UNI Suzuki School
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Spring Concert preparation...Click here for information about the upcoming spring concert scheduled rehearsals and combined groups times.
Summer lessons....Teachers will begin distributing registration forms next week for summer lessons.
Fall intent to register...Pink intent to register forms will be distributed starting next week.
March/April
Spring break begins Monday, March 17 and will continue through March 22. There will be no regular group or individual lessons or orchestra rehearsals during this time. Several teachers have opted to teach some make-up lessons. If you have any questions about individual lessons, contact your teacher.
Dear Suzuki families, Please join us on Tuesday, February 12 at 6:00 PM in Davis Hall for our annual Suzuki Faculty Recital. This is a great opportunity to hear our teachers play familiar favorites, as well as some pieces that will be new to most of you. This event takes the place of group lessons for the week of Feb. 11 - 15 unless special arrangement have been made by your group lesson teacher.
January Bulletin (posted 1/12/2008)
Dear Suzuki Families,
Happy New Year! I’m excited to welcome you back, and looking forward to a busy spring semester. We are hitting the ground running with several exciting performances and master classes – please make a note of these and plan to attend as many as possible. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn from and be inspired by some incredible performers and teachers, many of whom started as Suzuki kids!
Recitals are very early this spring due to space constraints – spring semester recitals are the weekend of February 23-24. Please remember that all students are to perform a review piece for recitals, NOT their most current piece. This is to ensure that all students have a positive recital experience and to encourage polished and musical performances. Recitals always include a mix of ages and levels of experience…please help us to encourage a positive, non-competitive attitude at recitals, as this helps all of our students become confident performers.
As always, I welcome your input – please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or just to say hello! You can reach me at 273-3074, and I have a new afternoon office space in the GBPAC, room 38. I’m looking forward to another great semester of music-making!
Sincerely, Julia Trahan, Director
The UNI Suzuki School will participate in or host several special events this spring. Please make time in your schedule for as many as you can!
January 23, 3:00 – 5:00 in CEEE 11, violin master class with visiting clinician, Mia (Craig) Hagarty. She is a former UNI Suzuki School instructor and student. Currently she is head of the string department and teaching Suzuki violin at the St. Paul Conservatory. Students (from beginner through advanced levels) who are interested in participating in this event should contact their teacher or Cathy Craig for details. While there is no charge for participating or observing, donations will be accepted.
Feb. 11, 8:00 in Davis Hall, former UNI Suzuki School student, Emily (Schmitz) Vardanyan will present a violin recital with accompanist Lee Schmitz. The recital is free and open to the public.
Feb. 12, 6:00 in Davis Hall, UNI Suzuki Faculty recital. This is a free performance and one open to the public but a “Pass the Hat” fundraiser will take place followed by a pizza party at Godfather’s Pizza in Cedar Falls.
Feb. 18 – 24 is Suzuki School recital week. Details will be announced later this month.Pass the Hat fundraiser will continue during this round of recitals. We collected about $500 in the fall. Let’s try to meet or beat that total.
Mar. 8, 8:00 in Davis Hall, visiting violist Helen Callus from University of California will present a recital. The recital is free and open to the public. During her visit to UNI she will also present a master class. Please contact your teacher for more details.
Mar. 11, 8:00 in Davis Hall, visiting cellist Regina Mushabac from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory will present a recital. This event is free and open to the public. During her visit to UNI she will present a master class. Please contact your teacher for more details.
Students of Note:
Congratulations to 2007-2008 Martha Holvik Scholarship recipients: Alice Bailey, Elizabeth Bailey, and Zachary Dieser. Chosen by the viola faculty, these students have shown outstanding progress. Scholarship recipients receive a $50 scholarship. Keep up the great work, violas!
Lucy Conroy was recently selected by audition to participate in the Suzuki Association of the America’s Youth Orchestra which will perform at their 13th annual conference in Minneapolis in May. She was also selected as an alternate Master Class participant. Congrats, Lucy!
Website of interest:
www.teenstrings.com
Mid-Year Statements:
Cathy is in the process of distributing mid-year statements. Please contact her if you have any questions. Home phone is best before 3:00 at 266-9283 or email her at <unisuzuki@cfu.net. Payments can be mailed to: UNI Suzuki School, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0246. Cathy will be at the university in either the CEEE or Gallagher-Bluedorn as noted on our calendar on our website.
For all calendar, events, fee & other Suzuki information, please visit other pages on our website.
posted: 12/10/2007
11/14/07
Info about our Holiday Play-In is now posted. Click here for details.
Info about ordering our Espressivo shirts is available. Click here for details.
Regular activities, (office hours, group and individual lessons) will not take place during the week of Nov. 19 through Nov. 24. Several teachers are using some of the week to schedule make-up lessons. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions. ENJOY your Thanksgiving!
