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Green Mountain Suzuki Institute
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Jody Woos
Executive Director, GMSI
Susie Smolen
Associate Director, GMSI |
The Green Mountain Suzuki Institute is an educational program of the RCMS. This week long summer camp, one of 120 programs accredited by the Suzuki Association of the Americas in the United States, will celebrate its seventh year in Rochester this summer.
This year’s Institute with 128 students, is an inspirational and exhilarating week of music for young musicians and their families, employing 26 professional artists and musicians. Two-thirds of our 2010 families come from Vermont; the remaining third come from many other states and from abroad. The Rochester School is host to the program, and GMSI also uses space in the Park House, the Rochester Library, and a private residence. The staff stay in houses and rooms provided by residents in town. Students and their families can be seen all week in and about town, a welcome sight to Rochester residents. This year, they will be sporting GMSI T-shirts designed by returning student, Chloe Castro-Santos, featuring Vermont cows playing instruments!
Programming at the Institute adheres closely to the philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violinist, educator, philosopher and humanist, who devoted his life to the development of the method of music education that he called “Talent Education.” Suzuki based his approach on the belief that “musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.” Dr. Suzuki’s goal was not to develop professional musicians, but rather to nurture loving human beings and help develop each child’s character through the study of music.
Participating students receive Suzuki-method instruction in violin, viola, cello, piano, and flute. They also attend enrichment classes, choosing from chamber music, piano duets, international folk dance, Taiko drumming, art, orchestra, fiddling, chorus, composition, hand bells, theater games, and yoga. The busy and stimulating week is capped off with solo, group, and chamber music recitals that showcase student musicians.
The 2010 Institute includes 38 young chamber musicians who will rehearse and perform works from the standard chamber literature, working with string, flute, and piano coaches. Students in this program receive their music in early May, with instructions to thoroughly master their parts before their arrival in July. At the Institute, chamber groups meet daily with coaches, and for independent rehearsals. At the end of the week, the “Green Mountain Suzuki Chamber Players” perform! This year’s players will be showcasing works by Alt, Baklanova, Beethoven, Gossec, Klengel, Lotti, and Mozart.
One of the goals of the GMSI has been to keep the program as affordable as possible to encourage families to attend that want to offer their child a summer music camp experience with professional faculty. To this end, the GMSI has provided $5,250 in scholarships this year, funded by private donations and tuition receipts, and the RCMS has budgeted for additional scholarships for White River Valley residents.
Jody Woos, Executive Director, and Susie Smolen, Associate Director, are both members of the RCMS Board of Directors. Jody, Susie, and the staff of the Green Mountain Suzuki Institute look forward to the 2010 season, bringing young musicians and their families to the beautiful town of Rochester to experience the joys of music making, while fulfilling Dr. Suzuki’s dream of developing the musical ability of every child.
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