Matsumoto Suzuki Graduates and Pioneers

Päivi Kukkamäki

Päivi Kukkamäki

Dr. Kukkamäki is the founder of the Suzuki Voice Program, which she started in 1986 in Vantaa Finland on a request of Dr. Shinichi and Waltraud Suzuki. She holds a Doctor of Music Degree from Sibelius University and the highest degree in Vocal performance. Her teachers have been opera singers Jorma Hynninen, Raili Kostia and Birgit Nilsson. She studied the Suzuki Method in Matsumoto, Japan at the Talent Education Institute in 1986. She personally knew Dr. Shinichi Suzuki for 12 years and Mrs. Waltraud Suzuki for 14 years. Dr. Kukkamäki’s doctoral work at Sibelius University (1986—2003) was Laulun myötä kasvuun – Laulusuzukimenetelmän kehittämisprojekti (2003) [Growing Through Singing – Development Project of Suzuki Voice]. The Suzuki Voice Program enables a student to start listening to songs during pregnancy and continue singing until adulthood. The Suzuki Voice Program was approved by the International Suzuki Association in 2003 (early called in English “Suzuki Singing” and “Singing in the Suzuki Style”). She is the author of Volume 1, Volume 2 together with Mette Heikkinen, and Volume 3. Suzuki Voice School Volume 1 was published by Alfred Publication in 2022. Dr. Kukkamäki formed the ISA Voice Committee in 2004. She is a registered Suzuki Voice Teacher Trainer of the ESA since 1991. She was an SAA Suzuki Voice Teacher Trainer from 2005 to 2018, a chairperson of the ISA Voice Committee between 2004 and 2018, and a chairperson of ESA Voice Committee until 2018. Dr. Kukkamäki has given lectures and workshops and/or teacher training in 22 countries, including Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin-America and the USA. She has directed 28 Concert/Conference tours with her own Suzuki Voice students in 18 different countries. Since the age of three, Kukkamäki sang for nine years in Finnish Television Children's Programs. She is the mother of three boys and one girl. Her daughter is an opera singer in Vienna, Austria.

Instrument studied in Japan: Piano with Dr. Kataoka; Developed ideas for Suzuki Voice with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki: the Suzuki Method, observations of violin group and individual lessons; Mr. Takahashi: Tone Development Through Interpretation and Musical Expression and Opera classes; Mr. Aoki: Music Appreciation; meetings with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and Mrs. Waltraud Suzuki.

Dates in Japan: September 15 – November 22, 1986 for study. I was also in Matsumoto in 1989, 1993, 1999 and 2013 (see below).

Other years and locations with Dr. Suzuki, Mrs. Suzuki, or Dr. Kataoka around the world:

Memories

I met Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, Waltraud Suzuki, Dr. Kataoka and Mr. Toshio Takahashi for the first time during the 7th European Suzuki Conference held in Kerava, Finland in March/April 1986. By the end of this conference, I received an invitation from the Suzuki’s and Mrs. Kataoka to come to Matsumoto. I was 26 years old, just recently married and at the end of my voice studies at Sibelius University. I sought advice from my husband who strongly encouraged me to go. Inspired by my personal experience of the Suzuki’s themselves and by the observations of Japanese students that had attended the conference, I made the crucial decision that would ultimately lead to the founding of Suzuki Voice. I made travel plans and later that year on September 15, 1986, I travelled to Matsumoto, Japan. It was my first trip ever alone abroad, and I was very excited. The flight took 13 hours from Helsinki through Moscow to Tokyo. Keiko Iriyama, the main officer from the Talent Education Institute made all the arrangements for my stay and for the travelling in Japan. The Institute’s Tokyo office staff was waiting at the Tokyo City Air Terminal, and Takako Yagasaki helped me onto the Matsumoto train.

On my first day in Matsumoto — of course — I got lost. Since my arrival on the previous night was so late, it was already too dark for me to be able to memorize any places. The next morning all the streets and houses looked similar, and all signs were of course in Japanese, so I found myself at some marketplace calling the Institute. When I was finally found and when I entered the Institute’s hall, I will never forget how welcomed I felt when Dr. Suzuki’s 13-year-old student started playing Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor (Op. 47). I just had to sit down, and my eyes were filled with tears. I was in awe by the child’s playing and the thoughtfulness of Dr. Suzuki, who then came to me and started explaining how it is possible to play like this already at an early age. He warmly welcomed me to the Suzuki community and told me that I could come any time to listen and to observe his lessons. At that moment, I had a very strong feeling that this method was something very special and I wanted to learn about it.