11/12/07
Families,
Our Pass the Hat at recitals raised $506 this weekend. If we do the same or better at our upcoming events (Holiday Play-in, Faculty Recital, Spring Recitals & Spring Concert) we will pass our goal of raising $1,000 for the school's operating funds. Could we possibly double it that goal? Increasing operating costs including higher medical insurance costs are pushing our budget to the limits. THANKS to all for your continuing support!
The challenge was won by the 12:30 recital. Results are:
Saturday
9:00 $20.13
10:30 $55.63
12:30 $174.19
2:00 $159.00
Sunday
1:30 $48.57
3:00 $49.00
Donations for this special project can be made at anytime. If you pay by check, I will send a receipt. Please put Pass the Hat in the memo line or if paying by cash, put it in an envelope and write the Pass the Hat on the outside of then envelope.
Fall Bulletin August, 2007
Dear Suzuki families, Happy summer! I hope you're enjoying some rest and relaxation and the beautiful weather we've been having the last few days. We are busy preparing for the upcoming academic year, and I'd like to draw your attention to a few important items. First, as you probably know, Russell Hall is closed for renovation. All Suzuki School activities this year will take place in two locations -- the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC), and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE). We ask for your continued patience as we all deal with the confusion and inconvenience while we await our newly renovated space in Russell Hall -- it will be worth it!!! Registration will take place on August 25 from 9:30-1:00 in the lobby of the CEEE. It is very important that you attend! This is where you will meet your teacher and receive your lesson schedule, group schedule, parking permit, and other essential information for the upcoming year. Please mark your calendar now and plan to attend. We will be holding an open house for new students/families interested in joining our program on Tuesday evening, August 21, from 6-8 PM in the lobby of the CEEE. Please share this information with your family, friends, neighbors, church, colleagues at work, and anyone else you can think of who might be interested in our program. We have teachers with availability and we would love to fill their schedules for fall! It is my great pleasure to welcome some new faces to the UNI Suzuki School. First, we are very excited to have Hunter Capoccioni as our new bass teacher and our new NIYO Conductor! Hunter has a master's degree in bass performance from Rice University, and was once-upon-a-time a student in the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra himself! Hunter will be teaching for the Suzuki School and will also be on the faculty of the UNI School of Music. We are very excited to have him as part of our faculty!
We are also pleased to welcome Amy Beekhuizen to the Suzuki School faculty; Amy will be teaching violin and viola for us. She just received her undergraduate degree from UNI, and will be a student in the Master's program this fall. She spent this summer taking Suzuki training at the institute in Stevens Point, WI. Finally, we are happy to welcome Suzanne Svitak to our Suzuki School cello faculty! Suzanne is an undergraduate student in music education at UNI, and has also just completed her first summer of Suzuki training in Stevens Point, WI. Please join me in welcoming all of our new teachers! I am looking forward to seeing you at registration. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and best wishes for the upcoming year! Sincerely, Julia Trahan Director
Welcome Back!
It's time to plan for 2007-2008 and schedule lesson times. Please read this information carefully and return forms by August 15. Our year will again consist of group and individual lessons, theory work special events, summer lessons and events, two recital opportunities, performance classes and the annual all school concert.
RUSSELL HALL RENOVATION: Suzuki lessons and group have been relocated to the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE). Please come to registration to find out where groups will be meeting and where teachers will teach individual lessons this year.
Schedule Forms: Please fill in all the information requested on both sides of the registration form. This form must be returned by August 15 to the Suzuki School. DO NOT return the schedule to your teacher. Please consider non-traditional lesson times such as early morning, lunch time and Saturday hours and include them on your schedule forms, if possible. Note we are asking for you to list your employer. We are going to pursue matching funds contributions from those area employers who offer such a program.
IMPORTANT: Schedules must be returned for students to be scheduled. We cannot guarantee placement for any student whose forms are returned after August 15th. Students who do not attend registration OR fail to pay by mail before registration will not be considered for 2007-2008 enrollment.
Registration Day (August 25): PLEASE attend registration! It is most important for us to collect fees, confirm your lesson and group time, and distribute other information. We try to make it simple and hopefully not too time consuming. Please remember to bring your check book or if paying with cash, bring correct change. This is an open house style event. You don’t need to arrive at 9:30. Anytime between 9:30 and 1:00 will work. We are the busiest during the first hour so you may want to attend a little later in the morning.
If you are unable to attend, include your registration payment when you return your schedule. A note with your lesson time and group assignment will be emailed on Monday following registration.
Fees: Follow the links on the home page for the new fee schedule and policy sheet to replace last year's. Please note the billing policy for this year. There are again several options available to you for paying instructional fees. Fees are figured on a school year basis. Payment for the 33 weeks of instruction can be paid in full or paid in 2, 4, 8 or 10 equal installments.
At registration, you must pay at least the registration fee. Your first installment (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, or 1/10) can be paid but is not necessary.
NOTE: If you choose the 10 month plan, you will have a payment due on June 1, 2008 even though the semester will have ended on May 24, 2008.
