Suzuki Music Academy of Hong Kong

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

Reflections from the Performers: Camy & Emma W Book 4&5 Violin Recital

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~from Emma

To prepare for this recital, Camy and I spent a gruelling four months preparing with each other, our first rehearsal together was in the US, back in February. Since then, we exchanged multiple video recordings with each other, and had a few zoom meetings now and then to discuss possible articulations or dynamic levels. Then upon meeting up with each other a week before the recital, we spent a few hours finalising everything together. In the end, I believe our hard work together paid off. 

Of course there were mishaps along the way: long distance communication with each other being one of the more difficult aspects; or finding the right time to have rehearsals together, school or jet lag being something we had to work around; or when Camy and I went out to eat lunch before our rehearsal, and it immediately started raining heavily. Despite all of these challenges, big and small, we were able to persist to the end, and I believe that shows through our recital. 

One of the main things I learnt while preparing, is the importance of balance between two parts. While playing the Bach Double, the goal wasn’t always to be the same level of volume, but to support each other through our playing. If Camy’s part had the melody, while I had the supporting part, it would be my job to enhance what Camy is playing, not to overtake her, vice versa. With that in mind, I feel like Camy and I were able to successfully incorporate this idea into the Bach Double. All in all, I had a lot of fun playing the Bach Double during the concert. 

When it comes to my own solo pieces, the mistakes were evident, and it could have been prevented, had I prepared more mindfully. At the end of the day, mistakes were made, and I unfortunately cannot go back in time to fix them. This was a lesson I learned, and a preparation mistake that will not happen in my future book recitals. 

Thank you Ms Diane, Ms Sonomi, and Ms Marie Ann for helping us along the way, and thank you Camy for taking the time to prepare and perform this recital with me.

~from Camy

My book 4/5 recital on June 20, 2026 was my second recital with Emma and it was nice to be able to see everyone and work together in Hong Kong! The book 4/5 recital is the first recital where the students have to take most of the responsibilities, including deciding our rehearsal times, working together independently, and making decisions on how to use articulation, phrasing, and bow divisions in our playing. This was especially challenging for me and Emma because we lived halfway across the world from each other.

Fortunately, we had the opportunity to meet up in person before I came to Hong Kong, at the SAA Suzuki music educators’ conference in San Francisco in February. Both Emma and I (plus Hanson and Linnaea) were selected to participate in the Early Music Ensemble hosted during the conference, which focused on playing in the baroque style. We had the chance to use baroque bows for the first time and learn bowing techniques from violinist Rachel Barton Pine and her daughter, and we performed an orchestral version of the Bach Double during the conference. This was beneficial for me and Emma to learn more about the articulation used in the baroque style because we were working on the Bach Double for our recital. When working together in San Francisco, on Acapella, and in person, we experimented with both the modern bow and baroque bow to see which style we preferred to use during the recital. Although we are more used to playing with our modern bows, we decided to use the baroque bows during the recital for the Bach Double because it was more fitting for the articulations we chose to use.

At the recital, we decided to make the Bach Double our grand finale. Although we took it considerably faster than when we practiced, it ended up sounding really good and pretty balanced between the parts. We spent the majority of our independent rehearsals as well as a good part of our joint lessons discussing the articulation we should use, how we wanted to use phrasing and dynamics to add depth to our playing, how to balance the parts and when to bring out specific sections, and how we wanted to do the bow divisions for the Bach Double. 

Another big highlight of the book 4/5 recital is that we each had the opportunity to perform a whole Vivaldi concerto with 3 movements. I played the Vivaldi A Minor concerto, and a main focus I worked on in my lessons with Ms. Diane was how to transition between the different movements. This is because it is important to make sure you are prepared with the appropriate energy required for each movement. For example, between the first (Allegro) and second (Largo) movements, I took a longer time to adjust to the lower level of energy for the second movement. The second transition from the second to the third (Presto) movement was much shorter because it was easier to transition from lower to higher energy. The experience of playing a whole concerto helped me understand the relationship between the movements and how their styles were different but related.

