6 European Suzuki Teachers Convention 2024 Sallija Bankevica Happy to be a part of the Suzuki tribe W hen doing something for the first time, you never know what you will get from it. My first European Suzuki Teachers Convention was a wonderful experience for me and a great event. As a ‘new’ teacher in Suzuki world, I watched, listened and absorbed the passion, love and modesty of pioneer Suzuki Teachers such as Helen Brunner and Christophe Bossuat. The lecture and musical illustration presented by Koen Rens brought tears to my eyes. I felt goose bumps listening to all the Violin teachers playing Sevcik’s Variation Theme with such a sensitive and soft sound. I laughed when Daniel Fajardo made the comparison of his English studies with listening by ear. I was proud of my Lithuanian colleague Deja Aukštkalnyté for her great work in making the SUZUKI Method so revered in Kaunas Suzuki School. I admired the young generation of Suzuki Teachers and the way they use social networks to achieve wider publicity and better results. I enjoyed the Clapping Class by Hanna Matthijse and saw how kids and parents happily danced through Book 1. I got an insight into how big an impact every Suzuki teacher makes in developing the SUZUKI Method in Africa. I saw the different approaches of pretwinklers’ repertoire demonstrated by Joanne Martin, Katheleen Spring and Eva Belvelin. Everyone was grateful for Eva’s generosity in sharing her inventions for improving violin playing and offering them as gifts. I just loved to have lunch on the roof and met so many people here – I absolutely agree that sometimes the more interesting things happen between the lectures! I also enjoyed a nice walk in the historic part of the city with some friends - that was really refreshing after a long day. I really admired the work of Jan Matthiesen in organising this convention. Everything seemed so fluent, natural, and easy, where stress disappeared with a small joke. All difficulties were overcome – we just felt friendship and kindness. Finally – what a wonderful gastronomic adventure offered by the restaurants of Aarhus!
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