The International Suzuki Association (ISA) strives to encourage, promote, enlarge, and coordinate the Suzuki Method™ throughout the world.
The International Suzuki Association (ISA) was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organisation in Dallas, Texas in order to serve as a coalition of Suzuki Associations throughout the world. Its primary purpose is to serve as an co-ordination centre and to protect the "Suzuki" name and rights.
The ISA was designated by Dr Suzuki as the sole authorised organisation which can grant rights to the use of his name and the marks "Suzuki", "Suzuki Method", and other similar terms throughout the world.
The ISA is an organization of organizations. At present five Regional Associations have been licensed by the International Suzuki Association. The Regional Associations have been given rights to grant sub-licenses to national associations or other organizations within their area. Each Regional Association has the same goals as the International Suzuki Association: to encourage, promote, enlarge and coordinate the Suzuki Method within their area, and to maintain the highest standards of educational instruction.
Management
The ISA is managed by a Board of Directors which includes representatives of the Regional Associations. The ISA's Instrument Committees advise the ISA board on matters relating to educational material and musical repertoire and editions.
Membership
The Regional Associations are the members of the International Suzuki Association. Some of them, in turn, have National Suzuki Associations as their members, and these have individual members, who may be teachers, parents of students or interested members of the public. The ISA is the umbrella organization for the five Regional Associations. Please contact your specific Regional Association first concerning membership in a Suzuki association.
To become members of the ISA, teachers or other interested individuals, therefore need to join their own regional Suzuki association, or where appropriate the local or national association in their own area. A proportion of membership dues collected by such local organisations will be paid to the Regional Associations who will pay an annual membership fee on behalf of all their members to the International Suzuki Association. For more information please contact the Regional Associations.
New ISA Online Journal for July 2024
Use the link below to access all the articles, news and pictures from Suzuki regions around the world. Many thanks to all our contributors for this latest edition.
In this issue:
- 60th Anniversary of Dr. Suzuki’s First Japanese Tour Group
- Memories of Matsumoto
- An Itinerary with the Suzuki Method and Dedicated People
- My Trip to Washington DC
- Photos from Asia
- The 2024 SAA Conference
- The 2024 SAA Conference – A Student Perspective
- European Suzuki Flute Teachers Workshop
- Happy to be a Part of the Suzuki Tribe
View the July 2024 ISA Journal
Message from the ISA Chair July 2024
Dear Suzuki Community,
I am honored to step into the role of Chairperson of the International Suzuki Association (ISA) for the term 2024-2026. This marks a significant change, as we have decided that the chairperson can now be any member of the ISA board, not just regional representatives. We believe this will better address our needs and avoid conflicts of interest.
In the coming years, we face several challenges:
- Material Formats: We need to determine the best format for our core materials—whether printed or electronic—to serve teachers, parents, and students effectively.
- Instrument Expansion: We must decide how many different instruments the Suzuki method can accommodate and if the ISA's current structure is ideal for this purpose.
- Teacher Training Recognition: We aim to finalize a process for recognizing teacher qualifications across regions, ensuring smooth transitions for teachers moving internationally.
I extend my deepest gratitude to Prof. Ryugo Hayano for his exceptional leadership over the past three years. I hope to meet the high expectations set for me in this new role.
Martin Rüttimann
Chairperson, ISA
July 2024
New Publication: Memories of Matsumoto from Suzuki Graduates and Pioneers
The ISA commissioned TERI Violin Graduate and SAA Teacher-Trainer Amanda Schubert the daunting task of collecting and creating a permanent archive of written memories and photos from Suzuki teachers around the world who were fortunate to attend and graduate from the then-named Talent Education Institute (now known as TERI) in Matsumoto, under the tutelage of Dr. Suzuki and the other trainers at the school in cello, flute, guitar, oboe, piano and violin.
Truly we are indebted to Amanda for this comprehensive archive of prose and photos that will be updated as we continue to receive additional material from contributors. If you are one of those (!), please contact the ISA office for information concerning submissions. The goal is to collect as many memories as possible to share with our Suzuki family around the globe.
Enjoy browsing through this vast treasure of memories of lessons and experiences in Japan.
Announcing the Addition of Explanatory Graphs to the Kendall Teaching Videos Archive
The ISA is indebted to Dr. Brian Buckstead for permitting his research on the teaching techniques of Suzuki Method pioneer John Kendall to be posted on this website. His illustrations provide a valuable visual resource to the aural presentation in the Kendall Teaching Videos.
Please use the link below to access these materials (bottom of the page):
The Life of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki: A Chronology
The ISA is proud to announce this important new publication chronicling the life of Dr. Suzuki decade by decade through text and pictures, from his early upbringing, his time in Germany, the return to Japan, and the flowering of the Talent Education movement worldwide.
