29 Dr. Haruko Kataoka in Europe 1980-1994 Stephen Power European Conference, Wall Hall, UK. 4 - 9 April 1983 Dr. Suzuki led the Violin course, and Mrs. Kataoka the course for Piano. There were Piano teachers from Sweden, France, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Israel, Iceland, Finland, Scotland, England, Denmark, Netherlands, and England. ‘She can reach beyond the technical fault to find the tension, metal or physical which is preventing one from playing ‘with a beautiful tone’, and offer ways to overcome the block. Very often she finds similar problems in several people - and isn’t it comforting to know that one isn’t alone in one's faults? But the repetition of similar advice to different people may seem strange to newcomers to the Suzuki Method The paradox is that “We are all the same” and yet “We are all different”, so the same point may be made to several people, but no two people receive exactly similar instruction.’ Lucy Ann Palmer, extract from article ‘Piano Workshop 1983’, BSI Newsletter, June 1983. In 1983 Esther Lund Madsen goes to Matsumoto in the Summer to study with Mrs. Kataoka then starts a piano programme in Denmark with 12 students upon her return. ‘Mrs. Kataoka was an excellent teacher from whom I learned incredibly much. She is a very competent person with great authority and further to that she is a very warm human being. Especially, I found it very interesting to follow the education of the very little ones. Technically, everything is arranged quite perfectly from the beginning, and thus they acquire very quickly the small pieces of music from Volume 1 with which they are acquainted by having listened to them. Esther Lund Madsen, ESA Journal, May 1984 By the end of the decade, several teachers had travelled to Japan to study with Mrs. Kataoka, usually staying between one month and three, who then went on to start teacher training courses in their own country - Anne Marie Obbereit in Belgium, Esther Lund Madsen in Denmark, Caroline Gowers joined Anne Turner in leading the course in the UK, while Ruth Miura moved to France and started a course which, like the BSI course, attracted teachers from beyond the borders of France. After several years study with Mrs. Kataoka, Huub de Leeuw returned to Europe in 1985 and went on to start teacher training in the Netherlands. 7th European Conference, Finland. 27 March - 6 April 1986 Dr. Suzuki was present, and there were piano teachers from across Europe. European Piano Teachers Course Stowe School, UK. 1988 This was the last visit of Mrs. Kataoka to the UK, once again organized by Anne Turner and Ruth Miura. Stowe school was a former stately home, with gardens by Capability Brown. Mrs. Kataoka alludes to this visit in her book ‘Sensibility And Education’. Ruth Miura had secured two Bosendorfer Grand Pianos, supplied and maintained by the now famous concert technician Peter Salisbury. Mrs. Kataoka therefore had a wonderful space and beautiful instruments, so the lessons for teachers and students were the best they could be. VIII Suzuki Method International Conference, Berlin, Germany 10 - 16 August 1987. This was a massive, well organised event, with 4,000 attendees from all over the world. The Piano Faculty included teachers from the USA (such as Bruce Anderson and Dorothy Koppelman), as well as Australia, and Europe. Lola Tavor was one of the Faculty members who also played a movement from Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto, accompanied by orchestra. Lola Tavor had began teacher training in 1985 in Geneva, with trainees from Germany and Switzerland. I had first met Lola when she attended Mrs. Kataoka’s course in the UK in 1982. Lola was introduced to us by Anne as having followed Mrs. Kataoka’s workshops for six weeks over that summer, in the USA. Lola interpreted Mrs. Kataoka’s teaching, through the prism her own vast knowledge and experience. In the Summer of 1982, at the request of Mrs. Kataoka, Lola gave a short concert for the trainee teachers where she played the Clementi ‘Spiritoso’ from Book 3 of the Suzuki repertoire, followed by a vivid and expert performance of the Appassionata Sonata by Beethoven. It was easy to see from the look on her face, that Mrs. Kataoka was thrilled by these performances. 2nd International Piano Basics Workshop, Brussels, April 1994. You can read my contemporaneous report, ‘Impressions of the Piano Workshop, Brussels, April 1994’, by Stephen Power, online in the ESA journal Volume 14, 1994, on the ESA website. The following is a paraphrase of Mrs. Kataoka’s thoughts from this event. I feel they still have a strong resonance and relevance, 30 years on. ‘Throughout this workshop I am happy to notice that teachers are serious about music education for young children. From all over the world, Europe, America, and Japan - you are all here for the same purpose - the music education of children. I am really touched. Education is important but, to keep human life going, education is not the only thing. It is one contribution to the quality of life. I really value the seriousness of each individual person who has a role. Even if the role is small, we must each carry out our role carefully and together the world will become a better place for children. Art is a wonderful gift from God. In reality every person cannot become a King or Queen, but in the world of art we can feel this way. To be able to develop children with the ability to enjoy this wonderful feeling, we must protect their rights. The world has become smaller. It is easier to communicate throughout the world compared to just a few years ago. Because it is easier, please make a special effort to contact each other and work together for a better world for the children.’ Newsletter 1996-1.1, Suzuki Piano Basics
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