My other solo pieces were German Dance, Seitz 5/3, and Perpetual Motion. The things I needed to work on were different throughout each piece, including how the cues needed to happen, the ritards, phrasing, tone, and much more. I thought I have improved a lot in all the pieces since when I first learned them a few years ago and also from when I started working on them at the beginning of this year to prepare for the recital. Even though some things still could use adjustments when I performed them, I think I still did a good job with the dynamics, articulation, and other specific things I worked on in the pieces.

In the joint pieces, Emma and I had to spend a lot of time coordinating the parts on how we wanted to do different aspects of each piece. One thing that was difficult for us was surprisingly the Twinkle Variations. For the Book 4/5 recital, Ms. Diane asked us to play the variations in multiple keys and 6 different positions to demonstrate our advancing technique. The challenge was even tougher because we didn’t practice the Twinkles as much as the other joint pieces, but also because we changed the keys and positions for each variation multiple times and only finalized the decision at the dress rehearsal two days before the recital. 

In Seitz 2/3, I spent a lot of time working on the cues for Emma and Ms. Sonomi because there are a lot of ritards and places that need me to cue the next section. In the performance, I think I improved the cues in the ending of the piece and the middle compared with the dress rehearsal, when it was difficult for me to cue properly in those sections at first. I was accidentally giving a double cue for the ending note, but I worked to make my motion a smoother and bigger bow circle to provide a clearer cue for my partners. I think the cue in the middle of the piece could have been better because I should have matched the next section’s tempo slightly better, but it was definitely improved since the last time. 

In the Veracini Gigue, the main issues Emma and I both worked on were using our elbows properly throughout the piece and also how to do the grace notes consistently. I think I could have improved my use of my elbow in the recital, but I think Emma and I worked out the grace notes and decided on a consistent solution.

I think we did well in both Gossec Gavotte and Bach Bourree, although the Bourree 2 was pretty slow compared to Bourree 1 when they were supposed to be similar in tempo. Other than that, I think our phrasing, bow divisions, and articulation matched well in both pieces.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who helped me prepare and make the recital happen. Thank you to Emma for being a wonderful recital partner and willing to work with me overseas and have many rehearsals on two different continents. Thank you to Ms. Diane for being a great teacher and helping us work on the recital together, improve our playing, and take more independent responsibility for making decisions. A big thank you to Ms. Sonomi for being an awesome collaborative pianist and taking the time and effort to accompany us during the 4-hour dress rehearsal and recital (on top of several other recitals and performances). Special thanks to Ms. Marie Ann for being so welcoming and making sure everything runs smoothly. Thank you to my family and everyone who came to support us and listen to our recital—both in person and on Zoom.

Reflections of the Performers: Isabel & Chloe Book 2 Recital

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Chloe and Isabel gave their Book 2 Recital on the last Saturday of our Spring Term! Here are their reflections on the experience:

~from Chloe

    I was really excited when I heard my partner was Isabel, since we did our Book 1 Recital together too!
        Isabel and I were both really nervous in the beginning, since there were 5 guests who came to watch, and it was a lot more people than in the dress rehearsal. Consequently, during the first piece—Happy Farmer, Isabel forgot that I was leading, and led the bow, and gave the cue. So of course I was really confused, and messed up the beginning. Fortunately, we somehow managed to start again, with me giving the cue, and the rest of the piece went really well. 
        Our other two joint pieces—Twinkles and Musette was really good. In Twinkles, we both remembered to have eye contact after every section. In Musette, we didn’t forget to do the dynamics and phrasing we were working on the last few weeks. The only thing I think we could have done was a bigger retard and diminuendo in the end.
        I think part of why the joint pieces were really great, is because we practiced them over and over during all the joint lessons, dress rehearsal, and our practice-playdate. Yup! On June 10, Isabel went over to my place and we practiced all our joint pieces with our concert dress on! After 45 minutes of practice, we decided that we were fine, and started to play games! She even stayed for lunch! 
        Anyways, back to the recital. Slowly but surely, I got more confident throughout the performance. I think my best piece that day was Two Grenadiers, since I used my whole bow, did the crescendo, and used my elbow for the up bows, to create a grand forte sound. I also really liked Chorus from “Judas Maccabaeus”, because I used my thumb and elbow together to create beautiful tone. In Boccherini Minuet, I did a lot of dynamics in the C, D, and E sections, but I could definitely make the trills sound clearer. In Hunters Chorus and Gossec Gavotte, my eighth and sixteenth notes were kind of mushed together. I really liked Gavotte from Mignon’s pizzicato ending as well. I did elbow circles, and pulled the strings sideways. 
        After the recital, we had a lot of snacks, drinks, and candy, at the reception. Everyone was just chatting, laughing, and eating. 
        Lastly, I want to thank all the people who have helped me make this recital happen. Ms. Diane, for teaching me all the pieces I performed. Ms. Marie Ann, for organizing everything. My family, for supporting me along. Ms. Sonomi, for collaborating with me. Isabel, for being a great friend and partner. And Isabel’s parents, for bringing the amazing food!
        All in all, the whole recital was a fun and enjoyable experience, and I look forward to my future Book 3 Recital too!

