Into

I was just on my SAA membership profile and noticed that they kindly put all of my Suzuki Teacher Training Experience on an accessible document.   Below you can see all of the training I received state side as well as with Dr. Suzuki.    Going all the way back to Doris Preucil you can see the first classes I took at the University of Northern Iowa where I met Martha Holvik and read my first copy of Nurtured by Love.     A book I read all night and into the next morning until I could finish it.    The UNI was also the place where I 1st met John Kendall when Dorthy Delay came from Juilliard to do master classes at Martha and Doris’s invitation.

In 1986 Dr. Suzuki came to the Institute at Stevens Point, Wisconsin where I took Book 5 with Allen Lieb.     Sensei was scheduled to do a group lesson on stage with all of the teacher trainees.   It was the first time that he worked with my bow hold.    Later after class Allen and Bette convinced me that I should attempt to go to Japan.   That they were kindly willing to recommend me.

Japan

You can see where it took me the next two years to save and prepare all of my paper work for the journey.    The month that I was scheduled to leave for Japan the last Centuries Emperor Hiro Hito died.   They decided to hold the funeral on the day that I was arriving at the airport.    My flight was almost cancelled for a reschedule.   Then they called back and said I would be arriving the day of the funeral when their was almost know one at all in the airport.   It was a national holiday.    The ride up the mountain to Matsumoto was very quiet.  It rained all day.   I took it as a significant passage of time.

My plan was to stay for 3 months.   Some how they became 3 years.  I soon became completely involved in the experience of Japan and studying at the Kaiken with Dr. Suzuki.   That story is a complete website in itself.  

After graduation at TERI I stayed on until February of the next year just to savor the experience of being there with out the pressure of preparing for the graduation.    I also made a point of scheduling my departing flight on the 3rd anniversary of Hiro’s Funeral.

California

That Spring California erupted in Flames.   It was a sign of the economic tide that was to come.   I sat watching the news and found my self wondering what I could do in this new home to make a difference.   It was great to see Bette Dyer again in 93 at Occidental in Pasadena, in LA.    I went back to visit Stevens Point one more time while its founder was still active.   So much had changed.   After being in Japan for 3 years I saw things so differently.  I had changed and I had so much to do.   We needed to find better ways to teach American children.    This list does not show the Montessori training and teaching or the Kindermusik activity.

I am grateful to all of the teachers you see on the list below.   They gave me a view to a whole new way of looking at teaching violin.    Seeing one of my students play a Seitz Concerto at the age 6 for John Kendall at a workshop in LA was very rewarding.    It was as close as I could get to sending such a student back to meet Dr. Suzuki.    Most of all I continue to feel an obligation to Sensei to do more.    I can not do enough to continue his work in the world.

Ms. Cynthia

Tags: Allen Lieb, Classes, Dr. Suzuki, Graduation, Hiro Hito, Japan, John Kendall, Martha Holvik, Matsumoto, Nurtured by Love, SAA, Stevents Point, Suzuki Institutes, Talent Education Research Institute, Teacher training, TERI, Universitye of Norther Iowa, Wisconsin

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 2:34 am and is filed under Resources, ~~Connections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.