String Fest 2016 registration is now open!

String Fest is a positive opportunity for string students between the ages of 4–18 to meet other string players and perform publicly.

Each participant will be assigned to a recital according to level, and family and friends are invited to attend. Participant evaluations will be presented by adjudicators during the recital and each performer will receive a certificate of accomplishment. Applications due January 20, 2016. Click here to learn more! 

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Festival Date: Saturday, February 20, 2016

Applications Due: January 20, 2016 (No extensions to the deadline will be made.)

Festival Categories/ Fees
Solo Participant: $28
Chamber Ensemble (Duo, Trio, Quartet): $40 for the entire group

Festival Levels
Group I: 2 or fewer years of study
Group II: 3-5 years of study
Group III: 6-7 years of study
Group IV: 8 or more years of study

Divisions
Elementary (ages 4-12)
High School (ages 13-18)

Repertoire Requirements
Participants must perform two contrasting pieces. Movements from a multi-movement work (such as a sonata) should be counted as separate selections. Total performance time should not exceed 6 minutes for Groups I & II, and 10 minutes for Groups III & IV.

Questions? Call 312.369.3150. Interested in volunteering? Please contact Martine Benmann at mbenmann@colum.edu.

Group and Preparatory class schedule for December

December 12th (Saturday)

-   8:45am-9:45am: Cello Dress Rehearsal for Suzuki string department recital. (room 219)
-   all Violin group classes & 10:00am classes run as usual.

-  11:00am-11:45am: Violin Dress rehearsal for the Suzuki string department recital. (Recital hall) - no performance class

December 19th (Saturday) - Suzuki Department String Recital

- No group & performance classes.

- Eurhythmics, String Ensemble, Note readers class are still happening.


December 19th (Saturday) - Suzuki Department String Recital (Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.)
- Call time for students: 11:30AM - Black & white, or holiday themed dress.
- Concert: 12:00PM-1:00PM

AIC treasure hunt & tea party information

New Accompanist - Una Storoda

You may already had met Una.  She is our new accompanist for the Preparatory program.

Una Stroda comes from Latvia where she graduated with BA degree in Piano Performance and Accompaniment. She has a broad experience in accompanying instrumentalists, vocalists and choirs on both sides of the ocean. Una came to Chicago 11 years ago to study theology, and now holds MA and PhD in theology from Catholic Theological Union and from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.She is glad about all the opportunities to play both accompaniment and solo piano, and has participated in several Amateur Piano competitions, including two in Chicago, organized by PianoForte Foundation which is across the street form Sherwood Music School.

Please welcome her joining Sherwood's Suzuki program team!

repertoire list for the Suzuki Department Recital

Repertoire lists for Suzuki department recital

Dress rehearsal – December 12^th – 11:00-11:45AM Recital hall

Suzuki Department Recital – 12:00-1:00PM Dance Center (1306 S. Michigan)

Orchestra

Concerto for Two Trumpets - Vivaldi

Pre-twinkle

Up Like a Rocket
Pop Goes the Weasel
Monkey Songs

Cello

Rigadoon
Etude
March in G
Dreidel song
God Rest Merry Gentlemen
Bourre/Handel
Minuet/Boccherini
Let it Go from "Frozen"

Violin

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

First Noel

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

O come little children

Allegro

Perpetual Motion

Bach Minuet 1

Witches’ dance

Martini Gavotte

Seitz No. 5, 1^st movement.

Silent Night – book 4

What did is this – book 4

Art Institute of Chicago's 34th Annual Holiday Treasure Hunt & Tea Party Performance for string students

Dear Suzuki Families,

The Art Institute of Chicago once again invites Sherwood Suzuki students to perform at their 34th Annual Holiday Treasure Hunt & Tea party event on Sunday, December 13^th. This event is a great way to start the holiday season, and we hope that you will participate! Details are below:

Location: The Art Institute of Chicago's Trading room (detailed location will be sent out in November)

Repertoire: Suzuki book 1-4 (repertoire list will be sent out in the next few weeks)

Call times:

   1st session (cello): call time 11:00am, performance 11:50am-12:10pm

            2nd session (violin): call time 12:45PM, performance 1:30pm-1:50pm

            3rd session (violin): call time 2:15PM, performance 3:00-3:20pm

The deadline to sign up is November 15^th. To sign up, please contact your private lesson teacher and provide the students’ name as well as the parent/ guardian(s) attending so that the Art Institute can provide museum tickets. If children wish, they can go through the treasure hunt after the performance.

