Suzuki Principles in Action

Date/Time information

Friday, Sept 20th: 1 – 7 pm
Saturday, Sept 21st: 9 am – 3:30 pm

There will be some breaks.

What is SPA?

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.

Participation Requirements

To participate in this course, the teacher must have an active studio. The teacher must be able to video record his/her own teaching and provide timely responses to the pre-course and post-course assignments.

Missing prerequisites (membership or Book 1 training registration) must be corrected prior to the first day of class.

Pre-course work must be submitted online 1 week before the course and post-course assignments must be submitted online within 4-6 weeks following the course and approved by the Trainer in order for the SPA course to be registered with the SAA.

You will receive emails about the SPA course before and after the course. Please watch for these important messages.

Course tuition includes SPA manual and SAA training registration when the course is completed

Trainer Information

Teacher Trainer Wendy Stern, flutist, teaches at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ, Montclair State University, and privately in her Heyhoe Woods home studio. In 2004, Wendy traveled to Matsumoto, Japan, as a recipient of a scholarship from the SAA to study with Toshio Takahashi at the Talent Education Research Institute and returned in 2009 for further study. Wendy is an active clinician and has taught at institutes and workshops throughout Canada, the United States, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Wendy led the Suzuki World Youth Choir at the 2006 Suzuki Conference, conducted the 2008 Flute and Harp Ensemble at the 2008 conference, and has presented sessions at numerous SAA conferences. She will be the coordinator of the flutes for the SAA conference in 2020. Wendy is also an active free-lance flutist in the New York area and is a member of the award winning ensemble Flute Force.