AMBASSADOR
April
2013
April
2013
Upcoming Events Saturday, April 13, 2013 Piano (only) Marathon, 9 am – noon From the Director’s Desk By Pat D’Ercole Have you heard the news? Were you there? It was announced at the Marathon and at the two Sunday recitals. Yes, I’ve thrown down the gaunt‐
let and I’m quite sure that it won’t happen; I be‐
lieve I’m safe. I’m safe in my navy and orange. I’ve kept it pretty well hidden all these years, be‐
cause it’s hard when you’re so largely outnum‐
bered by such passionate fans, but the truth is I can’t give up my loyalty to my hometown or my hometown’s football team. I AM A CHICAGO BEARS FAN! BUT, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE ME WEAR A GREEN AND YELLOW GREEN BAY PACKERS SWEATSHIRT with the words “Superbowl Cham‐
pion” on it complete with a cheese head hat? Well, I promise to do just that at the September, 2013 Marathon IF we get 50 ASC students to at‐
tend the American Suzuki Institute this year‐that’s approximately 7 students from each studio.* Watch the hallway bulletin board as ASC students make progress to the goal line. When we receive your application, your name will be added to a yard line. And don’t forget the Earn Your Way to ASI Toolkit to help with finances. The American Suzuki Institute Early Bird Registration deadline is June 15. On a more serious note, I would like to relate an event that happened just yesterday. It’s an event that illustrates the power of music and the endur‐
Sunday, April 14, 2013 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Sunday, April 14, 2013 Sarah Bauer, Senior Recital Trinity Lutheran Church, Waupaca, 6:30 pm Saturday, April 27, 2013 Marathon (except piano), 9 am ‐ noon Sunday, April 28, 2013 String & Voice Festival Concert Ben Franklin Junior High Auditorium, 2:00 pm Sunday, May 5, 2013 Piano Festival Concerts NFAC 221, 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, May 11, 2013 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, May 11, 2013 Central State Chamber Orchestra Concert Michelsen Hall, 7:30 pm 1
*Voice students—by next year, we hope that enough Suzu‐
ki‐trained voice teachers will have begun Suzuki voice stu‐
dios with students who will be eager to meet other Suzuki Voice students i.e. YOU, at ASI. If that happens, we plan to offer Suzuki voice classes for you and the students from other programs at ASI 2014. ing and influential effect of the ASC and ASI com‐
munity. I’ve attended many joyful events mark‐
ing milestones in the lives of my students, but yesterday for the first time, I had to attend the funeral of a former student. He was the youngest of three boys in the family who all studied with me. All of them developed fine abilities, played on recitals, attended marathons, festival and out‐
reach concerts and the Institute, but yesterday, the importance of this lifelong gift given by their parents was overwhelmingly evident in their lives as adults. Many of the friends who attended the funeral knew this 31‐year‐old through his ASC/ASI connections. Two of his friends, one from ASC and one met during ASI, played the second movement of the Bach Double as people greeted the family. They weren’t asked, they offered; I suspect for themselves as much as for those who were listening. His oldest brother, now a doctor, played the deceased’s violin during the service. He told me he needed to do that. This family, these friends, developed genuine lifelong friend‐
ships around their love of music, the kind of friendship that kept them together through thick and thin. This is the sensitivity and community that Dr. Suzuki envisioned humanity could devel‐
op through music, and although it was a very sad day, it was comforting to know that the “seeds” planted in these ASC and ASI alumni had taken root and continues to blossom long after the for‐
mal lessons have ceased . We’re at the halfway mark in the semester, so preparations have begun for the upcoming Festi‐
val Concert, Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 at Ben Frank‐
lin Junior High Auditorium. This year will be spe‐
cial as we will have our first class of ASC guitarist and harpists joining us. Be sure to read Oscar Soler’s article about the reasons your participa‐
tion is an important part of your child’s develop‐
ment individually and in community. We’re also happy to print an article written by Jackie Dietrich as to her thoughts about Paula Stewart’s work‐
