Branch updates

Auckland

Branch Report

Auckland Branch held a very successful Spring Workshop — we had 7 guitar, 34 piano, 12 cello, and 86 violins enrolled. Our workshop hosted unit 1 guitar teacher training, unit 5 piano, piano teenage teacher training, as well as unit 2 violin. We had Haruo Goto run a group class on Suzuki book 10 for our violin teachers each day.

The workshop only lost $110, which was a great success for us compared to the previous year. The early booked flights, sausage sizzle, and printed tote bags all contributed to this as well as being a bit more ahead in our planning, which meant we didn’t need to spend as much “last-minute” money.

The Auckland and Northland Branch camp is coming together well and is fully booked. It has been a great motivator to push some of our teachers to be assessed for Level One, so that they can teach a couple of hours while taking their kids to camp.

Early next school year, Auckland Branch is hoping to offer an informal outdoor “play-in” for our string students.

Milly Rout and Fiona Haughton | Auckland Branch

Community

Hello, I’m Lukas, I’m 8 years old, and I learn the cello with Margaret Cooke in Auckland.

Margaret has a challenge with 100s charts: when you have reviewed every piece in a book 100 times, she takes you to a café or bakery for a treat.

I finished my book 2 100s chart recently, and on Matariki Friday, after my lesson, we went to a café. I chose a yummy piece of chocolate cake. Thank you Margaret!

Hamilton

Branch Report

July Winter Workshop Recap
From Monday, 7th July to Wednesday, 9th July 2025, the Hamilton Branch held its Annual Workshop at St Joseph’s Primary School. Held during the school holidays, the event was well attended by both violin and piano students and was a joyful, enriching experience for all involved. The venue received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many families expressing a preference for the workshop to be held on the King’s Birthday Weekend instead. In response, we are pleased to share that we have secured the same venue for the 2026 workshop, to be held over King’s Birthday weekend.

We were honoured to welcome a talented and inspiring team of tutors: Emma Dann, Catherine Polglase, Christine Griffiths, Jayne Tankersley, and Michael Joel. Across group classes and enrichment sessions and ensemble, these educators brought not only their expertise but also humour and joy, creating a vibrant learning environment for our students.

A special highlight of the workshop was the parent talk presented by Catherine Polglase, titled “Suzuki Through the Lens of Atomic Habits.” Drawing on James Clear’s best-selling book, Catherine offered a practical and inspiring perspective on the Suzuki philosophy. The session was deeply enriching, and we highly recommend attending if you have the chance to hear her speak.

No winter workshop would be complete without a social event—and this year’s trip to Ninja Valley, followed by pizza, was a hit with students and families alike.

The workshop finale concert was a lively celebration, featuring a reggae-inspired arrangement of Three Little Birds with a singalong chorus of Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright, followed by Jupiter by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As one student humorously remarked, it was “a missed opportunity not seeing Michael in a Mozart wig with a Bob Marley hat—maybe next time!”

Hamilton/Tauranga Branch Annual Concert – 31st August 2025

Dr. Suzuki once said, “Music is the language of the heart without words.” The Hamilton Branch Annual Concert was a beautiful expression of this sentiment. This year, we were thrilled to host a combined event with students from both the Tauranga and Hamilton branches, creating a powerful sense of unity and celebration through music.

The concert opened with a recital by our piano students, led by Christine Griffiths, followed by solo performances supported by our wonderful accompanists Yi Ting Heng, Greg Neil, and Cindy Xia.

Soloists:

• Allegro Appassionato Op. 43 in B minor – Saint-Saëns | Hosanna (cello)
• Gavotte in G minor – J.S. Bach | Howard Yang (violin)
• March in G – J.S. Bach | Caleb Elisara (cello)
• Musette – Anonymous | Margot MacLennan (piano)
• Minuet in G – Beethoven | Zixing Guo (violin)
• Little Playmates – F.X. Chwatal | Sophia Xu (piano)
• Fiddle and Banjo – William Kroll | Claudia Noble (violin)

After the intermission, we enjoyed an inspiring showcase from each of the instrument groups. The cello ensemble, led by Therese Ahlers and Marisha Duijzers, was followed by the violas under the guidance of Michael Joel, and finally the violins with Melody Gumbley and Trudi Miles.

We extend heartfelt thanks to our dedicated piano accompanist Cindy Xia, whose musical support has been invaluable. While Cindy will be taking a well-deserved break to welcome the next generation of Suzuki students, she has assured us of her return—and we can’t wait to welcome her back. Congratulations, Cindy!

It is a privilege and joy for the Hamilton Branch to continue offering events that not only nurture musical growth but also character development. As Dr. Suzuki said:
“What is man’s ultimate direction in life? It is to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty.”

We are proud to be part of a community where these values are brought to life through music, learning, and shared experiences. Below are some photos from our Annual Concert.

Community

Suzuki teacher Anna-Marie Alloway ran the Cello Collective Cello Retreat in Hamilton this year.

 Luke Chen (who is the Resident Artist for Cello Collective Cello Retreat) from a recent concert.

Chen Family Ensemble (playing at the Cello Collective Cello Retreat) ~ Fun for the four siblings to play together as always! Luke, Hosanna & Psalm do Suzuki cello and also play piano, while Arielle learns Suzuki violin and also plays harp. It has been fantastic to be involved in the Suzuki music community, and having music enriching their lives. 

Luke Chen designed another original artwork for Cello Collective Cello Retreat. This year the art was turned into stickers that could found everywhere! People put them on the normal instrument cases, music folders and laptops, but were also found on t-shirts, bags, mugs and chocolate wrappers. 

Cello and cherry blossom both exude beauty & elegance.
The latter also symbolises reflection & renewal, which can be expressed through cello music.

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Northland

Branch Report

Summarised by Journal editor November 2025

A number of successful activities were held during the year, including piano and guitar workshops at Dora’s Studio. In addition, a violin performance took place on 30 November 2025 at the Turner Centre, ahead of the Bay of Islands Singers concert. The performance featured 16 students from Fiona’s, Sophie’s, and Felicity’s studios, along with two former Suzuki students now based in Auckland.

Upcoming Camp

A Northland–Auckland Joint Camp is scheduled to take place in Ruakaka in January 2026. By November over 58 violin students had enrolled. This will be the first joint camp held between the Northland and Auckland branches in a considerable time and has generated strong interest and enthusiasm within the community.

Looking Ahead

We are optimistic about the activities planned for 2026, particularly the joint camp and continued engagement in workshops and performances.

| NSZI Northland Branch

Tauranga

Branch report

November 2026

We are still working through how to effectively financially join with Hamilton Branch. We hugely appreciate Hamilton Branch being so inclusive of our teachers and members.

In Term 4 we organised a parent talk with Fleur Chee in Tauranga, which was open to combined Hamilton and Tauranga based members and parents. This was a fantastic afternoon attended by a small but enthusiastic number of 4 teachers and 5 parents. Fleur talked about Suzuki philosophy, the development of the Suzuki way of teaching and Doctor Suzuki’s Mother Tongue approach. The second half of Fleur’s talk focussed on how parents can best help their children with practice – The Three R’s – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

We split the 2 talks with a shared afternoon tea which was a great way to chat informally together and with Fleur.

| NSZI Tauranga Branch