to nurture - east carolina...

Vol. 22.3 May/June 2017

To fac i l i ta te , promote , and educate the publ ic on the way of teaching and p lay ing the p iano taught a t the Talent Educat ion Research Inst i tute in Matsumoto, Japan by Dr . Haruko Kataoka

To Nurture (Seeing How Children with

Special Needs Are Educated)

By Haruko Kataoka

From the Matsumoto Suzuki Piano Newsletter Vol. 5 No 2, July 24, 1995

Translated by Chisa Aoki and Teri Paradero

Edited by Karen Hagberg

I saw awonderful television program awhileback that I felt was very special andunforgettable. It showcased a facility thateducated special needs children from allaround Japan. The program featured fourchildren (allaround10yearsold)withmentalretardationandateacherwhowas intrainingforoneschoolsemester.Inthebeginning,allfourofthestudentswereunable to do anything because they weresurroundedbyoverprotectivepeoplewhodideverything for them. As a way to strengthenthemphysically, their first lesson consistedoftillingthesoilinafield.

Piano Basics Foundation News

Editor Karen Hagberg

Layout

Teri Paradero

Translators Chisa Aoki

Teri Paradero

Production and Distribution Linda Nakagawa

Send Articles to: Piano Basics Foundation

67 Shepard St. Rochester NY 14620 kh@hagbergsuzuki.com

585-244-0490

Memberships / Subscriptions Linda Nakagawa

242 River Acres Drive Sacramento, CA 95831

916-422-2952 g.nakagawa@comcast.net

Next Deadline: June 30, 2017

Itonlytookthemoneortwotriesoftillingthesoilbeforetheywouldthrowdowntheirtoolsin frustration. They did not have a single iotaofperseveranceortheabilitytoputforthanysort of effort. The teacher stated, “They areabletoconcentrateforonly15seconds.”Theywouldcryandwailthattheydidn’twanttodoit.Theywouldbitetheteacher’shandor headbutt him. Still the teacher continuedpatientlytoguidethem.Besides cultivating the field, they werechallengedtoclimbpoleswithbarefeetandtojump rope. Every activity was met withscreamingprotestsfromeverychild.When a child would bite, the teacher wouldbitethembackandaskedif ithurt.Whenthechildadmitted that ithurt, the teacherwouldsay,“Thenyouhavetostopbiting.”Similarly,ifa child would butt his head into teacher, hewould slam back immediately and asked if ithurt.Inevitablythechildagreedandwouldbetold that it was a good reason to stop headbutting.Furthermore,whenaskedtosay,“Iwillstop,”outloud,theywereaskedtosayitrepeatedlyuntil they could say it well. At night, saying“goodnight”wasalsoanexerciseinrepetitionuntiltheycouldsayitwell.Littlebylittle,theyalsoincreasedthedistanceoftheirdailyrun.Theteacherrannexttothemwhilecheeringandencouragingthemtokeepgoing.One day, one of the students who ran byhimselfreversedcoursejustasheapproachedthe finish line andwent back to the teacher.The teacher understood right away and said,“Youdidn’tgoallthewaytothefinish lineasyouweresupposedto.You’vegottorunagainfrom the beginning.” So the 3-4 kilometercoursehadtoberepeated.

However,thistimetheteacherranthecoursewiththestudent.Iwassomovedbyhisaction.Thisiswhatrealeducationshouldbe!Itisnotonly by saying but also by doing what isdifficult with the students that results instudentswhowillworkhardregardlessofhowstrictyoumaybe.Whentheyevaluatedthetimeforthecourse,they found out that the student was muchfaster thanthe first time.Theteacherpraisedhim, “You have so much strength!” allowingthestudenttheopportunityexperiencethejoyofaccomplishment.The reason for education at this school is togive children the ability to improvethemselves. To teach children, theremust belove, patience and perseverance. Repeatingwhat is good with conviction, tenacity andstrictness results in great joy asonedevelopsandprogressesinlife.Bytheendofoneschoolterm,allfourchildrencouldjumpropefiftytimeswheninitiallytheyhad a meltdown over just once or twice oftrying to jump rope. Theywere able to climbthe pole, when in the beginning they couldnot.Seeingthis,Iwasconvincedthatwhetherachild ismentallychallengedornormal,eventhoughthetypeofactivitymaydiffer,thereisnodifferencewhenitcomestonurturingwithlove, patience and perseverance. Thechallengeofnurturingisthesame.

