STEP

Fall is fast approaching and STEP is gearing up for the 2007-08
Program. Our annual fall Registration Session and Play-in for all
families will be held on Saturday, September 8th at St. David's
Church at 98 Elizabeth Avenue. Come with your instrument to tune up
at 9:30 for a 10:00 play-in, and the registration desk will be open
from 9am to 12pm.

For those families who have not yet registered, please complete the
registration form you would have received by mail earlier this summer
and bring it along with your payment(s). There will be a table set
up to answer any questions and to take your forms and payment(s) for
the new year. If you do not have a form, we will have some on hand
for you to complete, or you can fill it out ahead of time by
downloading it from

http://www.nfld.com/~step/documents/New_Student_STEP_Registration_Form_2007.pdf

(requires Acrobat Reader).

WARNING: if your forms are not submitted by noon on September 8th,
you are not only liable for a late fee but you are not guaranteed to
be able to take the classes of your choice. Help us get everyone's
schedules in order smoothly and efficiently by making sure we have
YOUR completed forms by Saturday.

For those families who have already returned your registration forms,
thanks so much for giving us a head start on planning! Please ensure
that you deliver any outstanding fee payments to the Registration
table on Saturday as well.

The group class schedules will be e-mailed and posted to the website
a few days before the first Group Class Day, September 22nd. The
dates for Group Classes and Concerts are posted to the website
already on the "Reference for Members" page:

http://www.nfld.com/~step/reference.htm

Following the play-in, there will be a social and a chance to catch
up with everyone on their summer fun. Coffee, tea, and juice will be
provided; please bring a light snack to share. See you there!

Labels: administration, announcements, groupclass, requests

Good Day Everyone,

Our Artistic Director, Evelyn Osborne, is having a free children's art workshop on Saturday June 23 from 12-4 at Eastern Edge Gallery, 72 Harbour Drive (between Clift's-Baird's Cove Road and Prescott Street). Everyone's welcome to come and make some fridge arts, which will be displayed on fridge doors around the dowtnown area in various businesses for public viewing.

She was also wondering if anyone would like to show up and bring your instrument for an impromptu performance! It's a fun little opportunity for everyone to relax, enjoy some arts and crafting, and play for a small audience. Those interested in playing please confirm your attendance via email, or just come along and make some fridge arts.

I would also like to remind everyone about submission of the graduation tapes. It's very important to make sure these tapes make their way to me or teachers by June 30th, so we will have time to coordinate adjudications and their return to you!

Congrats also to members of the STEP Young Virtuosi class, who performed in concert with Averill Baker under the co-leadership of Heather and Sean, accompanied by Joanne, on Sunday night. Ms. Baker called me this morning to express her heartfelt thank-you for the stellar performance, and looks forward to playing with us again!

That's all for today. Any questions for me, I'm just a phone call or email away!

Regards,
Tzu-Hao

--
Tzu-Hao Hsu, B. Comm (Co-op)
Program Administrator,
Suzuki Talent Education Program (STEP)
P.O. Box 23182
Churchill Square
St. John's, NL A1B 4J9
Tel: (709) 738-2277
step@nfld.com, suzukinl@gmail.com
http://www.nfld.com/~step

Labels: Community Events, requests

Good Day Graduates,

Just as a follow up to Evelyn's helpful reminder at the group class concert, if you haven't started thinking about graduation tapes, now's the time to do it! The deadline for tape submission is June 30th, 2007. Please see 'Graduation Requirements' at http://www.nfld.com/~step/Graduation_Requirements.pdf   for guidelines regarding your eligibility to graduate. Graduation level for violin, viola and cello are listed in this document along with the old graduation requirements.

There have been some modifications made to violin graduation requirements, with no changes to cello at this time. Both the new and old requirements will be accepted this year.

New violin graduation requirements are:

Books 1-4: No changes were made to these requirements.

Book 5: Perform frst violin of Bach's Double Violin concerto
Tape: Vivaldi g minor 1st movement
         One slow movement of either the g minor or a minor Vivaldi concerti
         Veracini Sonata
         Country Dance

Book 6: Perform own choice of Handel, or Handel Sonata in F, second movement, if there are enough graduates
Tape: Handel Sonata - any two movements

Book 7: Tape Bach Concerto - fast and slow movement and one movement of the Mozart Sonata. Discuss which piece you'd like to perform for the graduation recital with your teacher

Book 8: Tape two movements of the Veracini and one movement of the solo Bach (Gavotte from E major is suggsted). Discuss which piece you'd like to perform for the graduation recital with your teacher

Book 9: Tape and perform Romanian Dances

Book 10: Tape and perform Praeludium and Allegro

The above new requirements will be posted to the website soon, keep an eye out for it in the 'reference for members' section of our website.

Tapes should be submitted to your teachers, or to Tzu-Hao at the STEP office, suite 312, Arts and Culture Centre. Office is open 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, or you may call for an appointment for a more convenient time.

Thank you for the great work at the group concert!

Regards,
Tzu

--
Tzu-Hao Hsu, B. Comm (Co-op)
Program Administrator,
Suzuki Talent Education Program (STEP)
P.O. Box 23182
Churchill Square
St. John's, NL A1B 4J9
Tel: (709) 691-2545
step@nfld.com, suzukinl@gmail.com
http://www.nfld.com/~step

Labels: announcements, requests

For those that missed the 2nd Annual STEP Scuff this past Saturday night you missed a great time.

While you'll have to wait till the same time next year for the next STEP Scuff you can still make a contribution to the STEP Scholarship Fund and we ask that you please consider doing so at this time.

Donations of $20 + will receive a tax receipt.

You can either bring your donation to the General Meeting tonight and give to our Treasurer Valerie Howe or mail it to Valerie's attention at the STEP mailing address below.

We began fund raising for this Fund last year and we hope to have the first recipient in place for this September. The Fund will be administered by the R.E.A.L. Program on STEP's behalf and an individual will be supported for as long as they remain eligible and committed to the Program.

The R.E.A.L (Recreation Experiences and Leisure) Program: A Program with a mandate to provide recreation and leisure opportunities through the provision of program and financial assistance to children and youth who, due to financial circumstances, are unable to participate in registered activities. The R.E.A.L. Program has agreed to administer a fully paid long-term placement in the Suzuki String Program on STEP's behalf beginning in fall 2007.

Labels: administration, fundraising, requests

Please see below for an announcement sent on behalf of Sandra, our congratulations to her again!

Dear Parents & Friends,

As some of you may know, my husband Chris and I are expecting our first child in September (a girl). We look forward to eventually becoming Suzuki parents and I'm sure we'll be asking all of you for practice tips before too long.

Now that it is spring cleaning season, I am writing to ask if you (or someone you know) might have some baby items that you would be interested in selling. We already have a baby monitor and playpen from friends but other items we need to purchase include:

• Nursery furniture - crib, dresser, change table
• Stroller - preferably the 3-wheel jogger style with a front swivel wheel but we are certainly open to any and all options
• Car seat/Infant carrier
• High chair
• Baby sling/carrier (like a snuggly or baby bjorn type of thing)

. . . and I'm sure there are other things we will need that we don't even know about at this point. We aren't in any rush but if you have something we can take off your hands in the next few months, we would love to hear from you. Please email me directly at sandrapope@esdnl.ca

Thanks so much,
Sandra Pope (STEP cello teacher)

Labels: people, requests

1) For those solo concerts performers who haven't found out their rehearsal time:

10am – Christina's students

10:30 am – Jennifer's students

11:20am – Nancy & Sandra's students

11:40 – Evelyn's students

12:30 – Sean's students

Rehearsal's taking place at St. David's Presbyterian, and please arrive and be ready to play at the above times to avoid running late. Thank you!

2) Reminder that STEP's open house and Scuff are taking place tomorrow, April 28th, at the Masonic Temple. Open house will be from 11am to 4pm, and Scuff's door opens at 8pm with beginner instruction at 9pm. Come and show your support for the program, bring a few friends, and have a great time!

3) General meeting: Just a reminder that the general meeting for STEP is taking place at St. David's Presbyterian on Monday, April 30th, starting at 7pm. There will be a Q&A session after and refreshments will be provided. Please make every effort to come as there are some exciting news from the board!

4) There have been some concerns regarding punctuality at group classes recently.  While we can all appreciate occasional lateness due to inevitable circumstances, late arrivals are disruptive to students, parents and teachers. Please remember to observe standard concert courtesy if you arrive late at a class, and enter when there is an appropriate break in instructions to minimize distraction. If you happen to arrive shortly after the tuning period, please ask the accompanist to discreetly tune your instrument; if you happen to arrive well into the lesson, we ask that you opt to observe that day, and obtain earlier notes from a fellow parent or the teacher after the class. Thank you for your consideration and respect for your fellow classmates and teachers!

5) Scholarship alert! Steven Woodcock Memorial, established in memory of our dear friend and luthier, is valued at $100 and is given to a string student who shows promise in Kiwanis Festival. Theo Stylianides, a member of Christina Smith's Veracini class (the same class that volunteered for a concert at Chancellor Park and got amazing reviews from the residents!), was the winner of the award this year! We are very proud of you, Theo, and congratulations again for winning this award!

Labels: administration, announcements, Community Events, concerts, fundraising, people, requests

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who filled out a parent survey. The results are being processed now, and we've received some very interesting suggestions. Those of you who elected to take home a copy for filling out, please don't forget to return them during this coming Saturday's group class. The findings will be reported to you once they're consolidated, and you are invited to provide us with further feedback and suggestions at that time.

Labels: administration, requests

A pair of girl's shoes were found at group class last Saturday, March 24th, just outside the D. F. Cook Recital Hall. The owner may email STEP to arrange a time for reclaiming them.

Labels: groupclass, requests

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, March's newsletter is now available for viewing!

A few articles of interest include a hello from our Artistic Director, Evelyn Osborne; the journey across worlds and cultures for Christina Smith, and some Body Mapping from Jennifer Johnson! It'll be a very interesting read I'm sure. Also, a new column for practicing tips has been established and it is wide open to parent contribution for future issues, i.e. contributors will keep this column going. So keep a pencil and some paper nearby as you read through the newsletter, and scratch down some ideas for us.

Don't forget to send in any suggestions you may have for newsletter topics, and keep an eye out for upcoming contests and events!

Labels: documents, news, people, requests

On behalf of Evelyn, our Artistic Director:

Next year is the 25^th anniversary of STEP! I can't believe that I was here at the beginning playing away on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! And I still play it almost everyday!!! What a beautiful piece of music to live life by!

We're hoping to plan many events for the upcoming Anniversary year 2006/2007, not the least of which will be the return of an alumnus, Mark Fewer, now an internationally acclaimed violinist. He will be playing with the NSO in November and has kindly agreed to be a part of events for us. Please check out his bio at the Vancouver Symphony where another one of our alumni also is a member, Jennie Press.

There are also many other exciting offers and opportunities for events for our students in the upcoming anniversary year.

To make these events happen and our year special WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW! The time for organizing and brainstorming of events is nigh; please volunteer now and we can make a great year of events. We need lots of people to make this happen so that a few aren't overworked!

If you're interested in volunteering for anniversary events, please let us know; we need general volunteers as well as a few people to help set up a committee to oversee the preparations and successful launching of events.

Show your STEP spirit and please email stepanniversary@yahoo.ca to indicate your interest. Also please send along any ideas you have!

Sincerely,
Evelyn Osborne, Artistic Director.

Please show your support and get involved with the anniversary planning, it will be a fantastic year for us all, and even more perfect with your enthusiasm and help. :)

Labels: administration, announcements, news, requests

Let's give a big round of applause for the STEP Fiddlers and STEP Senior Orchestra! Both groups competed in the Group Rose Bowl events last night, and thank-you to Christina Smith and Kellie Walsh for their excellent leadership in helping our two ensembles achieve marks of 90% in their preliminaries! Kellie Walsh, our Orchestra Director, is also the director of the Rose Bowl winning St. Bonaventure College Girls' Choir. The group received a 92 in their class earlier this week, and a couple of our students also participate in this group's activities! Other STEP ensembles also received amazing marks in the Festival, with the Intermediate Orchestra scoring 88%, Junior Orchestra scoring 88% and Émile Benoît Fiddle Class a 90%!

