cellochan is a program for cellists created by Director/Teacher Suzanne Smith that has thrived and evolved for over fifteen years. Located in Ann Arbor, MI., it represents a coming together of her life experience, teaching, and performing for almost thirty years. The program provides an especially supportive and enjoyable environment for study while pursuing excellence, personal fulfillment, and artistic growth. This unique Ann Arbor cello school offers a number of optional activities that are designed to enhance the private lesson and can be found on the activities and events calendar. Some of these include: frequent performance opportunities, master classes, cello ensembles, home concerts, and other concerts we present to the community. * We recently created a retreat style cello camp called "CelloChanWoods" located in southeastern Michigan. Its theme of "well-being and the arts", as applied to cello playing, creates an opportunity for a special type of musical community by combining the traditional fun of summer music camp in the afternoon and a more focused, retreat like atmosphere during the morning. You may learn more about it on this site.

Playing the cello involves all facets of a person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. From one perspective, music is a kind of language of the self. Finding our musical "voice" can open us up to greater levels of awareness, self-acceptance, and personal satisfaction. In fact, music can bring enjoyment on so many levels that there is truly something for everyone regardless of age or level. Students in cellochan come to value and understand their unique learning styles and clarify their cellistic goals. Pablo Casals, one of the greatest of teachers, once said, "I always practiced as if I had forever." The mindset this suggests is one of confidence, patience, love of the cello, selfacceptance and a passionate commitment to the work at hand.

The word Chan comes from the Chinese word Ch'an, meaning insight. The three parts of the cellochan mission statement are mutually reinforcing with the sum often being greater than the parts.

Cello students come from a wide radius in Southern Michgan. We extend a warm welcome to you to join the fun and become part of the cellochan family!" ~ Suzanne