AMBASSADOR
MARCH 2015
the American Suzuki Institute July 19‐25 or July 26‐August 1. Don’t know if the Institute is for you? Read ASI ‐ A Priceless Experience for You and Your Child. Be sure to note the spe‐
cial offer ‐‐ Taste of ASI ‐‐ for first time attendees. Read an article (A Suzuki Mom’s ASI Experience by a parent who was resistant to the idea of attending and then did go.). Go to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/AberSuzuki and listen to the testimonials of Aber Suzuki Center students and parents who have attended. We have two new events being announced in this edition. First, Merietta Oviatt will begin an ASC adult student en‐
semble on Friday, March 27 from 5:30‐6:15 in NFAC 142. The ensemble is open to all levels and all instru‐
ments/voices. (see Calling all ASC Adult Students! for de‐
tails.) Also for the first time ASC will host a recital on Satur‐
day, April 11 in which all of the performers will be graduat‐
ing seniors. Come and join them for an evening of beautiful music and in the celebration of their accomplishments. Bring your children so that they can picture themselves be‐
ing on the stage one day. A reception will follow. Lastly, read about Your Brain On Music, research that shows that music doesn’t just improve your ear for music, it im‐
proves your ear for speech. Another study (not included here) showed that parents with music training were better able to distinguish and interpret the cries of their infants! Upcoming Events Saturday, March 28, 2015 Marathon, 9 am – noon Saturday, March 28, 2015 Trenton Seegert, Cello Senior Recital NFAC 221, 7:00 pm Sunday, March 29, 2015 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, April 11, 2015 Marathon (piano only) Saturday, April 11, 2015 Group Senior Recital NFAC 221, 7:30 pm Saturday, April 25, 2015 Austin Konkol, Voice Senior Recital Michelsen Hall, 7:30 pm Sunday, April 26, 2015 String & Voice Festival Concert Ben Franklin Junior High School, 2:00 pm Sunday, May 3, 2015 Piano Festival Concerts NFAC 221, 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset By Oscar Soler Dr. Carol Dweck wrote a book titled “Mindset. The New Psychology of Success” in which she talks about two main mindsets. A fixed mindset believes intelligence, and ability are predetermined. Personal traits cannot be developed, or changed. As a result, success is determined by approval of what we are already capable of, while avoiding situations that may lead to failure. A growth mindset is open to chal‐
lenges, new ideas, and situations that lead to learning from our shortcomings. Failure is an opportunity for growth. Director’s Column By Pat D’Ercole It will get warmer and it will get greener! Is that an exam‐
ple of a growth mindset? You’ll have to read the article by Mr. Soler to find out. And if you want to see a growth mindset in action and feel your brain cells grow, come to 1
Someone with a growth mindset believes constant effort in challenging situations leads to heightened levels of under‐
standing, and skill. Dr. Dweck’s findings are based on re‐
search on the developing mind, and workings. Dr. Suzuki put forth a daring idea: anyone can learn. We all know the story: Dr. Suzuki notices everyone learns to speak their native language fluently, and realizes they could learn to play an instrument skillfully if taught in the same manner. This idea exemplifies Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset”. Many Suzuki principles are inherently growth minded. For example, the idea that ear development can be nurtured with daily listening, daily practice can lead to mastery of a difficult concept, and encouraging perseverance, effort, and determination will lead to success all support a growth mindset. However, can we maximize our Suzuki experience to develop a growth mindset? How can we help ourselves, or our children to embrace challenge in home practice? I have a few ideas I would like to share with you:  Praise effort, not ability. A study led by Dr. Dweck and a team of researchers gathered a group of students, and gave them a test. One group of students was told the number of correct answers, and praised for the in‐
telligence they had to achieve this. The other group was told how hard they must have worked to receive such good results. In other words, some were praised for their ability, and others were praised for their effort. Then, students were given a harder challenge. Students who were praised for ability refused to take part of the new challenge, whereas, most students who were praised for effort wanted a new challenge they could learn from. Then, all students were given a set of prob‐
lems slightly above their level where they didn’t per‐
form as well. Students who were praised for their abil‐
ity reported they were not so smart, or gifted. On the other hand, students praised for their efforts interpret‐
ed their scores as needing to put in more effort to achieve the desired results. This study speaks for itself. Praising effort increases our desire to take on challenging situations in which we grow, and learn. It instills an understanding that underperfor‐
mance means more deliberate practice, and not lack of in‐
telligence, or talent.  Truly embrace the idea that everyone can learn to play an instrument successfully. The student who prac‐
tices a skill for weeks, or months, and has not seen the results he was hoping for may feel defeated, or dis‐
couraged. The mother who notices her child has a real‐
ly difficult time with reading at school may conclude that reading music will be an impossible feat for her child. Trust that with the help of your teacher, and an individualized, structured plan devised to help you ac‐
complish each skill, you will master the skill. We have no control over the speed in which a skill is developed, but we can determine how to practice the skill to achieve mastery. 
