Not a bass pedagogue, but one of the most influential American string teachers of the 20th century:
John Kendall, 93, violin pedagogue known for his role in introducing the Suzuki method of music education in the United States, died at Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 6. Kendall’s health had been in decline after he suffered a mild stroke in November 2010.
In 1958, Kendall and several other American violin teachers saw a film of 750 small Japanese children, students of Shinichi Suzuki, playing the Bach Concerto for two violins. Impressed and curious, Kendall applied for and received a grant to spend three months in Japan observing Suzuki and his young violin students.Upon his return to the U.S., he laid the groundwork for implementation of the Suzuki method, publishing the first English-language edition of the method books and helping to organize a 1964 concert tour by Japanese Suzuki students.
A memorial service is planned for April 23 at 2 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Donations in his memory may be made to Nature Preserve Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 843, Edwardsville, Illinois 62025; or to
Suzuki Association of the Americas, memo to “John and Catherine Kendall Memorial Teacher Development Fund,” P.O. Box 17310, Boulder, CO 80308.
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