Suzuki Music Academy of Hong Kong
"Music Exists for the purpose of growing an admirable heart" ~Shinichi Suzuki
Many thanks to the Lee family who have donated their piano to KSMA! We are thrilled that both Mr. Jason and Ms. Shoko will be able to have two pianos in their studios.
Please help us continue to express our gratitude to Yolandy, Nicole and Nathan when you see them around school!
We are thrilled to announce that the Suzuki Association of the Americas’ Parents as Partners Online virtual conference will return beginning 25 January, 2017. It has been so successful that they’ve extended the dates of the conference by four months! This year, once released, videos will be available until October rather than just to June.
Parents as Partners Online conference offers video inspiration and support. Although it’s marketed for parents, it is very useful for teachers as well. Our KSMA teachers view and discuss one video at every weekly staff meeting, which gives each of us more tools for our teaching toolbox.
Parents who have participated in the conference in the past have found it to be very valuable; in fact, we have been receiving emails for the past several months asking about it…finally, today, the SAA has released the information!
If you would like to join, please complete the form below and give your payment to Ms. Lan.
before 25 January: HK$90
after 25 January: HK$120
by Melanie Au
I think the first half was better than the second half. I was more concentrated with the songs in the beginning that afterwards because I was getting more and more tired. But overall it was okay (I think). For the second half, even though I took a rest before starting again I was still tired. The worst one was the Bach a minor 3rd movement because I was exhausted from standing for so long. I’m not sure what or how you think it was but I think it was not as good as I thought it would be.
At the Suzuki convention this summer in Bali, I had a masterclass with Iskandar Wdjaja. It was a fun experience and I learnt a lot.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the masterclass was that there were other people too. There were a least a dozen people watching the person playing, so I was pretty nervous. When it was my turn, I played Fiocco Allegro. He gave me some advice and we went through the piece together a few times, with some more tips along the way.
It was definitely an enriching class and I feel a lot more confident playing that piece now. Mr Wdjaja was a good teacher and was very helpful and encouraging.
Iskandar Wdjaja is giving a recital in Hong Kong!
His program even includes a piece from the Suzuki repertoire…the Handel Sonata No. 4 in D major that’s in Book 6!
Here is the information so that you can take advantage of this amazing opportunity:
http://www.pphk.org/concerts/recitals/iskandar-widjaja/
by Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Sandra
Last weekend, the KSMA faculty (and a very furry stowaway belonging to Ms. Diane) spent an entire day hard at work…on their day off! Early in the morning, the tireless faculty boarded a lovely junk boat to cruise toward Lamma Island. The day was tough from the start, we ate muffins, croissants, and fresh fruit. Whew…that was hard work! Then, we spent some time soaking in the sun, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying each other’s company.
After some quick power naps, it was actually time to get to work. Ms. Diane lead the group in some discussions about our personality types and the ways we relate interpersonally. We spent time reading about ourselves and sharing experiences from our teaching lives. We learned about each other and what a complex and diverse faculty we have! Well, that was enough work to earn a banana boat ride…so we did!
Ms. Sandra, Ms. Monica, Ms. Elizabeth, and Mr. Graham all went out for a banana boat ride where there wasn’t any fun at all. No, it was a very serious endeavor. You can tell from the pictures that no one had any fun.
Back on boat, Mr. Graham and Ms. Elizabeth decided to live on the wild side for a little bit and jump off the top of the boat into the ocean. Everyone thought they would be safe and dry on the boat…think again! Ms. Elizabeth and Mr. Graham worked hard to splash everyone standing on the boat taking pictures.
We spent more time eating and delicious chicken, samosas, and spring rolls were among the wonderful spread of food we had. It was nearly time to head back to Central, so we took one last dip in the ocean, being very careful to avoid any jellyfish, and got on the boat to head back home.
On the ride back to Central, we spent more time together as a faculty working to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming year. All too soon, we were back at the Central pier and our very long, tiresome day was at a close. We had such a great time working and playing together for the whole day, and we hope you enjoyed the pictures and story too!
