Suzuki Institutes are multi-day gatherings in June, July, and August for teachers, students, and parents to learn joyfully, make music, and build community. Institute programs center the Suzuki Method® repertoire and learning for young musicians, in addition to teacher development courses for new and experienced Suzuki teachers. Institutes take place throughout the US and Canada, and throughout Latin America, Festivals offer similar gatherings!

SAA Institute Guidelines

Updated 11/13/2024
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I. Application Procedure & Deadlines
II. Established Institutes 
III. Institute Approval and Conflict Issues 
IV. Student Schedules and Offerings 
V. Teacher Schedules and Offerings 
VI. Benefits and Services for Approved Institutes 
VII. Limitations for Non‐Approved Institutes 
VIII. Additional Policies 
IX. Conflict Resolution Guidelines

I. Application Procedure and Deadlines

November 1

The application fee for all institutes – New or Established – is due. In other words, all institutes must be activated. The fee for Established Institutes is $120 USD; for New Institutes, the fee is $150 USD.

Here is a quick video showing you how to activate your institute. If you want to submit a new institute OR if there isn’t a link on your profile to activate your institute, please email erin@suzukiassociation.org.

Once your institute is activated, you can start submitting teacher workshops and student institute events through the institute portal, accessible from your personal profile under Helpful Links. If your institute has been activated but you haven’t received instructions, please email erin@suzukiassociation.org for assistance.

For new institutes, or institutes that have changed their scheduled week, potential conflicts may need to be discussed with nearby established institutes. As you review submitted teacher workshops and student events on the institute portal, please stay alert to any such conflicts and connect with other directors as needed.

November 11

Institutes that are activated and have submitted student dates by the end of Nov 11th will be included in the preliminary institute listing in the American Suzuki Journal. The listing will include the institute name, location (city & state/province), student dates, and website URL.

November 15

On this date, the approval process for institutes and institute courses will begin. Once your events are approved by the SAA, you are welcome to publish them on your own institute website.

As you update your institute website with teacher workshops for the upcoming season, please direct potential participants to the approved course event links on the SAA website, accessible from your Sponsor Landing Page. Remind participants to join the SAA roster before they pay for any workshops, as this step allows the SAA system to verify their membership, auditions, and prior coursework.

December 1

Dec 1 is the deadline for June institutes to submit email ads at an additional cost of $40. Please submit ads here (check the form now to see what is required). SAA will invoice you after you ad has been submitted. Email ads will be sent starting in January for June institutes.

No ad image is needed this year. Instead, the email ad will link directly to your institute’s public page, which goes live by the end of 2024. Write to erin@suzukiassociation.org if you have questions.

January 1

Institute courses and event listings will begin to be published on the SAA website beginning January 1st. Your institute’s public page on the SAA website will also go live.

Jan 1 is the deadline for July institutes to submit email ads at an additional cost of $40. Please submit ads here (check the form now to see what is required). SAA will invoice you after you ad has been submitted. Email ads will be sent starting in February for July institutes.

No ad image is needed this year. Instead, the email ad will link directly to your institute’s public page. Write to erin@suzukiassociation.org if you have questions.

February 1

Feb 1 is the deadline for August institutes to submit email ads at an additional cost of $40. Please submit ads here (check the form now to see what is required). SAA will invoice you after you ad has been submitted. Email ads will be sent in March for August institutes.

No ad image is needed this year. Instead, the email ad will link directly to your institute’s public page. Write to erin@suzukiassociation.org if you have questions.

April 1

Please have faculty determined for workshop course offerings. If changes are required, please contact us at institutes@suzukiassociation.org. 

8-10 weeks prior to institute start date

Institute directors should be regularly comparing their class lists for teacher workshops against the SAA rosters. Participants need to join the SAA roster before paying for any teacher workshops so the system can verify that they are SAA members with the appropriate auditions and coursework completed.

Order books, mini-journals, and any other materials necessary for your courses. (Watch for the appropriate links to be added here.) If changes are necessary, please contact us!

10 days following the institute

Please make sure course rosters are marked complete! We will invoice you for your institute fees.

  • Student participation fee: $3 US/CAN per student
  • ECC Course fee: $30/participant (covers copyrighted content, registration of course, and upkeep of information)
  • SAA Teacher Workshop Participant/Auditor fee: $15 US/CAN per teacher per course

II. Established Institutes

  • Established Institutes are those that have taken place in the summer before the deadlines listed above. 
  • Institutes that comply with the requirements and deadlines will retain priority in their application evaluation and approval process to honor the longevity of the Institute. If an Established Institute begins a rotating schedule of Institutes or takes a year off, please notify the SAA office. 
  • A list of preliminary Institutes will be published in the American Suzuki Journal. 
  • Institutes may lose their status as an Established Institute under the following circumstances:
    • The Institute chooses to take two or more consecutive years off
    • Failure to pay fees and meet deadlines, or lack of communication from Director(s) regarding timely payment of fees or other major changes to the Institute
    • Change of any two of the following in the same year: locations, dates, hosting organization, or major instrument offerings
    • The SAA will be in communication about any compliance issues as they arise and will provide several warnings before taking away status from an Established Institute. 

