16 I grew up in a family where music was not only heard but was the centre of our daily life. My home was always full of sounds, with scores everywhere, and conversations around concerts and rehearsals, as they were part of the family agenda, and our days were organised around those events. My father and my brothers are musicians, and soon I followed that example as well. I am now aware that we were a very Suzuki family, music was not just an activity, it was the essence of our life. Despite this total immersion in the musical world, my true pedagogical inspiration did not come directly from music studies. It was thanks to two teachers, my literature teacher, and my German teacher. Through them, I discovered the value of the pedagogical vocation, I discovered that teaching was not about pouring knowledge into the students, it was about transmitting the love and beauty of the subjects from the essence of themselves. So, I can say that they were the ones who awakened in me the passion for teaching. The first time I heard about the Suzuki Method was thanks to embarking on work and realizing that I had no idea where to start, and thanks to that feeling of anguish, the search began. And in that search, it was Arantza López, with whom I began my training, who took me to a Suzuki children's course in England, which marked a starting point in my teaching life. I remember how, while playing “French Folk Song” surrounded by children, the energy and emotion were so deep and so different from what I had always experienced, and I felt the need to continue training. The Suzuki Method showed me that music is much more than playing notes correctly; it is a way of expression, of deep communication, and the most important, sharing something beautiful with others. Since then, I have been fortunate to dedicate myself to teaching music to children, and I cannot imagine a more rewarding job. Working with them allows me to learn from them every day, and their inexhaustible energy and spontaneity are a constant source of inspiration for me. During this journey, there have been many teachers and colleagues who have supported, taught and inspired me. However, I must mention Arantza López, Chantal Latil and Rubén Rivera, who were my trainers, and each of them, with their very different essences, marked my way of understanding the Suzuki Method with their vocation. Not only cellists marked this path, but violinists such as Wilfried and Veerle Van Gorp, Wim Meuris or Koen Rens, from their close proximity have shown me a very inspiring Suzuki soul. As an instructor, I have been lucky enough to observe how my mentor, Eulàlia Subirà, transmits not only to families and students, but also to teachers in training, her passion and enthusiasm for music and the Suzuki Method. Another of my lucky things is my wife, together with her, as a Suzuki mother, I have experienced how children of different ages develop, how practices really work at home, how the role of Suzuki families develops with the growth of the children, and what it means and implies to be a large family in a Suzuki summer course. Having this vision from the other vertex of the triangle has allowed me to model my way of teaching, with a more realistic vision of the situation. In addition, Maria's support has been crucial, especially in this stage as an instructor, because it is not always easy to combine being a teacher, entrepreneur, partner, mother and above all, continuing to be a person. Together with her, I have understood that teaching music is not only a transmission of technical knowledge, but a task of sharing emotions, of creating human connections and of being part of a process in which we all learn, both students, families and teachers. And, in that sense, I could not feel more fortunate to be able to live and share this passion with everyone around me, and to be creating it within our school, VOLUTA Escola de Música. In each of my classes, I try to pay attention on the emotion of that first time I cried playing “French Folk Song,” and I try to keep that feeling alive in each child who plays their first notes with a heart full of emotion. 2024 Teacher Trainer Appointments Regina Fuentes Gimeno VIOLONCELLO, SPAIN Music as a model for life and learning: My experience with the Suzuki Method
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