Seattle Suzuki Circle

To commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Suzuki’s passing, Alfred Music is honored to release his legacy recordings of Suzuki Violin School, Volumes 1-3, as a free resource for the Suzuki community. Learn more here: https://www.alfred.com/suzuki-method/celebrating-legacy-dr-suzuki/

Congratulations to Caroline Fraser & Blanca Montecinos V. Valdivia. We are so proud of you 💖

Congratulations to Blancamaria Montecinos Valdivia & Caroline Fraser for being recipients of our Creating Learning Community Award! This award honors their hard work and dedication to building community with students and families through the Suzuki Method.

DR. SUZUKI'S LEGACY RECORDINGS FOR VIOLIN SCHOOL 1-3 NOW FREE FROM ALFRED MUSIC!!

Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Suzuki
To commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Suzuki’s passing, Alfred Music is honored to release his legacy recordings of Suzuki Violin School, Volumes 1-3, as a FREE RESOURCE for the Suzuki community worldwide.
https://www.alfred.com/suzuki-method/celebrating-legacy-dr-suzuki/
For the official International Suzuki Association-approved instrument recordings and additional legacy recordings, see our full listing of Suzuki Audio Downloads.

The ISA is celebrating Dr. Suzuki's life accomplishments in honor of his passing on 26 January, 1998. Please enjoy this recording of the Suzuki Quartet from 1938, with Dr. Suzuki on 1st violin and his brothers as the other quartet members.

LEGACY RECORDINGS of the SUZUKI QUARTET from 1935-1938

The website Hector’s Rare Recordings has posted a very lovely set of recordings of the Suzuki Quartet, including the “Minuet” by Mozart included in the Suzuki Violin School Volume 7: https://youtu.be/zWSd2Z59q8w?si=Qm7dsfDoCHa9NVop

The recordings are from a CD titled "The Legacy of Suzuki
Quartet" (QHJ-1003), released in 2008 by a Japanese label called Regulus Classics. Interestingly, the label's website notes that this CD was "Released only in Japan", which is likely why it hasn't been widely known internationally until now. It is still commercially available on the website here: http://www.regulus-classics.com/labels/01.html

The following is a translation of the album description provided by Ryugo Hayano, Professor of Physics at the University of Tokyo, and President of the Talent Education Research Institute. He was one of the first ten children to tour the US with Suzuki in 1964.

THE SUZUKI QUARTET
Shin’ichi Suzuki (1898-1998) was born the second son of Masakichi Suzuki (1859-1944), Japan's first violin maker. Raised in a rich musical environment—surrounded by figures such as Nobu Koda (the first to perform string quartets in Japan) and her sister Ko Ando—Shin'ichi later moved to Berlin to study. There, he studied from 1921 to 1928 with Karl Klingler (1879–1971), who is best remembered for his string quartet, which, in different formations performed from 1905 until 1936, and famously made the world's first recording of Beethoven's string quartets.
Soon after Shin’ichi’s return from Berlin in 1928, he formed the Suzuki String Quartet, together with the four brothers: Kikuo (1904–77) Akira (1899–1961) and Fumio (1900–45). Shin’ichi’s father Masakichi’s violin- making business boomed during the First World War, but by the late 1920s it was faltering. While Shin’ichi’s father and elder brothers Umeo (1889-1981) and Rokusaburô (1895-1945?) worked to shore up the violin-
making business, the younger brothers had to earn a living independently. Kikuo, who played second violin, had studied economics at Keiô University, where he had been a member of the University’s music society. Akira, who played the viola, had trained in his father’s business before studying violin with Andô Kô (née Kôda;1878-1963), one of the first violinists in Japan who for many years taught at the Tokyo Academy of Music. In the war years Akira performed in Manchuria, for Mukden Radio broadcasts. Fumio studied cello with Heinrich Werkmeister in Tokyo, and with Julius Klengel (1859–1933) in Leipzig. Besides playing in the quartet and teaching, he also played at the lead desk in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and composed.

