March 1, 2009
Dear Longmont Suzuki Strings Parents and Students:
This week we begin our preparation in earnest for our Play For Peace on Saturday, April 18 at 2:00pm
at Westview Presbyterian Church. We hope that when you learn all about this special performance, you
and your family will be as excited about it as we teachers are. The 76 students and six faculty of violin,
viola and cello in Longmont Suzuki Strings are from Longmont, Boulder, Estes Park, Loveland, Fort
Collins and surrounding areas. We will perform a number of ensemble pieces from beginning to
advanced levels. In addition to works by Suzuki, Bach, Brahms, Dvorak and Vivaldi, the concert will
include works that encourage peace, understanding and harmony around the world through music. The
program will feature Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee by Beethoven, Dona Nobis Pacem (the traditional
round, Give Us Peace) and America the Beautiful, whose words were composed by Katherine Lee Bates
after an inspirational trip to the summit of Pike’s Peak in 1893. William Starr, one of the pioneers of the
Suzuki Method in the United States and a resident of Boulder, will be with us to lead his two
arrangements and the Twinkle Variations. All students, teachers, parents and audience will end the
concert by playing and singing Let There Be Peace On Earth by Cy Miller and Jill Jackson.
The 20th Century composer Paul Hindemith stated, “People who make music together cannot be
enemies, at least not while the music lasts.” Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the Talent Education movement
which has reached all parts of the world, believed that children who hear and play great music become
good citizens with beautiful, peaceful hearts. Dr. Suzuki’s dream was to bring understanding and peace
to the world. For his vision of universal harmony and his contribution to children’s education, Dr.
Suzuki was nominated for the Nobel Peace Price in 1993. By sharing their music with others, the
students, parents and teachers of Longmont Suzuki Strings strive to become more peaceful, caring and
loving people in an all-embracing society.
There’s more……
To create a lasting impact, we have decided to make Play For Peace a fundraiser for Pennies For
Peace, a program of the Central Asian Institute founded by Greg Mortenson, author of the bestseller,
Three Cups of Tea. The money raised will be donated to Pennies For Peace which supports
community-based education, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and
Afghanistan. For his humanitarian efforts, Mortenson has been nominated for the 2009 Nobel Peace
Prize. We have found Greg Mortenson’s ideals very compelling. To learn more about this cause, we
urge you and your children to visit the following websites:
http://www.penniesforpeace.org
http://www.threecupsoftea.com
https://www.ikat.org
Also view these recent interviews with Greg Mortenson on network newscasts:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/28792411#28792411
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4697470n
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How will Play For Peace benefit Pennies For Peace? This week we are starting our own campaign:
Practice Pennies For Peace! Also to be known as
Play For Peace/Pennies For Peace/Practice Pennies For Peace!!!!!
On Monday we will give each student a Pennies For Peace sticker and a Practice Pennies For Peace
sticker. Additional stickers will be available from your teacher. Put these stickers on a clear plastic jar or
other container, get some rolls of pennies and start collecting! Here are some ideas:
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Each repetition of a scale or arepeggio = 1 penny
Each repetition of a preview spot = 1 penny
Each repetition of a piece = 1 penny (or more for longer pieces!)
Create a Play For Peace/Pennies For Peace/Practice Pennies For Peace poster (go to the
Pennies For Peace toolkit on the website for printable photos, use some of yourself playing, be
creative)
Play Practice Pennies For Peace collecting concerts for friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins, siblings (those who have some pennies)
Play Practice Pennies For Peace collecting concerts for your homeroom class, music class,
Sunday school class
Busk on Pearl Street Mall
Look in and under sofas and other furniture for pennies, especially at relatives’ homes
Look in and under the seats of cars for pennies, especially in relatives’ cars
Take a Play for Peace flyer and Pennies For Peace/Practice Pennies For Peace coin container
to your place of work or other local businesses
Post Play For Peace flyers in your area
Become a Play For Peace/ Pennies For Peace/Practice Pennies For Peace corporate sponsor
(more on this below)
Purchase or check out from your library Greg Mortenson’s books, Three Cups of Tea, Young
Adult Version Three Cups of Tea, and/or Children’s Version Listen to the Wind (we teachers
have!)
