European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 38 2018

24 I t was in January 2014 when Suzuki Piano teachers from Tallinn and Riga met mid-way in an Estonian well- known summer resort Pärnu. During the day, teachers visited a charming house in Pärnu Old Town, Pärnu Arts House, where they found an inspiring environment for a Suzuki Workshop and curious and compliant host. The idea of one-day Workshop for Su- zuki Piano students grew into an anni- versary event for Dr Suzuki’s birthday. The first Baltic Suzuki Piano students’ One Day Workshop was planned to take place in the month of October. There are not too many group events for Suzuki piano students, so the first idea was to give Suzuki pianists the possibility to come together and prac- tice group-playing. By the way, a sig- nificant point of interest about Pärnu Arts House, is that there is a music shop downstairs with a hall housing multiple keyboards to use for group playing! During the preparation period, the Finnish Suzuki teachers also took to the idea and, on 18 October 2014, the first Baltic Piano Workshop took place with 38 participants from Latvia, Finland and Estonia who all celebrated the anniversary of Dr Suzuki’s birthday with an intense but cheerful day. The Workshop in Pärnu included basic ideas of the structure of one-day work- shop: playing together, group lessons, final concert, and always a gorgeous birthday cake to finish the day. In 2015, Riga, Latvia was the next host of Baltic Suzuki pianists. Lithuanian Suzuki pianists and Michelle Post (Switzerland) joined the team. Work- shop lessons were held on mostly acoustic instruments, in a lovely music school in Riga. Already an established tradition, the next year in October 2016, the Workshop took place in Finland, in Johanneksenkoulu, Tampere. Altogether 11 keyboards were on stage for the final concert. In October 2017, the Dr Suzuki birthday anniversary event was held in Vilnius, cap- ital of Lithuania. In the Vilnius Workshop, participants were delighted to play and rehearse on brand new acoustic instruments, both upright and grand pianos. A Group lesson on 10 new grand pianos is probably the dream of every Suzuki piano teacher as well as a quality experience for every Suzuki piano student, both begin- ner and advanced. In this wonderful ‘Piano salon’ in Vilnius, local Suzuki violinists and cellists accompanied the pianists’ performance in the Clementi Sonatina and Minuets. Michelle Post initiated the idea to cross even more borders and take group piano playing to a more international level. Emmetten, Switzerland hosted Suzuki piano teachers from Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Russia and Estonia during the Swiss Suzuki Workshop in May 2018. The idea and development of a One-Day Suzuki Pianists’ Workshop was introduced to Mid-European Suzuki piano teachers. Crossing Borders - Baltic Suzuki Piano Sirje Subb-Tamm Baltic Suzuki Pianists’ Workshop Riga, Latvia 17 October 2015 Baltic Suzuki Pianists’ Workshop Tampere, Finland 10 October 2016 Baltic Suzuki Pianists’ Workshop Pärnu, Estonia 18 October 2016 Baltic Suzuki Pianists’ Workshop Vilnius, Lithuania 10 October 2016