European Suzuki Association - Teachers Newsletter Vol 38 2018

7 2018 Teacher Trainer Appointments M y name is Päivikki Wirkkala- Malmqvist. I am a Finnish violinist and violin teacher living and working in Sweden. I come from a tiny Finnish village named Kaustinen where ’everybody’ plays folk music - me too! I have a wonderful family including my dear husband Björn, my son Matias with his wife Hanna and my daughter Maria with her wife Sofia and their llittle dog Frank. I graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland in 1986 as a soloist and a violin pedagogue. Päivikki Wirkkala-Malmqvist VIOLIN, SWEDEN I have studied the violin with professor Kaija Saarikettu (FI) and with professor John Kendall (USA). I studied ESA’s Suzuki levels in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. I also studied Suzuki Method™ in USA. I started my career as a musician in the Ostrbothnian Chamber Orchestra (FI) and in Norrköping Symphony Orchestra (Sweden). In 1989 I began to work as a Suzuki teacher in Norrköping where I teach children at age 3 to 19 studying at first in Norrköping Culture School and from the age of 15 in DeGeer Upper Secondary Music School. Since 2007 I also teach at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. At RCM I work as a Senior Lecturer in String Methodology. My Suzuki students usually study with me for 14 years which means that I have had two touring Suzuki violin groups: Coll’Arco (1989-2002) and Con Amore (2002-2015) with whom I have been travelling in USA, China, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France etc. I co-operate with Eva Nivbrant Wedin (Senior Lecturer in Dalcroze Eurhythmics at RMC) combining the ideas from Dalcroze with instrumental teaching for all levels. From 2011 to 2018 I was a President of ESTA-Sweden and from March 2018 I became President of the Swedish Suzuki Association. The Suzuki Method™ for me is a perfect way to be a human being; we listen to each other, we respect each other and we make music together - not war! Dr Suzuki’s philosophy is something much more than ’only’ playing an instrument! After 30 years in ’the Suzuki Branch’ I still, everyday get new input from my fantastic young and older students, their parents and my dear collegues in Sweden and abroad. There is a ’no-ending’ treasure of possibilities for every single one of us to become a better human being - everyday! Thanks to Dr Suzuki, I look forward to - • meeting my Twinklers every Friday at 4.30 • my very first visit in Matsumoto/ TERI in October • sharing all my experience with you • learning from all of you • continuing my life as a happy member of this amazing Suzuki family