Again, we're interested in publishing individual achievements in the Festival, so if you'd like to send in your results by Monday, March 12th, we'll make sure you're recognized in our next newsletter, coming very soon.

Thanks again everyone! Students, for your talent and passion; parents, for your dedication and patience; and teachers, for your leadership and devotion to your craft. Congratulations, you've once again done STEP proud.

Labels: announcements, Community Events, news, requests

Congratulations to the STEP Fiddlers and the STEP Senior Orchestra for earning places in the Kiwanis Rose Bowl Competition! The concert is tomorrow night (Thursday March 7th) at the Arts and Culture Centre, so please come out and applaud our hard-working young musicians. Many thanks to Kellie and Christina for their leadership, and GOOD LUCK to all!

We are very interested in hearing about how the rest of our students did in the Kiwanis. We truly have a very talented community of young and gifted musicians, and it would for be great for everyone to share the news! If you've taken part, please send in your name, instrument (not just strings!) and placement, and we'll acknowledge everyone's accomplishments in this year's Festival in our next newsletter, which is coming very soon.

Great job everybody, hope you all had fun during the Festival!

Labels: announcements, Community Events, concerts, news, people, requests

More wandering belongings. Marie writes:

I brought home an attractive little Christmas butter spreader (is that what it's called?). If the owner would like to contact me to have this item returned please telephone 754-1256.

...marie wadden

Labels: people, requests

A plea from Aisling Gogan:

Hi there,

We left our son's Christmas sweater behind at St. Mark's. Our daughter was carrying it around in case her brother got cold so I have no idea where it was left. It is a size 5 (or at least I'm pretty sure it is - could be a 6) sweater with Santa on a train embroidered on it. I left a message at the church but haven't heard anything back. Please contact me if you have it.

Thanks,
Aisling
AislingGogan@gov.nl.ca

Labels: people, requests

A plea from Kathy Hodgkinson, Alice's mom:

Two classes ago [Bayly with Sean Conway], we brought the wrong Suzuki violin case home (black...hard...green inside).... our violin case is for an 1/8 size violin. The case we took home was for a 1/16 size violin...otherwise it looks exactly the same. I wonder if you could pass this message on so that everyone with a small Suzuki violin in that class could check their cases. Currently we have no ability to carry our violins because they do not fit their case.

Could the Bayly member with the too-large 1/8 case please respond to this
email, or email Kathy at khodgkin@mun.ca, so the cases can be switched? Thanks!

Labels: groupclass, requests

Thank you so much for your responses! The office is now well under way, and we're just looking for the last few magic touches before announcing regular office hours! We still need...

• Bookshelf (1; to house our music collection)
• Powerbar (1) with surge protector for our electronics

Also, Tzu is looking to decorate the Suzuki office with some Suzuki history! If you have photographs, drawings, other print materials that
you're willing to donate for an office collage of Suzuki program's activities over the years please let her know.

Labels: administration, requests

STEP has a new office! It is located on the 3rd floor of the North Wing of the Arts and Culture Centre, and is just down the hall from the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra offices. Signage will be put up on the door soon to make it easier to find and regular office hours coming soon! In the mean time, the office is in need of some furniture and we are asking anyone who may have the following items for donation to please contact Tzu-Hao Hsu, Program Administrator, at hsutzuhao@gmail.com:

• Desk (2); for computer and photocopier
• Bookshelf (ideally 2 but 1 will be great for now); to house our music collection
• Chairs (2); preferably folding so they can be easily stored
• Table (1); preferably folding, this will be used for displaying STEP's promotional and information packages for visitors
• Powerbar with surge protector for our electronics
• Filing cabinet
• Printer/fax machine

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Labels: administration, requests