Teacher Development

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.

1. Become a member! Join the SAA today. Joining the SAA means joining a community of teachers committed to furthering their practice!
   
   
2. 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. Auditions & membership are NOT required to take ECC! or Filosofia! We highly encourage parents and students to take this course!
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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.
     
     
5. Apply for a Certificate of Achievement
   • If you’re interested in furthering your accomplishments as a Suzuki Teacher, apply for our Certificate of Achievement!
     
     
6. Interested in supporting adults in teaching? Learn more about becoming a Teacher Trainer at this link!

Details for how to enroll in SAA Courses

1. To enroll in a course, you need to have become a member, or create an account if you plan to take ECC or Filosofía, and log in.
   
2. Be aware of course prerequisites and audition requirements. The SAA’s enrollment system will check for membership status, completed course pre-requisites, and a passed audition as needed for each individual course.
   
   • If you’re enrolling in Every Child Can! or Filosofía, a paid SAA membership is NOT required, but you will need to set up a free ECC/Filosofía account to enroll. Active Membership is required for all other courses.
     
   • If you do not have the correct audition on file, our system will require you to submit an audition prior to you enrolling in the course. Auditions take up to 3 weeks to process, so please keep this in mind when you are planning for future enrollment. We recommend submitting auditions at least one month in advance of the course start. We do make exceptions on a case-by-case basis, so please email us at info@suzukiassociation.org if you would request for specific accommodations.
     
   • If there is an error in your prerequisites or audition status, please write to us at info@suzukiassociation.org.
     
3. From the Events page, select the course you’d like to sign up for.
   
4. To reserve your attendance in a course, add 1 ticket, and click “Get Tickets”.
   
5. Confirm your name & email address.
   
6. Pay for the course
   • Some Course Hosts require payment separate from the SAA, while others will have you pay directly on the event page.
     
   • Please be sure to read through payment details in the course description.
     
   • You are not considered enrolled in the course until you have paid.
     
   • All course prices are listed in USD, however, currency conversions are displayed at the top of the event page (see photograph below).
     
7. You will receive an email confirmation for further details regarding payment, course pre-work, and/or any other requirements.
   
8. Once you’ve completed the course, and your Teacher Trainer has confirmed you have completed all course requirements, the course will show up on your SAA profile and is considered registered. This process can take 1-2 weeks following the end of your course. If you have any issues with your profile following the end of your course, please email us at info@suzukiassociation.org.
   
9. Following the end of the course, you’ll receive a course evaluation survey. Please complete this survey at your earliest convenience! Your feedback helps us improve our coursework!