Perhaps the fact that mentally challengedchildren start from being unable to doanything makes it easier to define the mostimportantBasicsoflearningforhumanbeingsand thereby to be able to offer good solideducationtothem.With normal children, who are able to dosome things, the Basics of learning areforgottenandconsidered tobeuseless,wheninreality, it isthosewhodotheteachingwho

have forgotten that they are the ones whomust do the grunt work of exerting effort.Laying blame on children for inabilities orcalling the Basics of education useless iswrong.

All children are so wonderful. It is just thattheyneedgoodadultswhowillnurture theminastrictanddisciplinedmanner.Theworkofbringingupwonderfulchildrenisanimportantandtrulyrewardingwork.Thoseofuswhoarearoundchildren,letusallbegoodadults.

Suzuki Piano Basics Board Appoints New Members

AtourmeetinginApril,theBoardofSuzukiPianoBasicsFoundationappointedtwonewmemberstoserve 3-year terms beginning August 2017. We are pleased to welcome Patricia Pritchard ofLafayette, Louisiana and Connie Snyder of Salem, Oregon. Patricia will serve as Secretary of theBoard, succeeding Hannah Hall. We thank Hannah for her service as Secretary and are happy toannouncethatshe,alongwithotherpresentBoardmembersBruceBoiney,KarenHagberg,andLindaNakagawawillremainintheirpositions.BothPatriciaandConniehavealonghistorywithSuzukiPianoBasics,havingstudiedwithDr.KataokaandcontinuingtoresearchwithJapaneseteachersregularlytothepresenttime.WearethrilledthattheyhaveagreedtojoinusontheBoardoftheFoundation,whosesolepurposeistopreserveandpromoteDr.Kataoka’sSuzukiPianoBasicsMethodandtocontinuetheinternationalexchangethatithasfosteredbetweenJapanandthecountrieswhereitistaught.KarenHagberg,ChairSuzukiPianoBasicsFoundationBoard

Connie Snyder Salem, Oregon

Connie Snyder had her first lesson with Dr.Kataoka 35 years ago in Rexburg, Idaho, andher lifewouldneverbethesame. Sincethenshe has steadily continued study of SuzukiPiano Basics with Japanese teachers as shepursues the primary goals of helping childrenand developing the abilities taught by Dr.Kataoka and Senseis Ogiwara andKawamura.Shewelcomes the opportunity tobecome involvedwith theSuzukiPianoBasicsFoundationbecauseitpromotesDr.Kataoka’steaching and continues to provide Americanteachers the opportunity to study withteachers who are continuing Dr. Kataoka’slegacyinJapan.Connieisthemotherthreegrownchildrenandismarriedtoasoon-to-be-retiredHighSchoolBand Director. They are proud grandparentsoffivegrandchildren. Connie Snyder, Salem, Oregon

Palmintier-Pritchard Lafayette, Louisiana

Patricia Pritchard was born in Lafayette,Louisiana and studied piano performance atLouisiana State University, the University ofLouisiana,andtheAspenSchoolofMusic.ShecurrentlyresidesandmaintainsaprivatepianostudioinLafayette,Louisiana.Patriciaisofteninvited to give Suzuki Piano Basicspresentationstoyoungpianopedagogystudents at the University of Louisiana. Shemaintainsanopeninvitationforthemtocomeandobserveherteachingatherhomestudio.

In 1983, Patricia was invited to start a pianopedagogy program at the University ofLouisiana. It was during this time that shebecameinterestedinthewritingsandteachingof Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and began to research.She studied at many of the workshopssponsored by the Suzuki Association of theAmericas, and in1989whileattendingoneofthem, shewas introduced to thework of Dr.Haruko Kataoka, co-founder of Suzuki PianoBasics.Notlongafterlearningabouther,

Patricia began studying exclusively with Dr.Kataoka from 1989 until 2003. She finallymade it to Japan to observe at the last TenPiano Concert inwhich Dr. Kataoka taught in2003. Patricia currently continues to studyPianoBasicswiththeJapaneseteachers,KeikoOgiwara and Keiko Kawamura at the TeacherResearch Workshops held throughout theUnitedStateseachyear.Athome,Patriciaenjoystheincrediblesupportofherarchitect/cellisthusband,Mark,whonotonly created the space for her to teach, butalso provides encouragement to continuestudying and teaching Suzuki Piano Basics.Together they have enjoyedteaching/practicingpianowith theirdaughter,Lindsay when she was a child, and they loveperforming,puttering in theirgarden,cooking(especially for friends and family), biking, andtravelingwheneverpossible.

