Advanced String Camp

Do you know about the Advanced String Camp? The Advanced String Camp is certainly the highlight of our institute for advanced students. Most participants are junior high school and high school students.The camp is for both Suzuki graduates and traditional students who have reached the advanced concerto level. The camp is not a Suzuki program, so traditional students who meet the playing level requirements feel very comfortable participating.

ASC will include five days which will enable you to have more time in master classes and to perfect your chamber performances and orchestra skills. Social activities will be provided throughout the week, with a social on Tuesday night.

Spread the word! We can't wait to see you at Institute this year!

Chamber Days!

Have you heard about Chamber Days at ISSI?

Students who would like a much more extensive experience with chamber music are invited to enroll in the Advanced Chamber Music Program. Only 32 students will be allowed to enroll - eight string quartets. All Advanced String Camp students are encouraged to enroll, and violinists in books 6-8, violists in books 4-5, and cellists in books 5-6 are also invited. 

Enroll early, as it is first come, first served.

 

Includes: Coaching and Rehearsals, Lunch, and group bonding activities (fun group chamber music activities, masterclasses, FSQ open rehearsals and/or performance, discussions, etc.)

We encourage pre-formed groups as well as individuals to sign up.

You will be assigned to a string quartet that will meet together for ten days. The first three days you will rehearse twice a day with a member of the Fry Street Quartet, and twice a day on your own. These same quartets will continue on the second week of ISSI and attend all of the regular classes listed under your registration code. You will have intense interaction and coaching from the members of the Fry Street Quartet for all ten days.

Teachers - this is an amazing experience for your more advanced students.  Encourage them to register.  

Registration for 2013 is Now Open!

Visit our webpage here to register!

Can't wait to see you all in just a few short months!

Happy New Year...Look What's Ahead!

Intermountain Suzuki String Institute:  What is it all about? 

By Trina Christensen, Assistant Director 

You may have heard about institute in the past and wondered “should I register my child?”
The Institute experience is unlike any other that you will come across in the Suzuki Method. Institute is a miniworkshop, masterclass, recital, group class and fun all rolled into one.

We hire the best faculty from around the world to teach at our Institute. Not only do we get the best teachers from the U.S., but we have teachers from Europe and Asia as well.

The Intermountain Suzuki String Institute is perfect for the beginning student as well as the advanced student. We offer the following programs at our institute:

• Twinkle Curriculum  - Includes two hours of class daily. A Twinkle masterclass group and a music and movement class.
• Lower Suzuki Book Curriculum  - Includes four hours of class daily. Masterclass, repertoire class, technique class and music fundamentals class.
• Upper Suzuki Book Curriculum  - Includes five hours of class daily. Masterclass, repertoire/technique class, performance class, orchestra and a chamber group.
• Advanced String Camp - Includes five hours of class daily. Masterclass, chamber group, performance class and two hours of orchestra.
• Chamber Days with the Fry Street Quartet - We also have an advanced chamber music camp with the Fry Street Quartet the Thursday through Saturday before institute starts where the students work one on one with our wonderful quartet. We would encourage all advanced string camp students, pre-formed quartets and upper Suzuki book students (violin books 6-8, viola books 4-5, cello books 5-6) to register for it. It is truly an amazing experience.
We also offer a bass curriculum that includes a masterclass, group class and at least one orchestra depending on their level.

In addition to our programs, we have enrichment classes that you can enroll non-Suzuki siblings for or add to your student’s curriculum for an extra fee.

We also have guest artist concerts, student recitals and concerts throughout the week.

As a parent, there are parent lectures that you can attend that every parent looks forward to. Do you wish that you could meet other parents that are experiencing the same joys and trials with practicing? The parent lectures and networking with other parents in your student’s classes do just
that!!

I have seen the joy and fire that comes from institute not only in my students, but also in my own daughter. Every year she looks forward to institute and gets excited for it. She even remembers in detail what her teachers have instructed her to do and the games that she has played. It is reassuring to every student that attends—beginner on up—to know that there are other children their same age going through the same problems and trials with the same songs that they are on. If you have a child that has been struggling with their self-confidence in their instrument or has maybe even wanted to quit, I suggest that you come to institute. It is amazing the transformation that can happen in just one week. I have seen it happen.

