An Alabama State University music professor has achieved a first worldwide. Dr. Brenda Luchsinger, assistant professor of music (horn) at ASU is the first American in the world to be certified to teach the Suzuki French Horn.
She completed the Suzuki Brass Level-1 course this summer at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Since completing the certification, other hornists from South America (Brazil) and Europe (Denmark and Iceland) have also become certified.
“There are currently a total of six Suzuki French horn teachers in the entire world certified to teach this specialized method,” Luchsinger said.
The Suzuki Brass Method was developed by Swedish trumpet player Ann-Marie Sundberg, who is the chair of the International Suzuki Association’s Brass Committee. She taught the teacher-training course in Calgary, which was the first Suzuki Brass training course offered in North America to all brass instruments.
“Six musicians representing Canada, the United States and Mexico took the course, which consisted of the study of Suzuki pedagogy, the origins and history of Suzuki brass, an in-depth study of the developed Suzuki brass repertoire, in-depth study of teaching techniques and tools used for Suzuki brass, classroom observations and teaching a class of Suzuki brass children (ages 5-8), as well as creating a portfolio of written assignments, and teaching and performance examinations,” Luchsinger said.
The Suzuki Method is a worldwide music education method and philosophy, founded by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki of Japan in the mid-1900s.
An important part of the Suzuki philosophy is the concept of nurturing the development of students, through a positive learning environment of lessons, group classes and at home learning. A core belief is the idea that "every child can," meaning any child is capable of learning a difficult skill very well at a very young age, as long as this growth is nurtured by both the teacher and parent.
“The Suzuki Method is a specialized method of music education with the belief that children as young as age 3 have the ability to learn a musical instrument, the same way a child learns to speak their first language,” Luchsinger said.
"One of the focal points of the Suzuki philosophy is developing character as well as ability. Students learn through a nurturing environment in individual lessons, group lessons and in the home,” Luchsinger said. “Parents play an important role, attending lessons with their child, learning along with the student, and becoming practice parents or home teachers.”
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, August 14th 2018 at 3:28PM
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