Keiko Iriyama arranged a Japanese host family for me. Yoshiko Watanabe’s family of five was wonderful. Their son and daughter played Suzuki Violin and played in a Touring Suzuki Group. I really enjoyed my stay and we got along very well, although we did not have the same language. Yoshiko cooked great meals. The table was always full of food, and I was able to taste all kinds of Japanese specialties. Still today, we are in contact yearly, and we even managed to meet in Germany in 1988 and later in Japan. Because of some help from people before my trip to Japan, it was a little easier to get into the Japanese culture and to meet new friends at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto when I arrived. Ayako Tamura was in Finland 1986 and told me about Japan when we made a trip together to Central Finland. Ayako was Yuriko Watanabe’s friend, who then performed with me later in Japan. Both were Dr. Suzuki’s highly accomplished violin students. Ruth Miura was also so kind to give me her friends’ contact details from Matsumoto, so that I had local support.

I studied the Suzuki Method under Dr. Haruko Kataoka (piano) and observed as much as possible Dr. Suzuki's violin group and individual lessons and Mr. Takahashi's Tone Development Through Interpretation and Musical Expression Instrumental Opera classes. As a singer, I helped by being an example at the opera and musical expression classes: the instrument group copied my singer’s phrasing, and I imitated the instrumentalist’s center of the tone.

Dr. Suzuki taught every day. Our weekly schedule consisted of different kinds of lessons. I still have the “Teacher-Trainee Program Weekly Schedule” from 1986. From Monday to Wednesday the days started at 9 am and ended at 4:30 pm. Monday’s recitals were from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. I remember that the longest recital was almost five hours, because many of the trainees wanted to play concertos. On Tuesdays from 1 pm to 2:30 pm, Mr. Aoki taught Music Appreciation. Thursdays consisted of classes from 9 am to 12:30 pm, and after 1 pm was often a graduation recital and a party. Friday was the longest day from 9 am to 7 pm, including the teacher trainee’s string orchestra. On Saturdays, Dr. Suzuki taught group lessons and foreign teacher trainees’ private lessons in his studio from 9 am to 12 pm. Mr. Takahashi had his Musical Expression class at the same time (10 am—12 pm). Sunday lessons were between 9 am and 2 pm. Group lessons were scheduled first in the day, and afterwards Dr. Suzuki often taught students from other towns. They were usually advanced level students.

I admired especially the sound — the ideal that Dr. Suzuki had — the clean center of the tone, which even very small children were managing to produce when playing. It was wonderful to see how it happened in practice, how Dr. Suzuki, Dr. Kataoka and Mr. Takahashi worked with children and trainees. I noticed that the deep, rich, focused tone was produced on all different instruments — naturally, economically with small steps, lots of listening, imitating and repeating! Lots of “start of the tone” exercises and lots of daily practice of basic technique. I remember at first playing for two hours per day only one note, lifting my finger up and then dropping it down, to get a good tone from a piano.

Dr. Suzuki’s group lesson was every day (including Saturday and Sunday) at 9 am in the concert hall, except on Wednesdays when it was at 1 pm. After each group lesson Dr. Suzuki offered desserts, and then he started to teach individual lessons upstairs in his classroom. Those lessons were always open to trainees to observe. In a group lesson Dr. Suzuki bowed first to violinists (35–40 violinists in 1986) and then to the observers. Violinists were sitting in lines. The line of players which got to start was selected by the game “rock-paper-scissors” and then the lesson started. Sometimes a single player was able to select the next player from a different line by bowing to him/her, so that all the trainees needed to be aware of a possible turn at any time. Every week they had a different theme and a different kind of competition. The prize was 1 to 3 desserts depending on how well the trainee was playing. Sometimes the winner was able to play Dr. Suzuki’s violin.

