The Suzuki Association of Utah's Annual Teacher Convention will be held February 24th and 25th, 2017. Join with us for a weekend of inspiration featuring presentations by Ed Sprunger and others covering a variety of teaching topics. Don't miss it!
Friday, February 24th 5:00-5:45 pm:
SAU Potluck Teacher Social
Bring a dish to share and join with Suzuki Association of Utah teachers for dinner, networking and great converations!
Friday, February 24th 6:00-9:00 pm:
Suzuki Teacher Workshop with SAA Teacher Trainer Ed Sprunger:
"Aiming for Excellence"
SAA Teacher Trainer, licensed psycotherapist, and author Ed Sprunger will talk with Suzuki Teachers of all instruments discussing targets of excellence, and ways to get there. What does excellence mean? Do we mean excellence in intonation? Excellence in getting to advanced levels of the repertoire? Excellence in relationships? Excellence in winning competitions? Excellence in growing into emotionally and intellectually sturdy human beings? And how to do all of that without burning out?
In other words, excellence in WHAT, ways to get there, and how to know when you’ve reached the target.
Saturday, February 25th, 2017 8:00 am-4:00 pm:
SAU Teacher and Parent Convention
8:00 am: Registration opens, light breakfast served
8:30 am: Instrument Meetings
9:00 am: Classes for Teachers and Parents
10:00 am: What are We Doing When We're Doing Suzuki? Keynote address for Teachers and Parents by Ed Sprunger
11:00 am: Classes for Teachers and Parents
12:00 pm: Lunch for all participants, included in registration
1:00 pm: Classes for Teacher and Parents
2:00 pm: Classes for Teachers and Parents
3:00 pm: Classes for Teachers and Parents
Course Descriptions
Building the Alliance: PreTwinkle Techniques:
Primarily for teachers, this will present concepts and activities for helping parents and children construct positive practices.
I’ve Been to the Lesson, Now What? How to take your observations from a lesson and turn them into an effective practice plan
Have you ever come out of your child’s music lesson inspired and motivated only to get home and feel unable to inspire the same kind of learning and growth at home? In this session led by Suzuki teacher and Suzuki parent Brittany Gardner, we will walk through the ins and outs of how to make meaningful observations at lessons, put them into clear and concise writing in your notes, and create a practice plan that will lead to growth and success during your practice week. Be prepared: you may encounter fairies, incentives, tiny instruments, post-it notes, and lots of tally marks!
Technology in the Studio
Presenters will share how they use technology in their studios and provide time for teachers and parents attend the session to share their ideas. The focus of the presenters will be on use of Skype and Facetime for remote lessons, video exchanges to promote learning, metronome and practicing apps and using technology to strengthen music reading skills.
The Juggling Act of Being a Suzuki Parent
In this course we will discuss how to balance the juggling act of being a Suzuki parent by: creating a vision for our children as a Suzuki parent; explore ways to motivate our children by creating meaningful experiences; learn the importance of filling our children’s “love tanks”; learn when to “let go” of our need to be in control of our child’s musical experience and just let it happen; explore the difference between practicing with a 5 year old, 9 year old, and a 13 year old; and discuss why the juggling act is worth it.
Resistance: What it is, What it isn't, and How to Work With It
Building Your Village as a Suzuki Teacher and Suzuki Parent
In this session, Suzuki Teachers and experienced Suzuki Moms Brittany Gardner and Smith discuss the balancing act between running a successful Suzuki studio and practicing with your own children. We will discuss the who, what, where, when, why and how of these challenging and rewarding roles, including creative scheduling, practice joys, and real life stories from the trenaches.
Suzuki Piano Masterclass
Short Classes with a Variety of Students – highlighting skills needed for their specific piece and tonal production.
Building a Studio Website
In this class, teachers will learn how to create a website for their studio, including creating the site, registering a domain name, and setting up custom email addresses.
Two Essential Practice Techniques
Parents often complain that their children play too quickly and that they don’t know how to break things down into smaller pieces. This session presents two essential practice techniques that help children learn how to slow down as well as to dissect their pieces.
Teaching Music Structure in the Harp Repertoire
A look at how to teach students the basics of music form and analysis in the harp repertoire. We will look at how to approach this in Book 1, 2, and beyond, in a way that is easily accessible to the student.
Beginning With the End in Mind
Teaching with a vision – understanding where it is you want your students to go in their musical studies, and making a plan to accomplish this in your teaching.
Viola for Violinists (or Future Violists!)
This is a discussion of why it is valuable to learn the viola, even for violinists. We will talk about the advantages of being viola-literate, explore some opportunities that arise from being part of the viola community, discuss some basic differences between violin and viola, and give some helpful hints for those who are considering learning this great instrument.
Q&A With Ed Sprunger
For both parents and teachers, bring your questions for a discussion with Ed Sprunger.
Organization for Teachers and Parents
Get advice from two professional organizers on how to more effectively organize your child’s practice space, music, and practice time and/or your teaching studio. We’ll give tips for time management and discuss ways to simplify for optimal performance.
I Love to Read Music
Teachers and parents will learn to teach Suzuki children who can just play by ear to be splendid music readers and superb sight readers.
The Business of Running a Suzuki Studio