Ms. Lamar D. Blum

A Suzuki violin teacher for over 30 years, Lamar Blum was introduced to Suzuki Method in 1963. Since that time, she has established a Suzuki studio in Elgin, Illinois for violin, viola, cello, hiring highly qualified teachers in each area. As director and teacher, Lamar organizes and administrates the activities of the Elgin program along with teaching her own students. Maintaining an organized program and communicating with parents are high priorities. In the broader Suzuki community, Lamar has served a three-year term on the board of directors for Suzuki Association of the Americas. She has also been an SAA committee chair & co-chair for the National Conference, has been a speaker for the Leadership Conferences and has contributed several articles to the American Suzuki Journal, the summer Minijournal and Suzuki World magazines. She has been an institute teacher at several institutes across the country (both summer & weekend) and was director of the Montana Suzuki Strings Institute for 15 years. In the Elgin community, Lamar helped found an arts organization and acted as treasurer for four years. She has also been active in Women in Management serving as various committee chairs. She was recognized by this group for her entrepreneurship in 1992. As a member of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra for three decades, Lamar served on the players’ council for ten years of those years. She was involved in contract negotiations on two occasions. She was the first person to recognize the need for children’s concerts in Elgin helping to organize the initial programs. Upon retiring, she was honored by the ESO League as a Musical Treasure of Elgin. Since that time, Lamar has been Principal second violinist in the Judson Civic Orchestra and played with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. Lamar and husband, John, have raised two daughters involved in Suzuki education. The philosophy has given them a guideline for parenting and setting priorities in life.