Suzuki Academy Summer Programs (2005)

Ingrid Tung, a Suzuki teacher who resides in Pittsboro, NC, is doing some innovative summer programs:

• Silk Road Journey: 4th-6th Grade Suzuki Volume 3 and up (any instrument, not just violin.)
• Just Fiddling Around the World: Grades 1-3 Violin Volume 2 and up
• Carnival of the Animals: Ages 4-6 Violin Lightly Row and up

The Silk Road Journey and Just Fiddling Around the World camps will be held at Durham Academy. To register, please fill in the online registration form found at: http://www.da.org/summer.

The Silk Road Journey Camp takes places from July 11 - 22, 2005. Intended for Rising 4th - 6th graders who have completed Suzuki Violin/Viola/Cello/Guitar/Piano School Volume 2 or the equivalent, the Camp meets from 9 - 12 each morning. The cost is $425 for two weeks of camp.

Explaining the importance of music in his educational method, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki declared that, "the heart that feels music feels people." While working on his Silk Road Project, world renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma elaborated: "We live in a world of increasing awareness and interdependence, and I believe that music can act as a magnet to draw people together. Music is an expressive art that can reach to the very core of one's identity. By listening to and learning from the voices of an authentic musical tradition, we become increasingly able to advocate for the worlds they represent. Further, as we interact with unfamiliar musical traditions we encounter voices that are not exclusive to one community. We discover transnational voices that belong to one world."

The Silk Road Journey Camp will bring young musicians together to explore the diverse but inter-related topics of geography, trade, art, music, religion and history. We hope to give students a sense of how music can help us understand the identities and cultures of people around the world. Stretching from Nara, Japan to Venice, Italy, and as a symbol of the crossroads between civilizations, peoples, and cultures, the Silk Roads offer rich materials for study.

Students will:

• Learn about the geography, economics, and history of the Silk Roads.
• Discuss the similarities and differences of perspectives in the religions and the world views represented in the ancient and contemporary regions touched by the Silk Roads.
• Create musical instruments modeled after those used on the Silk Roads.
• Play music from regions along the Silk Roads.
• Reflect on the history and culture in northwest China through the students? own experiences and knowledge.

Excerpts will be taken from Silk Road Encounters; a project of the Silk Road Project, Inc. Silk Road Encounters is made possible by Ford Motor Company.

Just Fiddling Around... the World! takes place from June 27 - July 1, 2005. Intended for Rising 1st - 3rd graders who have completed Suzuki Violin Volume 1 or the equivalent. Meets from 9 - 12 each morning. The cost is $200 for one week of camp.

A fun exploration of the violin and its many relatives. Students will learn about the history of the violin and be introduced to other bowed lutes from around the world. We will listen to and play the fiddle music of many cultures and many traditions that may include bluegrass, jazz, electric violin, Indian classical violin, Western classical violin, Norwegian and Swedish fiddle, Chinese er-hu or others. Students will use lessons or projects in art, science, math, geography, social studies and literature to enrich their understanding of the violin and its music, the physics of music, construction of violins and music theory.

Please check back for other camps available at different locations this summer.

Carnival of the Animals Camp: Students 4-6 years old. Must have completed the Twinkles. Dates would be August 1-5 from 9-12:30 (bring lunches - eat together at Noon). Cost is $200 for the week. We offered this last year and it was great fun. It's ok if you attended last year. I will make sure we do different activities and build on those we did last year. Location to be announced (probably at current location). Will most likely not be in Pittsboro this year.