The Suzuki Method
The Suzuki Method was conceived in the mid-20th century by Shin'ichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist who desired to bring some beauty to the lives of children in Japan after the devastation of World War II. Suzuki noticed that all children learn their native language and even dialects which adults consider "difficult" to learn are spoken with ease by young children. He reasoned that if children are capable of developing the aural and physical skills required to speak in their "mother tongue" language, then they have the necessary ability to become proficient on a musical instrument.
The Suzuki method is wonderful for young children because parents take an active role in lessons and practice. It is a strong foundation for intermediate and advanced students and further study outside of the Suzuki repertoire. In fact, many popular performers today were Suzuki children.
In practice Suzuki families commit to doing a daily practice led by the parent and modelled after a weekly lesson with a qualified Suzuki teacher. Children must listen to a recording of the pieces they will learn each day, and initially learn by ear, learning to read music after they have begun the study of music and their instrument.
Suzuki education aims to make the building blocks of excellent performance available to each student, in their own time and to build ability. Suzuki families and teachers contribute to a positive and nurturing environment where music is part of daily life and a larger community.
Key Aspects of Learning in the Suzuki Method
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A Positive and Musically Immersive Learning Environment
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Regular Group and Individual Lessons with Trained Suzuki Teachers
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Daily Home Practices Are Guided By A Parent who Attends Lessons with the Child
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Daily Listening to the Suzuki Repertoire
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Learning By Ear
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Maintaining All Learned Repertoire Through Daily Review
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The Belief that Every Child Can Learn if the Environment is Supportive of the Learning Process
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Skills Are Built Step by Step at the Unique Pace of The Child and Through Repetition
Further Reading
It is vital that prospective parents understand the philosophical basis of the teaching method that they have chosen for their child, in this case the Suzuki method. We therefore feel that all parents should read "Nurtured by Love" and/or "Ability Development from age Zero" by Shinichi Suzuki.
This excellent article from the Strad Magazine offers a quick overview of the key elements of Suzuki, as does this article from Violinist.com.
If you're interested in learning more about the history of this global teaching method and Dr. Suzuki we recommend this article.
If you think learning with us under the Suzuki method interests you, the next steps are to observe with us.