Tell everyone you know about our Play For Peace concert!
From penniesforpeace.org:
Remember, when pennies add up they can make a real difference:
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$20...One student’s school supplies for one year
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$50...One treadle sewing machine and supplies
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$100...Maternal health care supplies for 1 year
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$300...One advanced student’s annual scholarship
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$600 ...One teacher’s annual salary
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$5,000...Support for existing school for 1 year
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$50,000...One school building and support for up to 5 years
Parents, will you become a donor or your company or employer become a Play For Peace corporate
sponsor? We can accept cash donations of any amount or in-kind donations. Donations are needed for
the students’ Play For Peace T-shirts, printing, reception refreshments and tableware and, of course,
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Pennies For Peace. Please contact Barbara Barber ([email protected]) if you are interested. We
already have several corporate sponsors.
We teachers already have Pennies For Peace/Practice Pennies For Peace jars on our kitchen counters.
Can you see how 76 students plus their parents and teachers collecting pennies between now and April
18 can make a difference? The website suggests that only pennies be collected but we would not turn
down any $$!! Students should bring their pennies to group class each Monday and watch them grow!
Please participate at the level that feels right for your family. Thank you for making a positive impact on
a global scale, one Practice Penny For Peace at a time!
Play For Peace Concert Repertoire
Beethoven/Barber - Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Bohm - Sarabande in G Minor
Jenkinson - Elves Dance
Vivaldi A Minor - 1st Movt.
Cello selections Folk/Farrar - French Folk Song - Cellists’ International Anthem
Folk/Farrar -Tell Rhoda
Brahms - Lullaby
Pre-Twinklers Music Makes My Heart Sing
Bells of Westminster
Mole Music
Dvorak - Humoresque
Brahms - Waltz
Bach – Musette with cello D/A drone
Bach - Minuet 2
Long, Long Ago
May Song in D with cellos
*Twinkle Variations Festival Arrangement
*Anonymous/Starr - Dona Nobis Pacem
*Ward/Starr - America The Beautiful
*Miller/Jackson - Let There Be Peace On Earth
*Violin and cello playing parents, grandparents and other family members are invited to play these
pieces with us, memorized, of course!
A copy of “Let There Be Peace” ($1.75) has been ordered for each of our students and is now available
at Guitars Etc. Please purchase this (and thank them for keeping our music in stock) and start learning
the song with your child. The older students will also play it. There are several recordings available
online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRFNg-Eyt_0&feature=related
This ending is different from ours.
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http://alfred.com/alfredweb/front/ProductDetail.aspx?itemnum=%20%20%20%20%2011382&pubnum=
0
This is the arrangement we are using. Listen to the Flash Player recording or buy the mp3 for $0.99.
Burn several times a CD or transfer to an iPod.
In http://www.apple.com/itunes/, search the iTunes Store for “Let There Be Peace On Earth Angel
Choir.” Purchase the “Angel Choir” recording (in C Major) for $0.99. Burn several times to a CD or
transfer to an iPod or mp3 player.
Attendance at the dress rehearsal on Monday, April 13 at 4:00 will be required of all students.
Younger students will be finished by 5:00 and older ones should plan to stay until 6:00. The dress for
this concert will be Play For Peace T-shirts and black pants or skirts with dark shoes. No jeans, miniskirts or sneakers, please. To thank Westview Presbyterian Church for the rent-free use of the church on
April 18, we are presenting music for their 9:30 service on Sunday, April 19. Please help us show our
appreciation to Westview for the use of their beautiful church by sharing our music with their
congregation at this service.
We hope that you will participate enthusiastically in our concert and fund-raising campaign.
Peace to all,
Barbara Barber
Play For Peace Concert Coordinator
Andrea French
Erron Lacy
Arlene Patterson
Karla Smart-Hickman
Megan Titensor