INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Boston Yamaha Faculty Member Rebecca Helm Presents at Yamaha World Teacher Forum in Tokyo
Yamaha Music School teacher Rebecca Helm recently returned from the
World Teacher Forum in Tokyo, Japan. It was an honor for her to be invited by
Yamaha Corporation of America (Buena Park, CA) and the
Yamaha Music Foundation (Tokyo) to represent the US at the Forum, where she met Yamaha teachers from twenty countries around the world. Along with Kathy Anzis, Director of Teaching Training, and Mike Morrell, Manager of Music Education, Rebecca gave a presentation on the teaching sequence of the Yamaha curriculum. The presentation used footage from a
Junior Extension Course 1 class and
Junior Music Course 3 class right here at Yamaha Music School.
During her stay in Tokyo, Rebecca sat in on a few Yamaha classes. Although she couldn’t understand what was being said in Japanese, she was
still able to understand exactly what the teacher was asking the kids to do. “I realized that everyone who participates in the Yamaha curriculum is part of a huge, global picture,” she says. “Students and teachers all around the world are using the same curriculum and speaking the same language: the language of music. The international scope of the method impacts teachers, parents, and students.”
Rebecca also had the exciting opportunity of attending the
International Junior Original Concert (IJOC) at Mirai Hall in Yokohama. Twelve outstanding composers, all under the age of fifteen, performed their original compositions. They hailed from all over the globe, including Italy, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan. “It’s amazing to think that all of the kids on that stage started with Music Wonderland, Junior Music Course, or Young Musicians Course,” Rebecca says.
About the experience, Rebecca says, “It was gratifying to see what these young musicians had accomplished. More importantly, I know that all of our students have the opportunity to develop their own musical creativity. Yamaha’s comprehensive approach, including early ear training, rich experiences in the group lesson, and cultivating musical sensitivity and imagination provides a strong foundation for composition.”
