To enroll in the Suzuki Flute Book 4 course taught by Wendy Stern through the Great Lakes Suzuki Flute and Recorder Institute.

Receiving The Clifford-Levy Creativity Grant this academic year was particularly meaningful as it confirmed that we can embrace learning and recharge even during difficult times. Immersing myself further in the Suzuki Flute Book 4 training was so important on a number of levels: 1) focusing on Baroque repertoire; 2) learning to teach Baroque performance practices, especially to young students; 3) availing ourselves of recent technologies to enhance teaching as well as engage students; and 4) discovering multiple other resources from which to draw upon to deepen the learning experience for students. The teacher of this course, Wendy Stern, also encouraged each of us to share our own teaching experiences as well as teach one of the pieces in the book. And what was abundantly clear, was the wealth of information that we could use and avail ourselves of. From studying urtext along with more recent editions, to comparing the German and French Baroque, to making use of the amazing Slow Downer and Google transposer apps, it was an in-depth and multi-faceted journey that will enrich my own teaching and that I will want to share with my students in the years ahead.

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To enroll in the second half of the second year of the Suzuki teacher training program at SFS.

Max has entered the last year of the Teacher Training program at the Suzuki School for Strings. This year, the teacher trainees are becoming faculty members of SFS as part of the Start-Up Program. SFS recruits beginner piano students with a purpose of training new Suzuki teachers. Teacher trainees practice how to teach these students and their parents in individual and group settings under the advice and leadership of teacher trainer, Marina Obukovsky. Marina Obukovsky is head of the Piano Department at SFS and Suzuki Department at Mannes College. This year’s teacher training program curriculum includes writing lesson plans, as well as observing, discussing, and trying different kinds of teaching techniques. With the help of this training, Maxim’s goal is to learn how to make his work with beginners more efficient through a focus on pedagogical methodology, encouraging help from parents, and using the experience of a generation of Suzuki teachers.

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To commission composer Ivan Rodriguez to write a harp duo.

Wilmington Star News writes, “Christina Brier and Kathryn Sloat of Lilac 94 aren’t your grandmother’s harpists. Brier and Sloat hit their soundboards, pound their harps with mallets, slap their strings, and in general make a ruckus.” This contemporary harp duo is dedicated to performing new and previously undiscovered music and exploring creative ways of using the harp. Ivan Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican composer whose music has been performed in P.R., the U.S., throughout North/South America, and Europe. This grant will commission Ivan Rodriguez to write a harp duo piece for Lilac 94 which will be premiered in June 2022 and recorded on their debut album, a collection of music by American composers.

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