American Suzuki Foundation of Stevens Point Celebrating 50 Years with Anniversary Gala on November 15th
Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 -- 12:01 PM
The American Suzuki Foundation of Stevens Point is celebrating 50 years with their Anniversary Gala on Saturday, November 15th.
I had the opportunity to speak with Vicki Peterson Jenks, a member of the Scholarship Committee, and she discussed what Suzuki is and the Anniversary Gala in more detail.
Listen to the interview with Vicki here!
Again, that gala is being held on Saturday, November 15th and you can purchase tickets online. https://www.americansuzukifoundation.org/
(AI assisted transcription by Otter.ai)
Vicki: “Dr Shinichi, Suzuki, of course, lived in Japan, survived World War II, and was a firm believer in music education for all people and not just to develop child prodigies, per se, but to develop nurturing, loving and sensitive human beings.”
“And his style of teaching was really quite wonderful in that he focused on the way we learn our mother tongue, which is to simply listen. So, that’s how a child or an adult can learn the Suzuki method per se, is simply by listening, imitating, working together.”
“There’s a strong emphasis on parents, caregivers, learning the particular instrument, whatever it happens to be, right along with the child. So, it becomes, you know, developing this language and this ability from the ground up, and then taking those talents and those gifts and then sharing them with other people.”
Riley: “And now the American Suzuki foundation is based out of Stevens Point Can you talk about the foundation?”
Vicki: “It started in 1974 and it was the dream, not only of Marjorie Aber, who was my violin teacher and inspired so many of us in our education and our trajectory in life, but other people as well. And so the foundation has the ability.”
“They’re the 501(c)3 organization that raises money and there are needs based scholarships that we award to families who are struggling financially. There are merit scholarships for the students try out for that.”
“Obviously there are we invite people from a variety of states and foreign countries to come to Stevens Point in the summer to be part of our American Suzuki Institute and we provide scholarships for the UW students that are getting their master’s degree, maybe they want to have as their emphasis a Suzuki talent education, and, of course, paying for things like pianos, you know, the basic infrastructure that a music studio. In this case, it’s quite large needs and that upkeep. So that’s the purpose of the foundation.”
Riley: “And now coming up on Saturday, November 15, the American Suzuki foundation is having a 50 Year Anniversary Gala coming up. Can you talk about that?”
Vicki: “Yeah, we’re really excited about this. And it will be held in the Laird Room, which I think is recently renovated or redecorated, etc, in the Dreyfus Center. And so it’ll begin with cocktails at five, a beautiful dinner at six o’clock.”
“And then, of course, we must have music, and it will be featuring current students, of course, whether they play any stringed instrument, harps, piano, etc, and the faculty, of course, will perform. They’re very, very talented.”
“And then alumni come back, and that’s that’s cool, because they’ll not only share their music, but have the opportunity to grab a microphone and speak testimonials about how Suzuki education guided their life, how they inspired one I mean for myself, when I think of the top five women in my life, there are both of my grandmothers, my mother, my sister and Marjorie Aber who taught Suzuki. That’s how powerful it is. It’s really, really wonderful.”
Riley: “And if, now, in case, there are some people out there, you know, maybe they can’t, they’d like to, but they can’t make it to the 50th anniversary celebration, the foundation is just accepting donations, correct?”
Vicki: “Oh, absolutely. And you can also bid on auction items and they’re listed very clearly about what is needed, whether that be scholarships for a student studying half hour lessons a week, or maybe it has something to do with refurbishing a piano, but those options are open to people, certainly, so whatever their heart think is, is how we donate.”
Riley: ” Is there anything else then, anything else you would like to add in regards to that 50th anniversary celebration or the Suzuki foundation itself?”
Vicki: “Well, I just think the purpose of the foundation itself, the center, the Institute, everything related to it is to lift people up. And especially nowadays, it appears that all we hear on our, well, isn’t all that we hear on our media, but oftentimes is breaking news and what’s going on. And this is something to show that there is hope in our world and music provides that to a great extent.”
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.