Arizona Suzuki Association Winter 2013 Newsletter

Transcription

1 Arizona Suzuki Association Winter 2013 Newsletter Special Points of Interest Louise Scott Article Page 1 Parent Article Page 2 Flute Workshop Page 3 ASTA ASA Master Class Page 3 News from Around the State Page 4 Fall Workshop Report Page 5 Advertising Rates Three Issues Size Full Page$99 Half Page$75 Quarter Page$50 Business Card $30 Two Issues Size Full Page$66 Half Page$50 Quarter Page$34 Business Card $20 One Issue Size Full Page$33 Half Page$25 Quarter Page $17 Business Card$10 An Inter view with Dr. Louise Scott, Suzuki Violin Teacher Trainer - By Laura Tagawa, ASA President When Louise Scott moved to Flagstaff in 1976, there was no formal Suzuki program. Today, Suzuki programs in Flagstaff are thriving thanks to her vision, hard work and dedication. This article, the second of a three part series featuring Arizona s Suzuki Teacher Trainers, highlights Louise Scott s teaching career and her success building a Suzuki community in Flagstaff, Arizona. Louise Scott is Professor of Violin and Pedagogy at Northern Arizona University where she teaches violin, chamber music, and Suzuki pedagogy courses. As an active performer over the past thirty years, she has played in symphony orchestras across the United States, including North Carolina, Aspen, Tucson, Memphis, Lansing and New Jersey. She is currently the Concertmaster of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Opera Orchestra, which performs in both Phoenix and Tucson. She performs chamber music regularly with her colleagues at Northern Arizona University. Louise Scott is a Suzuki Association of the Americas Teacher Trainer and has taught at workshops across the United States. Summer Suzuki workshops have included the Hawaii, NAU, Oregon, Intermountain, Alaska, and Colorado Suzuki Institutes as well as the Stanford and Black Hills Advanced String Camps. She regularly teaches in the Curry Summer Music Camp at NAU. Can you tell me about your first experiences with the Suzuki Method and about your training? I heard about Suzuki while playing in the North Carolina Symphony. While on tour with the NCS, a member of the violin section showed me the beginning steps with a box violin. After studying with many different teachers, who had many different ideas about playing the violin, I was excited to finally see what seemed as a logical step by step approach to setting up a beginning student. After getting married the following summer to Frank Scott (almost 40 years ago!), we moved to Edwardsville, Illinois where I accepted an assistantship at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville to study the Suzuki method with John Kendall. Frank started a doctorate in piano at the University of Washington in nearby St. Louis, MO. The class at SUIE included students from Ireland, Sweden, China, England and the US. I already had a Master of Music degree in performance and I was not interested in repeating academic courses, so I was able to concentrate on studying how to teach using the Suzuki principles and repertoire. We met several times a week, taught individual lessons, observed classes and helped with the weekly groups on Saturday. Did you have a mentor? John Kendall was a wonderful teacher, mentor, and friend. He helped me organize my thoughts about teaching, and I admired his integrity and humanity. I returned to study with him several times and also traveled to workshops with colleagues and interns at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan near the end of his life. Mr. Kendall was at the core of the growth of the Suzuki method in the United States. Before he died in 2011, he wrote a wonderful book about his life called, Recollections of a Peripatetic Pedagogue. Can you tell me about the music scene in Flagstaff in 1976? I think the music scene was well above the Flagstaff scene. The NAU Summer Music Camp, the Flagstaff Summer Music Festival and the NAU music program were small but strong. There were quite a few accomplished students who are now teaching and performing in different communities. The School of Music has grown tremendously since 1976, from about 12 faculty members, who had to teach in several different areas, to over 45 presently, who teach in their specialized area. (Continued on Page 2)

