The Suzuki community in Mexico has shown great growth in the promotion and development of the Suzuki Method in its country. The Asociación Mexicana del Método Suzuki (AMMS) is composed of teachers, students, Suzuki academies, and a Board of Directors led by Araceli Lugo Oliva as president, Leslie Mizrahi in Administration, Víctor Martínez in Education, Susana Manjarrez in Festivals, Armando Hidalgo in Events and Ernesto García in Communication. Our community is united through projects, meetings, festivals, concerts, and training to develop musical education in children and young people, and it serves as a manifestation of the work carried out by each of the teachers. We would like to share some of the most relevant recent projects that have contributed to this great growth, spanning from teacher training to raise the musical level of students, to the participation of families to generate coexistence and increased motivation.
AMMS Suzuki Diploma “Path to Excellence"
It was a priority to start promoting the training of teachers to strengthen the teaching-learning process. Therefore, a continuous training program was designed to acquire technical and pedagogical tools: The “Suzuki Diploma Path to Excellence” began in February 2022. In this course, teachers are accompanied by a Teacher Trainer for 18 months alongside their students, with the purpose of growing and achieving better development together. The results of this program have been wonderful and considerably successful.
Screenshot from the AMMS Suzuki Diploma “Path to Excellence”
To date, several groups of teachers have been formed in the instruments of guitar, violin, piano, and cello, recently completing their first generation. The Teacher Trainers who have joined this project are Diana Chagalj, Patricia Pasmanter, Aubrey Faith-Slaker, Joaquín Olivares, Fernando Piñero, and Miguel Aguirre.
Suzuki Orchestras Mexico
As we have mentioned, the AMMS has the great task of promoting and developing the Suzuki methodology, as well as seeking training and development spaces for teachers and students. The Suzuki Orchestras Mexico were created to recognize the work of teachers, students, parents, and recognized academies, seeking primarily to strengthen the musical level of the students and the public visibility of each one. The orchestras additionally facilitate the creation of bonds of cooperation, communication, and coexistence for a more solid Suzuki community as a living example for others.
Orchestra of Suzuki Teachers, directed by Juan Pablo Luna.
The teachers’ orchestra also has a great stage presence and its objective is to integrate the teachers, to implement the philosophy of the Suzuki Method, and to inspire parents, Suzuki students, as well as society in general through their performances. The orchestra strives to create an environment of unity and collaboration among its players.
The growth of the orchestras is accomplished by the diligent study of their participants. Over the course of six months, virtual sessions are organized every week to review pieces, followed by in-person work at festivals and camps, where musicians assemble and perform concerts. All participants are accompanied during the season by outstanding teachers, and choral activity is added as a complement, directed by Ernesto García Velasco. Under the coordination of Mildred Martínez, Emil Russ, and Araceli Lugo Oliva, five orchestras have been formed as a result of the great work beginning in December 2021 until now, performing concerts and presentations in the most important theaters of the country.
Promotion of AMMS Teachers’ Projects
Another project worth highlighting is the development of projects proposed by AMMS teachers, which began in November 2021. These are primarily focused on the development of learning, study, and practice, as well as the coexistence and meeting of families to generate motivation in them and have a relevant impact on students. The teachers’ proposals are presented in an annual work plan, to be programmed and organized during all the months of the year. Serving as the coordinators of the events, each team invests a great deal of work and energy in their projects. All the instruments have carried out different types of events. Some of the most outstanding include:
- Teachers’ study circles: Violin, Cello, Guitar, Piano, Flute, Viola, Double Bass, and Brass.
- Internal academy recitals: Transverse Flute, Cello, Violin, and Guitars.
- Lectures: Guitars, Cello, Violin, and Viola
- Training courses for low-demand instruments: Viola and Brass
- Meetings of students and teachers by instrument (see below).
