This is an all important question that teachers and staff at the Suzuki School of Newton have been discussing. But this is not just an internal discussion, this is a global question for all of us to ponder.

When will our lives go back to normal? The vaccine roll out is underway, but new strains of the virus have led to an upward trend in infections. Mortality rates are still declining in Massachusetts which is a favorable condition of the improved immunity due to the vaccinations and individuals who have recovered from the illness and still have resistance to re-infection.

Nonetheless, it is still advised by the CDC to continue to follow health protocols. We are so fortunate to have dedicated teachers and staff who prioritize the health and safety of our students and families. Our preschool students have attended school safety since September. However, we are not yet ready to bring the full music school program back to in-person instruction.

Based upon the guidelines of the National Association for Music Education, Early Childhood Music & Movement Association and National Association for the Education of Young Children (our Suzuki Preschool is a NAEYC accredited), they report the following recommendation:

Singing More Safely in the Classroom: to minimize risk, NAfME and ECMMA recommend that children singing in a group wear a face mask, stay 6 feet apart, and face the same direction. Singing should be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes, and good ventilation is required. (source)

With this in mind, Suzuki School of Newton is going to delay the return of our full music program through the end of the semester because it is not considered safe for our musicianship classes to be held in person as yet. We anticipate returning to full instruction this fall if CDC and NAEYC recommendations continue to move in favorable directions of returning to more normal operations.

Nevertheless, with improved immunity and increased vaccinations underway to cover all our teachers, this summer's individual lessons can continue remotely or be in-person, and we have in-person summer day camps available for our younger students: Suzuki Theatre Camp (waiting list only), Puppet Theatre Camp, Suzuki Summer Adventure Camp, and cello camp are among our offerings. We are also holding a virtual piano workshop with guest Suzuki Teacher Trainer Ruth Miura from Barcelona, Spain.

Finally, we ask that you participate in this national survey regarding the role of arts and culture during our pandemic. Click here to access the survey.

Please continue to be safe! And I look forward to "seeing" you at our Facebook Live Faculty Concert, at our solo recitals this weekend, and hopefully in person very soon!

Sachiko Isihara
Executive Director