March 31st--a Day to Fine-Tune your Ear

       Dad would have loved Mark Swed's story in today's L.A. Times:  March 31st is "Orchestra Day" in Tokyo.   Everyone's out listening to music.

       The Suzuki method of teaching classical music to children post World War II is responsible, creating virtually a nation of music lovers and musicians.

        Almost no foreign musicians are sought for Tokyo's nine orchestras; "home-grown" fill the chairs.  Yet Japanese musicians help populate Europe's and America's orchestras.

       Dad, an 8th grade graduate who treasured education and got this kid finally to obtain a PhD, touted Suzuki's mass teaching methods, and he and Mom visited Japan to see the system at work, finally actually meeting Suzuki.
 
        Nine years ago the Japanese selected March 31 as "Orchestra Day."  Why?  The date in Japanese sounds very much like the sound for the word "ear"!