More details will be sent in next few weeks.  About 40 violin and cello students participated last year, and I hope to have full participation from our Suzuki community!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your private teacher or me.

Yours, 

Aki Tanaka, Suzuki Program Coordinator

312-369-3156

sherwoodsuzuki@colum.edu

Art Institute Annual Treasure hunt and tea party

Mark your calendars! We are once again participating the Art Institute's annual Treasure Hunt and Tea Party, which will take place on Sunday, December 13^th. More information will be shared in the next few weeks.  All Suzuki string students are welcome to participate!

performance class schedule

Class change for the preparatory program

Starting Saturday, September 26th, The Preparatory Program's Violin, Cello, and Chamber Ensemble will be combined into one String Ensemble class. String Ensemble will be held in the Recital Hall at 10:00-10:45AM.

 This new format will give students more experience in playing in an ensemble.

Fall Term Registration

Registration is now open for fall classes at Sherwood, and we hope that you will be joining us again! Please visit our online registration page to register for the upcoming school year.

Please note that the registration process for Suzuki is different from prior years. I recently sent an email with instructions on how to register for the Suzuki program for the 15/16 school year. Please click here for details.

Fall term begins August 31st, and the first Group/Preparatory classes will start Saturday, September 5th
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Group & preparatory program schedule for 2015-2016

Important Information regarding Suzuki Program for next fall

Dear Suzuki Families,

I hope that you are enjoying your summer! Fall Term registration opens on Monday, July 20, and I wanted to take this opportunity to communicate some changes to the Suzuki program that I hope you will find beneficial as you register and continue with the program.

Term Dates
All components of the Suzuki program will now follow Sherwood’s academic calendar. Each term (Fall and Spring) lasts 16 weeks. As you know, Suzuki is a year-long commitment (32 weeks). In order to continue the program, families will need to register twice a year: once for Fall Term and again for Spring Term.

How to Register
We have broken down the components of the Suzuki program to separate class offerings, based on feedback that we received from families requesting that we make the registration process clearer. To register for Suzuki, you will need to register for the following components of the program:

• Your Private Lesson
• Suzuki Group Classes
• Preparatory Program (optional, but recommended)

Please note, pricing has not changed. In the past, the Suzuki group class cost was built into the Private Lesson cost.

Suzuki Preparatory Program
The Suzuki Preparatory Program is a set of classes recommended for string players to supplement your child’s Private Lesson and Group Class. Program offerings vary depending on your child’s level, but can include a combination of the following: Note Readers, Eurhythmics, String Ensembles, and Chamber Ensemble.

The Preparatory Program takes place from 10am-12pm on Saturdays, immediately following Suzuki Group classes, which take place between 8:30am-10am. Parental attendance is optional for the Preparatory Program, but parents of children ages 4-6 are required to be in close proximity.

You should still coordinate with your teacher regarding scheduling private lessons. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your attention to this, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Sincerely,

Aki Tanaka
Suzuki Program Coordinator

Make Music Chicago SuZooki performance opportunity

Make Music Chicago’s SuZOOki Play-A-Long at Lincoln Park Zoo is coming up, and it's open to current or former Suzuki violin or cello students. The Play-A-Long will take place at the Sea Lion Pool at Lincoln Park Zoo from 12pm – 1pm on Sunday June 21^st. Repertoire will be selected pieces from Suzuki violin and cello books 1 – 3.  Registering for the event is easy; simply sign up via facebook, or click here to sign up.

Cello repertoire lists for the June 6th department list

La Cinquantaine

Gossec Gavotte

Berceuse(Schubert)

Minuet #3

Andantino

Perpetual Motion

 
French Folk Song

violin repertoire for the department recital

Twinkle Variations & Theme

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

May Song

Minuet 1

Musette

Two Grenediers

Humoresque

Seitz Concerto No. 5 1^st  mvt.

Old Joe Clark (longer version) – for book 4 students

Congratulations Christie!

Congratulations to Christie Keiko-Abe, who recently awarded the 2015 Certificate of Achievement from the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA)!

The SAA Certificate of Achievement recognizes teachers with a commitment to life-long learning and self-improvement.

The process was developed within the framework of the Suzuki Philosophy and was designed to encourage self-evaluation and professional growth.  It provides a viable measure of achievement and commitment beyond the basic registration of units.

Congratulations Christie!