III. Institute Approval and Conflict Issues

  • In the Institute Portal, institute directors can see all institute events including teacher workshops before they are approved. SAA encourages institute directors to review events to minimize any potential conflicts in time, location, or course offerings. In general, established institutes follow a pattern for the dates and locations for in-person events.
  • If any conflicts or concerns arise, please see item IX below. 

IV. Student Schedules and Offerings (Virtual & In-Person) 

At the core of an institute are lessons (masterclasses), technique classes, and repertoire (group) classes which should be taught by SAA teacher members. Student programs should offer a minimum of 8 hours of core classes across 4 or more days. For students in books 1-3, those 8 hours must be lessons, technique, and repertoire classes. For students in Books 4 and beyond, those 8 hours can also include ensemble or orchestra. Additional hours may include play-ins, Enrichment classes, and performances. See table below.

Minimum Hours across 4+ daysCore ClassesAdditional Hours
Books
1-3		2 hrs of core classes per student per day or a total of 8 hrs overall Lessons, technique, and repertoire classesPlay-ins
Enrichment classes
Performances
Books 4+2 hrs of core classes per student per day or a total of 8 hrs overallLessons, technique, repertoire, ensemble, or orchestra

V. Teacher Schedules and Offerings

Teacher courses must follow guidelines in the Teacher Development Guidelines and the most current Online Training Guidelines. If you have questions, please email us at institutes@suzukiassociation.org. Please keep in mind, that guidelines change from time to time. We will be sure to provide ample notice for any changes.

Thank you for offering Teacher Training at your Institutes! Please communicate the following to participants on your website. Reach out to us with any questions!

  • Training Prerequisites & Course Order: Teachers need to be 18, have a high school diploma, and be Active Members to take training. ECC is required prior to Unit 1, and courses should be taken in order through Unit 3. Beginning in January 2025, Teaching Strategies is a prerequisite for Unit 3.
  • Audition Requirements: Applicants must pass the audition requirements on the SAA Website. See Guidelines & Requirements. Auditions need to be received at least 14 days before the course starts. Earlier is better because it leaves room for a second try if the first audition does not pass!
  • Course Preparation: Teacher Training participants are asked to prepare repertoire to be studied to the point of fluent performance. Memorization of repertoire is required for Unit 1 and encouraged for all units. Participants should be conversant in ideas presented in Nurtured by Love. 100% attendance is required.
  • Course Credentials: Course credentials are visible on a teacher’s training profile as soon as the trainer or course host marks the roster complete, ideally immediately following the course completion, but sometimes up to 10 days later.
  • Please get in touch with the SAA! Reach out to the SAA at info@suzukiassociation.org with any questions or concerns!

VI. Benefits and Services for Approved Institutes

  • Advertisement and promotion opportunities are included, plus an additional option for 10% off advertising in the ASJ for institute hosts
  • All Institute information will be advertised on the SAA website. 
  • The 2nd quarter issue of the American Suzuki Journal will include Institute dates 
  • If an Institute needs support in connecting with local SAA members and potential attendees, the SAA can work with Directors to support them. Please reach out to us at info@suzukiassociation.org. 
  • Use of the SAA Institute logo is allowed by all approved Institutes
  • Only Institutes & Festivals are able to offer core Teacher Training courses during June, July, and August (with the exception of ECC! after review and by approval of the SAA office). 
  • Online Mini Journals are included for all Institutes, and hard copies of the Mini Journal are available for purchase.

VII. Limitations on non-approved Institutes or Events

  • Any Institutes that are not SAA-approved will not be eligible to advertise in the ASJ winter issue or be listed on the website. 
  • A non-approved Institute cannot host SAA Teacher Workshops.

VIII. Additional Policies

  • The SAA staff will create committees as needed to verify all policies and guidelines are being met. 
  • Surveys and questionnaires may be provided by the SAA and should be completed promptly so that information can be used as a guide for the following year.
  • Institute Directors are required to be SAA members and to follow all SAA guidelines. We request timely and open communication between the SAA and Institute Directors. 
  • Institute faculty members who are teaching Suzuki courses are required to be active members of the SAA. 

IX. Conflict Resolution Guidelines

If any Director perceives a conflict with their Institute, please use the procedure below. We are all contributing to a healthy ecosystem of music education, so please approach each other with the kindness and support that is encouraged by Dr. Suzuki’s method and philosophy.

  1. Communicate directly with the Director of the other Institute to see if the conflict can be resolved. 
  2. If any compromises or resolutions result in changes to schedules, courses, or programs, please make the SAA aware immediately.
  3. If a resolution cannot be reached, each Director should reach out to the SAA via info@suzukiassociation.org. Any conflicts should be reported as soon as possible. 
  4. If necessary, an ad hoc committee will be appointed to support a resolution. Additional materials may be requested from each party, and the SAA will notify the Institutes of the resolution. 
Additional Resources