WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

The workshop will consist of student lessons in a masterclass format.   Students learn from watching and listening to other students at a similar level.   Each session is 20 or 30 minutes, depending on the level, and students, parents and their teachers are asked to stay and observe for the whole hour.  The instruction is experiential, with learning taking place through playing with the teacher, teacher demonstration and one-point lessons applying Suzuki Piano Basics techniques to their chosen piece.   This workshop is also open to non-Suzuki teachers and students.

ABOUT ROBIN:

Robin Blankenship has taught Suzuki Piano since 1986. She discovered the Suzuki Method when her three-year-old daughter asked for piano lessons after watching her teach.  A traditional teacher at the time, she wondered how to teach a three-year old. This led to exploring and studying Dr. Suzuki’s Talent Education both in the states and Japan.  

Her training includes a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of West Georgia and study at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan with Dr. Haruko Kataoka, the founder of the Suzuki Method for Piano. She participated with students in Ten-Piano Concerts both in Matsumoto, Japan and Sacramento, California. In addition, her and her students have attended many Suzuki Piano workshops and Institutes including Louisville KY, Rochester NY, Dallas TX, North Carolina and Colorado. 

She is a founding member of The Atlanta Area Suzuki Piano Association (AASPA), having directed many of its workshops and concerts.   In addition to her private studio, Robin taught masterclasses at Suzuki Institutes, trained and mentored teachers in the Suzuki Method and judged piano events such as Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA) auditions, Federate and National Guild of Piano Teachers.

Robin enjoys training students to reach their full potential utilizing Dr. Suzuki’sphilosophy of Talent Education. All children can learn to play music, just as all children learn to speak their native language. Many of her students continue study with her from pre-school to college and develop a life-long love of music. Some of her students have received scholarships to study music in college and have careers in music. She maintains a studio of all ages and levels in Marietta, Georgia.