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Don’t give up. It is tempting to throw in the towel when your teenager is constantly fighting you about everything. Getting your child to do homework, or household chores is a struggle. Violin practice seems unattainable when your child may not even cooperate with simpler tasks. You may decide that stopping les‐
sons is the best option because it is exhausting to struggle constantly. Obviously, your child is not inter‐
ested in this activity in which you are investing lots of time, and money. However, this could be a time for growth. If you believe music education is an important activity for your offspring to be involved in, the decision of continuing his education shouldn’t be based on his cooperation level. It could be a time to learn how to better manage his schedule, what best motivates him, or find out what truly is causing his resistance at home with practice and/or other chores. A growth mindset works to reach goals, and sees challenges as a learning opportunity. Don’t compare, stay the course. Learning is an individ‐
ual process, and its results depend on the specific cir‐
cumstances of each situation. A growth mindset allows one to examine, reflect, and create new goals based on individual experience. We get the most satisfaction out of achieving our own goals rather than measuring our progress against others. Your journey is bound to be different from your neighbor, friend, or colleague. Take some time to explore how you can enhance the learn‐
ing process for you or your child. Use this article as a start‐
ing point for more expansive discussion on ways to foster individual thought, and effort. The benefits you can reap are well worth the discussion, and can impact directly the quality of progress you make during practice, and lessons. ASI – A Priceless Experience for You and Your Child It starts in just 139 days. There’ll be about 650+ people here from at least 32 different states and usually a mini‐
mum of six foreign countries. From as far away as California, Texas, New York and Canada they come. Some fly, some drive for 2 days, others live within the state. They come to make music and they come to immerse themselves in an environment that seems too good to be true. They come to spend quality time with their child without the daily in‐
terruptions and distractions of their usual routine. They come to spend a week with people who, like you, believe that children are our future and want to bring out the best in them. They come to spend a week to learn from the nationally recognized faculty who inspire and motivate 2
them to accomplish what was thought to be beyond their capabilities. They come to witness their child make a month’s worth of progress in a week. Are you interested? Keep reading to find out about our special offer for first time participants. That’s what happens each summer at the American Suzuki Institute (ASI), sponsored for the past 45 years by the Aber Suzuki Center. Our summer camp which will take place on July 19 – 25 and July 26 ‐ August 1, is the oldest institute outside of Japan and has been the model for the other 70+ institutes that take place all over the continent each sum‐
mer. Many people think ASI is just for those students who are advanced or highly motivated. Yes, those students do come, but it is also the place for students to become ad‐
vanced and highly motivated. It’s for students who are about to take their first lesson, advanced students playing concerti, and everyone in between. It is particularly helpful if your progress seems to have plateaued and your motiva‐
tion needs to be jump‐started. Classes are offered for all the instruments offered at the Aber Suzuki Center. Even voice is offered this year! At the American Suzuki Institute students receive three les‐
sons a day, a 12 minute individual lesson within a group, a small group class that works on technique and musicianship, and a large group class that in a fun way rehearses the rep‐
ertoire for the final festival concert on Friday. Students in Book 3 and above also play in an orchestra or have a duet class. If you are in advanced books and are a good reader you can be in the chamber music program and play in a string or piano quartet. Teenagers who are independent learners can elect to stay in the Teen Dorm for one or two weeks. Teen dorm students even get to go to one of the Wisconsin Dells waterparks on the weekend. Parents also anticipate ASI. It’s their “tonic for the spirit”. They come to be “fed” and to share the delights and tribula‐
