European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 38 2018

15 2018 European Teachers’ Convention Iceland Edmund Sprunger I f you missed the ESA conference in Iceland, I’m sorry. You missed some really good smoked salmon. In addition, there were lovely con- versations with colleagues over coffee and crème brûlée. As wonderful as these connections and food were, a conference is more than a social function; it’s a time to engage with ideas, and this conference had no shortage of powerful ideas to chew on. There were several that really stuck out to me. One that I noticed was a desire to maintain Suzuki’s core values at the same time that we work to accom- modate the contemporary lives we inhabit. I found several colleagues who were interested in moving be- yond the superficial “Oh, isn’t Suzu- ki wonderful,” and really aiming to get at dealing with profound teach- ing challenges in new ways. Another idea that struck me was our host country’s commitment to music. This was evident in the mar- vellous student performances on Friday evening. Later in the con- ference, Haukur Hannesson’s presentation on the Icelandic gov- ernment’s impressive support of community music schools was inspiring. I was delighted to see several presentations that gave great re- spect to the experience of the child. Martin Ruttiman’s keynote presentation, for example, demonstrated a value of thinking from the perspective of the child. In his comments on group class teaching, Koen Rens made several references to the ways in which his experience as a child in group classes has informed his approach to teaching. One of the revolu- tionary ideas behind the Suzuki Approach was paying attention to the child’s point of view, and I was moved to see this idea front and center. Finally, it can only be a positive move that Suzuki conferences are featuring presentations such as Patricia Ruttiman’s, which spoke to the value of Suzuki Early Child- hood Education (SECE). As a child therapist, I often think SECE is one of the most profoundly posi- tive experiences a parent—and therefore child—can have in life. The other sessions—too many to list in a brief report—were also inspiring. Every session had at least one idea to take home. Being a Suzuki teacher is incredi- bly rewarding, but it can also pre- sent enormous challenges. Over- coming these challenges becomes more and more possible by know- ing that we are not working alone. This conference was a chance to get together with oth- ers who share our purpose. I am grateful to Sarah Buckley for inviting me to participate in the conference and for her efforts and those of everyone else in- volved in organizing a conference that went as smoothly as any con- ference I’ve ever attended. Edmund Sprunger, Edward Kreitman and Haukur F Hannesson