Cleveland Harare Music Exchange
Donation protected
The idea for this program came to me after a trip to Harare, Zimbabwe where I was wonderfully surprised to find a fledgling Suzuki community in their local schools, dedicated teachers, enthusiastic and talented students, and supportive parents. I spent a week gaining valuable teaching experience at the Hellenic Academy as I taught over thirty private lessons, and coached multiple group classes, quartet rehearsals, and orchestral sectionals. I performed several concerts as a soloist and with the students, shared pedagogical ideas with the teachers, stayed with a host family, had a lesson on African marimbas, and immersed myself in the musical culture of Harare. This was one of the most stimulating and rewarding experiences of my life, and convinced me my passion lay in teaching.
I was blown away by the passion and commitment of the people I met, but it was also clear they lack resources to create a vibrant musical scene needed to nurture a new generation of Suzuki students. The local teachers need support in the form of more Suzuki training which comes from Europe or Canada, and engagement with other Suzuki instructors for the sharing and honing of ideas. The students are in need of visiting instructors and workshops for diversity in approaches and fresh insight. Perhaps most pressing, the community at large would benefit immensely from exposure to live Classical music performed at a high level which we in Cleveland experience weekly, but is difficult to find in Zimbabwe.
Our mission is to bring awareness of the Suzuki method and its benefit to the Harare community, help fund Suzuki teacher trainer programs, and to provide musical guidance through lessons, group classes, ensemble coachings, and inspiring performances for students, parents, and teachers. To carry out our vision we will be in residence at two schools in Harare, Chisipite School and Hellenic Academy, where we will be teaching and performing. All lessons and concerts will be free, and donations raised will be given to the schools to help fund their Suzuki teacher training programs.
I was blown away by the passion and commitment of the people I met, but it was also clear they lack resources to create a vibrant musical scene needed to nurture a new generation of Suzuki students. The local teachers need support in the form of more Suzuki training which comes from Europe or Canada, and engagement with other Suzuki instructors for the sharing and honing of ideas. The students are in need of visiting instructors and workshops for diversity in approaches and fresh insight. Perhaps most pressing, the community at large would benefit immensely from exposure to live Classical music performed at a high level which we in Cleveland experience weekly, but is difficult to find in Zimbabwe.
Our mission is to bring awareness of the Suzuki method and its benefit to the Harare community, help fund Suzuki teacher trainer programs, and to provide musical guidance through lessons, group classes, ensemble coachings, and inspiring performances for students, parents, and teachers. To carry out our vision we will be in residence at two schools in Harare, Chisipite School and Hellenic Academy, where we will be teaching and performing. All lessons and concerts will be free, and donations raised will be given to the schools to help fund their Suzuki teacher training programs.
Organizer
Ellie Glorioso-Wible
Organizer
Cleveland, OH
