By Andrew Braddock
A group of flutists chatted, laughed, discussed, and smiled with each other in a conference room in Atlanta. Sheet music, notebooks, coffee cups, and even chocolates spread across the round table. They shared ideas and stories, repertoire and teaching techniques, and even at one point, a flute came out for an impromptu performance of a student’s composition, MOMP (Mouth Over Mouth Piece), by Ilaria Hawley, a former student of Zara Lawler. While this session was officially titled “Sustaining the Vision for Twenty-First Century Suzuki Flutists,” it was, in its essence, something more straightforward, more human, more effective: a conversation. It perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the 2025 SAA Leadership Summit, and I’m not just saying so because they had chocolate (although that always helps!).
Over three days in March, Suzuki teachers from across the Americas gathered in Atlanta to participate in this one, long conversation. Like any conversation, the Leadership Summit had its own rhythms, from standout moments (such as the keynote plenary sessions), to improvised chats (breakout sessions), difficult discussions (navigating generational change), and business to take care of (workshop sessions). Throughout it all, what shaped the Summit wasn’t the specific information exchanged, but rather the gathering, the dialogue, and the ideas sparked from just being together. Angelica Cortez, the Executive Director of the SAA, put it best during the week’s concluding session when she emphasized the importance of being together in real life, of capturing the energy of in-person contact to reaffirm our determination to reach all children in all regions of the SAA.
There were certainly brilliant sessions with a clear, lecture-like format, many of which I’ll cover below. But rather than simply being a “stand-and-deliver” kind of conference, the Summit embodied the ebb and flow of conversation, of dialogue, of rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.
The Conversation Begins
A good conversation begins with an introduction, a way of easing in, rather than a pre-scripted, formal launch. The Leadership Summit did just that, with the Thursday afternoon Welcome Reception (snacks included!). It was the perfect way to gather, see old and new friends, and to connect that Zoom-boxed face to the real, living person—all free from any agendas or details to cover. It immediately defined the person-to-person, connective nature of the Summit, much more so than a keynote lecture or 8:00 a.m. convocation.
The Suzuki Training Committee (STC) Office Hours session on Friday morning exemplified the Summit’s blend of pedagogical insight, detail-driven work, and exchange of ideas. Moderators Sachiko Isihara and Danette Warren framed the discussion as an “open-mic with Teacher Trainers” with a general idea of “growing skills as a Suzuki ambassador and developing yourself as a teacher.” They fielded questions about work/life balance in a healthy studio, creating meaningful programs and institutions, and surrounding oneself with exciting teachers and colleagues. They then transitioned into covering the incredible, and honestly, staggering amount of work going on in the STC, including developments in the Certificate of Achievement, alignment with international training credentials, and more.
A session in a typical conference would end there, but what happened next is what gave the Leadership Summit its unique flavor. Attendees split into three discussion groups, posted around the hallways, bringing the conversation to a more personal level. Charles Krigbaum’s group dove headlong into credentialing details and the SAA’s organizational functions (see his article later in this issue of the ASJ for a crystallization of his ideas). James Hutchins and Judy Bossuat-Gallic led an amiable chat perched on sofas and armchairs. The beauty of these breakout conversations is that they allowed for a free exchange of ideas—further-out, creative, and experimental ideas that might not emerge if they depended on someone raising their hand in a conference room crowded with 100 strangers.
Creating the Future
Envisioning the future of Suzuki was a major theme of the Leadership Summit. In his session “Building for the Future,” Edward Kreitman clarified the focus of our weekend-long conversation: “Having a vision is good, but realizing it is better.” While the wisdom shared throughout the Summit in this realm would fill a dozen issues of the ASJ, I’d like to highlight two sessions that showcased the incredible opportunities for the growth of the Suzuki Method.
Moderated by pianist Annette Lee, the panel discussion “Big and Little Meet in the Middle” gathered Suzuki teachers from a wide variety of instructional areas: Zara Lawler (flute), Amelia Seyssel (voice), Kyra Sovronsky (trumpet), and Mary Halverson Waldo (recorder). As each teacher shared their unique pathway with Suzuki, their stories were nevertheless bound together by a sense of discovery that taps into the core, foundational principles of the Suzuki movement: creativity, flexibility, and passion. Amelia Seyssel pinpointed the sentiment, remarking, “We as small instruments are in the same position that the violin was when the Suzuki Method first began: nobody believed children could do this!” They shared nimble ways of introducing Suzuki to their communities, including using Twinkle Variations to illustrate teaching points in high school brass sectionals, or Meret Bitticks’s book Working with Young Flutists for its Suzuki approach. Their creativity and group solidarity inspire hope for the growth of the method.
In terms of the number of instructional contact hours, in-school education offers unparalleled opportunities for achieving the goals of the Suzuki Method. Teacher Trainers Winifred Crock and Laurie Scott shared a detailed and actionable framework of Suzuki in the Schools in their wide-ranging presentation. As Scott reminded us, the concept of review is baked into classroom education: “The idea that you’re starting from scratch every day, circling back, and revisiting.” This method of instruction allows teachers to separate the strands of learning—technical skills, musical skills, literacy skills, and ensemble skills—and cycle through them regularly. The detail, design, and systematic rigor of Crock and Scott’s approach to Suzuki in the Schools situates Suzuki pedagogy as a pillar of strength in our current, volatile education climate.