~from Isabel

I think that my book recital with Chloe was successful because we worked well and we could identify what problems there were in our joint pieces and we practised this more when Chloe invited me over to her house and we mostly practised Musette because we needed to practise being in sync. After that, we played with Chloe’s little sister and ate lunch. I think this was a very fun experience and I would like to do another recital with Chloe.

Reflections from the performers: Emma & Andrew Book 2 violin recital

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~ from Andrew

This recital did not go well in the preparation. I had trouble getting my violin ready in time for the practice before the recital; I even forgot to wear the formal clothes and had to re-wear them after I still wore my bright-colored shirt inside my recital uniform. I should have thought about how the clothes would be visible and distract the audience and show that I did not care about the recital, instead just wanting to get over with it.

         Then there was the group practice before the recital. We started great by reviewing the joint pieces together and after playing through the first two pieces, we poorly decided to practice our solos, which was not an instruction you gave us. I really should have listened because later on in the recital I had some trouble paying attention to the tone and listening to my partner.

         Lastly, there is the recital. I think our performance improved as the recital went on. I enjoyed how I listened to my sound to improve my tone. But for me there were some choke points in a few pieces; Ignored ones led to some problems later on as the same section repeated. Sometimes during the joint lessons, we could not remember the practice assignments and we had to review them again, which took a long time.

         The dress rehearsal was troubling for us to play with a good tone. So then I spent lots of time at home practicing tone and correct position so then the recital could go well.  Next recital I should prepare more as the pieces got more advanced as well and mistakes get harder to avoid.

~from Emma

I want to say thankyou to Ms. Diane, my violin teacher, for helping me through this recital.

I liked how I got to play harmony in Musette. Over all the years I have played the violin, the only time I had formally played harmony was for twinkle, so I was really happy when I found out I got to play harmony in Musutte. 

2 months to prepare for a recital seems like a lot at first, that’s what I thought at first. I made a big mistake, I didn’t practice because I had around 2 months to prepare, and pushed everything till the last minute. The few days before my recital, I had to sleep very late just to make up for the time I had lost.

During the recital I felt really nervous, I had spent enough time for people to think it is an average recital. But deep down, I know I could’ve done much better.

This was the busiest time of my life, I had to juggle practicing the violin, school work and practicing the piano for the last few weeks. It was supposed to be less busy, but I didn’t use my time well, and suffered greatly from it. But from this recital I learned a great lesson to never waste your time as you can never relive a moment of your life.

“Time is free, but it is priceless. You can’t own it, but you can spend it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.” – Harvey MacKay

When I have my book 3 recital, I should plan out my time better, so I can have more time to rest, and still have enough time to practice my violin.