2 ARIZONA SUZUKI ASSOCIATION WINTER 2013 After a few years of informal teacher training with NAU students, a Master of Music degree in Suzuki Pedagogy was instituted as well as an elective program for undergraduates. I was fortunate to teach a group of young Suzuki students from the beginning stages through their senior year. Now I love hearing about their careers, children and students. I do miss the experience of beginning a student and seeing them through entrance to college. How did you get people in your community interested in Suzuki? We have always performed a great deal in the community, the Southwest and at special events. Word of mouth was our strongest advertising. As the program grew, how did you keep your vision strong? Former students often tell me how much their experience with the NAU Suzuki program and pedagogy courses have meant to them. There are many, many former interns who are teaching and performing in communities across the country. Despite the occasional bumps of offering the training through the university, I seemed to gain energy in recognition of the positive influence the Suzuki method has made on my life and the life of others. As my duties grew with NAU, I knew I needed to find help if the program was to survive. By then I had two young sons, Jared is now 30 years old and Kevin is 26 years old! Ultimately, Karin Hallberg, who was teaching in McPhail Music Center in Minneapolis, accepted a part-time position to teach in the Suzuki program and part-time violin at NAU. After several years, Karin was promoted to a Lecturer in the School of Music and has since been promoted to Senior Lecturer. Karin s influence, interest, and excellence in teaching have been the impetus for the growth of the precollege and the teachertraining program. Can you tell me about the NAU/Flagstaff Suzuki community now? The Suzuki Method with Multiples: One Parent s Perspective By Naomi M Gades, ASA Parent As amateur violinists, my husband and I eagerly awaited the day our twin daughters were old enough to begin studying violin using the Suzuki Method. Maybe a little too eager, as it quickly became apparent we were far more excited about the endeavor than our 3-year-old daughters. Shortly before our daughters 3-year-old birthdays, I contacted one teacher who referred us to another. We took them to a local music store to measure them for their new violins and decided the 1/16 size would work best, so we ordered two new violins through Amazon and began our lessons. We gradually began to realize that this endeavor was going to be a bit more challenging than originally thought, to the degree that we ended up stopping after a few months and waiting until their fourth birthday to resume lessons. The additional maturity helped significantly when we began lessons again. We had also learned some things during the initial lesson period, which we changed when we began the second round of lessons to increase our probability of success. The second time around, we did not underestimate what we call the Twin dynamic Initially we tried to do the lessons back to back, unfortunately, we found if one twin had a poor lesson to begin, that translated into the next lesson being equally as poor or more so. To counteract this effect, when we began lessons again, we had the lessons on separate days, and as much as our schedules would allow, we tried only to bring only one child to the lesson, so they would not be distracted. This change coupled with the additional maturity has been a success to date. The other challenge we face as parents is not to compare the children to each other as they progress, which is a natural human tendency to do, i.e. one has more focus, and the other has a better bow hold. But we don t verbalize this to the children; we complement each on their strengths and work to correct the weaknesses individually. One advantage of having multiples is we now do mini-group practice together, with everyone playing a note of the song, which is a great family activity. The Suzuki Method with multiples can be a challenge, but it is worth the effort. These are skills the children will retain and be able to use for their entire life. PAGE 2 (Continued on Page 3)

3 VOLUMN 17 ISSUE 2 We will start the Spring 2013 semester with about 100 students in the NAU Community Music and Dance Academy program Suzuki String Program and about 15 NAU interns in the teacher-training program. Karin is Coordinator of the Academy Suzuki Program and how has an assistant, Kari Barton, who was a former student in the NAU Prep program and a Master of Music in Suzuki Pedagogy graduate at NAU. We offered cello teacher training this Fall and now we can offer Suzuki cello lessons. For the past several years we have offered Michiko Yurko s Music Mind Games teacher training and now the interns teach MMG in the Suzuki groups each week. Interns have a very valuable opportunity to work with Karin Hallberg in the Suzuki String program at the Arts Magnet School in Flagstaff, Marshall School. Interns have many different experiences including pedagogy classes, observations of many master teachers at NAU, teaching individual and group lessons, guest clinicians, chances to organize and run events as well as all of the usual music major responsibilities! They are very busy, but it does prepare them for how busy they will be after they graduate. What advice do you give to new teachers, looking to start their own studio or program. Connect with other teachers in the field. Observe their teaching, go into the schools and assist the teachers, ask questions and get some hands-on experience before going at it alone. There are many websites that offer great ideas and assistance. Mimi Butler has several books about starting and maintaining a private studio and has done a lot of very useful research that would take years to compile yourself. Go to every workshop, network and keep up your skills. Don t be afraid to get out your comfort zone and seize opportunities as they come along. We are never finished growing and learning. Tucson Music and Dance Academy Presents Dr. Sasha Gar ver in a Flute Workshop on February 2, 2013 Masterclasses - Students will perform solos or small ensemble pieces to receive feedback. Flute Ensemble - Tips for Performing in an ensemble will be offered in this interactive reading session. Principles of Singing for Flutists-Dr. Garver will bring her special combination of flute and voice training to this session offering valuable advice to help flutists play using a singer s perspective. Dr. Sasha Garver is the Performing Arts Academic Liaison at Cal Performances at the University of California at Berkeley. Sasha also teaches at Community School for Music and Arts and Dominican University. She was chair of the music program at Northern New Mexico College in Espanola, NM, where she taught flute, voice, choir, aural skills and music theory. The workshop will be held at Foothills Music and Dance Academy, 4811 E Sunrise Drive, Suite 143, Tucson. For more information contact Deena Reedy at or jtmouse@yahoo.com ASTA and ASA Co-host Bill and Dor is Preucil in Master Classes ASA is proud to announce Bill and Doris Preucil will be visiting Arizona in February! They will be guest teachers for Arizona ASTA's String Showcase which takes place on February 9 at King of Glory Lutheran Church at 2085 E. Southern Ave in Tempe. ASA will co-sponsor the Doris Preucil Violin Master Class featuring Suzuki violin students. This Master Class will take place on Saturday, February 9 from 9:30-11:00. Following the Master Class Bill and Doris Preucil will have a Pedagogy Forum from 11:15-12:15, and Bill Preucil with have a Viola Master Class from 1:00-2:30. This event is open to the public ($10 for non-asta members, $5 for students, Free for ASTA members). Please see the ASTA AZ website for more info, PAGE 3