tions of parenting with others who share a common philos‐
ophy. They attend lectures to learn new ways of being a “home teacher” that are applicable to more situations than just music‐making. They get to slow down, relax and get in touch again with all that rejuvenates the spirit. Adults can enroll as participants, too. “One is rarely too young and never too old to Twinkle ,” as the saying goes. Lest you think that the week is all work, we have plenty of time for fun, too. There is time to let off steam between classes with a swim, a bike ride or a ball game with friends. There are concerts followed by trips for ice cream treats, a talent show, or showing your new friends around town. The week concludes on Friday with each instrument giving its own group concert. The energy at those concerts is electric! Talk to your teacher about the benefits of attending. Go to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/AberSuzuki and watch the testimonials from many of our families. Check out our website at www.uwsp.edu/suzuki/asi. Once you’ve at‐
tended ASI, you’ll never want to miss it. We’re so sure of this that we are offering ASC first time participants a special package, A Taste of ASI. For half the price of the full week, you can attend the Sunday night opening ceremonies and play‐in. Monday through Wednesday you’ll attend group lessons, enrichment classes, the guest artist recital, faculty recital and parent lectures. A Taste of ASI is available either week depending on your instrument. July 19‐July 22 is for violin, guitar, harp, piano and voice. July 26‐July 29 is for violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano. (Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes are offered both weeks.) Continue reading to discover what others are saying about ASI. A Suzuki Mom’s ASI Experience By: A Parent from Rochester, MN You want me to what??? Take an entire week off work, my precious vacation time, to sign up for a music camp with my daughter where she and I will attend several music instruc‐
tion classes a day, every day, to enhance her playing skills…and it will be fun?? Not wanting to hurt our beloved teacher’s feelings, I kindly indicate that I will think about it and check our calen‐
dar…when in reality, I would be “thinking” about coming up with an excuse as to why it would not work out and “check‐
ing our calendar” in secret hopes that it would conflict with some other plans. At our next lesson, our teacher persists. “Have you had a chance to think about it? I’m offering scholarships to some of my studio families who are interested in attending the institute this summer and if you are a member of SEMSA, you can apply for a small scholarship for first time at‐
tendees.” There goes my excuse that we cannot afford it. As it turned out, our family actually could not afford a summer vacation that year, so our summer calendar was as wide open as the Grand Canyon. She continues to persist and produces a packet of infor‐
mation about the American Suzuki Institute at the Universi‐
ty of Wisconsin’s campus in Steven’s Point. She even has an application. She takes the time to explain a bit more detail about the institute and even goes so far as to tell me some people have found it to be a “life changing” experience. All right, it’s starting to peak my interest. Then I notice that accommodations are actually dorms. During my college years, I always lived off campus…I can’t imagine how I would survive in a dorm room. I’ve aged and the thought of shared bathrooms…Ugh! Of course our very generous teacher offers to have my daughter and I share her com‐
3
fortable hotel room, which just so happens to have a pool. Man, she REALLY wants us to go. So, I think about it in earnest this time. Not being one to deny my child an opportunity to participate in something that may further enrich her life, and wanting to be open to try new things, I have a change of heart. Maybe there will be other beginners there. Maybe it won’t be as hard‐core as I imagine. Maybe my daughter will meet new friends. Maybe it will be a quality bonding experience for me and my daughter. Maybe this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. (Maybe our teacher should be in sales.) Maybe, just maybe, I would enjoy staying in a dorm! Fast forward a couple of months and WOW! I cannot be‐
lieve how much we LOVED ASI! My daughter and I thor‐