Dr. Suzuki enjoyed group lessons very much. He walked between the lines, was smiling and correcting the hand positions. He said that the sound was perfect when everyone was playing together, but he demanded excellence from the individuals. Sometimes he sat smoking in the audience and said, “I can smoke, when you are playing well.” Then again, once he stopped a recital and told the musicians to go home and practice. He also came to talk to the observers. He had funny games for children and trainees. The idea was that a player should be able to play the violin with good tone even if he walks, jumps, lies on the floor, plays another trainee’s violin etc. It was amazing how Dr. Suzuki was able to do all these things at the age of 88. Dr. Suzuki’s group lessons were full of joy. I often heard “The happy Suzuki way!”. I thought that the method was brilliant, because it had all the elements of learning.

During individual lessons students and trainees listened to and played together with the orchestra tapes of famous soloists. Dr. Suzuki often corrected only one or two things that the trainee needed to fix for the next time. I liked it when Dr. Suzuki said: “Play like you sing it.” “Each note needs to sing.” “The ringing sound should never end.” “The sound and vibrato should be in balance. Otherwise, music is not coming from your heart.” Mr. Takahashi also told us in the opera class that the soloist’s melody should breathe. It was nice to see that, for the very small students, Dr. Suzuki had many soft toys in his studio.

I travelled by bicycle in Matsumoto. Kenkyusei (Trainees in English) helped me to get one, so that it was easier and faster travelling from one place to another. I rode my bike everywhere, even though my happy cycling didn’t always go without accidents. Right at the beginning of my trip I managed to crash with another cyclist. I rode on the right side of the road like we do in Finland, and I wasn’t aware of the local ways. I decided not to bring it up, as nothing bad had happened to us or the bikes. In the evening, I was surprised to learn that the family and all the neighbors knew exactly what had happened and that the ‘Gold-hair’ — as they called me — had crashed with another cyclist. The next morning Yoshiko’s husband gave me a bell with two little Japanese dolls to attach to my bicycle and said in English: ’Traffic safety’. I still have the dolls today.

Another funny memory including bikes was a cycling trip with Ethel Fang (USA). We were lucky to find Matsumoto’s small airport, because my husband had wished for a photo of it. But we had difficulties finding our way back. We were cycling in the middle of the rice fields, and it was getting dark. Neither of us had a good lamp, and we had no idea where we were or which direction we should be going. Finally, we solved the issue by making sure that we were always riding away from the moon. With this tactic, we finally found our way back. Once we even rode to Dr. Kataoka’s home far away near the mountains for some individual lessons. We were able to listen to each other, and then Dr. Kataoka offered us lunch. Afterwards we had a walk together in the hills and had discussions about the Method. It was a great, enjoyable, sunny day that I have wonderful memories of.

Dr. Kataoka’s piano room at the Institute was always full. I was really amazed how well the young students were playing. I remember a lesson with five 3 to 4-year-olds. When one of the children was playing, the others were drawing. Dr. Kataoka gave specific advice to mothers on how to teach a child at home. The lesson always started with a bow and Twinkle variations. First, they played all the variations through and then again with cuts and corrections. Dr. Kataoka used the Twinkle variations in other piano pieces too if there was some part that needed practice. I remember how amazing it was to follow a child who was sitting next to me and playing the right fingering by using a table, while the other child was practicing the same part on a piano with Dr. Kataoka. One child was even sleeping in his mother’s arms, and his fingers were moving at the same time as he listened to the child who was playing. This was an interesting thing to see.

Dr. Kataoka pointed out that the teacher should never demand “too much,” otherwise the child’s enthusiasm will run out. With the youngest ones, she focused on only one important thing at a time. She pointed out that a teacher teaches children to concentrate on playing and teaches important teaching points of a piece. Children can practice alone at home. But their mother must arrange certain practice times when she teaches her child the right fingering of a piece and the things Dr. Kataoka had told them to do at home. Naturally this means lots of listening, imitating, and repeating. All the children had nice notebooks where Dr. Kataoka put stamps if they had played well. I remember also that we listened to Dr. Kataoka’s famous former student Seizo Azuma. She studied with Dr. Kataoka from the age of five to fourteen years old and was studying at the Paris Conservatory in 1986.

