Overview of the STEP ministry, 2023-24 – Our 22nd year!
STEP teens perform in STEP’s May 11 concert, above
From Director Lani Bortfeld ~
Dear Friends, Families & Supporters,
Every year STEP families fill out a “Learning Review” to review what we’ve learned and what has been most valuable to us as students and parents/guardians, and then our parent/teacher organization, the Springfield Suzuki Partnership (SSP), discusses the results of these surveys. At our July 2024 SSP meeting, one of the main topics was working with our teenage students, and how to balance encouragement of their independence by letting them make their own mistakes and expressing appreciation for their unique gifts, with maintaining our standards as parents and teachers.
There are more music opportunities for teenage students, and STEP’s teens have been very active musically this year. Lalitha Iyer and Brandon Xu, both first-year students at Longmeadow High, were members of the first violin section of the LHS orchestra. Brandon, accepted into the LHS honors orchestra, was seated in the 2nd stand of the first violin section, and also performed with the Springfield Symphony Youth Sinfonietta (picture above). Then for the second year in a row Govinda Kunanele successfully auditioned for the WMass Junior District Orchestra, this year on a new viola donated by the MusicLink Foundation. He sat second chair in the viola section. Govinda, his sister, Arjana and Brandon worked on chamber music throughout the year and attended the Northampton Community Music Center’s summer chamber music camp in June.
Kadence Sharpe, in 7th grade at the Springfield Conservatory for the Arts, was also accepted into the Junior District Orchestra after her first audition, played saxophone and violin in the Springfield Youth Sinfonietta with Brandon, and received a full scholarship to the New England Music Camp this summer where she participated in both the orchestral and choral programs. The picture above of Sondra and Govinda Kunanele to the left and Kadence and Kevin Sharpe on the right, with me in the middle, was taken after a wonderful Junior District Festival concert at Minnechaug HS in March.
Our Mission ~ The Suzuki Talent Education Partnership (STEP) is a multigenerational interfaith music ministry whose mission is to combine high-quality music instruction, accessible to all, with outreach to and partnership with the Greater Springfield community through free family-friendly concerts, instrument loans and its scholarship fund. It is STEP’s vision that students of diverse ages, genders, backgrounds and cultures will thrive by experiencing the joy of making music together using Shinichi Suzuki’s step-by-step approach – where teachers, students and families work and learn together in an environment nurtured by love.
The Springfield Suzuki Partnership, Our Parent/Teacher Organization –
The Springfield Suzuki Partnership, Our Parent/Teacher Organization –
The Springfield Suzuki Partnership (the SSP), sets program goals for the year, supports parents and families with parent education and discussions, organizes and coordinates fundraising efforts for the STEP Scholarship and Instrument fund, helps teachers with concert details and organizes social events like potluck suppers, concert receptions, vacation get-togethers, and field trips to inspiring live concerts such as the one we are planning this summer at Tanglewood on Parade. The reception provided by the SSP after our May concert featured delicious international cuisine and a great time of fellowship for STEP students, families, teachers and friends. Our program’s vitality depends in large part on the SSP’s energy and dedication to STEP’s mission.
STEP student Gabriel Best above, performing on a violin loaned by the STEP Scholarship & Instrument Fund
The STEP Scholarship & Instrument Fund ~ The STEP Scholarship & Instrument Fund ~ Through the generosity of its mission partners – the SSP, South Congregational Church and community supporters in Greater Springfield and Northern Connecticut – STEP continues its mission to give need-based financial aid and loans of string instruments. This support is particularly important for students of color, who are traditionally under-represented in professional orchestras and chamber ensembles. STEP’s Fund and the SSP have helped our program to be a welcoming place for families from all over the globe.
The biggest fundraiser the SSP holds for the fund is our annual Suzuki String Serenade benefit concert. We thank Kolu Sharpe for acting as treasurer and Smitha Iyer and Jingru Benner sharing the secretary duties this year. Below is this year’s aid and fundraising summary:
STEP Scholarship and Instrument Fund
SSP Donations, ticket sales & ads sold 2023-4 $ 1250
South Church Community Grant $ 1000
Other donations, raffle & ticket sales $ 314
SSP dues & concert fees $ 570
Net Funds Raised by the SSP in 23-24: $ 3134
Total available funds 7/31/23: $ – 4238
Financial aid in 2023-24: $ – 4965
SAA dues, concert expenses $ -636.25
Balance STEP Scholarship & Instr. Fund = $-6999
The negative balance in the STEP Scholarship and Instrument Fund sometimes occurs because Director Lani Bortfeld is willing to absorb the loss so that no family is turned away.
STEP could not provide this outreach without South Church’s generosity, allowing STEP to make nominal utility payments in lieu of rent for classroom space, which is a vital component to keeping STEP costs low and scholarship opportunities available. STEP is also grateful to the musicians who donate their time to augment the STEP Suzuki Strings ensemble for our December and May concerts.
The need for Suzuki music education in Springfield – STEP is currently the only Suzuki program in the Greater Springfield area! The SSP’s goal for the past six years has been to become a nonprofit organization to keep STEP’s family-friendly Suzuki-based approach to musical study accessible to all in the Greater Springfield community. Unfortunately, as our numbers have dwindled since COVID, this seems less and less a possibility. Director Lani Bortfeld recently celebrated her 70th birthday and needs to scale back her hours, but so far has been unable to find another Suzuki-trained teacher willing to join her in teaching for a below-market hourly rate in order to keep STEP accessible and continue its mission for the next generation. We ask that you keep STEP and the SSP in your prayers as we discern God’s will for our program.
Community Outreach Performances ~ STEP Suzuki Strings students and teachers continue STEP’s tradition of outreach to the community through free performances. STEP returned to the Springfield Central Library Rotunda for its annual free interfaith sing-along in December 2023. STEP also gave a free Solo and Chamber Concert at South Church in February 2024. Prepared by the wonderful January master class given by Eugenio Figueroa, students gave focused, musical performances; everyone played their best. Lani and the STEP students gave a well-received preview of the May concert pieces as a thank you to South Congregational Church during South’s April 2024 Community Grants Fair. Lani performed on South Church’s annual Halloween concert, along with Celtic tunes and an anthem with South Church’s choir on March 17 and William Grant Still’s Here’s One with Larry Picard for an April prelude to worship at South Church. We also perform for family and friends, as in our performance for the Kunaneles’ grandmother, above, and community, sharing the healing power of music. All of these performances highlight STEP’s twenty-two years of service to our community and the regional arts scene.