Article 1999

NZ Suzuki Journal Summer 1999 – News From Val Thorburn

Since leaving Auckland last May, George and I have been busy getting to know a new area and establishing a totally new garden! We have already reaped the benefits of the garden and have been eating many fresh vegetables (believe us, they taste different). The climate is wonderful in Tauranga, and everything just grows and grows!! So that is exciting for us.

Another exciting thing has been to see the renewed interest in the Suzuki Method in this area. I already have a full program, and at the end of last year, I felt confident enough to hold a Workshop/Concert Day. With the help of some Suzuki families from Auckland, we had a great day, and the students and their parents in Tauranga were excited to see what can happen with practice and commitment. We hope to hold another such day this term, and I hope to have the help of more “outsiders” (they found a pretty good homestay I believe, so I hope this will attract them back). Another bonus for us was the willingness of Josie Fluhler to be our pianist for the concert, and it was lovely to work with Josie again. She had a very busy studio here a few years back, and I am sure many people would love to see her return full-time to Tauranga. However, we are fortunate to have Adrienne McCarthy, a Suzuki-trained piano teacher, prepared to take on more piano students.

Summer Camps

I attended the Ngaruawahia and the Oamaru Camps in January, and it was special to have my husband with me at Ngaruawahia (his first Suzuki Camp). He was the cook, and even though the temperatures were very hot, he enjoyed himself!

It was lovely to see people thoroughly entering into the Suzuki spirit, and I was encouraged to see the progress made in so many areas. BUT—can I impress on everyone the importance of two things in the Suzuki Method: TONALIZATION and REVIEW.

I am surprised at every camp to find some people who have never heard of tonalization, much less practiced it! Can you bear with me while I tell you how important it is? From Books 1 to 10, it should be played with an ever-increasing awareness of sound. As you progress, the listening must become more intense, and an awareness of bow change, string change, and the proper ways to perform these techniques fully understood. If these exercises are practiced properly, you will be developing a free bowing style with full use of the bow, and also you will become aware of bow speeds—all very necessary to become a good violinist!

Review

What need I say, except that you should play every piece you know every day! This will make you a fine violinist because, as everyone knows, it is through the pieces that you are developing a fine technique. So please don’t let those old pieces slip out of your memory! There are lots of ways to see how your review is shaping up with the use of charts, etc. How about making a 100-times chart for each piece you have learned and filling in a square each time you review the piece? There could even be a reward for each 100 times completed. How about a bar of your favourite chocolate?

Graduation Tapes

I am so happy with the tapes I have listened to during the past year. This certainly shows the growth of Suzuki in this country. In most cases, the quality of the recording has much improved, but one little thing I would ask of you: check the level of recording after you have announced your name, etc. I often find the recording level too low, and then I have to turn up the volume, which distorts the sound in many cases. So please just check!

It is a good idea to make sure that you are playing at the same speed as the recording you have been listening to. Quite often, poor old Gavotte by Gossec is not like a dance at all but a very slow march! Please be careful when retaking the bow—the landings are often very bumpy! Perhaps you need to review Song of the Wind. This will certainly help your bow circles.

One other thing—don’t forget C# on the G string; you know where I mean.

I have enjoyed listening to the higher Graduation Pieces. So I hope everyone will be encouraged to keep on with this wonderful way of achieving high excellence in violin playing as you endeavour to make a polished performance of all the pieces in the repertoire.

Happy recording in 1999, and best wishes to all Suzuki families.

Val Thorburn (Teacher Trainer)

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