Thanks, thanks and more thanks!
ˇ@It is a great honor for Taiwan Suzuki Association to host the 2nd Asia Suzuki Conference. With a positive and grateful attitude, I’d like to deliver my welcome to all the Suzuki teachers and students, who are attending the conference from various Asian countries, United States and Australia. Through the path of culture exchange, we hope to elicit the goodness and beauty of human nature in order to make a little contribution to world peace.
ˇ@Starting spring of this year, Asia Suzuki Conference Executive Committee consisted of TSA teacher representatives formally took on the project of conference preparation. Due to extremely limited budget, Committee members worked without pay as volunteers, and most of the conference expense was advanced from Conference Director, Ms. Mary Ko's personal account. For the success of Conference, this group of people sacrifices their sleep and leisure time to devote themselves to this enormous project with complicated tasks and tedious details. From nametag making, program printing, location rental, transportation... to meaningfully planning the lessons in order to meet the needs of all students, each task challenges the wisdom of each one of them. Because of these people's selfless devotion, we get to harvest the fruit of their hard labor today.
ˇ@The most valuable treasure Dr. Suzuki had left us is his philosophy of "Nurture by Love" Although "love" is often time the main focus of many people when reminded of Dr. Suzuki's preach, we must not overlook the basis of "love" such as "not hurting other people's feelings". Just talking about love, but going around and hurting others's hearts with selfish behaviors will not qualify as understanding love. To preach the meaning of "love" is not a difficult thing to do, but to follow what you preach is a different matter. What Dr. Suzuki despised the most while he was alive was the quarrels and dissimulation between people. The society today is mainly dictated by personal greed and economic development. People are constantly hurting each other from a personal scale such as criticizing others to project one’s superiority to international affairs such as starting wars and killing innocent lives for economic profits. I truly believe that "human relation" is the most important thing in maintaining harmonious human societies. All people, despite of their nationalities, races, religions and socioeconomic status can be great people if they can serve their fellow human beings. Only by focusing on building secured and positive human bonds can we end the problems in our societies.
ˇ@I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to members of Suzuki Associations from various countries for leading their teachers, students and parents to Taiwan. What delights me even more is to be able to invite colleagues and friends whom I respect to join me on this wonderful occasion. During the three years while studying with Dr. S. Suzuki in Matsumoto. I had the chance to meet with Mr. Yasuki Nakamura from Australia, Mr. Paul A. Landefeld from U.S., Mr. Kyung IK Hwang from Korea, and Mr. Kang Choon Sim from Singapore, who would periodically come and study with Dr. Suzuki. Together with Mr. Tsunco Kobayashi, who also studied in Matsumoto a year ahead of me and Mr. Yoshihito Trerada, who was a colleague of mine while teaching in Tokyo, we once again reunite in Taiwan to work for the success of the conference. Because of Dr. Suzuki, we are able to meet in Taiwan and strive for a common goal, which is to ensure a healthy development of Asia Suzuki Association. I am thankful to Dr. Suzuki for setting up this environment and giving us the chance to become better human beings. I am sure it is Dr. Suzuki’s wish to see his pupils forever work in unity for a better tomorrow.
ˇ@ I also would like to thank all the parents of Taiwan Suzuki Association for their long-term support and devotion.“C"Children grow up through mimicking their parents, Dr. Suzuki said, and " parents and teachers are the role-models of children" Let us all work together to help fulfill Dr. Suzuki’s dream of “achieving world peace through music.?Last, but not least, I want to express thank to my mother and my father Mr. Dona-Tsai Chang who past away in Tokyo last September during our concert season, for providing me with Suzuki lessons in Tokyo and practiced with me everyday.
ˇ@There are too many people who deserve our most sincere gratitude. Without your support, the 2nd Asia Suzuki Conference will not be a success. To all the people who make the conference a reality, I would like to offer my most sincere appreciation, “Thanks, thanks and more thanks!!
Ai-Lin Chang |