The ISA is indebted to Mikio Shin of TERI, the original author of the Chronology, for his permission to expand and translate this significant new document. And to Lili Selden and Ruth Miura for their work on the English translation.
Suzuki Audio Downloads
The recordings are an essential part of the Suzuki Method®, and it’s important to us that the official professional recordings are available to every student and teacher. As CDs and CD players are becoming a thing of the past, we’ve now made the recordings easily accessible in a digital format.
All official Suzuki recordings are available to purchase and download from Amazon Music, iTunes Store, and Alfred Media. When purchased from any of these platforms, recordings can be played from a computer, phone, smart speaker, or even a smart TV from the respective online library or app.
Updated AMPV List
Be sure that you have the most recent versions of the Suzuki materials by consulting the updated AMPV list.
AMPV numbers are now on the title page of newer or updated Suzuki Method™ books to allow teachers and families to know if they are purchasing the latest edition of a book.
- AMPV numbers are now on the title page of newer or updated Suzuki Method books.
- AMPV stands for Alfred Music Publishing Version and is followed by a number, such as 1.0.
- These numbers apply only to books, not to recordings.
- If a book is not listed, the book has not been changed since 2010.
- This list will be updated as needed. Please check back occasionally.
Italian Court Ruling Affirms the Exclusive Use of SUZUKI™ Method and Trademark by the ISA and Its Affiliated Regional Associations
In March 2022, a violin teacher, who studied and obtained a certification from the Deutsches Suzuki Institut (DSG), claimed, within a precautionary proceeding before the Court of Turin in Italy, (i) to be entitled to qualify herself as "Suzuki teacher" or "Suzuki Method violin teacher" and (ii) to lawfully use such expressions without infringing the SUZUKI trademark. Istituto Suzuki Italiano (ISI) and International Suzuki Association (ISA) defended the SUZUKI trademark and strenuously contested the opposing arguments and requested that the teacher's use of the SUZUKI trademark be prohibited.
ISI and ISA, in particular, highlighted how DSG is no longer part of the Suzuki™ network as of 2011, and how, therefore, DSG is not entitled to issue any certification relating to the Suzuki™ Method.
The Court upheld ISI's and ISA's arguments and therefore inhibited the teacher's use of the SUZUKI sign and consequently of the title "Suzuki teacher" and "Suzuki Method violin teacher”, as she had not obtained certification from an institute accredited with the Suzuki™ network.
This is an extremely significant decision at a European level, since the Court has recognized that the worldwide Suzuki™ network governed by ISA is the only legitimate entity to teach - and train - the Suzuki™ Method and entitled to exclusive use of the SUZUKI trademark.
The International Suzuki Association (ISA) was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organization in Dallas, Texas in order to serve as a coalition of Suzuki Associations throughout the world. Its primary purpose is to serve as a co-ordination center and to protect the "Suzuki" name and rights. The ISA was designated by Dr. Suzuki as the sole authorized organization which can grant rights to the use of his name and the marks "Suzuki", “SUZUKI™ Method”, and other similar terms throughout the world.
At present, five Regional Associations have been licensed by the International Suzuki Association and been given rights to grant sub-licenses to national associations or other organizations within their area.
Update to the 2018 ISA Press Release Concerning a False Posting by the German Suzuki Association (DSG)
The ISA has noted the continued posting of a misleading message on the website of the DSG, an organization not a part of the ESA, the ISA nor authorized to use the SUZUKI name. This post asserting that the ISA does not own the mark SUZUKI is untrue. It is a misrepresentation of fact and poses a liability issue to anyone following that course of action.
In fact, the ISA continues to own registrations for SUZUKI and other SUZUKI marks throughout the world, including Germany. Any assertion to the contrary is inaccurate.
The DSG bases its claims on a decision in a court document from November 2014. Please read the following link for a complete and accurate transcript of the document in question, and not the altered and redacted version as posted by the DSG.
The ISA has written to the administration of the DSG repeatedly requesting this post be deleted. The DSG has responded that the post is no longer on its site. However, the post clearly does remain on the DSG site despite those assurances. ISA will continue to monitor this misrepresentation of its protection of the SUZUKI trademark in the interest of and obligations to all members of the world-wide Suzuki community.
Consensus Statement Concerning Online Teacher-Training from the ISA Board of Directors – Updated March 2021
In-person, individual approaches to training and mentoring teachers are foundational to the Suzuki Method and are an essential component in Suzuki Teacher Development.
ISA recognizes virtual teacher training as a valid delivery method to support in person training.
Technology is a powerful tool but cannot replace the essential elements of human connection and live interaction.
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