Suzuki Early Childhood Education Report

Early Childhood session at the 2008 Conference

The above photo was taken during an ECE session at the 2008 SAA Conference, Minneapolis MN. All the pictured teachers are Suzuki ECE Prenatal and Baby Teachers or trainees. Countries represented include: Canada, USA, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

SAA: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

At the 2006 SAA conference in Minneapolis, 28 teachers registered for Stage One (25 hrs)of the Suzuki Early Childhood Education: Prenatal and Baby years training. This was a new initiative of the SAA and proved to be a very exciting addition to the conference. In 2008, again Stage One was offered with 20 participants coming from New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, and Japan.

There were over 40 individual Suzuki ECE teachers (Music for Babies and Toddlers) in attendance at the conference. They gathered for a brief meeting to extend mentoring opportunities among the newer and more experienced SECE teachers. Many of the experienced teachers presented sessions at the Conference.

Topics presented to the Conference at large included:

Vision for Suzuki ECE Concerts using the common curriculum and involving hundreds of babies and toddlers.
A grandparent perspective of the impact of SECE classes
Incorporating SECE classes and training in the Summer Institute training
Team teaching in the Baby Classes
Panel discussion of smooth transition into the instrumental studio

The establishment of the Application for SAA Teacher Trainer Candidacy (Prenatal and Baby Years) Document in 2007, generated great interest among current Suzuki ECE teachers. The 5 stages of training have now been completed by 7 Suzuki ECE Teachers. They are:

Sharon Jones London Ontario
Lynn McCall, New Haven, Connecticut
Shirley Koch, Ottawa, Kansas
Wan Tsai Chen, Calgary, Alberta
Jennifer Webb, London, Ontario
Nancy Brown, Charlotte, North Carolina
Joyce Hodge, Regina, Saskatchewan

Dorothy Jones is hoping that some of these teachers will complete the application process as there is a great need for more Baby/Toddler teacher trainers. In the past 2 years, Dorothy has trained teachers in Calgary Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Ottawa Kansas, London Ontario, Minneapolis Minnesota, and Hartford Connecticut. In 2009, Dorothy has trained some 37 teachers in SECE.

Within the SAA, Maria Luisa Labarthe del Rio and Roxana del Barco who studied with Dorothy in 1999, have generated a considerable interest and following in Peru, Columbia, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba, Costa Rico, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Spain.

For further information about Suzuki Early Childhood Education go to the website: www.suzukiece.com

PPSA: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

In Australia, Dorothy was invited to establish the Suzuki ECE program in Australia and has travelled to that country many times. There now three qualified teacher trainers in Suzuki ECE (Prenatal and Baby Years). They are:

Emma O’Keefe, Western Australia
Lucy Adeney, Victoria
Natalie Bergen, Victoria

A very successful baby/toddler music program was one of the features of the 15th World Suzuki convention in Melbourne Australia in April 2009. There was also a overview lecture presented by Emma O’Keefe, Natalie Bergen and Kate Bergen on Suzuki ECE at this Convention.

The Suzuki Baby/Toddler Classes have grown and participants number in the hundreds throughout Australia and, more recently, New Zealand.

ESA: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

In 2007, The ESA nominated Dorothy as a teacher trainer in Suzuki ECE in The European Suzuki Association. Since that time the Syllabus has been written in the ESA region. In September 2007, Dorothy gave a keynote lecture to the ESA leadership retreat in Cambridge England. Numerous teachers have traveled to North America to study with Dorothy since that time. These teachers have come from Iceland, Switzerland and Italy.

ASA: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

The KinderU Suzuki Music Academy in Hong Kong, sent 2 teachers to study with Dorothy. One came to London Ontario and the other studied in Hartford Connecticut. The Suzuki Baby Toddler Program will be offered this year for the first time.

JAPAN: Baby/Toddler Training and Growth in 2008/2009

Yasuyo Matsui writes in her report about the great and growing need for Early Childhood Education in Japan. She describes the 0-3 year old and maternity course that has been implemented for two years on a trial basis.