oughly enjoyed every moment we spent at the American Suzuki Institute. What a lovely campus, what lovely people, what fabulous instructors, what beautiful music! What FUN!! The week flew by. It was a perfect mix of instruction, per‐
formance and recreation. There was no pretense or pres‐
sure…just one big happy Suzuki family encouraging one another and celebrating each individual’s hard work and special gifts. We left the institute feeling refreshed, reener‐
gized and with a greater appreciation for the Suzuki method of teaching. Needless to say, we are now resolved to attend ASI every year, for as long as we are able. We just returned from our second year and the experience was equally as fantastic. Once again, we made new friends, but this time, we had the added joy of meeting up with many of the friends we met last year. We continued to discover new and interesting places on and around the campus (the Natural History Mu‐
seum is among our favorites). And yes, we stayed in the dorms and loved it…again. My daughter and I will forever cherish the ASI experience as it truly is an experience worth having. But even more, we will cherish our teacher, Paula Stewart, for her generosity, persistence and encouragement. Because had it not been for her, we never would have attended ASI and may have never fully realized the richness and beauty that music edu‐
cation has to offer. ability levels are welcomed from Twinklers through ad‐
vanced. Registration is now open and we request that you have your registration in to the office by March 16 so that music can be selected based upon the ensemble participants. Please check your email for an enrollment form. The cost for the ensemble is only $50.00 and we are sure to have an absolute blast making great music together!! This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Music. By: Cory Turner, NPR.org Musical training doesn't just improve your ear for music — it also helps your ear for speech. That's the takeaway from an unusual new study published in The Journal of Neurosci‐
ence. Researchers found that kids who took music lessons for two years didn't just get better at playing the trombone or violin; they found that playing music also helped kids' brains process language. And here's something else unusu‐
al about the study: where it took place. It wasn't a labora‐
tory, but in the offices of Harmony Project in Los Angeles. It's a nonprofit after‐school program that teaches music to children in low‐income communities. Two nights a week, neuroscience and musical learning meet at Harmony's Hollywood headquarters, where some two‐
dozen children gather to learn how to play flutes, oboes, trombones and trumpets. The program also includes on‐
site instruction at many public schools across Los Angeles County. Harmony Project is the brainchild of Margaret Martin, whose life path includes parenting two kids while homeless before earning a doctorate in public health. A few years ago, she noticed something remarkable about the kids who had gone through her program. "Since 2008, 93 percent of our high school seniors have graduated in four years and have gone on to colleges like Dartmouth, Tulane, NYU," Martin says, "despite dropout rates of 50 percent or more in the neighborhoods where they live and where we intentionally site our programs." A Harmonic Haven for L.A. Kids There are plenty of possible explanations for that success. Some of the kids and parents the program attracts are clearly driven. Then there's access to instruments the kids couldn't otherwise afford, and the lessons, of course. Per‐
haps more importantly, Harmony Project gives kids a place to go after the bell rings, and access to adults who will chal‐
lenge and nurture them. Keep in mind, many of these stu‐
dents come from families or neighborhoods that have been ravaged by substance abuse or violence — or both. Still, Martin suspected there was something else, too — something about actually playing music — that was helping Calling All ASC Adult Students! By Merietta Oviatt We are pleased to announce the ASC Adult Student Ensem‐
ble!! This ensemble is for any adult student studying at the Aber Suzuki Center and will be directed by Merietta Oviatt. The ensemble will meet for eight Friday evening sessions beginning March 27. We will meet in NFAC 142 and re‐
hearsal is from 5:30 – 6:15. All instrument and voice stu‐
dents are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Also, ALL 4
these kids. Enter neurobiologist Nina Kraus, who runs the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern Univer‐
