Suzuki Music Academy of Hong Kong

"Music Exists for the purpose of growing an admirable heart" ~Shinichi Suzuki

Reflections of the Performers: Miles Wu and Emma Li Book 3 violin recital

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Unusually, we had a summer book recital! In this case, scheduling the recital in the summer was necessary; however, it brought a lot of extra challenges in scheduling rehearsals and joint lessons due to unpredictable schedules in the summer! In spite of the challenges, Emma and Miles persevered and were able to give their performance. Here are their reflections on the experience:

~from Miles

In this recital, I think I did fine overall, but with much room for improvement. The piece that I think I played best was Martinni Gavotte, as I improved a lot from the start of preparation for the recital. I also made sure to communicate dynamics and give cues to Emma and/or Ms Sonomi. Individually, I made sure to use contrasting dynamics between each section and use appropriate bow divisions. However this piece also had some issues, with the E section having some mistakes and maintaining an issue to play with the harmony. The piece that needed the most improvement was Gavotte in G minor as the dynamics were inconsistent, as the way they increased or decreased depending on how high the note was wasn’t linear and the dynamics would seem to suddenly increase as I arrived at the e string. I also forgot the correct structure of the piece and unlike other pieces with mistakes, it took a very long time for me to reset myself and keep going. The piece where I communicated the best was Gossec Gavotte. In Gossec, specifically at the end of the B section and start of the C section where I did the retard and pause into 2 cues with different tempos. In conclusion, the recital went well overall from communication and teamwork ingredients aspects but with too many small individual mistakes sprinkled throughout.

~from Emma

As I’m typing this reflection I can’t form every thing that happened in this recital into words, there were so many things that I want to change, so many things that could have been better, so many hours spent on making this recital better. But there were also so many things that I couldn’t do before and can now, so many things that I’m proud of, so many praises from others. 
If I were to go back in time, there are so many things that I want to change, from little details to major parts. In the beginning of the recital, I was really nervous, my fingers were frozen stuck, my brain went blank, and my eyes were glued onto my fingers. I couldn’t focus, I was too focused on thinking negatively that I completely forgot about many things that I spent hours working on. More dynamics and articulation in Humoresque, especially in the first B section. And also not only sticking to super loud and super soft in Bach Bouree, to have more variation in the piece. With more practice, these mistakes could have been avoided, my goal for my next recital would be to play to the absolute best of my ability, use my time to practice wisely, and hopefully play better than I did in this recital.
On the bright side I had surprised my own expectations in pieces such as in the Minuet when I played with great dynamics, and I communicated well with Miles, which made a really well rehearsed duet. I also thought Gavotte in D major had good dynamics, and a lot of energy that fit the vibe of the piece. As the recital went on my nervousness started to fade, replaced with a sense of confidence.
The recital wasn’t perfect but it was filled with many memories, both good and bad, memories that I will cherish forever.

Reflection from the Performer: Isabel Zeng Book 7 Violin Recital

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~by Isabel

Upon completion of my Book 7 recital, I felt quite satisfied with the whole experience, and I felt like all the work I put in really paid off. Surprisingly, I felt a lot more comfortable during the recital, and was a lot less nervous than previously, which definitely helped my playing, and allowed me to be more expressive. 

In the weeks leading up to the recital, I was responsible for scheduling rehearsals with Ms. Sonomi, and although that was a responsibility that I hadn’t had to take care of in the past, it was important, and even though I struggled a bit with communication at first, it soon got easier.

Regarding my playing, I think that it went smoothly for the most part; there were some slip-ups here and there and I played the wrong piece by accident, but I was actively trying to implement all of the techniques that I worked on such as using my elbow, using the right amount and intensity of vibrato, using my arm (especially for more tone-related pieces), and trying to keep my tempo consistent (such as in the 1st movement of Bach A minor and the 3rd movement of Handel A major).

Some pieces were, of course, less challenging than others both regarding technique, and how easily the musicality aspect of it came to me, but even though playing them was like taking a small break, it was still a bit of a challenge to remain engaged while that was happening. 

In contrast, pieces such as Legende were far more difficult. I had performed Legende once previously, and because of that, it made this performance of the piece go more smoothly. I was able to get a better grasp of what I wanted the piece to sound like and be, and that allowed me to be more expressive and lean into the musical aspects rather than only focusing on the technical parts. Of course, I did have to pay significant attention to things such as intonation, given its rather lengthy passage of double-stops and chords, which although was something I worked really hard on, some sections were still difficult but I tried to not let that stand in the way of the piece overall. Despite all of its challenges, I enjoyed playing Legende again, and I think that it was definitely a great experience.

Overall, I think that I did well in my Book 7 recital, and I am proud of the progress I made between this recital and the one prior. I was able to not only grow in my technical abilities, but also in confidence and expressiveness, and scheduling rehearsals and communicating with Ms. Sonomi helped me improve my communication skills and become more responsible.

Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Sonomi, Ms. Diane, and Ms. Marie Ann so much for everything they’ve done in order to make the recital possible. To Ms. Sonomi, thank you so much for all of the effort and time you put into this and thank you for being patient with me throughout the rehearsals. Ms. Diane, thank you for working on the pieces with me and helping me improve certain sections over and over again, and also for making the amazing programme. Ms. Marie Ann, thank you for bearing with me especially when I had some communication related mess-ups. Last but not least, thank you again to everyone who came and made this experience so memorable.

Reflection from the Performers: Elaine & Evelyn Book 1 Violin Recital

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~ from Evelyn

After spending my daily effort to practise the violin, I am happy that I can share the music I’ve learnt, and show others that, with effort, there will surely be a day of success. I hope I can continue to work hard and finish book 2 soon. Thank you Ms Diane for teaching me, and Ms Sonomi for playing the piano with me in the book 1 recital

~from Elaine

My book 1 recital is an experience I will never forget. When I was younger, I vividly remember watching Eric and Wesley do their recital once. The music, layout, just everything seemed perfect. As I watched them take a final bow, I couldn’t help but wonder when it would be my turn. 

And then suddenly, it was my turn. Though I understood that the recital would be complicated, I never expected the amount of work involved. It started when my mom forwarded me the email Mrs. Diane sent a congratulation note and recital information. My heart skipped a beat when I realized it was really happening. With a mixture of fear and excitement, me and Evelyn (My recital partner) went to Mrs. Dianes room after group class. Then we decided on the pieces and had a brief overview of what was going on. From then on, we each spent time working on them in private lessons and the joined pieces on joint lessons. Through this process, I revisited and corrected the old skills that I used to learn each piece. For example, one piece I was playing was Allegro. I needed to use quick bows for the whole bows, because you had to be quick to have a nice staccato sound. (Hence the name) And for Gavotte, I learned that I had to relax rather than tense up to do the hooked bows in the D section. 

I also learned how to collaborate with a partner. I got to know Evelyn better and we had to learn how to communicate to succeed. We both led a different piece and learned how to be a leader and follower. Skills like listening to each other were used often and we became closer. We both worked really hard to make the recital work, and I think it paid off. Though mistakes were made, I think we actually got to enjoy it and share music with others. The recital did make me nervous, after I learned that so many people were coming. But me and Evelyn handled it, (sort of) and did a great job.  With the help of many people, Mrs. Diane, Mrs. Sonomi, our parents, and friends, we completed our book 1 recital. Thank you!

MusiCares visits HKJC Yee Hong Care and Attention Home

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by Ms Diane

As we returned to classes the first Saturday after Spring Break, MusiCares had the opportunity to visit the HKJC Yee Hong Care and Attention Home. This visit was suggested and organised by one of our grade 7 MusiCares students.

In February, MusiCares students had tried out a number of new pieces to add to our “Hong Kong repertoire”. They chose “The Moon Represents My Heart” as the piece they would like to add to their set. From February through the day of the HKJC visit, our schedule did not allow for another MusiCares meeting, and so students had to prepare their music independently.

In addition to the brand new piece, there were two other pieces which younger MusiCares members had not played previously: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and “Over the Rainbow”.

The day of the performance, after instrumental choir and before heading out to the Care and Attention Home, we got together for 30 minutes. During that time, we organised the programme order, assigned leaders for various pieces, and students had a chance to play through the new repertoire together.

It’s wonderful that MusiCares gives students the opportunity to take the lead on organising activities, choosing and preparing repertoire. This was a huge undertaking for students to prepare independently, and they were able to use their teamwork skills to play well together with little rehearsal.

Congratulations!

Teacher Trainer Zohara Rotem talks with SMAHK Parents

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by Ms Silvia

On April 26th  2025, we had a special parent seminar at SMAHK with Ms Zohara Rotem in Australia live on zoom. Ms Zohara is a famous Suzuki piano teacher trainer who specialised in nurturing parents and teachers. It is such a privilege to have her joined us live and talk to us face to face. 

Ms Zohara shared her insight of the Suzuki triangle between the teacher parent and Student. She ensure the importance of the role of parent, also understands the difficulty and pressure of it. By using Dr Suzuki’ quote “Man is the son of his environment”, she explained how the children sees and listens to their teacher only once or twice a week but every single days with their parents. She emphasised that playing the Suzuki recording to the children daily is one of he most essential part of building the mother tongue music environment. Ms Zohara addressed the problem of over scheduling a child. She explained how it could effect the child’s overall wellbeing physically and psychologically. She urged the parents to reflect on what the most important thing they valued and priorities the schedule around it. Ms Zohara encouraged us to have the courage to listen to our heart and make wise decisions for our children. 

Ms Zohara answered a few questions of our parents. She explained that it is a gradual process how he Suzuki triangle roles changed at different period of learning stage. Parent sits back bit by bit according to the readiness of being independent of the child. Suzuki parent always there supporting their child. 

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