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For those who missed it, here is the first of our monthly casual Suzuki chats on the first Tuesday of each month via zoom. It is a time to hear moments of sharing and inspiration from members of our community. The Suzuki Triangle is the interaction between parent, teacher and student that makes the Suzuki Method unique and meaningful. We want to connect to each other through this experience and provide a network of support. This month's conversion includes:
We hope you can join use for future calls. We understand life is busy -- feel free to dial-in over your lunch break, turn off your camera, mute your audio, and just listen in for that little bit of inspiration you need to get through the day. A Zoom link will be sent the morning of the call to all enrolled families.
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 Recently I was reflecting on what positive things I could say about the year 2020. After thinking about it, I realized that the year 2020 marks our sixth year with the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy. I thought back to our early days, attending lessons with our three year old daughter, along with our toddler and infant. I remember during those days of singing, clapping, and dancing to the rhythm of Mississippi Hop Frog that I had the feeling that we were giving our daughter a great gift with the introduction of music, and I had the realization of just how hard this journey might be. I wondered how we could possibly find a way to practice consistently, and I worried over how quickly or slowly she made progress.
If I could go back in time to speak to my former self, I would try to encourage her to recognize that this journey may be challenging at times but to recognize that practice routines and piano skills are simply tools that will produce the really important result, a beautiful heart.
~ Meredith Bowes ISA is thankful to be a recipient of a NonProfit Restart Grant from The City of Indianapolis and the United Way of Central Indiana. This grant has reimbursed ISA for expenses related to capital improvements and supplies necessary to reopen during COVID.  We are truly excited to welcome our Suzuki students to the 2020-2021 school year. All of your Teachers and the Board of Directors are remarkably devoted to impacting children’s lives through the Suzuki method.
Whether in person or online, we are still planning 'normal' lesson details, sending the plan for 'normal' group classes and how we will implement pandemic safety protocols, but there are many other priorities occupying our attention and reflections. Very little about the start of this school year seems 'normal'. How do we raise our children during a pandemic? How do I help my sons understand deeply about racism in America? How do I help them be the change we want to see in the world? What can I be personally responsible for - to eliminate systemic racism and inequalities in our country, in our city, on our block at 40th and Central? I don’t have all the answers. I actually have more questions than answers. But I have a desire to be part of the solution. To be an ally. To be a good community member. To build a better future. So right now I’m listening. I’m educating myself. And I vow to be sensitive, to recognize my privilege, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other — together with our diverse community. To create a place and space that respects all, uplifts all, and welcomes all. So if any of you want to talk about these things, to discuss, to contemplate, please let me know. To discuss how our Suzuki community can be a microcosm of an arts organization that provides equitable opportunities for all children, I welcome your voice. I’m listening. And we are in this together.  Although we were sad to say goodbye to Board Chair Dr. Erik Rohde & Board Member Mrs. Erin Rohde, as they moved out of state for a new professional position, we are thrilled to welcome our new Board Chair, Mr. Austin Huntington, principal cellist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
A grown-up Suzuki student, Austin was appointed principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in June 2015 at the age of 20, currently making him one of the youngest principal musicians of any major American orchestra. We look forward to a great year with Austin as the Chair. The Indianapolis Suzuki Academy will return to in-person lessons and group classes at the start of our 2020-2021 Academic Year on August 9. We have worked carefully to prepare our teaching space in accordance with public health guidelines, but also are offering families a choice to elect a fully remote option.
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures: Please carefully review the Parent Guidebook Addendum with policies related to public health guidelines. Family Choice and Community Responsibility Agreement: All families are required to complete this form either indicating the choice to remain online or agreeing to policies and procedures for the safety of the community. Complete no later than July 30. Family Choice and Community Responsibility Agreement Form ISA Community Zoom Meeting: ISA Staff and Board of Directors Representative Dr. Melissa Cavaghan will hold an open meeting on Tuesday July 28 at 6:00-7:00pm for enrolled families to learn more about our policies and ask questions surrounding returning to in-person instruction. RSVP Here We know this has been a challenging and unusual time for parents and families. We are thankful for our Suzuki parents, Board of Directors and faculty who are committed to providing a nurturing Suzuki community for our students during this time. We want to provide an update on summer plans and information about 2020-2021 planning for the ISA. The ISA Board of Directors and staff are working carefully to make detailed plans for returning to in person lessons so that we can continue to fulfill our mission to nurture admirable character through excellence in music.