On top of our own lessons and observations, I listened to 26 recitals in total, including Dr. Suzuki’s 88th Birthday celebration recital, Dr. Kataoka’s students’ recital at Harmony Hall, and six graduation recitals (Julie Marshall, Junko Nomura, Itsuko Miyasaka, Naomi Picotte and Yoko Nakajima). I also got a special invitation for the recital and after-party of the Japanese Touring Suzuki Group who were about to leave for their tour in the USA. After a truly wonderful concert, I had the pleasure to talk with Mr. Masaaki Honda and Mr. Aoki. They were very interested in Sibelius’ compositions, and later I gave them some music as a present that I had with me. Tove and Béla Detreköy from Denmark were also in Matsumoto during my stay. I heard their recital, where they performed with their Suzuki students on October 24th. On top of all the Suzuki recitals, I was surprised to receive free tickets to some voice recitals. Michiru Hotaka, the secretary of Dr. Suzuki, told me that Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki knew how much I liked singing, so they gave me tickets, for example, for the Recital of baritone Tadao Yoshie at Harmony Hall. I am very grateful to Michiru, who helped me in many ways during my stay. Our friendship has continued for almost 40 years. I enjoyed the music everywhere! Even some traffic lights had music. Some had a sound of a cuckoo when the lights turned green, and others had birds’ warning sounds when the light was red.

From the graduation recitals, I remember how festive it was to see a big handmade painting on the wall, where the name of the new Suzuki teacher was written in kanji. The graduation recitals were always accompanied by an orchestra in 1986. During my trip, I saw violin and piano graduation recitals, and I was really touched by the ceremony, where the new Suzuki teacher read their vow to Dr. Suzuki, Mr. Aoki, and Dr. Kataoka, promising to follow the Suzuki principles. At the end, they received Suzuki’s photo and a present. The hall was often totally full and after the Graduation Recital everyone clapped their hands for as long as the last person had given their flowers and a present. Then we got together in the trainees’ room, where Dr. Suzuki sat in the middle, with the parents of the trainee on his sides in the place of honor. The “Suzuki Triangle” was seen even in the graduation recitals. I had never seen these kinds of recitals before, and these kinds of formalities and traditions made the occasion very dignified and respectable.

There were many of these kinds of recitals to celebrate Dr. Suzuki’s 88th Birthday. I was so pleased when some violin teacher trainees asked me to sing Dr. Suzuki’s favorite lied, Schubert’s Ave Maria with their string orchestra of forty players as a present. We practiced in secret, which was fun. Our performance was given on October 16th at 12:45. When Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki opened the hall doors, everything was dark. Then we started to play Ave Maria, and step by step the lights were turned on. At the end of the song, we moved away, and Dr. Suzuki saw his present — the new light pink colored platform, which was still in the hall in 2013, when I last visited the Institute. Our performance and the platform were a complete surprise to Dr. Suzuki. The afternoon was very touching and filled with many warm hugs. A big birthday cake and various fruits were available in the kenkyusei room. In that moment, I deeply felt that I belonged to the happy Suzuki family, regardless of where we all came from.

As I have always liked mountains, I was happy I was able to climb the two km high Mount Futsijava with Laura Larson and Peggy Swingle (USA). Laura, who spoke a little Japanese, asked locals for an easy route up. A while later we noticed that we indeed, had taken the longer (3 hours) and harder (5 km) way up. The last meters we were crawling the way up the rocks. The wind was blowing strong, and the clouds were very low, so we were completely wet. I also had an extra heavy bag with all my music and tape recorder to carry. We were lucky to catch the last bus down, and we were so exhausted that we slept the whole way back to the city. I also remember how nice it was when Mrs. Shibata took us to the beautiful Mount Kamikochi. She collected plants, from which we made a delicious meal together. I enjoyed the Japanese Alps so much that I took my Suzuki voice students to the same place in 1989. It was also great to sit quietly on a hill inside a little temple with one burning candle, and to follow how shadows changed when the evening arrived.

The weather in September and October was warm and mostly sunny, but in November 1986 it was getting continually colder. I had my winter clothes with me, but for the nights I had to ask my husband to send me a sleeping bag by post. During my stay, I slept on a futon for the first time in my life. A fun fact: Because of this, I learned to sleep with a small pillow, and I still do even today.

We teacher trainees were learning a little Japanese amongst our studies. In addition, we also learned calligraphy and koto playing, participated in a tea ceremony, and took origami and ikebana lessons. We visited the famous Matsumoto Castle, many temples in Kyoto and Nara, and saw Japanese dancers with beautiful kimonos and kabuki performances. I was visiting and singing in kindergartens, schools, and churches in Matsumoto, Kamisuwa, and Tokyo. I even got to meet a Japanese writer, Mrs. Morimoto, who had translated the Finnish National Epic “Kalevala” into Japanese. I also met the colleague of my Music University’s Headmaster, Professor Yasuharu Tagahagi of Tokyo University and delivered some music to him from my headmaster.

