Ready to hone your skills as a teacher and practice the Suzuki Method? You’re in the right place! The SAA offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities for teachers. Our Teacher Development program is designed for musicians, educators, artists, and those who believe in the power music has in our communities. Through our Teacher Development program, teachers learn to practice the Suzuki Method – one of the world’s most well-known teaching methods (for good reason!). We support our teachers in prioritizing the development of fine character alongside excellent music-making for their students, and create endless opportunities to refine, refresh, and reinvigorate your practice.
Below is a step-by-step guide for honing your craft and learning to practice the Suzuki Method. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@suzukiassociation.org.
- Become a member! Join the SAA today. Joining the SAA means joining a community of teachers committed to furthering their practice!
- Check eligibility requirements. All of our courses require participants to be 18 years of age, and have completed high school. Most of our courses have audition requirements. Be sure to check all course eligibility requirements before signing up!
- Take our Every Child Can! (ECC!) and/or Filosofia course! The ECC! course is intended for participants based in North America (United States and Canada), while the Filosofia course is intended for participants based in Central and South America. These courses are introductions to the Suzuki philosophy and Suzuki Method. Audtions & membership are NOT required to take ECC! or Filosofia! We highly encourage parents and students to take this course!
- Submit an audition video. Be sure to read through our Audition Guidelines & Audition Repertoire. We ask that teachers submit auditions because we believe musicianship matters for our students and parents! Need support on your audition? Have an accessibility need, or a question? Write to us at info@suzukiassociation.org.
- Sign up for our our Instrumental & In-Depth coursework!
- We offer Unit Courses for several instruments and subjects (see below for full details), which give a foundational understanding of the Suzuki Method. You can take unit courses online, in person, or at Summer Institutes and Workshops made available all year long. You can also take a look at Universities that offer Long-Term Training.
- After Unit 2, take Teaching Strategies (required as of Jan 2025). When you’re ready to further your practice, take Suzuki Principles in Action, Practicum, or Enrichment Courses.
- Attend our free webinars featuring additional support structures and topics.
- Courses are offered online or in-person, year-round, and are available from private studios, Summer Institutes and Festivals, and some Universities.
- Apply for a Certificate of Achievement
- If you’re interested in furthering your accomplishments as a Suzuki Teacher, apply for our Certificate of Achievement!
- Interested in supporting adults in teaching? Learn more about becoming a Teacher Trainer at this link!