Svjetlana Kabalin

To enroll in the Suzuki Flute Book 4 course taught by Wendy Stern through the Great Lakes Suzuki Flute and Recorder Institute.

Receiving The Clifford-Levy Creativity Grant this academic year was particularly meaningful as it confirmed that we can embrace learning and recharge even during difficult times. Immersing myself further in the Suzuki Flute Book 4 training was so important on a number of levels: 1) focusing on Baroque repertoire; 2) learning to teach Baroque performance practices, especially to young students; 3) availing ourselves of recent technologies to enhance teaching as well as engage students; and 4) discovering multiple other resources from which to draw upon to deepen the learning experience for students. The teacher of this course, Wendy Stern, also encouraged each of us to share our own teaching experiences as well as teach one of the pieces in the book. And what was abundantly clear, was the wealth of information that we could use and avail ourselves of. From studying urtext along with more recent editions, to comparing the German and French Baroque, to making use of the amazing Slow Downer and Google transposer apps, it was an in-depth and multi-faceted journey that will enrich my own teaching and that I will want to share with my students in the years ahead.