sity. When a mutual acquaintance at the National Institutes of Health introduced her to Martin, Kraus jumped at the chance to explore Martin's hunch and to study the Harmony Project kids and their brains. Breaking Down Brainwaves Before we get to what, exactly, Kraus' team did or how they did it, here's a quick primer on how the brain works: The brain depends on neurons. Whenever we take in new in‐
formation — through our ears, eyes or skin — those neu‐
rons talk to each other by firing off electrical pulses. We call these brainwaves. With scalp electrodes, Kraus and her team can both see and hear these brainwaves. Using some relatively new, expensive and complicated technology, Kraus can also break these brainwaves down into their component parts — to better understand how kids process not only music but speech, too. That's because the two aren't that different. They have three common denomina‐
tors — pitch, timing and timbre — and the brain uses the same circuitry to make sense of them all. In other research, Kraus had noticed something about the brains of kids who come from poverty, like many in the Harmony Project. These children often hear fewer words by age 5 than other kids do. And that's a problem, Kraus says, because "in the absence of stimulation, the nervous system ... hungry for stimulation ... will make things up. So, in the absence of sound, what we saw is that there was just more random background activity, which you might think of as static." In addition to that "neural noise," as Kraus calls it, ability to process sound — like telling the difference between some‐
one saying "ba" and "ga" — requires microsecond precision in the brain. And many kids raised in poverty, Kraus says, simply have a harder time doing it; individual sounds can seem "blurry" to the brain. Improving Your Ear For Music, And Speech Working with Harmony Project, Kraus randomly assigned several dozen kids from the program's waitlist into two groups: those who would be studied after one year of music lessons and those who would be studied after two years. And what she found was that in the two‐year kids, the static didn't go away. But their brains got better — more precise — at processing sound. In short: less blur. Why The Improvement? It goes back to pitch, timing and timbre. Kraus argues that learning music improves the brain's ability to process all three, which helps kids pick up language, too. Consonants and vowels become clearer, and the brain can make sense of them more quickly. That's also likely to make life easier at school, not just in music class but in math class, too — and everywhere else. To be clear, the study has its limits. It was small — roughly 50 kids, ranging in age from 6 to 9. It wasn't conducted in a lab. And it's hard to know if kids do‐
ing some other activity could have experienced similar ben‐
efits. But 10th‐grader Monica Miranda doesn't need proof that playing violin has helped her. She's one of the first students in the door at a recent Harmony Project re‐
enrollment event in the auditorium of a nearby elementary school. "I feel like music really connects with education," she says. "It helps you concentrate more." Miranda is in her third year with Harmony Project. "When I do my homework or I'm studying for something and I feel overwhelmed, I usually go to my violin, to start playing it," Miranda says. "I feel like it relaxes my mind. And coming here to play with an orchestra, it's just amazing. I love it." And, the science says, her brain loves it, too. Viola Vis! By: Merietta Oviatt It’s really cold outside, and that means it’s really dry inside! It’s important that you try to keep your instrument healthy and happy in this difficult climate. Here are some tips: 1‐ Keep hydrated! (This works for vocalists, too.) A great way to keep moisture around your instrument is to pur‐
chase a Dampit, which is something that goes inside your instrument to keep it from drying out – you just remove it when you play and keep it in when not playing. There are other ways to keep moisture around your instrument like keeping your instrument in a room that has a humidifier or keeping the humidifier in your case filled (only in specific cases, but can be purchased). 2‐ Try to keep the temperature as steady as possible. It is very difficult to not expose your instrument to the cold here, but when you come in from the outside it is a good idea to allow your instrument to adjust to the room temperature before playing it. 3‐ Having a well padded and insulated case can keep your instrument safe and keep the elements from affecting your instrument. Special Thanks A very special thank you goes to Liz and Jason Anderson and Torun and Liam for hosting the students from Taiwan. These two young women students are seniors majoring in Early Childhood Education and were here with their profes‐
