The ASA held the Fall Workshop for students on Saturday, Sept 24, 2022 in Phoenix at Orangewood Church, 7321 N 10th St, Phoenix, AZ 85020.

Violin, Viola, Cello, Guitar and Voice students from around the state gathered to play music together. Students all had an orchestra class with Amy Bennett and performed western themed music on the final concerts. Other classes included master class and group class. Families also had fun doing line dancing with Kari Weldon after lunch. The day ended with a spectacular concert, fun was had by all!

Here is the Workshop Flier.

Download Workshop Flier Here

GROUP CLASS TECHNIQUES^TM IN CYBERSPACE
An online workshop for teachers

January 16 and 17, 2-5pm, Arizona (MST) on Zoom

Schedule:

Day 1 (3 hours) 

• Zoom features
• Warm-up sequences 
• Playing ‘together’ 
• Group Class Techniques^TM in cyberspace 
• Music reading and music bingo 

Day 2 (3 hours) 

• Further discussion of Day 1 topics 
• Participants present teaching segments based on Day 1 discussion and/or share other ideas for online teaching. 

Carey Beth Hockett has been actively involved in the Suzuki world for more than 40 years. She taught at the Ithaca Talent Education School and then for the London Suzuki Group and is now on the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles. She was a member of the International Suzuki Association’s Cello Committee and served as repertoire consultant to the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music in England and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. She teaches string pedagogy at the Colburn Conservatory and is the Director of the schools’ Jumpstart String Program.  

April is “Celebrate Spring Suzuki Style” Month!

Throughout the month of April, the Arizona Suzuki Association encouraged studios, families, and/or individuals to pick a date in April, pick a neighborhood location (driveway, porch, backyard, etc), and perform your favorite Suzuki pieces! Snap some pictures and take some videos to share with the ASA and we will celebrate as a state as we view the photos and videos of all of our concerts!

Happy Suzuki Spring to you all!

Voice and strings students of Kari Weldon, Eunice and Christi Ellie perform a Driveway Concert in Chandler with Suzuki voice teacher Masayo Okano and students in Japan on Zoom

Here is a flyer for the event to share with others!

What Musicians Can Learn About Practicing From Current Brain Research

This presentation focused on what neuroscientists have discovered about how our brains learn and how to apply these insights to practicing and teaching so that practicing becomes more efficient and effective, leading to enhanced performance ability, enjoyment, and confidence. Topics included: how to get rid of bad habits, how to make things automatic/reliable, the role of sleep in learning, the power of mental practicing, how to use the metronome to greatest effect, and the benefits of random practice for enhanced performance.

Violist Molly Gebrian has distinguished herself as an outstanding performer, teacher, and scholar throughout the US and Europe. Her love of contemporary music has led her to collaborate with many composers, often in premieres of works written for her. She has worked closely with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and Pierre Boulez for performances at the Lucerne Festival and she spent the 2011/2012 academic year in Paris to undertake an intensive study of contemporary music with violist/composer Garth Knox. Her other principal teachers include Peter Slowik, Carol Rodland, and James Dunham. Molly completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in viola performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and also holds graduate degrees in viola performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and Bachelors degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, in both viola performance and neuroscience. She served as the Assistant Director for two interdisciplinary conferences on music and the brain while at Rice, has published papers dealing with music and neuroscience in the Journal of the American Viola Society, Frontiers in Psychology, Flute Talk Magazine, and The Strad. Her background in neuroscience gives her unique insight into how the brain learns and how musicians can best use this information to their advantage in the practice room. Given this expertise, she is a frequent presenter on topics having to do with music and neuroscience at conferences and universities in the US and abroad. During the summer, she is on faculty at the National Music Festival and Montecito International Music Festival, and has also taught at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. After teaching for five years at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, she joined the faculty at the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona in the fall of 2019.

Pictures from the Sept 26, 2020 class.

Arizona Suzuki students were challenged yourself to practice 100 days Between May and September 2020. Students printed a practice chart and submitted it to ASA after completing 50, 75, or 100 days. Students who completed the challenge received a certificate and are acknowledged in the video below. Congratulations to all who participated!!!

Here is a link to watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Iywb13CioWA

ASA held a Fall Round-Up on September 26, 2020 on Zoom. There was also a Teacher/Parent session with Dr. Molly Gebrian. Violin, viola, cello, guitar, flute, and voice students of all levels joined. Students had a morning class and a Grand Finale Concert in which all students will performed Suzuki repertoire together. The Round-Up was free for ASA members (family and teacher memberships). Thanks to the 100 participants who attended the event, it was great playing music together!

Grand Finale Concert

Violin Class

Special guest violinist, Sylvia Pine leads the violin class.

Dr. Louise Scott leads the violin class

Laura Tagawa leads the violin class

Chris Dorsey leads the guitar class

Teacher/Parent Workshop with Dr. Molly Gebrian

Happy practicing!

Summer Practice Challenge Details

Download and print the 100 Day Practice Chart HERE

Students who attend the Fall Round-Up (Sept 26 in Phoenix) will get their certificate in person. If you are unable to attend the Fall Round-Up, your certificate will be sent by email as a PDF attachment.

We want everyone to have the chance to participate! Students also have the option to complete 50 or 75 days and get a certificate.

Instructions for completing the challenge

Students who have practiced 50, 75, or 100 days by Sept 20 will get a PDF certificate. Students who completed the challenge will be acknowledged at the Fall Roundup Grand Finale on Sept 26. In order to be included in that, please submit form no later than Sept. 24.

Please fill out the form and submit. https://forms.gle/kuZrbjeWujhZH5Fz5

ASA will then email you a PDF of your practice challenge certificate.

Tips for Success

Remember that when starting the challenge, less is more. Dr. Suzuki said that 3 minutes, 5 times a day is ideal for a beginner.

Focus on tasks completed, rather than number of minutes practiced.

Celebrate milestones!