Suzuki Music Annual
Report
2005 6
not-for-profit Association, our budget will
always be tight, but with the help and
support of all Suzuki teachers and families,
we can help to keep Dr. Suzuki's visions
alive.
My heart felt thanks go to our President
Carolyn, as well as to my colleagues
Rosemary and Karen. Without their
constant help and support, Suzuki Music
would not be able to run smoothly.
Kathryn Bond
GENERAL MANAGER
Professional Development
2005 has once again been very active and
productive in terms of Professional
Development. The PD Committee of
teacher trainers meets monthly to discuss
policy matters to do with teachers, and to
organise teacher training courses, other PD
events for all teachers, and Parent
Education lectures.
The Focus Group of teacher trainers,
chaired by Zeah Riordan, continued to
meet during 2005, investigating options for
future development of our training courses.
We have been looking at the possibility of
our courses being run at a tertiary institution,
although so far, it seems our requirements
are better met by the courses being under
Suzuki Music's direct supervision.
Courses
In 2005, the Primary Accreditation course
ran successfully with 23 trainees (violin,
cello, flute, piano and guitar). Sadly,
Douglas Macaulay, one of the guitar
trainees, passed away unexpectedly later
in the year.
Dorothy Jones visited Melbourne briefly to
offer a seminar in Suzuki Early Childhood
Education; the bulk of this year's training
took place in Perth.
Teacher Graduations
A total of 13 teachers graduated in 2005 at
Primary, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
Particular congratulations to Margaret
Bland who completed her Advanced
Accreditation in piano and was also
appointed as a full Teacher Trainer; and to
Kate Bergen who gained her Advanced
Accreditation in flute, the first former Suzuki
student to reach this level.
Ongoing PD Events
All Suzuki teachers are required to attend a
minimum of 6 hours professional
development each year, on completion of
which they are awarded a registration
certificate, which entitles them to be listed
in the Teachers' Directory and to enter
students for graduation. In this way, we
ensure that our teachers keep in touch with
the latest ideas and research on Suzuki
teaching and many other educational and
child development issues.
Some excellent ongoing Professional
Development was provided throughout the
year. The offerings at Autumn Festival were
once again outstanding, with highly
experienced
trainers from overseas,
interstate and locally. The Festival continues
to be a major PD event in the annual
calendar. A Pan-Pacific Suzuki Conference
was held in Sydney in January 2005,
including a PD programme which was most
enriching for all who attended.
Train the Trainer Sessions
In 2005, two helpful sessions were held for
our hardworking teacher trainers on Time
Management; facilitator Linda Betts gave
us some thought-provoking challenges in
organising our busy lives.
Appreciation
I would like to thank all members of the
Professional Development Committee and
the Focus Group for their time, expertise
and contributions to a range of important
professional issues within Suzuki Music.
Julia Breen
DIRECTOR OF
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