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Reflections from the Performers: Lincoln & Miles ~ Book 2 Violin Recital

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Miles and Lincoln were excited to welcome the largest in person audience to a Book Recital since before COVID! They have some thoughts to share about their experience together:

~from Lincoln

I believe that the recital was quite successful. One of the reasons is that there were no major mistakes and I firmly believe both me and Miles played beautiful music that allowed the massive audience to clap loudly. In Twinkle, I think I should have paid a little more attention to Miles as I was completely focused on myself. I would like to thank you for helping me develop my music and Ms Sonomi for being piano accompaniment. I think that I have prepared a lot for my recital in the 20 mins of time to practise. I think that I should have practised more pieces  rather than just a few. I believe my playing with Miles of Musette has significantly improved. We were together more and we played it better than the last time. I firmly believe that overall, the recital was a success, however had some flaws such as the twinkle where I accidentally played theme instead of harmony for a few seconds in variation E. 

~from Miles

My recital went well, and I am proud of how I did. I think I worked well with my partner and have done good ques for both Ms.Sonomi and my partner while leading. Overall I did much better than last time, and hope all future recitals are as good as this. The main concerns I had when I was told the recitals’s date was me forgetting the forms of the pieces, but after getting used to the pieces again, I found the forms not too difficult. The joint lessons also helped a lot as we focused a lot on ques and how to lead, which neither me or my teammate really did well before the joint lessons.

Reflections of the Performers: Eric, Hugo & Wesley Book 2 Recital

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Wesley, Hugo and Eric worked together to prepare and perform their Book 2 recital. Here are their reflections on the experience.

~from Eric

From this recital, I took away three things. 

Firstly, I noticed how important it is to listen to each other when playing our joint pieces. An example is when you mentioned the balance all three of us needed to achieve in Musette. I needed to listen to Wesley to balance with him and then look at Hugo’s bow so that I and Wesley can balance Hugo. This made me realize how important listening and adapting to each other is, in any group performance. 
Next, I noticed how a small pause is sometimes the most powerful way to start or end a piece. For example, when I ended Waltz, I wanted to pause after I finished the last note, to let the ringing tone sink in before I took a bow. I feel like this was a perfect ending touch to this piece. Silence is truly a part of music. 

Finally, I noticed how much work we put into this recital. We planned, practiced, and improved over and over again until we had it perfect. This made me realize how much effort is put into a performance, and not just in music. The amount of teamwork and dedication needed for any performance we see is probably a lot more than how much we think it is. To conclude, I want to thank Wesley and Hugo. They were amazing to work with and we collaborated together really well. Furthermore, I want to thank Ms.Diane, Ms.Sonomi, and Ms.Mary Ann because they work hard every day to help us. Ms.Diane works for many hours a day and doesn’t even have time for a proper lunch on Saturdays. Ms.Sonomi accompanies so many pieces, and without her, our performance would not have been possible. Ms.Mary Ann assists countless things and gets so many things done for us to keep our school running.

~ from Hugo

I am proud of myself for completing my book 2 recital, I spent a lot of time polishing and improving my pieces and I am relieved it is over.  

I think Eric, Wesley and I worked well together when we were practising our joint pieces.  This is a rare opportunity to be able to play a trio with them, I also learnt something from each of them, I think Eric is very dedicated and loves his music a lot, and Wesley is very hard working and takes practising seriously.  These are all good things I should follow.  

At first, our trios were not very good, but after some individual practice at home, we got better each time we played together.

I overall enjoyed the experience even though there was some pressure during the process, especially in the week before the recital.

~from Wesley

Saturday’s recital was very good, I had one mistake for every piece and I think it was because I’m nervous when I was playing the first piece of the recital, my legs were shaking but I felt better afterwards. I think I also need to add more emotions to the piece, like swinging my body while playing the song.

As a group playing with Eric and Hugo, I learnt that when playing at a recital I have to put more emotion to the song. And for the joint pieces I have to match both Eric and Hugo’s rhythm, for both pieces. I also think I did well on the special notes in Judas since I could really hear the sound loud and clear around the room. For Musette I think I did decent with the overlapping bows. I can do better by really bringing up the overlapping sound more. For Gavotte, I think I can do better because I don’t think I did very well with the sixteenth notes.

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