On the fee schedule, notice there are several fee tiers. One for Advanced Students (AS) for costs associated with advanced students, such as longer rehearsals for recitals, longer group lessons, and more advanced teacher training. The fees indicated for Master Teacher (MT) apply only to students of Therese Fetter and Julia Trahan. Please direct any questions to Cathy Craig regarding fees.
Instrument Rent: Instrument rental fees for our instruments will be $17 per month and can be included with your fee payments.
Financial Aid Form-- Due July 31, 2007: If your family is in need of financial assistance this year, please call Cathy (266-9283) for an application. Financial aid forms were sent to families who requested them earlier this summer. This form must be mailed before your registration materials. If you wish to receive a form and haven’t, please contact Cathy immediately. Those who have applied will be contacted prior to registration.
E-MAIL: Please include your e-mail address on your registration form. We will use e-mail instead of phone calls especially for announcements between bulletins and emergencies such as group announcements or cancellations. If you prefer a phone call for emergency notices, please put "no emergency" by your e-mail address. To cut printing costs, we will send most of your monthly bulletins via your email. You can insure that you receive our e-mailings by letting your email program accept emails from unisuzuki@cfu.net. THANKS!
UNI Suzuki School Office: Our Suzuki School office is in Gallagher Bluedorn, room 34. Cathy will be sharing the space with teacher Suzanne Bullard. Due to conflict of office hours and teaching hours, Cathy Craig, Suzuki Coordinator, will not have regular hours. Instead she will be available during group lessons on Mon., Tues. & Thurs. Our school phone is 273-2508. Cathy’s office phone is the same number. Our e-mail address is cathy.craig@uni.edu or unisuzuki@cfu.net and our mailing address is: UNI Suzuki School, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0802.
Group Lessons: Groups will be assigned after your schedule is returned to us in mid-August. For all string students: Please be sure to fill in your child's current piece on the registration forms so we can place them in the appropriate group. Be as specific as you can. Group lists will be posted at registration. We will continue to schedule weekly group lessons except the first week of lessons, and during the weeks of recital rehearsals, Thanksgiving, Winter Holiday Break and Spring Break. Group repertoire changes each year based on the number of students at each level. It is not unusual for a student to remain in the same group. This does not mean the student has not progressed but rather that the group's repertoire has been changed. Group assignments are for the entire school year. Some exceptions may be made when groups are evaluated mid-year.
Questions: If you have any questions leave a message on our voice mail, 273-2508 and we'll return your call or if it is an urgent matter, call Cathy Craig at home at 266-9283.
PARKING FEES: The Suzuki visitor tag price has been raised to $25. The university must generate their own funds to maintain their parking lots (repairs, snow removal, etc.) so our small part toward this fund seems only fair. Please note that faculty and staff pay over $100 to park in the some of the same lots that you are offered. Purchasing a tag does not guarantee a parking place. Please read the parking regulations carefully.
Theory : The UNI Suzuki School will continue with the theory series “Theory Time” as our official theory curriculum. If a student is not already working in the book, their individual lesson teacher will recommend the appropriate theory book level. Students are responsible for purchasing their own workbooks. Students may progress through the levels at their own pace.
UNISA News: Parents interested in participating on the UNI Suzuki Association board should call Lisa Hurban at 266-1328. Also needed: accompanists for group events, helpers for recital receptions, playathon helpers, cookie and punch volunteers, etc. Please find the volunteer sheet on the web and return it with your offer to help.
Teacher Assignment Changes: All changes in teaching assignments have not been made at this time. Some of them will be made after this letter has been posted.. Some will be made based on your schedule information. If you have concerns about your teacher assignment, please note them in writing addressed to director Julia Trahan on a separate piece of paper and send them along with your schedule form.
Outreach Performances: We will perform at various events this fall and next semester. Remember to participate in these as much as your schedule allows. Sign-up for these will be posted at registration or on the door of room 34 in Gallagher Bluedorn. We will make the sign up lists available at the CEEE as well during group lessons. Performance is one important aspect of music lessons that we encourage! A balanced study of music includes daily practice, individual and group lessons, solo and group performances, and attending recitals, concerts, and other music events. UNI Suzuki School includes all of these opportunities for our students plus additional activities designed to add interest to their studies. Remember to support all activities …don't miss a beat!!!
Thank you to
* room parents and other volunteers for the spring concert assistance
* performers at Sturgis Falls
* UNI Suzuki Association Board members for their continued support.
Your help is most appreciated!!!!!!!!
SUMMER CALENDAR Click here for 2007-2008 full calendar
August 15 Deadline for return of : Registration form
August 25 9:30 - 1:00-- Fall registration Russell Hall
Sept. 3/4 First week of lessons
Sept. 10-15 First day of group
UNI Suzuki School Phone: 319-273-2508 email: unisuzuki@cfu.net
Last updated: 07/14/2007 Site maintained by UNI Suzuki School.
For more information about the University of Northern Iowa visit: http://www.uni.edu/