Patricia Palmintier-Pritchard .

Suzuki Piano Basics General Membership Meeting 2017

The meeting will be held in Sacramento during the International Suzuki Piano Basics Teacher Research Workshop, August 10-14, exact time and place to be determined. Members may propose agenda items by contacting a President Renee Eckis <reneeeckis@gmail.com>. The slate of officers to be voted in to serve in 2018 is as follows: Renee Eckis, President; Jackie Block, Vice President; Rae Kate Shen, Secretary; and Linda Nakagawa, Treasurer. Members may propose others to run for office by contacting our Nominations Chairperson, Ann Taylor <Ann@anntaylorstudio.net before August 1. We hope many of you will attend!

Attention Teachers: New Membership Renewal Guidelines

Earn Free Copies of Dr. Kataoka’s Sensibility and Education

Teachers, you have the opportunity to earnten free copies of Dr. Kataoka’sgroundbreaking book, Sensibility andEducation (a $150 value), simply by enrollingten of your families as members of SuzukiPianoBasics Foundation. Familymembershipis only $25/calendar year, and those familieswho join this fall will receive the tworemaining issues of the 2017 newsletter as abonus. We encourage family membership,because ithelpsparentsunderstandwhattheSuzuki Piano Basics Method stands for, thusfacilitating our job as teachers. Parents whohave read Dr. Kataoka’s book have an evendeeperunderstandingofwhatthis teaching isallabout.Ifyouenrollmorethantenfamilies,youwillreceivethatnumberofbooks.PLEASENOTE: At its April 2017Meeting, theSuzukiPianoBasicsFoundationBoarddecidedthat newmemberships and renewals paid byNovember30willbeincludedinthe2018

Directory. This is a reminder to all currentmembers to send in your renewal with theenclosedformnowtoavoidbeingleft out. Collecting family memberships andrememberingyourownrenewal,theBoardassumes,willbeeasieratthebeginningoftheschool year. The term of membership willremainJanuary-December.Newslettersforfamilieswillbesentinbulktotheteacher’sstudiofordistribution.Sendyournewmembershipsand renewals toLinda Nakagawa, Treasurer, Suzuki PianoBasics Foundation, 242 River Acres Drive,SacramentoCA95831.MakecheckpayabletoSuzukiPiano Basics Foundation. Thank you all for your continued support fortheworkoftheSuzukiPianoBasicsFoundation

!

Want to Apply for a Scholarship? Want to Help a Teacher Get a Scholarship?

Now is the time to contact our Scholarship Committee Chair, Hannah Hall correctthecause@gmail.com if you are interested in applying for financial help for any event conducted by the teachers from Japan in the year 2018. As the end of the summer draws near, the workshops and events for 2018 will be announced, but you may begin the application process now. And to ALL TEACHERS who will be submitting your membership renewals before November 30, please consider donating to the Scholarship Fund to help younger teachers get involved with the kind of research they need to become Suzuki Piano Basics teachers. The preservation of Dr. Kataoka’s amazing pedagogy depends on those of us who know and appreciate it. Let’s be generous!

What Are We Teaching Our Children?

By Carol Novak, Omaha, Nebraska

Whatwas the first skill your childwas taughtas a new Suzuki student? Most likely theylearnedhowtobow.Weteachersandparentsconsider the bow as preparation forperformance, a tool for developing balanceand coordination, and an indication that theSuzuki Method originated in Japan, wherebowing is a cultural habit. Just recently Irealized that bowing is teaching our childrenanimportantlifelesson.In Matsumoto, Japan, Suzuki Sensei hadstudents say, “Please teach me,” as theybowedatthebeginningoftheirlesson.Attheend of the lesson during the final bow theysaid,“Thankyouverymuch.” FormanyyearsafriendandIbothhadchildrenstudyingviolinfrom a teacher who taught Dr. Suzuki’sresponses while bowing. Through the yearsthesewordsbecameahabit likeall theotherhabitsourchildrendevelopovertime.Recentlymy friend’s daughter performed herJunior Recital at the university she attends.Aftertherecitalthevocalteacherremarkedtothemotherhowrewardingitwastoteachherdaughter. “Most students simply take theirlessons forgranted,butyourdaughter thanksme sincerely after every lesson. It is a joy toteachher.”LaterItoldthisstorytomyowndaughter,whoismajoring inmusic incollege. She lookedatme with amazement and said, “My pianoteacher tells me the same thing! I alwaysthank her for my lesson and she seems sosurprisedwhenIdothat.”I have come to the realization that we areteachingourchildrentovaluetheireducation,

to appreciate their teacher (music teachersand others as well), to show respect andadmiration for the people who are nurturingthem and helping them to grow to their fullpotential. All of this is embodied in learningandpracticingthebow.Whatawonderfullessonforlife!

