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.

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki

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.



International Suzuki Journal January 2024

ISA Online Journal for January 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:

Special Section: Reports from the Third International Teacher Trainer’s Convention

View the January 2024 ISA Journal



3rd International Suzuki Teacher Trainers Convention

Videos Now Available from the 3rd International Suzuki Teacher Trainers Convention

We are pleased to announce that TERI has finished the editing of all program archives including opening & closing ceremony, Keynote address, exchange concert and of course all meeting sessions (joint & group). All programs in Hall B (Joint meeting, Opening & Closing Ceremony, Keynote Address) can be shared with high quality simultaneous interpretation through English channel so that all detail can be easily understood by the listeners.

Please note that the cost of simultaneous interpretation and archive editing was not included in the participation fee of the convention. Considering this, TERI appreciates very much your internal promotion of the purchase of this archive for Suzuki Associations members like teachers and parents, as well as the Teacher Trainers who did not attend the convention. This will help TERI very much to cover costs of the Convention. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Below is the URL of the sales page for the convention video link.

https://suzukimethod.shop/items/651d0b806a8b0d0033fcf2d0

International Teacher Trainers Convention Executive Committee



New Video in the Archive:
My Time with Suzuki Sensei by Mihoko Hirata

The following video was recorded March 31, 2014 during the Spring Hawaii Suzuki Institute for Suzuki Talent Education of Hawaii. ISA thanks Hirata Sensei and Helen Higa, Director of STEH, for their permission to post this fascinating and humorous remembrance of Dr. Suzuki on the ISA website for Suzuki families and teachers around the world to enjoy.

My Time with Suzuki Sensei by Mihoko Hirata
My Time with Suzuki Sensei by Mihoko Hirata



The History and Philosophy of Tonalization by Fumiyo Kuramochi

New Video: The History and Philosophy of Tonalization by Fumiyo Kuramochi

In March 2022, Fumiyo Kuramochi presented an inspiring Zoom session entitled "The History and Philosophy of Tonalization" to an appreciative international audience. This beautiful video presentation includes newly translated texts and in depth insights into Dr. Suzuki's lifetime research on tone development.

Watch the video here



New to the ISA Video Archive. Now available:
The Suzuki Method Video Guidance Series

Use the following link to access these newly posted videos of Dr. Suzuki speaking about the philosophy of Talent Education and the pedagogy of the Suzuki Method.

The Suzuki Method Video Guidance Series

This series was produced in the mid-1970’s under sponsorship of the Sony Corporation. The videos were made on the recital hall stage of the Talent Education Research Institute, at the National Concert in Tokyo and in venues around Matsumoto used for the TERI Summer School.



The Life of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki: A Chronology

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.

View the Chronology



Suzuki Audio Downloads

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.



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.

View full Press Release here.

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.