shared values, and allows us to measure and evaluate the difference we are making, from the impact of our largest programs to the spirit of our smallest interpersonal interactions. A Strategic Plan also allows us to fundraise with purpose, make decisions with unity, and communicate what makes the Suzuki Association of the Americas truly unique: a belief that the world becomes a better place when children, teachers, families, and communities are nurtured by love through Suzuki education.

As with any meaningful performance, preparation mattered. The Board began by learning about organizational health and reflecting in board meetings on how we could strengthen trust, clarity, and communication across our organization as we embarked on the process of creating the SAA’s first Strategic Plan since 1994.

With that background, we arrived at the 2025 Leadership Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, ready to get to work. With the guidance of consultant Glenda Hicks of Maryland Nonprofits, we reflected on the SAA’s vision and mission statements.

For me, these conversations were profoundly moving. Having grown up as a Suzuki student, trained and taught as a Suzuki teacher, and raised my own children in Suzuki studios, I found myself returning to the community from a new perspective as a board member. Listening to my colleagues speak with such conviction about our mission and their commitment to making the world a better place through Suzuki education was inspiring. There was no cynicism in the room, only genuine love and great hope.

Also during the Summit, Glenda conducted interviews and focus groups with past presidents, long-standing members of the SAA, the Suzuki Training Committee, staff, and board members. Their perspectives were honest and wide-ranging: teachers spoke of the strength of our philosophy and the richness of our community, but also of challenges such as financial pressures, and the need to remain relevant in a changing world. Staff shared aspirations for stronger systems, improved communication, and support for chapters and institutes. The Board emphasized teacher and Teacher Trainer development, governance renewal, and financial sustainability.

After the Summit, the Board created four surveys that reached every corner of our community. The surveys were sent to all members, past board members, employees and contractors, and collaborative partners of the SAA. The responses to the surveys were collected and compiled by Glenda and presented to the Board.

The Board then came together with Glenda for two intensive strategic planning sessions. Over eight hours, we reviewed the trends and assessment data, reflected on external challenges such as the rising cost of living and changing family dynamics, and transformed that wealth of input into a clear, actionable framework. We chose our words thoughtfully and intentionally as I have seen great Suzuki teachers do, and aimed to convey and protect Dr. Suzuki’s enduring vision and address the realities that teachers, students, and families face today. We sought to leave space for generative discussion and flexibility, ensuring that our plan would guide not just what we do, but allow us to implement it with intention and creativity.

Many of the priorities voiced by members, staff, and partners were directly reflected in the new Strategic Plan. Members asked for stronger and more accessible teacher development pathways and events, more opportunities to build community, increased outreach, clear communication, financial stability, relevance, and support for innovation. These themes anchor our strategic priorities.

Our work is already underway. The Board unanimously approved the plan and has begun building the governing infrastructure to support and sustain the SAA’s mission. Committees are aligning charters with strategic goals, the Board and SAA staff are coordinating and implementing strategies to reach our objectives, and systems are being developed to track and report progress annually.

As we move into this next chapter, we do so with deep gratitude for those who came before us including the past board members, teachers, Teacher Trainers, and parents, who built the Suzuki Association of the Americas into the thriving community it is today. Their dedication gave structure to Dr. Suzuki’s dream and created a home for his philosophy across the Americas. We are the direct descendants of that vision, entrusted to sustain and renew it for the generations to come.

The Strategic Plan honors that legacy by giving us a framework that ensures the SAA continues to serve with excellence, transparency, and love. It builds on more than fifty years of devotion and invites us to imagine what the next fifty might bring.

In music and in leadership, our task remains the same: to listen deeply, to play with intention, and to nurture beauty and humanity in every note. This plan is the first step to our collective commitment to carry forward the spirit of Suzuki, so that every learner, teacher, and community across the Americas may be nurtured by love.

Click here to read the entire Strategic Plan.

Ingrid Tung is the Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors.