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Click here for the registration form and more information.
Ann Montzka-Smelser will be coming to NWISC on Saturday, March 21,
2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop will include masterclasses with individual lesson time for
each student, a group class component, a break for lunch, and other learning opportunities, such as observations of other
students' lessons.
This year in particular, space is exceedingly limited. Therefore, please note that a minimum
working piece of Allegretto by Shinichi Suzuki is needed at the time of registration
for the workshop.
There is no maximum repertoire level. Ann Montzka-Smelser, this year's clinician, is an
amazing violinist and teacher, with whom more advanced violinists can learn much. Register early to ensure your place!
Why a workshop?
It's human nature to be more alert around new
people and in new situations. Therefore, bringing in excellent guest teachers who are unfamiliar to the students can help
students to hear and remember teaching points more readily. Anytime that it's possible to have points reinforced by more
than one person is beneficial.
What is a Masterclass?
A masterclass is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline-usually music, but also
painting, drama, or any of the arts. In a masterclass, all the students and spectators watch and listen as the master takes
one student or group at a time. The students usually perform a single piece which they have prepared, and the master will
give them advice on how to play it, often including anecdotes about the composer, demonstrations of how to play certain passages,
and admonitions of common technical errors.
The students are then usually expected to play the piece again, in light of the master's comments, and the student may be
asked to play a passage repeatedly to attain perfection. Masterclasses for musical instruments tend to focus on the finer
details of attack, tone, phrasing, and overall shape, and the student is expected to have complete control of more basic elements
such as rhythm and pitch. The value of the masterclass setup is that all students can benefit from the master's comments on
each piece.
Please contact us with any questions.
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Ann Montzka-Smelser has been a Suzuki student for 42 years, a Suzuki
teacher for 27 years, a Suzuki parent for 14 years, and a Suzuki Teacher Trainer for 2 years.
In between
receiving her Bachelors of Music Education and Masters in Performance and Pedagogy at Northern Illinois University, Ann studied
with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan.
Ann is on the music faculty
at both Northern Illinois University and Wheaton College teaching Suzuki Pedagogy and string methods to music majors.
She is also director of the NIU Community School of the Arts Suzuki Strings Program. Ann is concertmaster of the Kishwaukee
Symphony Orchestra and principal violist of Camerata Chicago and has recently performed solos with both groups. Ann
enjoys working with Suzuki families at Suzuki Institutes and workshops throughout the United States. Ann lives with her husband,
Linc, and children, Genna (14) and Ben (11) in DeKalb, Illinois.
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