European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 38 2018

22 D espite being one of the small- est countries in Europe, Ice- land is probably the biggest Suzuki country in the world! In relation to the number of people, at least. The population in Iceland is approx- imately 350,000 people and there are currently 71 qualified Suzuki teachers on most of the instru- ments covered by the Suzuki meth- od. This means that there is one Suzuki teacher per 5,000 people. Interesting statistics, compared to other countries. One can ask why there are so many Suzuki teachers in such a small country and how the general musi- cal environment affects the work of these teachers? In order to find an explanation, a short look at the musical history of Iceland and the history of music education structures and opportu- nities is necessary. For centuries, Iceland was cut off from the rest of the world. As there are no forests in the country, ships could not be built, and the connection to the outer world was minimal. The climate is sub-arctic and has been, at times, harsh and difficult. Although contact with other countries was significant dur- ing medieval times, entailing a con- siderable cultural and thereby mu- sical exchange, later isolation of the country meant that currents of mu- sical development did not reach Iceland and the musical scene re- mained ‘medieval’, with old tradi- tions, that had disappeared in other European countries, being kept alive well into the 20 th century. It was not until the late 19 th century that the influences of 17 th , 18 th and 19 th century European musical de- velopment reached Iceland. Music education in the form of instrumen- tal teaching by trained music teach- ers, only became a reality in a lim- ited format at the start of the 20 th century. The very first concert with a symphony orchestra took place in Iceland in the late 1920s, and that was by a visiting orches- tra from Germany. The very first music school was started in 1911 (and wound up in 1918) in the town of Ísafjordur in Iceland’s north west region and a music school in in the capital Reykjavik came about in 1930. The term ‘music school’ is used here for an after school hours activity, that students participate in at their discretion. From humble beginnings came a great development, carried by the enthusiastic pioneers of Icelandic music life. In music education the Icelandic parliament, at the initia- tive of an enthusiastic Minister of Education Mr. Gylfi Þ. Gíslason (who was a keen amateur pianist and composer), passed a legislation in 1963, giving public financial support to music schools run by municipalities, organ- isations and individuals. This legislation entailed that 1/3 of the music school’s costs for teachers were to be covered by the local municipality, 1/3 by the Ministry of Education and 1/3 by the students’ own fees. This legislation was modified in 1976. The change meant that from that time the local municipality now covered 50% of the teachers’ wages and the Ministry of Education covered 50%. Remaining costs for running the school, where covered by the students’ fees. This legislation was modified in 1989, giving 100% of the costs for the teachers’ wages to the local municipalities. Certain principles about what constitutes as a music school, requirements for structure and content as well as ownership are also stipulated in this legislation. Music schools owned by local mu- nicipalities as well as private parties, individuals and organisations, can be supported by local government. This support is, however, at the dis- cretion of the local councils and co- vers, in most cases, only the teach- ers’ wages. Student fees are rela- tively high, compared to similar ed- ucation systems in other countries, and are in general meant to cover all other running costs of the music school in question. It is from this environment that Su- zuki teaching in Iceland has grown. A pivotal year in the development was the change in the legislation made in 1976. This sparked off the establishment of a number of new music schools around the country, which gave more children access to instrumental teaching than before. Many of today’s Suzuki teachers had the opportunity to study at these music schools as children and youths and the schools have created access to playing an instrument that wasn’t there before. The Icelandic music school system is a part of the explanation of the number of Suzuki teachers in Iceland. Iceland has today a rich musical life with a national professional sym- phony orchestra and a number of other professional music ensem- bles, a national youth orchestra and very diverse and rich music scene. Suzuki teachers in Iceland are con- tributing to this not only in their capacity as teachers, but also as performers and organisers. So, for their population size, the Icelanders have very good access to qualified Suzuki teachers who are respected in the musical community and add great value to Icelandic so- ciety. Spotlight on Iceland contd /2 A small big Suzuki Country Haukur F Hannesson