4 ARIZONA SUZUKI ASSOCIATION WINTER 2013 News From Around the State Valley of the Sun Suzuki Association (VSSA) VSSA Workshop 2013! SAVE THE DAY, Saturday, March 2, :30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Suzuki goes on Safari! Plan on attending VSSA s annual winter workshop. Join us in welcoming our guest clinicians for a day of fun and learning. The winter workshop helps provide a little break from your everyday routine and you get to spend the day with other Suzuki families. It s a great time for parents to network about practice tips and for the students to see others Suzuki students in action! A group class, a master class, an ensemble or movement class, and an art class are included in the days events. Lunch and a snack are also included. Make sure you reserve the day from 8:30-3:30. Registration forms will be posted on the VSSA website by February 3, Any questions? Contact Kristine Ehlis, Kristinee@cox.net, ( is the quickest way to get an answer to your questions) or call me at ASA PPG Upcoming Events: Celebration Concert, 2/09/2013; Master Classes with Karen Hagberg, Ph.D, in late March or early April, date TBA; Graduation Auditions, 4/16/2013; Graduation Recital, My First Piano, 4/04/2013; Master Classes with Bruce Boiney, Louisville, KY, June, exact date TBA. For more information contact Gloria Elliott at gelliott50@aol.com or Summer Music Camps 2013 Curry Summer Music Camp at NAU Senior Camp (9th 12th Grade) June 23 July 6 Junior Camp (7th-9th Grade) July 7 13 For more information go to Summer Institutes: Please check the Website to find dates and locations of Suzuki Summer Institutes. This experience can t be beat for bonding a family in the joy of playing instruments Join us this summer in beautiful Prescott, Arizona for this small, intimate, and affordable Suzuki Institute. The Chaparral MusicFest Suzuki Academy is a four day session is designed to fill a need within the Arizona region for a Suzuki style camp that will further enrich and inspire our students. The Suzuki Academy is open to Book 1 and 2 piano and violin students of ages 6 through 12. Piano students who have polished the repertoire at least through Book One, Mary Had a Little Lamb and violin students who have polished the pieces at least through Book One, Perpetual Motion are invited to join us. Core classes include Master Class, Repertoire and Group Classes and Musicianship and Theory. Enrichment classes include Fiddle, Student Duets for Violin and Piano, Composition and Music Reading. Please visit chaparralmusicfest.org for more info, Brochure and Registration Form. PAGE 4 The West Valley Youth Orchestra is again sponsoring WVYO Chamber Music Summer Camp with Quartet Sabaku. The dates will be June 10 14, 2013, in Goodyear Arizona. Go to for more information

5 VOLUMN 17 ISSUE 2 Fiddlefest 2012 Fall Workshop ASA hosted the Fall Workshop, Fiddlefest, on Friday, October 26 th and Saturday, 27 th, 2012, at Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Phoenix. On Friday evening, advanced students played in master classes for Dr. Louise Scott, violin, and Dr. Mary Ann Ramos, cello, while other advanced students and teachers observed. On Saturday, Patrick Clark, fiddler and teacher from Nashville TN, worked with all levels of students on fiddling styles for violin, viola and cello using pieces from his newly published book, Fiddle 4 Every Level. Patrick grew up in Flagstaff where he studied Suzuki violin with Dr. Louise Scott and graduated from NAU with a degree in Violin Performance. The students also participated in master classes and group classes with Arizona teachers, and learned to Line Dance. They performed Suzuki pieces and fiddling pieces for the Final Concert in the Sanctuary. Mary Beth Tyndall leads the cellos in Suzuki repertoire. Patrick Clark conducts the Advanced Fiddle Ensemble of violins and cellos. Lani Hill leads the violinist in group pieces. PAGE 5

6 ASA 1157 E. Acacia Circle Litchfield Park We are on the web at See the Arizona Suzuki Association Membership Directory Inside!