ISA will remain online only through Summer Lessons (through August 8). Please continue to work with your teacher to schedule these lessons online. A small number of faculty will be practicing and mastering our new safety and cleaning policies and procedures by holding a limited number of lessons at the ISA studios at a safe time prior to August 8. This is tentatively slated for July, but dependent upon the progression of the state of Indiana and Marion county phases. Expanded Studio Space - We are excited to announce that the ISA will be expanding into 1,800 square feet of open-concept space on the 2nd Floor of 3959 Central. Leasing the 2nd Floor instead of the Lower Level will allow us to teach group classes in a physically distanced manner. We will continue to maintain our original space on the 1st Floor as well. Attached you will see a photo of the space in its current setup as an art studio. Detailed Planning - The ISA Board and staff are closely monitoring CDC and state guidelines for operation, updating policies, creating detailed procedures, and updating the studio and common spaces at 3959 Central with safety precautions in place. Click here to read more detailed procedures for our plans to return to in person lessons. Family Choice - At any time during this return to in-person lessons timeline, an ISA family may elect to remain online-only for their student's lessons. The ISA faculty will remain equipped with the online tools necessary to perform online instruction. We are thankful to our students and families for the resilience you are demonstrating during this time. Our faculty has noted the exceptional way in which parents have stepped up during this time to help during lessons, assist with technology, and encourage their children. We appreciate all that you are doing! Warmly regards, Sarah Beck The ISA will continue online-only instruction through June 1. As more information becomes available from state and health officials, we will communicate the plan for the summer.
We are thankful to our students and families for the resilience you are demonstrating during this time. Our faculty has noted the exceptional way in which parents have stepped up during this time to help during lessons, assist with technology, and encourage their children. We appreciate all that you are doing! Warm regards, Sarah Beck Executive Director As parents, we are fairly comfortable with the regular lesson routine -- how to take notes, what to bring to the lesson, how to get ready for the lesson. But throw our world up in the air, and all bets are off. Here are a few tips for making the most of your Video Lesson time:
If you are really having a terrible day of unreliable internet connection, try starting the video, putting it on Mute, and talking phone to phone (on speaker phone) with your teacher for the audio. Zoom Tips - There are many ways to adjust the sound in Zoom, which can help tremendously:
During this unusual time, our lives have all been affected in many ways, including the lives of our children. For me as a Suzuki parent, I am overwhelmingly thankful that during this time when everything else seems disrupted, lessons for our children have been able to continue. Our Suzuki lessons have been really the most ‘normal’ part of our week even when delivered online, and we’ve been grateful to be able to continue. The ISA Board of Directors met last weekend (virtually, of course!) and discussed the many ways in which the current reality is affecting our ISA family and how we will likely continue to feel the impact through the next year. We discussed at length our commonly-shared sentiment of gratitude that our children’s lessons have been a welcome oasis of ‘normal’ in this unprecedented moment. We also discussed the reality that many families may be facing disruptions in income as various industries are impacted and especially free-lance and part-time workers are facing sudden loss of work. Knowing that families may need to make difficult financial choices in this time, we are setting-up an ISA COVID-19 Relief Fund to support our families who are most impacted by the current situation. We would like to invite families and supporters of the ISA to join us in supporting our community. The Board of Directors has committed to matching any donations given to this fund up to $1,500. Funding would be provided through an application process in the form of tuition scholarships to allow students to continue to take lessons who would otherwise not be able to because of COVID-19 related loss of income. Families may apply for short-term funding by requesting an application from Sarah Beck for immediate assistance and/or assistance for the upcoming academic year. For those who would like to donate to this fund, please do so through the link below. We hope you will join us in helping our ISA families continue to invest in “beautiful hearts” for all of our children. “Live by looking for things to do for other people.” ― Shinichi Suzuki On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you, Erik Rohde President, Indianapolis Suzuki Academy Board of Directors |
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