WHAT IS THE SUZUKI METHOD?
Every child has talent!
The Suzuki Method is an approach to teach any child how to play an instrument from the very basics up to a very high level. The philosophy is based on the belief “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.”
The method was conceived and developed by the Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki in the 20th century and has become one of the most popular forms of music education worldwide.
Suzuki's goal however is not to develop professional musicians but rather to raise happy children and loving human beings through the study of music.
Mother tongue approach
Suzuki based his method on the revealing observation that any child can learn effortless his/her mother tongue. He therefore applied the same principles of language acquisition to the learning of music: listening, imitation, building up skills from simple to complex, playing by ear before playing by music reading.
Parent involvement
The parent is expected to take an active part in the child’s learning process. He/she attends the lessons with the child and serve as “home teacher” during the week. The parent often learns to play before the child, so that they understand what the child is expected to do. Parents work with the teacher to create an enjoyable learning environment.
Early beginning
Listening to music can start as early as birth! The formal training with the instrument can start from age three or four, but it’s never too late to begin!
Step by step approach
Complex skills are broken into the smallest step possible, so to make the learning process for the child successful and fulfilling.
Positive environment
Learning with fun always guarantees the best result! The child needs to feel safe, happy and fulfilled. Every child’s effort to learn an instrument will be encouraged and sincerely praised.
Graded Repertoire
The child will learn all the violin techniques and music aspects through a graded repertoire that is the same all over the world. There are 10 books in the entire curriculum and the very first piece they will learn is the famous song “Twinkle twinkle little start”.
Listening
Children learn words after hearing them spoken hundreds of times by others. Listening to music every day is important, especially listening to pieces in the Suzuki repertoire so the child knows them immediately.
Playing by ear
All the repertoire will be learned and played by ear, as it happens when the child learns his mother tongue. The musical reading (very important) will be introduced and developed later on.
Repetition and daily practice
As when a child learns how to speak, attempts and repetitions are an important part of the learning process. Therefore a good daily practice at home is essential to master what have been learned during the lesson.
Group lessons
Along with the weekly individual lesson, each child will join group lessons: they provide a great opportunity to learn from each other, enjoy the music together and infuse motivation!
