European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 36 2016

18 Suzuki in Zimbabwe: How it all began Ivy Decker Jones “Do you think you are in Africa to teach Maths or PE?” my pastor asked me. “No, you are here to share your gift of music.” A year later, in 2005, Maggie Giles, a Music Teacher at the International School of Tanzania visited Harare Inter- national School, Zimbabwe for a job in- terview. During the interview, she outlined her experience of initiating a Suzuki program in Tanzania and her intention to do the same in Zimbabwe. The Director at Ha- rare International School (knowing that I was a violinist) called me to his office during the interview and asked me if I would be interested in such an endeav- our. My answer was yes! That same year, Harare International School sponsored Michele Higa George, SAA Violin Teacher Trainer, to come to Zimbabwe to train Violin Teachers in the Suzuki Method™. I was one of the first trainees in this Teacher Training program. In 2008 I started teaching Suzuki Violin to 22 orphan children on Saturday mornings in the Church Orphanage with the help of a donation of violins from the USA and Tinotenda Chikoto, who had done some ESA Suzuki Violin Teacher training in South Africa. The children excelled from the outset and received an Award at a National Music Festival in their first year. Since then, they have regularly per- formed in church, local schools, old peo- ple’s homes and other community cen- tres and these Suzuki children continue to be a shining light in the Harare com- munity. As part of my job at Harare Interna- tional School, I travelled to Italy on a school tour in 2006. Whilst there, I was inspired with a vision of bringing Zimbabwean violinists to perform there. Funding came from generous donors in our church and community with particular support from Pastor Bonnie Deuschle. After six years of planning and fundraising, the dream was realised and the Celebration Chil- dren’s Orchestra of Zimbabwe per- formed in Italy in June 2012. After this tour, the demand for more Suzuki Violin lessons became appar- ent and I began to teach full time at Harare International School. At the same time, Amy Macy, Suzuki Cello Teacher arrived in Zimbabwe. Amy was both a Suzuki parent and an SAA Suzuki Teacher from the USA and introduced Play-a-Thons and an An- nual National Suzuki Concert in Zim- babwe. Under the leadership of a Suzuki parent Mara Galante, a strong group of dedicated Zimbabwe par- ents have helped support the Na- tional Concerts and Play-a-Thons. This same group of parents also host and cater for Suzuki Teacher Training weeks. Africa falls within the region of the European Suzuki Association (ESA), and in February 2014, Helen Brunner, ESA Violin Teacher Trainer visited Harare from the UK for a week to see what was happening in Zimbabwe with the Suzuki Method™. Helen had expected to see perhaps twenty to thirty students but found that they kept coming and coming……over 130 Suzuki Violinists! The ESA recognised the good work that had been done by Suzuki Teachers from the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) in bringing the Suzuki Method™ to Zimbabwe and the time had come for the ESA to build on this foundation and give Zimbabwe access to funding from the European Suzuki Teaching Development Trust (ESTDT) to train more Suzuki Teach- ers. It was also the time for Zimbabwe to set up a national Suzuki association and become a country member of the ESA – the second country in Africa to do so, with South Africa being the first in 2004. In June 2015, Karen-Michele Kimmett, ESA Violin Teacher Trainer came to Zim- babwe from Canada and gave a short Introductory Course on the Suzuki Method™ to nine interested teachers. Before her return to the USA this year, Amy Macy worked with Karen-Michele Kimmett to ensure the establishment of the first ESA Level 1 Teacher Training Course in Zimbabwe. The process of founding a national Suzuki association in Zimbabwe (ZIMSA) is near- ing completion with Founder Board Members being Catherine Stirling, Owen Chimuka, Shirley Warhost, Thembani Mhambi, Vinita Goyel and myself. The journey continues!! ESA = European Suzuki Association (Europe Middle East & Africa) SAA = Suzuki Association of the Americas (North and South America)