sor to visit American preschools. They spent time observing at the Gesell Institute, the University Center for Learning 5
and Child Care Center and the Aber Suzuki Center Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes as well as private lessons. Torun and Liam made fast friends in 10 days and were sad to the point of tears when the women left us behind at the airport. It’s interesting and a beautiful lesson in how we can have so much in common and yet come from such dif‐
ferent cultures. Einstein’s observation is so true, “People everywhere are all the same.” ian Culture in America and Europe during World War II. He will perform the piece as part of his presentation. Alexandra Lee played the Star‐Spangled Banner and Yankee Doodle for the 3rd grade class at Madison Elementary School in Marshfield. Bravo to Amelia Beyer, Gabrielle Hesse, Olivia Hesse, Gen‐
evieve Heese and Anneliese Heese for their performances in the Stevens Point Children’s Theater’s production of Willy Wonka. Julienne Verbrick will attend an Advanced Fiddle Camp and Mandolin Workshop at the John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, from March 1‐17. Student News Katherine Young was commissioned to write a piece that will be performed by area musicians at the Point Dance Ensemble presentation on March 7 and 8. Congratulations to Michael Treder, Natalie Leek and Dale Steinmetz for their wonderful performances in the SPASH production of Cinderella. Hats off to the students who performed the Star‐Spangled Banner at the UWSP Lady Pointers’ basketball game on Feb‐
ruary 21: Revyn Abbott‐Beversdorf, Tam Doan, Karli John‐
son, Abishua Kealiher, Alexandra Lee, Max Malek, Julia Storch, Jane Story and Jace Yesse. Mrs. Ann Johnson, String Specialist from the D. C. Everest School system and mother of Karli, assisted the group on her cello. The group was led by Jenny Burton. In addition to playing the national anthem, they played a rousing chord when each player was introduced. When asked if they should play chords for the opposing team or just for the Pointers, the group unani‐
mously voted to recognize both teams. Suzuki students are compassionate, caring individuals who show good sports‐
manship. You can watch a video of their performance on the ASC Facebook page. Jacquie Wille performed with the Central Wisconsin Sym‐
phony Orchestra on February 20‐22. Megan and Olivia Yang performed with their parents, Tom and Jenni Yang, for the residents at Harmony Village on February 23. Lucia Stephani performed Concerto No. 5, Mvt. 1 by Seitz at the St. Peter’s School Talent Show on Thursday, January 30. Leila Meeks celebrated 365 days of practice on February 16. She will give a performance of six folk songs and Minuets 1, 2 and 3 via Skype from her home in Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasso, Africa, on March 9. She will play for her grandpar‐
ents, Gene and June Johnson, who live in Stevens Point. Jace Yesse transcribed the Glenn Miller classic, In the Mood, for a school project at his high school, the Wausau Engi‐
neering and Global Leadership Academy. His project is Civil‐
Faculty News Tom Yang performed the de Brunfoff/Poulenc melodrama with his wife, Jenni, at the McKinley Learning Center on December 16 and at a workshop for the CTEA with Celes‐
tine Haynes in Columbia, Missouri on February 21, where Mr. Yang was the piano clinician. Rosalie Gilbert, harp, and Oscar Soler, violin, will present a recital at Park Vista Senior Living Center on Sunday, March 15. Merietta Oviatt performed with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra on February 20‐22. Ann Marie Novak attended a training center for the Wis‐
consin Music Teachers Association for computer registra‐
tion and gave a training presentation to the members of the Stevens Point Area Music Teachers Association at UWSP on January 24. February 2015 Graduations Trey Dietrich, Piano Twinkles Duke Green, Cello Twinkles Keegan Obst, Cello Twinkles Liam Price, Piano Twinkles Rowan Sitwala, Cello Twinkles Joshua Dudas, Piano Book 1 Barrett Severson, Violin Book 2 Gwenyth Severson, Violin Book 2 Adler Simons, Piano Book 2 Jane Story, Violin Book 2 William Hahn, Violin Book 3 Natalie Berk, Violin Book 4 Jiaxin He, Piano Book 4 6