Let’s enrich our children’s lives with music and help them to have fun with their instrument at institute!! You can find more information on our website or to register and pay with a credit card.

Registration opens the last week in January.
Our Earlybird registration deadline is March 1st where you will save $25 on the registration fee.
There are also student scholarships available and the deadline for submission is February 20th. 
We hope to see you all at institute this June 17-22, 2013!!
Join us for our 35th Anniversary!
Featuring “ISSI Gettin’ Down” by Michael McLean which will be played throughout the week

Email: issi@xmission.com

Introducing Amy Norton!

The ISSI board is pleased to welcome another new member to its ranks: Amy Norton.

Many of you already know Amy and have had the privilege of working with her.  She has been an ISSI faculty member for many years already, and has lent her enthusiastic, creative teaching to many other Suzuki events around Utah and the Intermountain West.  She was the mastermind behind the recent "Rock with Bach" violin super activity that was a huge success!

She loves teaching and says that one of her fondest memories of being a young Suzuki student was the great time she always had at ISSI every summer.  She says it helped her see her progress from year to year, and really helped her enjoy her instrument!  In fact, she credits ISSI as one of the corner stones that helped her stick with her violin through those busy teenage years.  In her words, "I love ISSI!"

Amy is committed to teacher education and finds ways to constantly reexamine and improve her teaching.  In addition to her Suzuki teacher training, she has also attended the SAA Convention in Minneapolis and recently finished the "Suzuki Principles in Action" course with Pat D'Ercole this past Fall.

We are lucky to have her on our team!

Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up

One of our most beloved faculty members, Gabe Bolkosky, shared these wise words with a few friends the other day:

"This one's for the young jedis: I'm so glad that I didn't quit. I'm glad that I didn't quit when I was 12 and thought that violin was nerdy. I'm glad that I didn't quit when I was 19 or 20 or 21 when I injured my shoulder and didn't know if I'd really play again. I'm glad that I didn't quit at 26 when I didn't understand how I fit into the music world. I'm glad that I didn't quit when I was 30 or 35 because life would be easier without practice. Tonight I felt music in my heart more deeply than ever. Don't quit young jedis. Stay with your practice. It's worth it."

The ISSI Board Welcomes Aisha Johnson!

We at ISSI are pleased to welcome violist Aisha Johnson to our board!  Following is a spotlight about Aisha, so you can get to know her.

Her Background

Aisha started studying with Doralee Madsen when she was 5. She switched to viola, because as her mom says best, she liked to be different, when she was 11.   She studied with Janet Anderson until the Suzuki books ran out about mid high school.   She loved attending ISSI as a violist. There was a fun group of violists. She loved playing in the chamber groups as well because ISSI always brought in really great teachers.

Her Studio

She originally didn't think she would teach...but she always had few students and realized that when she was teaching the time just flew by! Just a couple of years ago she gave up other professional pursuits and turned all efforts to teaching and raising her little growing family. Her number one goal is that the students WANT to come to their lesson. Even if it wasn't a great practice week, even if they are tired, that she creates a fun and productive learning environment. They learn together: the students, parents, and teacher. She also believes that every child can and that every child is different. She caters to the needs of the child, even the adult or teenager that wants to start learning! Plenty of love to go around. She also started teaching because there is such a need for violist to teach viola. She studied viola in college at Brigham Young University, has a degree and still performs today.

Why Suzuki?

Aisha likes the nurturing way you can teach a child with the Suzuki method. She also believes that ear training is at the root of every good musician.

Her Role on the ISSI Board
She was given the opportunity to join the ISSI board as the viola representative and, as she puts it,  she "couldn't say no! There has been a need for some time to get the viola love back at ISSI." She attended when she was a student and loved to see old friend and make new ones. "Being a violist is more than playing the instrument," Aisha says.  "You become part of a small but passionate group of dedicated musicians and good people." She is still friends today with the friends she made at ISSI.  She is still in touch with her teachers from ISSI. When she returned to teaching full time she was sad to see that there weren't very many violists at ISSI. "That is my mission!" she replies.  "We will build the viola program back to what it used to be."

So welcome to Aisha, we are glad to have you on board!