In Buenos Aires, we did a play-in with the small Suzuki group in a cultural center.  It was fun, even though most of the kids were under the age of 10.  After that, we went to dinner and I ordered spaghetti but they gave me fettucini instead.  I didn’t complain because it tasted great!   We then headed back to the hotel (which was really nice) to relax and sleep.

It has been so much fun here, and a really great experience musically and personally, but I’m sitting at JFK writing this, and I think I’m ready to go home and sleep.

NOTE: Romey submitted this blog in JFK.  Although the flight was delayed a significant amount of time, there was no WiFi available in our terminal.   Sorry, Romey.

NOTE: Chris submitted this blog in JFK.  Although the flight was delayed a significant amount of time, there was no WiFi available in our terminal.   Sorry, Chris.

NOTE: Alex submitted this blog shortly before we left the hotel in Buenos Aires.  I had hoped to post it in one of the airports on the way home, but Wi-Fi was not available.  Sorry Alex.

As we have connected with Suzuki programs in both Cordoba and Buenos Aires, I have been given the extraordinary opportunity to TEACH while in Argentina.  As a teacher, this has been one of the most meaningful things that I (and Mrs. Neal) have done on this tour.  And we were able to do three kinds of Suzuki teaching: masterclass lessons, group classes, and lectures for teachers.  I would like to write about each.

In both cities, I was able to teach masterclass lessons.  These are the same kind of lessons we do at Suzuki Institutes throughout the summers in the US, where several students will have short individual lessons, while being observed by a small audience of other children, parents, and teachers.  I taught masterclass lessons in both Cordoba and Buenos Aires, teaching violin students ranging from early book 1 through book 5.  The children I taught were all so sweet and open to new ideas, and they worked so hard in their lessons.  And of course it didn’t matter that I speak no Spanish, and they speak no English.  While some of the parents and teachers would translate for us, often it was not necessary, as most teaching concepts can be explained through demonstrations and gestures.  As a teacher, it was so meaningful to me to see the children smile as they began to understand a new concept.  And as much fun as I had teaching violin, I even got to teach a cello lesson!  A little cellist played a most beautiful Go Tell Aunt Rhody for me.

I was also able to teach group lessons, and lead big play-ins with our host teachers and Mrs. Neal.  Again, it was not necessary for me to speak Spanish to get my musical points across, I could play the violin, and they knew what to do.  And of course one of the hallmarks of Suzuki Method is our common repertoire.  All the Suzuki students over the world know the same pieces, so we can play them together wherever we go.  And I also loved watching the interactions of the Argentinian students with our Buffalo students as they played together.

Mrs. Neal and I also presented lectures for teachers in both cities.  Mrs. Neal talked about Excellence from the Start, and I talked about Group Classes.  Of course this was through a translator, which I always find to be an interesting process, as you need to say a short sentence, wait for the translation, and then keep track of your thoughts and be ready for the next sentence.  I absolutely loved talking with the Suzuki teachers here and sharing ideas with them.  This is another hallmark of Suzuki education, that all the teachers across the world are willing and eager to share ideas so that we can all improve our teaching and best serve our students.

It is time to run now, off to lunch and then the airport.  But my final thought it that while this tour has taught me many things, the most important one I have realized (again and again) is that I love being a teacher!  Both for our Buffalo students, and for any other children I encounter.

-David Levine

Julie Sonne played the Concerto in d minor, 3rd mvt, by Lalo at the tour concert in Buenos Aires last night.  Brava, and thank you Julie for sharing your music with us!

Nicolle Eagan played the Concerto No. 3 in G Major by Mozart, 1st mvt, last night at our tour concert in Buenos Aires.  Congratulations, Nicolle, thanks for playing for us!

In this video, Alex Kennelly and Chris Lu play their duet together, on Manuel de Falla’s piano, in the museum.

This actually took place a few days ago, when we were still in Cordoba, but it was a really wonderful experience that I thought you should all see.  We had taken an excursion on the bus to Alta Gracia, and visited the home of the famous composer Manuel de Falla, now a museum.  The guide in the museum was very nice and informative about this composer, and when he found out that we were a group of classical musicians, he unlocked de Falla’s piano, and allowed our piano students to play on it!  This video shows Chris Lu playing his Bach Concerto, on de Falla’s piano.  What a sense of history, as we heard Chris perform for us on a well-known composer’s instrument!

My first accomplishment of this goal was entirely unintentional in many ways. My time in Cordoba with the members of the local Suzuki group soon became more than just making music together, but relating our music to one another. For most of the group, they were forced to rely on a translator when they were touring the city. Yet in the walls of the Cordoba workshop we spoke one language that said it all, music. It wasn´t long before I engaged my classroom Spanish droll to make friends, and, with Tim Valint at my side, attempted to immerse into the surrounding culture, rather than being the average American who boasts his own way. As a result of our obvious efforts, they reciprocated. It wasn´t long before all of our thoughts were spoken in Spanish, and their answers were completely in English. By the time we spent a wonderful dinner together with our new friends, the language barrier had practically evaporated, and the moments we shared forged an unforgettable bond that will live with me for the rest of my life.

The whole idea of a ¨Friendship Tour¨ does not purely relate to our interactions with people from a different environment, but also to our growth within the touring ensemble. As a group, we have all become closer than I thought possible when we set out for Argentina about ten days ago. I have uncovered friendships that I believe will last a lifetime, and learned the most personal details about the lives of people I barely knew before the tour.  Making music with people is the most effective way to understand them, to be able to read them to the depth of their souls. I believe the hardest I´ve laughed was on this tour. There are not many people in the world that can make me smile until my face aches and for whom I would not hesitate risking life and limb. I´ve had the most invigorating conversations, ones that have the potential to bring me to tears or to help me imagine a future you only read about in science fiction novels. These are people that have the potential to change the world, and I feel privileged to know each and every one of them.

As I sit up writing in Argentina I can only imagine what my life would be like without this incredible experience. As a veteran of the previous tour to Spain, I was familiar with the whole deal, and now older and wiser because of that experience, I soaked up every bit of Argentinian culture I could possibly hold. With my trusty Spanish Translator Christios, obliviously hilarious Cordoba Roommate Eugene, and my slick and dubstepped Buenos Aires Roommate Aidan, I stepped into a whole new world of Argentinian culture; haggling with sketchy street vendors, putting toether french and english to try to bridge the language gap, wooing young Argentinian women…. — the usual things any guy would do with some of his new, close best friends — friends which will surely only become closer in the future. I now know more about EVERYONE on the tour, and thats a great thing! I like taking funny pictures with Will, and I still turn the wrong way when Chris Lu taps me on the opposite shoulder. This is truly what the ¨Friendship Tour¨ is all about, and I wouldnt give it up for anything, except a longer stay in more places with these great people (and chaperones!!) – just with more free time!

This is a small bit of our 3 A.M. morning rant before our flight after Easter mass. Various authors and friends made this entry possible and fun. A special thank you to all those who made this trip so special, whether it be a morning wakeup call, or a reminder that we aren´t the only ones having dinner in the restauraunt. To all of our friends, here in our hotel, at home, and in Argentina, your support and kindness has surpassed all expectations and has made our time in Argentina truly worthwhile.