shop on Positive Practice. That workshop seems to be the experience that keeps on giving. The SAA Parents As Partners Online videos can do the same. Watch some and post your favorites on our Facebook page (UWSP Aber Suzuki Center). The Aber Suzuki Center Festival Concert By Oscar Soler The Festival Concert is an opportunity for celebra‐
tion, reflection, and camaraderie. It is our one and only opportunity to spend some time togeth‐
er making music as a program. All instruments are showcased, parents get to see their children per‐
form, faculty put big efforts into preparing stu‐
dents, students play as part of a big ensemble, and we all realize the power of Suzuki music edu‐
cation in our lives. When planning an event of this scope, faculty spends quality time discussing the goals the event should achieve. I would like to share a few of the goals we have in mind for the Festival Concert this year:  To build community.  To motivate through review.  To recognize graduates.  To build pride in our students, and cele‐
brate accomplishments.  To provide an opportunity for collabora‐
tion across all instruments.  To provide a festive performance oppor‐
tunity for students of all ages, all instru‐
ments, and all levels.  To inspire younger students by playing with older ones.  To showcase new instruments.  To realize our legacy. It is easy for us to forget the value of coming to‐
gether as a program to share the gift of music. We sometimes forget to enjoy the things we love because we are so busy. Spring time is a terribly busy time of year because we are all making the big push to the end of the school year. We are 2
will be to add a more complex concept to what we already know. The preparation of repertoire for the Festival Concert begins right about now. We have a time frame that creates an opportuni‐
ty for quality review of learned skills that will al‐
low us to build our craft more easily. Each instrument area receives private lessons, attends a monthly Marathon, and free four con‐
secutive weeks of group classes by levels throughout the semester. However, there are lit‐
tle opportunities for hearing and playing with other instruments. We offer instruction in violin, viola, cello, piano, voice, guitar, harp, and bass. Solo recitals and mini‐concerts provide an oppor‐
tunity to hear students in all instruments, but no one event brings all instruments together at the same time throughout the year like the Festival Concert does. The thought of seeing children and adults perform pieces of music at such a high lev‐
el is very exciting; it is even more thrilling to real‐
ize that music is being played by so many differ‐
ent instruments. It is not only an educational ex‐
perience to find information about each instru‐
ment, but also an opportunity to hear all that is possible through the gift of music. Each instru‐
ment has a unique voice, and a particular set of challenges. Students practice and master individ‐
ual instrument techniques, and learn to create beautiful sounds unique to each person and in‐
strument. You can experience the scope of possi‐
bility in developing skill, and beauty of sound through the unique voice of each instrument. Participation in the Festival Concert should be considered in many ways an opportunity and priv‐
ilege, not a duty. Students’ involvement is wel‐
come with open arms. There are no audition re‐
quirements, or additional tuition cost tied to par‐
ticipating in the event. Your involvement is not dependent on being able to show a certain amount of proficiency with your instrument, or being able to afford membership. If you are re‐
ceiving lessons at the Aber Suzuki Center, you are welcome and encouraged to attend. Students of all levels, instruments, and ages will find a place to express their artistic voice, and display their work from daily practice. Please consider joining hoping to reach summer time, and enjoy the new found freedom that comes with it. I shared the goals we have in mind when planning and prepar‐
ing for the Festival Concert because it gives you a better understanding of what can be gained by being a part of it. I hope to encourage your partic‐
ipation by explaining the many benefits of being involved in this event. I would like to point out the fact that these goals are all complimentary, and some even essential to learning music in a Suzuki environment. They all strive for the crea‐
tion of a more positive, rounded, and fulfilling ex‐
perience in learning to play an instrument. The Aber Suzuki Center is a community to be cherished. The dedication faculty and staff put into instruction and administration of the pro‐
