The University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Music has awarded Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, a professor at the SU College of Performing & Visual Arts, the Gawad Nicanor Abelardo for Outstanding Music Educators of the Philippines.
The distinction is part of the UP College of Music Centennial Awards.
Recipients of the Gawad Nicanor Abelardo are individuals with a doctorate in music education who have served in the field of music education in the country for at least 15 years and have authored relevant scholarly publications.
Dr. Suarez has served a total of 20 years as an administrator — first as director of the SU School of Music & Fine Arts, and then as dean of COPVA. Her leadership resulted in the enhancement of the College’s curricular and co-curricular activities. She was also director of the celebrated Silliman Campus Choristers from 1989 to 2001.
Apart from having handled performances in the United States of Silliman-affiliated groups, Dr. Suarez has also done workshops around the country and abroad, including Guam and other states in the US.
Three of her more recent publications include Choral Conducting Exercise Techniques, A Work-Text on Music Fundamentals for Preschool and Beginners, and An Overview of Music Education in the Philippines. The third book is a critique of the teaching practices in music in primary and secondary schools in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Dr. Suarez obtained both her bachelor’s degree in Music major in Piano (cum laude) and Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Silliman University in 1984 and 2001, respectively. She completed her master’s in Music major in Choral Conducting from Combs College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US in 1989. (SU OIP)