Dr. Suzuki liked my soprano voice so much that he wanted me to sing more. I was the first singer who sang in Monday recitals. His office and teaching room were near the trainees’ room and our practice rooms, so he had often heard me practicing the repertoire for my final voice exam at Sibelius University. He gave me By the Waters Minnetonka (a song of the North American Indian) to perform on November 10th with violinist Yuriko Watanabe (Ayako Tamura’s friend). The pianist was Caroline Gowers from the UK. Mr. Takahashi gave me La Capinera composed by Julius Benedict to sing on November 17th with flautist Laura Larsson from the USA. The pianist was again Caroline Govers from the UK. I was pleased that we also practiced both songs in Mr. Takahashi’s Musical Expression class. I also sang Finnish Arts songs Rannalla and Kaivotiellä composed by Tauno Pylkkänen with pianist Marilyn Anderson from the USA on October 28th, Kun päivä paistaa composed by Oskar Merikanto with pianist Ethel Fang from the USA and Taivas on sininen ja valkoinen with flautist Laura Larsson from the USA and pianist Caroline Gowers from the UK on November 10th. I am still in yearly contact with many of those whom I got to know in Matsumoto in 1986.

On October 13th Dr. Suzuki invited me to the calligraphy classroom to discuss singing and asked me to record the listening tape for Suzuki Voice after returning to Finland. At one Sauna evening back at home in Finland in 1985, my husband had thrown an idea of starting the “Suzuki Voice” by teaching expectant mothers and I talked about this idea with Dr. Suzuki during my stay. On November 18th Dr. Suzuki came to thank me for my earlier recital and invited me on the same day to Matsumoto’s restaurant Taiman for a celebratory dinner with him, Mrs. Suzuki, and Mrs. Jacquelyn Corina from the USA. It was a great dinner, and we talked a lot about the future. I promised to come to Berlin in 1987, and they hoped to see me in Sweden in 1988 too.

I can easily say that Wednesday the 19th of November 1986 in Matsumoto totally changed my life. The decision to develop the Suzuki Voice Program, starting with expectant mothers like my husband had suggested, was made on that day. I received more specific advice, the main suggestions for the songs and lullabies for the first volume from Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki. I was also told that promoting Suzuki Voice would also mean a great deal of travelling around the world. On that day, I understood that I really needed to change my plans for the future. These words started my lifelong Suzuki Voice journey, research at Sibelius University, and travelling around the world.

I researched and developed the Suzuki Voice Program over the course of 15 years (1987–2002), with teaching techniques developed from 1987 to 2003. I completed my Licentiate of Music degree in 2001 and then a Doctor of Music degree on February 28th, 2003. My Doctoral dissertation was published as: Laulun myötä kasvuun – laulusuzukimetelmän kehittämisprojekti (2003) (Growing Through Singing -Development Project of Suzuki Voice). Because Suzuki Voice became my life’s work, it became important to my own family as well. It touched the lives of my students and their families, my teacher trainees and later their students, and over the years we created together new Suzuki Voice communities around the world. I always tried to have the same principles as Dr. Suzuki at the Matsumoto Talent Education Institute, where we all belonged to the “Happy Suzuki Family” no matter where we came from. I could have not done this work without my husband and my family or my parents, who supported me through the years.

I am very thankful for my time in Matsumoto. It was amazing to have this kind of opportunity in my life. I will always cherish Mrs. Suzuki’s personal letter before Dr. Suzuki passed away. She wrote, “We wish you all the best now and always, and please keep on teaching singing the Happy Suzuki Way.” After Dr. Suzuki’s death, Mrs. Suzuki wrote on February 3rd, 1998, “Now all teachers have to take more responsibility to keep Suzuki’s spirit alive.”

I end my Matsumoto memoirs with the words of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki--
“Wishing for Beautiful Tone Beautiful Heart!”