gram is admirable. Families start their children in music instruction when they are as young as four years old, and step by step build a commitment to personal and musical growth that is infectious. In most cases, this commitment grows through the years and builds wonderful success yielding stu‐
dents who have been studying in the program until they graduate from high school. Others no‐
tice the spirit and nature of the journey, and de‐
cide to embark on a Suzuki adventure of their own. We need to come together to celebrate the commitment and dedication you as parents and students have put into your Suzuki journey. The Festival Concert provides a perfect opportunity for all to realize how far we have come in our own Suzuki journey, and celebrate our accomplish‐
ments with others that share our same values. The continued use of skills we know makes us more likely to build our craft. The quality of repe‐
tition when using the skills we know determines the rate of progress when building our craft. This is a concept that can be applied to any field. A regular swim routine helps build ease in the stroke; frequent reading develops speedy com‐
prehension of what is being read. Playing the pieces we know allows us to strengthen the phys‐
ical skills we learned when first working on that particular piece. It also nurtures the love and en‐
joyment of playing an instrument by doing some‐
thing we can already do well. The better we are able to perform a given musical skill, the easier it 3
us for a celebration of your successful and devot‐
ed effort in your Suzuki journey. At times I struggle, as other parents do I’m sure, to find the delicate balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Initially, much of what Paula shared could be perceived as external motivators to practice. Some parents expressed confusion and concern about reinforcements that involve computer or TV time. Paula encouraged us to choose things that fit for our family and that we can all feel good about. I was excited to hear Paula speak of studies that demonstrate the intrinsic, effortless side of learn‐
ing and the concept of mastery. She shared Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. It was stressed that to walk the path of mastery, it is important to realize that practice needs the el‐
ements of consistency, repetition, support and positive experiences to foster successes. So, I am holding the intention for our family as well as others that practice is something that we enjoy together instead of it being another “to do” to check off our list. It was helpful to hear how important it is to es‐
tablish routine for when and how practice hap‐
pens in your home. Foundations to positive prac‐
tice are to be clear about what time each day and to create a supportive environment in your home that encourages positive practice. She showed a diagram of The Learning Staircase which reminds us that skill development is a pro‐
gression with many steps along the way. As sim‐
ple as that sounds, it sure is easy to lose sight of this as we continue on our journey with Suzuki. At one point, we paired up with another person and one of us was a blind student and the other the teacher. The goal was for the blind student to learn how to consistently touch various dots on a piece of paper by receiving instruction from the teacher. This fun, challenging exercise showed how important it is to break things into smaller steps, communicate directions clearly and rein‐
force when it goes well. Repetition and a consid‐
Positive Practice! By Jackie Dietrich Once my two children were settled in with their teachers at February’s Marathon, I walked down the hall to join the parent’s session, Positive Prac‐
tice. As I sat in my chair and had a chance to take a few deep breathes after the morning rush, I was grateful to have a moment to myself. Our instruc‐
tor, Paula Stewart, offered the roomful for Suzuki parents a Practice Self‐Assessment to check‐in with how we were doing, shared her background and began to walk us through valuable infor‐
mation such as:  Practice is important and difficult  Background: Positive Reinforcement  Holding a positive practice session  TAGteach – a tool for positive practice  Making practice self‐reinforcing  Additional resources Since beginning Suzuki lessons with my daughter and son over four years ago, I can acknowledge the challenge to establish positive practice once we leave the lesson with our wonderful teachers and go home. So, I thought I would share a few highlights from this session that have allowed me to show up better with our practice. Almost instantly, Paula asked, “What do your kids love to do?” She encouraged us to be very aware of those things and find ways to connect them with what can happen as a result of practice. She reminded us that our kids mostly want our time and attention and that being present with each other while sharing music can be a very positive motivator. Other ideas mentioned were specific and sincere praise, time with friends and even chocolate! My kids sure do love the “treat” at the end of their lessons. 4