Large and Small Conversations
Two plenary sessions gathered all participants of the Leadership Summit, with the first addressing the “Suzuki” aspect of the Summit, and the second addressing the “Leadership” element. Historian Eri Hotta, author of the recent book Suzuki: The Man and His Dream to Teach the Children of the World, drew our attention to Suzuki’s past as we look to the future of Suzuki. (See Hotta’s article in ASJ Vol. 51, no. 2 for more.) In her Friday evening address, she approached “knowing” Suzuki through three angles: 1) The personal, as a former Suzuki parent; 2) The historical, as a student of early-twentieth-century history and international relations; and 3) The present, as someone engaged with current Suzuki practitioners. Because we were in Atlanta, she noted that Suzuki was made an honorary citizen of Atlanta in 1979, as well as Atlanta’s connections with US President Jimmy Carter, whose daughter was a Suzuki violin student, and who Suzuki met in 1977.
Her historical lens zoomed in on the 1930s as a period that particularly shaped Suzuki’s educational philosophy. It was an era of deep political unrest, unpredictability, and social division—much like our current time. Though not a particularly spiritual person, she found that her study of Suzuki and her countless conversations with Suzuki teachers were a way of channeling Suzuki and his music. Heads nodded throughout the audience in agreement as she created a new kinship between historian and music teachers.
After the broad, historical perspective of Hotta’s address, Stefanie Faye’s plenary talk on Saturday morning brought the Summit’s focus to an elemental and personal level. Faye drew on her background as a neuroscientist to show how our internal states affect our interactions with others. Citing a famous study, she pointed out that a genuine smile moves muscles around our eyes, so it cannot be faked, and that the “physical signs we emit are reflections of our internal state.” Through crystal-clear demonstrations—using subtle changes of voice, or slightly shifted body position—Faye showed how minute adjustments can help us guide and positively interact with others. Her emphasis on responding to others and our physical presence dovetailed beautifully with Yumi Kendall’s earlier positive psychology session, and it also resonated with the inclusive approaches presented in Christine Goodner and Tamara Gonzalez’s session, “Unlocking Strengths of Neurodivergent Learners.” Taken as a whole, these two plenary addresses offered a circumspect view of our role in both continuing a pedagogical tradition and leading others.
Teaching, Learning, and Working
In any conversation between music educators, technical and practical teaching topics will most certainly arise. While these weren’t the primary mission of the Leadership Summit, there were still plenty of insightful teaching ideas to take in. The “Tone Session” typified the blending of the collaborative and teaching elements at the Summit. Cellist Bruce Walker moderated a multi-instrumental panel that featured Daniel Gee Cordova (violin), Sachiko Isihara (piano), and Kyra Sovronsky (trumpet). The panelists shared teaching videos, discussed their pedagogies, and demonstrated on their instruments, showing the immense value of learning from all instruments, not just your own. As Isihara aptly said, “tone must be intentional.”
Similarly, Caroline Fraser’s session “Beyond Review, Toward Refinement” at once continued Suzuki teachers’ long-standing engagement with the concept of review, while also broadening it to include all aspects of a student’s study. Her positioning that “each lesson is a process of refining each piece,” instead of just a run-through, emphasized the continual development and renewal of artistry made possible by review. She shared pedagogical touchstones such as “If you want the child to do it at home, you must hear it at the lesson,” that, no matter how often I hear them, continue to refine and sharpen my own teaching.
Beyond musical pedagogy, many sessions offered useful tools for professional development. Charles Krigbaum reminded us that “marketing isn’t about selling—it’s about connecting” in his session “Marketing 101.” He underlined that recruitment doesn’t end when the student enrolls, and that teachers must work actively to retain their students. I was particularly struck by his emphasis that parents need to be taught how to observe lessons and how to see progress. This allows them to see that things are working, even if incrementally, and builds commitment to your studio. Krigbaum’s session fit hand-in-hand with Beth Guerriero’s “Nonprofits 101,” in which she covered the practical matters of running nonprofit companies and managing boards. She emphasized the importance of not only having a distinct vision for your organization, but being able to easily explain it in a few sentences.
Members of the SAA team were active throughout the weekend, sharing their work and engaging in conversation with all attendees. Erin Rushforth, in her role as the Learning Manager of the SAA, led several sessions centered on Teacher Trainers: an orientation for new Teacher Trainers, a packed session with April Losey on becoming a Teacher Trainer, and a vision of the future of Teacher Training with James Hutchins. She was later joined by Angelica Cortez (Executive Director), Dalanie Harris (Marketing and Events Manager), and Laura Yasuda (Director of Operations) to present their vision of the organization’s future. All of this, along with multiple presentations from the Board, offered a complete and full-bodied portrait of the SAA’s important work.
An End, and an Assignment
Like any good teaching segment, the 2025 SAA Leadership Summit concluded with a beautiful summary . . . and an assignment. It wasn’t scales (thankfully); rather, it was a call to bring this weekend-long conversation to our communities at home. Trina Christensen led an overflow audience in reflecting upon the Summit. Similar to much of the weekend, this session was a way to continue our long conversation. Christensen introduced discussion topics and set timers for attendees to gather and discuss each idea. As each timer went off, the conversations continued, and she eventually had to interrupt and quiet everyone down.
After three days full of ideas, dialogue, and conversation, there was still so much left to say. That’s as hopeful a sign as any for Suzuki’s Bright, Bold Future.