Suzuki Method
Want to learn Piano or Violin using the Suzuki® Method? How this works:
Most of of our lessons are taught using established traditional methods that blend note reading with technique exercises, ear training, and basic music theory. We also have Piano & Violin teachers who are trained in the Suzuki ® method. The Suzuki ® method is well suited for very young children (ages 4-5). One of the unique elements of the Suzuki approach is its emphasis on the parent’s role in supporting the student’s learning, but no previous experience is needed. Dr. Shinichi Suzuki (1898 -1998) believed that “…the mind has the ability to begin learning anything at a young age. The younger one starts, the earlier the mind is capable of learning quickly”. The Suzuki approach is learning through hearing. By listening to recordings of music and repeating those passages on their instrument, the student learns each piece. Once a child learns a certain passage, they progress to the next step, where the “listen -play, listen – play” process is repeated. Suzuki training is partly parent training. The parent becomes the child’s at-home teacher. The parent and teacher together guide the student’s progress. Through their combined efforts the child’s success will be realized. The Suzuki approach can be a wonderful experience for both the parent and child, but learning through a traditional method can also be highly successful, even at a very young age. Our staff would be happy to offer additional advice on selecting the best approach and teacher for your child.
- Some of the Basic Principles of the Suzuki approach are:
- The most important single ingredient for success is the parent’s willingness to devote regular time to work closely with the child and teacher.
- Postpone music reading until the child’s aural and instrumental skills are well established, just as we teach children to read a language only after they can first speak.
- Following the Suzuki Repertory Sequence ®, each piece becomes a building block for the careful development of technique.
Dr. Suzuki believed that the parent and teacher must come “down to the student’s physical limitations, and up to their sense of wonder and awe”. The purpose of Suzuki training is not to produce great artists, but to help every child find the joy that comes from music-making.