erable amount of patience were also key ingredi‐
ents. In addition, I gained a better understanding of the Suzuki teachers approach and what I can do to support positive practice. Paula talked of the benefits of communicating with your teacher in between lessons by email so that there is a good understanding of what is going well and what may be challenging. Work with your teacher to ensure assignments are clear and let your teacher know when you are encountering conflict. At some level we all know there is a well thought out method to the Suzuki philosophy and it is beneficial to see yet another glimpse into the founding beliefs of Dr. Suzuki. I am grateful for the Aber Suzuki Center and opportunities like this where we not only learn how to be a better Suzu‐
ki parent but also how to be a more mindful per‐
son. Here’s to loving the journey – step by step – and embracing learning music as an individual, team, family and community. Much gratitude! Announcing the Aber Children’s Scholarship Winners! Congratulations to the following families who were selected as the 2013 Aber Children’s Schol‐
arship winners: Bodor Family Felt Family Mahon Family Quirk/Kolodziej Family Vang Family This year each family will receive a $400 award. Awards were based on parents/children’s responses to the following essay question and a creative piece by the student(s) that illustrated their written ideas. The essay question was, “Give two examples of how your family has enhanced the home learning environment with regard to the Suzuki method.” “This year the American Suzuki Foundation had 15 Aber Children’s Scholarship applications so the decision was difficult,” said one of the scholarship committee members. “You could tell parents, and especially the students, put time, thought and care into their submissions. Hopefully, more ASC families will apply next year. The process is a wonderful window into how the Suzuki philoso‐
phy has been incorporated into other aspects of their family life.” Suzuki Makes You Smarter Suzuki Makes You Nicer Congratulations to Eleanor Mutschlecner and her friend who shaved their heads and collected $700 for the St Baldrick’s Foundation for Cancer. Eleanor was interviewed on the Channel 7 News. http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Local‐
Volunteers‐Shave‐Their‐Heads‐to‐Support‐
Childhood‐Cancer‐Research‐198628571.html Composer of the Month Robert Schumann, Part I By Ann Marie Novak Robert Alexander Schumann was born in Zwickau (a town near Lichtenstein, Germany) in 1810. He lived a life full of challenges, most of which no doubt inspired the legacy of intricate, stormy and sometimes tender music we enjoy today. 5
The young Robert was deeply interested in litera‐
ture (particularly poetry), but his greatest passion was music. His father tried several times to pro‐
vide some of the best keyboard and composition teachers for his son, but Robert often was reject‐
ed as a student. He did, however, study with the organist, J. G. Kuntzsch for 4 years; this was the beginning of his fascinating musical journey. The one person who perhaps inspired Schu‐
mann’s confidence and ignited his musical pas‐
sion the most was the piano virtuoso, Ignatz Moscheles. Schumann was 9 years old when he first heard Moscheles perform. From that point forward, Schumann was fully focused on model‐
ing himself after the virtuoso (much like our stu‐
dents at ASC becoming inspired by hearing a visit‐
ing professional player, a faculty member, or even a more advanced student). Just as Robert was starting to make a niche for himself, he suffered the loss of both his sister and his father (due to a hereditary neurological condi‐
tion which was passed on to Robert as well). This devastated the young man. With only one parent remaining, Robert drew closer to his mother and sought to make her happy; therefore, when she asked him to please go to law school, (to make a decent living) he complied. However, the law held no interest for him, and he began skipping classes to attend concerts and to practice and perform. Finally, he obtained permission from his mother to pursue his dream of becoming a great piano virtuoso…but only for one term as measured in university time. He signed on with, and, as was customary, moved in with Friedrich Wieck (father of young Clara Wieck, herself a blossoming pia‐
