Suzuki Talent Education Association of N.Z Newsletter: February 1981 Volume 3
Suzuki Talent Education Association of N.Z. (Inc.)
P.O. Box 6058
Hamilton
NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 1981
New Zealand
President: Graeme Harkness
Secretary: Evelyn Galloway
STOP PRESS!
Exciting prospects for this Association:
A meeting will be held at the Waikato Technical Institute, Star Room, on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1981 to deal with the following items:
- NOTICE OF MOTION
That, on the recommendation of Dr. Suzuki, the name of the Suzuki Talent Education Association of N.Z. (Inc) be changed.
- CONDITIONS AND SUGGESTIONS IN A TEACHER-TRAINING SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND
The Association has received from Dr. Suzuki an outline for establishing teacher-training and accreditation here in New Zealand, which also incorporates a children’s graduation system. Dr. Suzuki himself has generously offered to assist and guide these programs.
FULL DETAILS WILL BE PRESENTED AT THIS MEETING.
NOTE THIS PUBLIC CONCERT
Followed by “The Mother Tongue Method,” an illustrated talk by Graeme Parkne.
Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., Lady Goodfellow Chapel, Waikato University (off Knighton Road)
Suzuki teachers who have pupils wishing to perform in this concert, please contact Mrs. Rosemarie Doland (Ph. 61459), 18 Silva Cres., Hamilton, or Mrs. Gwyneth Mataira (Ph. 800970), 10 McKay Dr., Hamilton, not later than March 13, for details.
REMINDERS
Did you know…
That your Subscription for 1981 was due last October?
Congratulations to Margaret Crichton on her recent award from the Suzuki Talent Education Association of Australia.
The award, endorsed by Dr. Suzuki, is the Teacher’s Certificate for final advanced level and is the first to be made to a resident music teacher in New Zealand. Margaret, the foundation President of our Association and a concert pianist of note, has been interested in the Suzuki Method for more than twelve years. She richly deserves this recognition of her teaching in New Zealand and her tutoring of teachers and students of the Australian Suzuki Association.
MUSIC CAMP
Music camp – have you ever tried it? We did!
On January 28, with 43 children and 24 adults, we retreated to a beautiful secluded valley, 30 minutes drive from Hamilton, for five days of making music and having fun together. Our venue was the Karakariki Youth Camp – a well-established and comfortable camp for ventures of this kind.
Mrs. Barbara Ker F.T.C.L. (who hopes to teach private violin pupils in Auckland later this year) and Simon Griffiths, a senior pupil of mine, very kindly assisted with tuition, which started almost immediately upon arrival at the camp.
Our program was generally as follows, with the ages of the children ranging from 2-15 years:
- 10:30 a.m. – Group sessions
- 12:00 p.m. – Group sessions (the last 20 minutes being used entirely for violin games with all children together)
- 1:00 p.m. – Individual practice sessions with parents or camp parents
- 7:00 p.m. – Concert
The second program (younger children):
- 10:30 a.m. – Group session
- 11:10 a.m. – Music perception (percussion work, etc.)
- 11:30 – 12:00 – Group session (violin games)
- 1:00 p.m. – Practice session with parents
- 6 – 7 p.m. – Concert
Mrs. Ker and I also gave individual lessons to the children during the afternoons. Each child received one individual lesson during camp and performed at least once during the concert sessions at camp. Children who were not violinists participated in the “Twinklers” music perception group or in their dormitory presentations at concerts. One boy transposed harmonies to pieces for his clarinet and accompanied most of the group sessions.
Concerts were very relaxed, casual, and sometimes spontaneous. They were a lovely atmosphere for the children to perform in and especially good for children who were playing to a larger audience for the first time. Dormitories were assigned to present group items, and these were always fun. The older boys wrote variations on a Mandle Bourree for clarinet and 3 violins, and one little group of girls, aged 9-10 years, devised a very hilarious skit that involved some very musical violin playing, and some not so musical! It was also cleverly done as they managed to include one little girl who, in fact, had had only one violin lesson. Children who were not violinists also participated in the concert with items on recorders, mouth organs, melodicas, clarinets, and piano solos. Some children who played more than one instrument presented items other than violin solos. The latter part of the concert was also a hilarious group singing time, with words for songs often being composed on the spot.
Our final concert (although a little too long) put the “icing on the cake” when mums, dads, grandparents, and friends came to the camp to hear a little of what we had done over the past 5 days. A surprise visit from our new Suzuki Association President and his family, who had just returned from Japan, was appreciated by all present.
We were also very grateful to Mr. Ian Beekman, who spent Thursday afternoon with us, checking instruments and instructing on maintenance.
The emphasis of the whole venture was lots of application but no pressures – just fun, fun, fun, and we had it!
Some criticisms of the camp: from a teacher’s point of view – two more days would have been valuable. The first two days were spent getting rid of “holiday rust.” I had hoped to have music perception classes for the older children as well (rhythm games, notation, listening, percussion, etc.) but our scheduling, which was for early evening, was not successful – the children were too tired. From a parents’ point of view – a compulsory rest period for everyone in the afternoons would have been much appreciated. We were disappointed more dads were unable to attend.