Carol Novak (L) with student

Let’s Study

By Linda Nakagawa

August 10-14, 2017 is the date for theupcoming Sacramento International SuzukiPianoBasicsWorkshop.Weareagainhonoredto have Keiko Ogiwara Sensei and KeikoKawamuraSenseiteachthemasterclasses.Repetitionissoimportant.WhenIfirststartedmy studies with Kataoka Sensei, I did notunderstand anything. Actually, I understoodand appreciated her teaching but I did notknow how to transfer the knowledge to myownteaching.Frommyown“traditional”wayoflearning,Icouldnotgrasphowoneteachercould have an entire studio full of studentswhocouldplaywithsuchconfidenceandabletobringthebestsoundfromthepiano.Ionlyhad one choice. I had to study asmuch as Icouldwithher.AndbecauseIdidnotwanttogo to Japan, Iwent to asmanyworkshops asshe taught in America. I was hungry anddriven, but I also had a cultural prejudice.‘Whydowehavetobowbeforeandafterthelesson?’ Itseemed likesuchaJapanesethingto do. Yes, I am third generation JapaneseAmerican so shouldn’t there be somethinginnately in me that I could feel comfortablebowing?Nope!IttookmemanylessonswithherbeforeIcouldstartmystudentsbowinginmy own studio. With that small but veryimportant detail I learned a lot about myselfandothers.Learning how to teach in the way KataokaSensei taught is a lifelong journey. It is sodifferent. Even after more than 30 years ofstudyingandteaching,Ifindmyselfgettinglostandwanderingonanotherpath.

I am so grateful that Ogiwara Sensei andKawamura Sensei continue to come toAmerica.Theyofferajoltofhardrealitytome.Afteraweeklongworkshopwiththem I feel refueled and I sense that I mustworkharder formystudents. My tone isnotgood enough! If my sound doesn’t improvehowcanIexpectitfrommystudents!I’mnotsureifIcanmakeittoPhiladelphiafortheirworkshop,but Iwill certainly try even ifonly for a few days. Of course, I will bestudyingattheSacramentoworkshop.IhopebothworkshopsarecrowdedwithPianoBasicsteachers wanting to learn more. Hopefully,there will be Suzuki and traditional teachersinterested in learning how Kataoka Senseitaught at the Talent Education ResearchInstitute in Matsumoto, Japan. It would bewonderful ifallpianostudentscouldusetheirbody in themostnaturalway, toproducethebestsoundfromthepianoandplaywithease.This can only happen if the teachers showthem.Studentsareourmirrorimage.Complacencyispoison! Place:CaliforniaStateUniversity,Sacramento(CapistranoHall–MusicBuildingRoom151)Sacramento,California95819Thursday-Monday,August10-14,2017Formoreinformationcontact:LindaNakagawag.nakagawa@comcast.net

Closing address by Linda Nakagawa at the 5th Sacramento Suzuki Piano Basics International 10-Piano Concert, August 18, 2007. Keiko Ogiwara on the right.

Karen Hagberg 191 Pleasant Way Penfield, NY 14526

Piano Basics Foundation

Upcoming Workshops/Events

Suzuki Piano Basics Web Site and discussion group:

http://core.ecu.edu/hist/wilburnk/SuzukiPianoBasics

The events listed above are for the information of Suzuki Piano Basics Foundation members and others. Suzuki Piano Basics Foundation does not endorse, sanction, or sponsor events.

To add or change items on this list and on the Suzuki Piano Basics website, contact

Karen Hagberg (kh@hagbergsuzuki.com, 585-978-0600).

Correction to the Directory

July 7-10, 2017 Tacoma, Washington Suzuki Piano Basics Festival

with Rae Kate Shen Contact: Jacki Block 253-759-7213

jblock@ups.edu

August 3-7, 2017 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Suzuki Piano Basics International Teacher Training Workshop with Keiko Kawamura and Keiko Ogiwara

Contact: Janet Kaido 267-251-0429 janet@alumni.curtis.edu

August 10-14, 2017 Sacramento, California

Suzuki Piano Basics International Teacher Training Workshop with Keiko Kawamura and Keiko Ogiwara Contact: Linda Nakagawa 916-422-2952

g.nakagawa@comcast.net