Suzuki Summer String Camp

Suzuki Summer String Camp is starting to fill up! Classes for ages 4-12 include semi-private lessons, orchestra, chamber music, large group lessons, fiddle classes, Eurhythmics, and of course, fun activities! It will be a great experience for all children and will help broaden and deepen their musical knowledge in a week.

Camp takes place from July 13-17, 2015. The cost per student is $500, or $250 for an optional half day for age 4 and 5. For more information and to register, please visit our website.

Reminder: Suzuki schedule changes for 4/4

there are several schedule changes on Saturday, April 4 because Sherwood/ Columbia College Chicago is hosting a TEDx event in our recital hall. For those of you familiar with TED Talks, this is a big production. We are pleased to be able to offer the majority of our Saturday programming that day, however, in order to accommodate the event, we are moving or canceling the following Suzuki classes on April 4, 2015:

• Suzuki Orchestra & Suzuki Performance class: Cancelled
• Luke Bartolomeo Private Piano Lessons:  Moved from room 223 to room 215
• Suzuki Violin Advanced Group:  Moved from Recital Hall to room 208

Thank you so much for your attention to these matters, and please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Aki with any questions.

Looking for Volunteers May 28-30 - Royal Conservatory Music Development Program

We are looking for several parent volunteers to host the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program's assessment, which takes place May 28-30. This assessment provides a recognized national standard of musical success through an effectively sequenced course of study from beginner to advanced levels.

We are looking for greeters and timekeepers. If you are able to volunteer for a few hours during May 28-30, please e-mail sherwoodsuzuki@colum.edu .

April 4 schedule changes for TEDx Event

On Saturday, April 4, Sherwood/ Columbia College Chicago is hosting a TEDx event in our recital hall. For those of you familiar with TED Talks, this is a big production. We are pleased to be able to offer the majority of our Saturday programming that day, however, in order to accommodate the event, we are moving or canceling the following Suzuki classes:

Suzuki Orchestra & Suzuki Performance class: Cancelled
 
Luke Bartolomeo Private Piano Lessons:  Moved from room 223 to room 215
 
Suzuki Violin Advanced Group:  Moved from Recital Hall to room 208

Thank you so much for your attention to this matter, and please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Aki with any questions.

Join us for Suzuki Summer String Camp!

The Suzuki Summer String Camp for ages 4-12 is proud to offer fun and innovative classes that will keep your child motivated and engaged in summer study. Our course offerings are built around the Suzuki method, and will offer your child the opportunity to broaden and deepen her or his musical knowledge. Students must have at least 6 months of previous study on their instrument. Learn more at register online at colum.edu/sherwood!
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DATES
July 13-17, from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

AGES 4- 12
*Ages 4-5 have the option to take a 1/2 day camp, which runs from 9 am-12 pm

CLASSES INCLUDE
Semi-private & large group lessons, Eurhythmics, Orchestra, Violin Fiddlers, Chamber Music, Note Reading

TUITION
4-12 year olds: Tuition is $500 for the week. A $250 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a spot in the camp.
4-5 year olds (optional): Tuition for the optional 1/2 day camp is $250 for the week. A $125 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a spot in the 1/2 day camp.

TO REGISTER
Register online at colum.edu/sherwood

QUESTIONS?
For more questions about the Summer String Camp, or if you are interested in early drop off or late pickup options, please contact Aki Tanaka at sherwoodsuzuki@colum.edu.

New Piano Teacher - Jeff Kleinsorge

We would like to introduce a new piano teacher in the Suzuki program, Jeff Kleinsorge.  Jeff attended the Manhattan School of Music, and studied with Constance Keene and Gary Grafman.  He also attended Michigan State University, studying with Ralph Votapek.  In addition to teaching, he will also be the accompanist for the performance class.

If you see him in the hallway, please say hi and welcome him!

Mark the calendar – Suzuki Summer String Camp

You are invited to attend the Suzuki Summer String camp, which will run from July 13-17.

  4 & 5 years old students have a choice to attend half, or full day camp this year.  Students will have opportunities to have semi-private lesson, orchestra, chamber music, large group lesson, fiddle classes, outside activities, eurhythmics, and all other fun activities. Registration will open very soon!
 

Noah Bendix-Balgley masterclass

Spring registration

We hope that you all had a great holiday. If you haven’t registered for Spring Term, please contact the office as soon as possible so you are able to continue taking lessons without any disruption.