The Academy values the importance of our teacher’s professional development. The Faculty Enrichment Fund annually provides partial and full reimbursement for teachers to attend conferences, workshops, and teacher training sessions. Our violin teaching artist, Claire Allen, attended the American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Claire writes:
“I am grateful to be a recipient of the MCAA Faculty Enrichment Fund this year. The funds helped cover a portion of the conference registration fees for the first ever co-located American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas conference in Louisville, Kentucky! I had a fantastic time at the conference and got to learn from so many incredible teachers from throughout the Americas. I attended sessions on left hand technique, building community within a private studio, teaching music theory in group classes, and strategies to support neurodivergent learners – just to name a few!
I also presented my own session, titled “Creating A Diverse Repertoire Sequence for Intermediate Violinists,” which shared suggestions and strategies for working with students at this level to create a personalized selection of repertoire from composers outside of the stereotypical dead European white men that we so often focus on in the classical music world. And finally, I was incredibly honored to be recognized as a Distinguished Young Teacher by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and was thrilled to receive this award alongside the other recipients at the opening keynote session. Attending the conference was affirming, educational, and inspirational, and I know that the connections I formed and teaching tips I learned will fuel me for the rest of my career. Thank you for the support in attending this event!”