European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 36 2016

11 S hortly after Easter, during the week- end of 15th – 17th of April, the 2016 European Suzuki Teachers’ Convention took place in the beautiful Polish city of Gdansk. Although most of the Teachers had to move their classes in order to participate, an impressive number of them had registered. Young an old, less or more experienced, everybody gathered with the promise of a weekend full of inspiration and back-to-the-roots-Suzuki- Philosophy. After Registration in the splendid Scandic Hotel, we all gathered in the impressive European Solidarity Center for a beauti- ful opening concert with Polish Suzuki children and a moving welcome speech from Jeanne Janssens, sharing stories from her time in Matsumoto. Tove De- treköy would have been her co-speaker but sadly enough could not make it. Now that Dr Suzuki is no longer with us in body (although always in spirit) the deci- sion was made to invite most the speak- ers from amongst those who knew him. They talked about their time with Dr Su- zuki, how they studied with him and how they experienced being with this great personality. Dr. Suzuki really changed many people's life quite drastically. We heard about his dedication, his gen- erosity and also how demanding he was. European Suzuki Teachers’ Convention Poland Koen Rens Very beautiful and wise words came from Satako Hoshino and her daughter Yoko translating for her. Once more it became clear how hard Dr Suzuki worked, and how much intense dedication is a part of the Suzuki approach. We enjoyed contributions from Jeanne Janssens, Helen Brunner, Hau- kur Hannesson, Satoko Hoshino, Christophe Bossuat, Caroline Fraser, Anja Maja, Marja Leena Mäkilää, Fe- licity Lipman, Anna Kapka and Beata Dettlaff, Marco Messina, Juan Carlos Navarro, Elena Enrico, Karen Kim- mett, Sven Sjögren, Anna Podhajska and myself, Koen Rens. Most colleagues would agree that, apart from the wonderful lectures, maybe the best part of such a conference is meeting old and new friends and sharing ideas and insights with colleagues who care for similar values. A very special children’s solo concert took place in the fantastic Town Hall of Gdansk. Although the audience has experience with young children playing well, we were overwhelmed by the musicality, the virtuosity and the joy of the Polish Suzuki children. In an uncompromising way, this concert proved what excellent standard can be reached with the Suzuki Method and most of us were moved to tears. The conference closed with a heart- warming speech from Caroline Fraser from Peru about how the Suzuki Method is now changing lives in South America too. It was an exceptional conference, full of Suzuki spirit. We have much to be grateful for. The ESA wishes to thank the organisers Anna Podhajska, ESA Violin Teacher Trainer, Poland and Koen Rens, ESA Violin Teacher Trainer, Belgium and their team for their vision and hard work in putting this convention together. Living and working in the Spirit of Dr Suzuki