While many of their recordings were originally released by Nippon Columbia, this CD marks the first time that the entire collection has been mastered from tapes created directly from the original metal master discs. This commemorative album was released just before the 10th anniversary of the passing of Shin’ichi Suzuki, the founder of Talent Education.
The track "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji), composed by Fumio Suzuki, is a unique work for string quartet, recitation, soprano, and tenor, featuring a historical recitation by the famous poet Akiko Yosano.
Album Title: The Legacy of Suzuki Quartet
Tracks: Haydn, Schubert & Drigo: Serenade / Mozart: Minuet / Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile / Ryoshu (Dreaming of Home and Mother) / Kokyo no Haika (The Old Folks at Home) / Old Black Joe / Deep River / Yoimachi- gusa / Ayageba Totoshi / Fumio Suzuki: Suite "Genji Monogatari"
Performers: Suzuki Quartet, Tamotsu Kinosh*ta (Tenor), Yoshiko Beltramelli (Soprano), Akiko Yosano (Recitation)
Product No: QHJ-1003 (Released Dec 5, 2008)
Recording: 1935–1938 (Columbia Recordings, restored from original metal masters)
Status: Released only in Japan

We are excited to welcome 5 new members to the Suzuki Training Committee this month: Aubrey Faith-Slaker (piano), Gretchen Grube (violin), Kirsten Marshall (violin), Libby Armour (violin), and Mark Mutter (violin)!

ISA Announces New Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2025
New York, New York

The International Suzuki Association (ISA) announces that Dr. Rafael Videira will be its new Executive Director. With over a decade of experience in Suzuki pedagogy and nonprofit leadership, Rafael has been a dedicated teacher, leader, and administrator throughout the USA, Mexico, Brazil, and Germany. Videira will serve as Executive Director-Elect through Spring, then succeeding current CEO Allen Lieb. The Board thanks Mr. Lieb for his dedication, commitment, and service to the ISA.

“Rafael's diplomatic and organizational skills will be a great asset to the ISA,” says Martin Rüttimann, ISA Board Chair. “He possesses a clear vision for managing the organization from an administrative standpoint, effectively integrating cultural differences from various regions to unify and strengthen the organization under a common umbrella."

Rafael has shared, “It is an honor to serve as Executive Director of the International Suzuki Association. Having grown up in Brazil and built my career in the United States, I first encountered Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy after coming here to pursue my graduate studies. Since then, I’ve seen and understood how his vision really transcends culture and geography, connecting people through music, respect, and shared learning. Through my career, I’ve witnessed how the Suzuki approach nurtures not only skilled musicians but compassionate human beings. I look forward to working with our global community to strengthen that vision and support teachers, students, and families around the world.”

Currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dr. Videira has taught students of all levels in violin and viola, from beginners to advanced players. Some of his students have achieved significant success, winning competitions and gaining admission to institutions such as The Manhattan School of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Jacobs School of Music, and the Hartt School.

In 2018, Dr. Videira received the Suzuki Association of the Americas Certificate of Achievement, recognizing his dedication to teaching excellence within the Suzuki philosophy. Dr. Videira holds a Doctoral degree in Viola Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oregon and a Masters degree in Performance from the University of New Mexico. He has received training in the Suzuki Method™ and other pedagogical concepts from various experts in the field, such as Susan Kempter, Dr. Susan Baer, Dr. Robert Duke, Teri Einfeldt, Christie Felsing, Dr. Robert Gillespie, John Kendall, Lynn McCall, William Preucil, Sr., and Elizabeth Stuen-Walker.

Today we celebrate Dr. Suzuki’s 127th birthday.

As a birthday gift to the world, the ISA Online Archive has just posted seven historic videos of Dr. Suzuki teaching teachers and students, recorded in 1981 at the International Suzuki Workshop in Elsinore, Denmark.

The ISA extends sincere thanks to Claus Kanneworff and his father, Per Kanneworff, for their invaluable help in making these recordings available to teachers and families around the world.

https://internationalsuzuki.org/danish-videos/

The power of the environment indeed!

He is going places! 👏🏻✨👏🏻 🎹 Like father, like son — and it’s more than adorable. It’s how music learning actually begins. According to Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory, children go through stages of audiation—the process of thinking in music. One of the earliest stages? Imitation. This little boy is copying his dad’s piano motions in real-time — and that’s no small thing. He’s internalizing rhythm, pitch, and musical flow before he even plays a note on purpose. 👀 What looks like play is really the foundation of lifelong musicianship. Comment LEARN to get access to a step by step musical pathway for your child! I’ve mapped it all out for you. All you need is the desire to make it happen for your little. Thank you for sharing this, @molly_____teacher ✨❤️ #musiclearningtheory #audiation #imitationstage #musiceducation #musikathome #earlychildhoodmusic #pianodad #musickids