Warm regards from Finland,
Dr. Päivi Kukkamäki
The Founder of the Suzuki Voice Program

Additional work by Dr. Kukkamäki:

Dr. Kukkamäki has given lectures, workshops and/or teacher training at over 50 conferences---In Australia 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012; in Argentina 2009; in France 2000; in England 1988; in Spain 2000 and 2016; in Ireland 1995; Iceland 1992; in Italy 1997 and 2006; in Japan 1986, 1989, 1993, 1999 and 2013; in Korea 1993; in Peru 1993 and 2000; In Poland 2011, in Singapore 1989; in Sweden 1988; in German 1987; in Scotland 1990; in Switzerland 2015 and in the USA 1990, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014 and 2016. Usually, her students and their families have travelled and demonstrated the Suzuki Voice Program with her.

Dr. Kukkamäki has directed 13 major productions with Suzuki Voice students: 4 operas, 3 musicals, 5 music theater and 1 movie. The new Finnish children's opera ROOPE specially composed for Suzuki Voice students by Timo-Juhani Kyllönen was performed in 2007. Dr. Kukkamäki’s other productions with Suzuki Voice students have been Bug Opera / Toukka-opera with children of different ages including 24 babies (1988), Engelbert Humberdinck Hänsel und Gretel opera in German (2002), Richard Rodgers The Sound of Music in English (2003—2004), Xavier Montsalvatge El Gato con Botas in Spanish (2004—2005), Cavalcade of Musicals (2005), Frank Churchill Snow White in English (2008), Erkki Melartin Sleeping Beauty in Finnish (2009—2010), Petra Kukkamäki Christmas Story (2011, 2018) and the new children's musical Snow-White and Rose-Red (2012—2015) composed by Kimmo Ruotsala for Suzuki Voice students, Paula and Heikki Mäenpää 100th Anniversary story The Song of Finland (2017), Petra Kukkamäki Christmas movie Disaster in Korvatunturi (2018—2019) and Engelbert Humberdinck Hänsel und Gretel opera in German (2021).

Publications / Model-Hangar Oy / Dr. Päivi Kukkamäki: 17 tapes/CDs (1987—2017), one video/DVD Suzuki Singing in Finland (1991), three published researches (1983, 2001, 2003), four song books (1988—2012), two books Laulun myötä kasvuun in Finnish (2016) and Growing Through Singing – the Suzuki Voice Program and Its Development in English (2018) and one Christmas movie (DVD) Petra Kukkamäki’s Korvatunturin katastrofi (2019).

Dr. Päivi Kukkamäki was awarded an honorary medal of a Knight of the Order of The White Rose of Finland in 2013 from the Grand Master Sauli Niinistö, the President of Finland. She received the Vantaa Award in 2003 for her work promoting children's culture, Pro Musica -medal in 1978, Sibelius University scholarship in 1998, Vantaa Art scholarship in 1986, 1990, 1993 and 2007, Art Council of Finland scholarship in 2007. Her Suzuki voice group was awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation scholarship in 2005, 2007 and 2012 and City of Vantaa Special Prize in 2008.

Dr. Kukkamäki’s Conferences, Workshops, Lectures and/or Concert Tours with her Suzuki Voice Students

* a total number of Dr Päivi Kukkamäki's students/parents participated in the tours

Photos

Dr. Suzuki and Dr.Kukkamäki at the Talent Education Institute office

Dr. Suzuki’s 88th birthday in Matsumoto, 1986. Schubert’s Ave Maria performed by the Suzuki String Orchestra and Dr. Kukkamäki

Teacher Trainee Program Weekly Schedule in Matsumoto

Mr. Aoki and Dr. Kukkamäki in Matsumoto

Dr. Haruko Kataoka and Dr. Kukkamäki in Finland, 1986

Dr. Suzuki and Dr. Kukkamäki

Mrs. Suzuki with Suzuki Voice babies and Dr. Kukkamäki in Borlänge, Sweden, 1988. (Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki saw for the first time Suzuki Voice students and babies from Finland (a group of 45).

Suzuki Voice students performing Volume Two songs (The Cuckoo and the Owl and May Song) in harmony at the 9th Suzuki Method International Conference in Matsumoto, 1989. The youngest singer, Christian, was 1.5 years old.

Suzuki Voice student, Christian (1.5 years old) with Dr. Kukkamäki saying hello to Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki after a recital in Matsumoto, 1989.

Two personal letters from Mrs. Suzuki to Dr. Kukkamäki before and after Dr. Suzuki’s death in 1998.