 |
| Faculty | Music Lessons for all Ages | Young Artist Program | Policies & Procedures |
|
| Young Children | Youth Programs | Ensembles | Adult Programs | Calendar | Online Application |
|
Nurtured by Love: The life and work of Shinichi Suzuki
A review by Edward Kreitman
Nurtured by Love: The life and work of Shinichi Suzuki as reviewed by Edward Kreitman for American Suzuki Journal, Official Publication of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc. Vol. 24, No. 3, Spring 1996. Copyright 1996 by American Suzuki Journal. Reprinted by permission.
Biography/Introduction of Edward Kreitman
Mr. Kreitman is the founder and director of the Western Springs School of Talent Education, the Director of the Atlanta Suzuki Institute and has served the Suzuki Association of the Americas in numerous capacities including member of the Board of Directors, Coordinator for the National Teachers Conference in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1996 and as a member of the violin committee. He is a registered Teacher Trainer for the association and frequent guest clinician at Institutes and Workshops across the country.
Nurtured by Love: The life and work of Shinichi Suzuki
We had all heard about it; many of us were interviewed on camera. As far back as the 1990 Suzuki Teachers Conference in San Francisco, the Telos Video crew was bustling in the background following Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki's every step. Rumors abounded - a new video about Dr. Suzuki and his method was being produced by Michele Higa George and The Cleveland Institute of Music. After previewing a rough-cut at the Chicago Suzuki Institute last summer, and viewing the final version at least ten times, I am happy to report that we are now in possession of the definitive film about the Suzuki Method.
Five stars? Two enthusiastic "Thumbs Up?" Such superlatives do not do justice to a film so lovingly prepared by its creators. The life of this film began as a documentary on the presentation of an honorary doctorate bestowed upon Dr. Suzuki in 1990 by The Cleveland Institute of Music. The Telos film crew then followed Dr. Suzuki and CIM President David Cerone to San Francisco where the Fourth Suzuki Teachers Conference was taking place. It became clear to Michele and her crew that what they were filming had far more potential than this narrow slice of the life of Dr. Suzuki. Through a generous donation from the Sam I. Sato family, the film changed course and work began on a full-fledged biography of Dr. Suzuki and his life's work.
No one moved - no one wanted the film to end...
This past summer at the Chicago Suzuki Institute, Michele showed the finished video for the first time to a group of teacher trainers and their workshop participants. As the film came to its emotionally charged ending, I realized we were experiencing something akin to what John Kendall, Robert Klotman and Clifford Cook must have felt when they saw the original black and white film of the Japanese students performing the Bach Double Violin Concerto at Oberlin Conservatory in 1958. Tears of joy filled the eyes of most of the audience and a sense of group spirit permeated the room. Somehow,
As a freshman clarinet student at Western Illinois University in 1972, I enrolled in a string pedagogy course taught by Doris Preucil. An innovative "new method" of teaching music was being introduced in this country. As a music education major I felt I should find out more about this amazing discovery. The results of the method were clearly remarkable; the performance of Doris' "home" program from Iowa City, which included her son William Jr. and the beginning class of demonstration students at the University with violinist Benny Kim, revealed a new direction in music education. But it was the "stories" Doris told in class that eventually caused me to give up the clarinet for the violin and dedicate my life to the teaching of this method. Wonderful stories - Dr. Suzuki's dream to bring beauty into the lives of the children in postwar Japan, Pablo Casals running to the stage after witnessing a performance of the Suzuki students in Japan and exclaiming "perhaps it is Music that will save the world," Mika Maki, a thalidomide baby, learning to play the violin - and all these stories are beautifully brought to life here in this new film.
Included in the film is a brief historical overview of Japan. Using the magic of video, the producers have combined still photos, file footage of black and white film as well as new video clips, and edited them with text and music. The personal side of Suzuki's life is delightfully told through the eyes of his dear wife and faithful disciple, Waltraud. Mrs. Suzuki graciously invites us into their home where she recalls the story of their courtship, marriage and personal life together for over 70 years.
The main body of the video is dedicated to the clarification of the Suzuki Method. Interviews with Alice Joy Lewis, noted Suzuki Teacher and lecturer, David Cerone, President of The Cleveland Institute of Music, and William Preucil Jr., former Suzuki student and present Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, lend credence to the basic tenets of the method. All of the major philosophical points, including Suzuki's "discovery" that all children learn their native tongue, and the philosophy that ALL children possess the potential to be musical, are reviewed. Also included in this portion of the video are the environment versus genetics argument and a discussion of the true goal of the method, not to produce prodigies but to instill in children a love of music and thereby develop more noble human beings.
East Meets West
The story of the American translation of Suzuki's vision is as compelling as the history of the method itself. The original Suzuki Pioneers, John Kendall (Professor Emeritus, Southern Illinois University), William Starr (University of Colorado), Doris Preucil (Preucil School of Music), Anastasia Jempelis (Eastman School of Music) and Louise Behrend (School for Strings and the Juilliard School) all add their personal memoirs. In these poignant interviews, the love for this man and his work emerges in the eyes and voices of each of these artist-teachers as they reminisce about the early days of the method in this country.
Through overwhelming supportive commentary from author Howard Gardner (Harvard University, Graduate School of Education), the producers provide support for the validity of Suzuki's ideas from the greater education community. Even the controversial "music reading" issue is addressed in a straightforward, non-apologetic explanation by Alice Joy Lewis with further comments from Williams Starr.
What makes the film so compelling is not just the comprehensive telling of the story, but the handsome editing of the various components of the film. Each scene is thoughtfully chosen as the images meld together, seamlessly underscored with just the right musical excerpt and narrated artfully with the many voices of Noriyuki "Pat" Morita.
Just last week, I was planning to show the video to the teachers in my on-going pedagogy class, thinking that I would be able to steal away and catch up on some office work. But as the opening credits rolled, and the first strains of Saint-Saens'
I had, once again, been...Nurtured by Love.
Executive Producer: Michele Higa George
Produced and Directed by: Laura I. Wong, Brian Neff, Thomas Ball
Written by: Wakako Yamauchi, Thomas Ball
Narrated by: Noriyuki "Pat" Morita
Production of The Cleveland Institute of Music and TELOS Productions
Made possible through a generous donation from Dr. and Mrs. Sam I Sato
Winner of The World Gold Medal 1995 New York Festivals International Competition for Television, Film and Video Communication. Also received a first place National Telly Award recognizing outstanding television programming and first place in the 1995-1996 Northern Ohio Live's Awards of Achievement.