International Cello Festival 2023
AMMS welcomes the Suzuki Communities from Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Peru, USA, and Mexico for its International Cello Festival 2023. It was an enriching event for all. Over the span of five days, we enjoyed great camaraderie, as well as master and group classes, orchestra for students and teachers, enrichment courses, lectures, student recitals, a group class concert, and a closing concert with the cello orchestras “Pau Casals” and “Jaqueline du Pré.” For these performances, students, teachers, and coaches joined together for a beautiful concert of more than seventy cellos.
International Cello Festival 2023.
It took place in landmark venues in Mexico City, such as the School of Fine Arts of the Universidad Panamericana, the Juan Rulfo Cultural Center and the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center.
The training and classes were given by the Teacher Trainers Tanya Carey, Patricia Pasmanter, and Andrea Espinzo, and teachers such as Daniel Saenz, Matías Estigarribia and Gabriela Peirano organized the classes. The organization was overseen by the cello committee and the teachers Patricia Pasmanter and Araceli Lugo Oliva.
International Guitar Meeting
The guitar community in Mexico is growing more and more, and so are the trained guitar teachers. An emotional meeting was held on November 18 and 19, 2023 at the Escuela de Iniciación a la Música y a la Danza del Centro Cultural Ollin Yoliztli, Mexico City. The teachers received for the first time the enrichment course “Guitar Ensemble with Suzuki Method,” as well as workshops, lectures, and complementary activities for families. Students participated in master classes, group classes, and ensemble classes. Two beautiful concerts were held during this meeting: the opening and closing, where fifty-two guitars were assembled on stage to play the most representative pieces of the Suzuki repertoire, inside the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center, Mexico City.
The event included Teacher Trainers Zeah Riordan, Mary Luo Roberts, Diana Chagalj, Juaquín Olivares, and Víctor Martínez Gardoqui. Other featured teachers were Emil Russ, Victor Arrieta, Ricardo Castilla, Gerardo Arriaga, Jorge Priego, Aime Mendoza, and Omar Majino from Peru. The guest speakers were Karen Zúñiga, Athena Alin, Alma Ochoa, and Diana García, and the entire event was organized by Karla Sierra, Víctor Martínez Gardoqui, and Araceli Lugo Oliva.
Meeting of AMMS Recognized Academies
We must also mention the Recognized Academies of the AMMS, organizations that work every day to promote the method in Mexico, taking families by the hand to develop Suzuki musical education in students. Their great work strengthens the Suzuki community in Mexico. It is especially important to value their work, so a meeting was held where most of them gathered to share experiences, as well as various activities and presentations, closing in a concert with the presentation of awards for their great work. This meeting filled all the directors with energy and motivation to move forward in their mission.
Suzuki Intercultural Exchanges
The AMMS has various projects currently in progress with the purpose of uniting teachers, children, youth, and families within the country and abroad through a compatible and friendly exchange to share teachings, learning, traditions, customs, and culture of each locality, city, state, or country through music. Some tests have been made to document them to thereby provide the best support for their momentum and development. This project is currently in process, and it will be announced when we have the necessary elements in place to carry it out.
3rd Mexican Suzuki Method Encounter 2022
3rd Mexican Suzuki Method Encounter 2022
This was a meeting full of love, joy, learning, and lots of music. It took place in August 2022 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, with the participation of more than 600 students and teachers along with their families, who accompanied them. For all of us, it was one of the best experiences of music, after a pandemic that left everyone learning the unity and solidarity to start a new stage.
All of these efforts are in hopes of continuing to build, as Shinichi Suzuki said, “A better world through music.”
Araceli Lugo Oliva is a Mexican woman who was awarded an Honoris Causa Doctorate, with a Master’s degree in Education and a Postgraduate degree in Psychomotor Skills. She is an SECE level 4 teacher, the Director of Basic Education Programs in Hidalgo State, Mexico, the Director of Juan Pablo ll Elementary, Middle and Secondary School, and the President of the Mexican Association of the Suzuki Method. Araceli is a woman of dreams and projects, which she shares with her family and the communities of Juan Pablo ll and the Mexican Suzuki Association.
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