nist). Robert and Friedrich did not see eye‐to‐eye on things (Robert resented Friedrich’s absences from his studies and Friedrich respected Robert’s talent but rapidly grew disgruntled with his char‐
acter). As Robert pulled away from Friedrich, he became considerably closer to Clara. Suffice it to say that Schumann was largely a self‐
made pianist. Unfortunately, his independent in‐
genuity also became his curse. Unsatisfied with the dexterity of one or two of his fingers, he at‐
tempted to create a sort of exercise machine to develop greater strength and control. Unfortu‐
nately, the “machine” had the opposite effect; in fact, he lost the use of two fingers on his right hand. No longer able to perform, he threw him‐
self into composing. He and some of his musician‐friends collaborated to begin publishing a twice weekly music journal, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. He also began moving in the uppermost musical circles, coming in contact with Chopin, Moscheles and Mendels‐
sohn. After years of Friedrich Wieck’s efforts to push Robert and his daughter apart, Robert fell in love with a young lady by the name of Ernestine von Fricken. However, when he learned of her family background (not moving in the “proper cir‐
cles”), he quickly broke off the relationship. Now that he was no longer under the wing of Herr Wieck, he began pursuing Clara with fervor. Clara was, as ever, quite taken with Robert, and she had great dreams for his (and their) future. More on Schumann’s life and composition in next month’s Ambassador… Student News The following students participated in the WSMA District Solo and Ensemble Contest: Sarah Bauer, Sadie Bender, Lucas Chan, Alyssa Eiden, Sawyer Eiden, Craig Felt, Tom Felt, Emily Horgan, Noah Hummel‐Hall, Maddie Koehn, Sophie Koehn, Ariel Lewien, Rachel Ley, Hope Mahon, Luisa Marion, Maggie Medo, Thomas Meronek, Jon Peck, Lara Prebble, Gerald Sakamaki, Erik Sands, Trenton Seegert, Jason Smith, Shane Summers, Roshini Traynor, Antony Van Tiem, Natalie Van Tiem, and Kate Young Dinesh Traynor performed his violin as part of the Portage County Alliance for the Arts play, "The Romance of Scarlet Gulch." 6
Trenton Seegert played in the pit orchestra for Sound of Music. Zsanna Bodor, Bank Bodor and Huba Bodor par‐
ticipated in the St. Adalbert's School talent show. Hope Mahon achieved the top score for the 7th grade in the math league at PJ Jacobs. Sabrina Tang won the Racine Girls Spring Open Tennis Tournament for athletes 12 and under that was held March 8 and 9. Alyssa Schroeckenthaler's U12 Girls Soccer Team was accepted into the State League level of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer League and also won first place in the recent Marshfield Indoor Soccer Tournament. Sam Schutz, AJ Schutz, Tim Niles, Malia Niles and Chioma Obasi performed their guitars and Alex Van Valen performed his harp on the mini‐
concert at the March 16 Marathon at UW‐SP. Faculty News Jenny Burton was a clinician at the Suzuki Associ‐
ation of South Florida in Fort Lauderdale on March 8‐10. Pat D'Ercole was a clinician for the Augsburg Su‐
zuki Talent Education Workshop held in Minne‐
apolis on February 22 and 23. She also attended the Suzuki Association of the Americas Teacher Development meeting on March 1‐3. Oscar Soler was a guest clinician at the North Shore Suzuki Strings School located in Milwaukee on March 9. March 2013 Graduations Franklin Meadows, Cello Twinkles Malia Niles, Guitar Twinkles Laura Josephson, Violin Book 10 Hannah Thompson, Piano Twinkles Peter Barnes, Violin Twinkles Supriya Keefe, Piano Book 2 Carolyn Storch, Violin Book 3 Alumni News Aaron Kruziki (piano student of Ann Marie Novak), now a professional saxophonist, has just released two new albums, "The Push‐Back is Missing" and "Hidden Meaning." Christopher Marion (violin student of Margery Aber and Pat D'Ercole), is credited as the con‐
certmaster for the soon to be released film, "Don Jon's Addiction." He currently collaborates regu‐
larly with jazz violinist, Christian Howes. 7
MAP TO BEN FRANKLIN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 2000 POLK STREET STEVENS POINT Aber Suzuki Center Festival Concert Sunday, April 28, 2013 2:00 pm, Ben Franklin Junior High School Auditorium HH Bridge over
Wisconsin River River View/CR-HH
Copps
/CR-HH
HH Bridge over
Wisconsin River
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