Music Camp – along with delicious meals like Chow Mein and steamed pudding, prepared by the parents (dads and all); movies, horse riding, bush walks, waterfall slides, eeling expeditions (eels in beds and pianos and other pranks children get up to) – we had it and we loved it – and the unanimous decision – “Yes, let’s do it again!”
Why don’t you give it a go?
Gwyneth Mataira
A Day in the Life of a Camp Parent
Everyone seems to be getting up. I had better get dressed too. Wish I had gone to bed earlier. Now dressed, washed, I make my way to the hall. Another fine, hot day on the way. Scrabble around among the plates and cutlery, looking for my lot. Can’t find favorite plate, kids must have it. Queue at serving hatch, and three mums on breakfast roster put too much on my plate.
Breakfast over. We round up children for the first music session. They play for 90 minutes. Some look droopy, others a bit rebellious toward the end, most keep going well though. They sound better than they did yesterday. Not much playing over Christmas, but Gwen and Barbara have knocked them into shape already. First session finished, we have morning tea, mothers clustered around tea trolley, children off for a quick swing or chase around the hall.
Back to music again until lunch. After lunch children swim, sing, or collapse exhausted on bunks.
The tea roster three have a menu but no recipe. We decide what to do several times over before we start cutting, slicing, peeling, grating, chopping to fill our 25-litre pots to feed 60, or is it 70, campers. We have it ready on time, which is a near miracle, plenty of compliments, everyone over-eats, but lots left over.
The after-dinner concert is next. As I sit through the seventh or eighth “Aunt Rhody,” I marvel at the patience of the children as they applaud each other’s efforts.
Piano, recorder, clarinet, melodica, and harmonica played too. I wonder if I can sneak off for a quiet practice at “Twinkle” to impress in the parents’ item for the end-of-camp concert.
Concert over, we rush for fishing gear and straggle down the road and across the farm to the eel creek. Eels almost queue to be caught, and inexpert fishers manage to catch two. One eel eaten at breakfast, most go home with Sonny, a couple finish up in sleeping bags, the piano, etc. Hope none were overlooked when we cleaned up at camp’s end.
We have first supper. Some children revive and have a mad chase around and last swing. Mums valiantly consume cake and biscuit surplus. Card games start, and Evelyn teaches us a new social skill, “Donkey’s Bum.” Second supper follows, more goodies consumed, and “I will be dieting for months after this” is groaned for the thousandth time. I dash to a shower, no hot water again, then to bed, thinking I should have gone hours before.
Impressions of Camp
As a Suzuki parent of several years and a keen musician myself, I had been all in favour of the idea of a camp. However, it was with somewhat less than enthusiasm that I posted off our fees. Did I really want to spend my last week of holidays at a children’s camp, in the heat, hurrying children off to practices, coping with cooking for 60-70 people, dishes, etc.?
After a memorable and very enjoyable week, the children and I have already pencilled in the dates on the calendar for next year’s camp.
Getting to know other parents beyond just being able to say “hello” was one of the benefits. You can’t possibly spend an afternoon in the kitchen deciding how to make Chow mein or scrambled eggs for 60 people, and not get to know someone better. Sitting beside the pool with a cup of tea in one hand, supervising pool activities, was a great time to have a discussion about problems, practice methods, and to assure newer Suzuki mums that we have all had the same difficulties and pleasures in learning music.
It was a time for the children to be able to get together and get to know each other better. The opportunity to practise with others in a relaxed, happy atmosphere away from the rush of everyday pressures was a great incentive for them. It was marvellous to see children having a try at pieces they weren’t quite up to at group practices, children helping others with harder pieces, being responsible for getting themselves off to group sessions each morning, helping each other to tidy their rooms, getting together to work out items for evening concerts, relaxing together in the afternoons – swimming, walks in the bush, or quietly reading together in their rooms – and the fellowship of camp songs and concerts in the evenings.
Surely this is what it’s all about – sharing a common interest and having fun together through music.
Jan Henderson
Additional Camp Feedback by Sarah Judd, Aged 8 Years
“I thought the camp was good. I liked best the bush walk and the eeling. It was very good except for the lullaby swing which I got many bruises from. I liked all the violin playing, one of the best things. I liked the pool but it was rather shallow. I didn’t like sleeping in sleeping bags because it was too hot. I couldn’t sleep out because there were mosquitoes. I liked the Tarzan swings. We climbed the trees, grabbed the swing, sat on it, and jumped. We whizzed through the air. We were eight metres from the ground. I liked the solo concerts at night best because it was fun and good practice. On the first night I played “Humoresque” on my violin, and on the second night, I played “Go Aunt Rhody” on my melodica.”
Note: Subscriptions for 1981 are due at $10.00 per individual member. Membership cards will be produced for all financial members soon.
