Date: 27.02. – 05.03.2010
We are convinced to go the extra mile to bring this light of string education to dark Nigeria.
If there is any award suitable to be given to a man that has done something at the peak of innovation or contributed to the development of humanity. We are very sure such person would be Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the renowned Suzuki Method and author of “Nurtured by love”. This is a book we will recommend to all libraries in Nigeria as the content is not only suitable for music scholars but also suitable for students and teachers of other fields.
Also, it is very clear that having a book that teaches a method can never be the same as learning the method from a teacher of same method. The level one books (Suzuki Violin School and Step by Step) would have been a waste without having the right knowledge of usage from the master user. It was such a great privilege and honor to have learned under the tutelage of Kerstin Wartberg all these intricacies of violin teaching and playing.
Our experiences with children before the trip to Germany have been of challenges, low efficiency, tiredness and boredom because we lack the needed techniques and method of teaching and getting the best of kids. Little did we know that a little knowledge of children psychology can make the whole music time a period of fun and musical achievements.
Additionally, we never knew that the ways of doing things in the class count as a teacher. Most of the time, we pay no serious attention to posture, tone quality, and even my personal attitudes while teaching. But we were taught during the course that the “mother tongue” approach can just be translated to the relationship between the children and what is happening in their environments. This includes the kind of things they see the elderly kids doing, what their teachers are doing around them, the quality of sound being produced around them and the entire ways of life they are exposed to in the community or environment.
The whole experience to us was an eye-opener and a big step into the future it was an entirely new to us.
Finally, our special thanks go to the following people for their immense support, love, care and contributions toward making this training a success: Mrs Kerstin Wartberg (Course Director) and Mr Rudolf Gaehler (Violinist), Dr. Chiwendu Uzodike (Initiator of the whole project), Mrs Marion Akpata (Director, MUSON school of music in Lagos), Ms. Abowaba
(Manager, MUSON Centre) and all the donors.
We also enjoyed the trip to Bonn (Beethoven’s house of birth) and Cologne (cathedral) and the first class environment at Marienhof (course venue) which made us feel very relaxed to learn.
We are grateful for everything and convinced to go the extra mile to bring this light of string education to dark Nigeria.
Teachers from Nigeria
First line (left to right): Emmanuel Olabisi Fagbohun,
Oladimeji Titus Ogunyemi, Innocent Nonso Obiezue, John Oluremi Collins
Second line: Kehinde Clement Kpokpogbe, Golda Obi, Aderayo Abiodun
Oyegbade, Chinwendu Uzodike, Kerstin Wartberg, Oluwafemi
Paul Enioloronda, Tolulope Emmanuel Omogbehin, David Ajala
Third line: Rudolf Gähler, Babatunde David Awonuga