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Sandy Reuning, Founder and Director of
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ITE’s MEXICO PROJECT
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At Ithaca Talent Education Suzuki School providing Suzuki music
instruction in the Ithaca, New York area, we have a most wonderful connection with
the city of Guanajuato,
Mexico in the person of our violin teacher, Augusto Diemecke.
Augusto grew up in Guanajuato in a musical family, and his mother and
two sisters are still very active in the musical life of this
beautiful old colonial city. At Augusto’s urging and with the help
of his family in Mexico, the ITE Violin Tour Ensemble gave a concert
tour of the area in 2000. |
We presented several concerts in neighboring cities and at the
University of Guanajuato. A small remnant of Suzuki trained students
were still studying, and Sandy Reuning with the help of Augusto’s
translations gave master class lessons to these violinists. |
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One of
the highlights of the tour was visiting an orphanage, housing
approximately 300 children, and performing for each other, as they
also had an active music program! Much excitement was generated by
our visit, motivating local teachers to seek out training in the
Suzuki Method.
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After returning to Ithaca we arranged to have a few of these
teachers enroll for training in the Ithaca College Suzuki Institute,
tuition free, for the next two years. In 2003 Etna Diemecke, sister
of Augusto, and his mother Carmen, organized a Festival (or
Institute as it’s called in the U.S.) and invited teachers from ITE
to serve as the faculty. |
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We gave training in Book 1 for a large number of
teachers as well as teaching the students from Mexico and
other Latin American countries. Student cellists, Stefan
Diemecke, Madeleine-Therese Halpert, David Myers, Marza Wilks and
violinists, Keelin Davis, Alejandra Diemecke, Rachel Myers, and
Sonya Suter from Ithaca Talent Education Suzuki School joined the Festival as special guest
performers.
ITE families gathered instructional materials to donate to the
program in Mexico, where many cannot afford either lessons or
instruments. Other programs in the U.S. raised money to donate
violins, and we helped to transport them to Guanajuato
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The project continued in 2004 with the same faculty of
Augusto Diemecke, Christine Lowe Diemecke, Carrie Reuning
Hummel, Jennifer Reuning Myers, Sandy Reuning, and Joan
Reuning (pianist). Keelin Davis
returned to the Festival to perform a full guest recital with
pianist Jason Wentworth. In 2005 Benjamin Hummel and Emerson Millar
were guest soloists (as well as excellent street musicians, raising
money for scholarships!) at the Festival.
As of the 2005 Festival,
Mexican violin teachers have been trained through three books of the
Method, and cello training under Carol Tarr from Denver has
commenced. |
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It’s exciting to
see the Suzuki Method take root in a new country, and it is
beginning to spread to many parts of Mexico. With help of
hard working teachers in Mexico, and with the backing and
advice of our ITE group, there is now a national Suzuki
Association in Mexico which is actively planning for the
future growth in their country. |
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We expect to have a long and productive
relationship with Mexico. |
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