CELEBRATIONS were held for the Ipswich Suzuki Group who have enjoyed 25 years of making music.More than 100 students, past and present, gathered at Martlesham Community Hall to celebrate the group's silver jubilee.

By Georgina James

CELEBRATIONS were held for the Ipswich Suzuki Group who have enjoyed 25 years of making music.

More than 100 students, past and present, gathered at Martlesham Community Hall to celebrate the group's silver jubilee.

The day's events included a play together for two hours, a chamber music recital and solo performances by ex-students who have turned professional. The entertainment ended with a concert followed by a spectacular firework display.

Clare Santer, group founder and principal teacher, said: "It was an amazingly happy and joyful day. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we were able to raise funds for the European Suzuki Teacher Development Fund, which gives money to developing countries to train teachers.

"The success of the day would not have been possible without the support and hard of work of the parents who did a fantastic job and the terrific teamwork and skills of fellow teachers over the past 25 years."

Over the last quarter of a century the group has introduced hundreds of young people from across Suffolk and north Essex to the joys of making music on violin, viola, cello and guitar.

Many former musicians have gone on to specialist music schools such as the internationally famous Yehudi Menuhin school and Cheetham's.

The Suzuki method of teaching music was developed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist born at the turn of the century, who devised a philosophy and methodology for teaching classical, instrumental music to children.

Impressed, often stunned by the results he achieved with young, normal sometimes even supposedly unmusical children, many teachers brought the Suzuki Method back to their own countries and it is now taught in 30 countries worldwide to more than half a million children.

In a nutshell his philosophy is 'talent is no accident of birth'. It can be taught and his method is extremely simple. The idea is to teach music as a language and children will acquire it in the same way they learn to speak their own language - simply, happily, yet with staggering proficiency.

Anyone interested in joining the Ipswich Suzuki Group should contact Clare Santer on 01787 247817.

N See www.britishsuzuki.com