Suzuki Method
“If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”
Shinichi Suzuki
What is the Suzuki Method?
Suzuki method is a music curriculum and teaching philosophy developed by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Dr Shinichi Suzuki in the middle of the 20th century.
Dr Suzuki has called his method the Mother-Tongue approach.
He observed that any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue.
The method aims to create an environment for learning music which parallels the linguistic environment of acquiring a native language.
A child learns to speak by:
- Listening
- Repetition
- Step-by-step progress
- Vocabulary
- Parent involvement
- Love
At what age should my child start to learn?
The Suzuki Method follows the parallel with language learning and recommends that musical training should become an important part of the child’s environment from birth.
Children can start formal individual lessons from four years old.
What equipment do we need?
You will need to own an instrument before you start lessons.
You will also need a good quality sound system to listen to recordings of the Suzuki repertoire.
This listening is an essential element of learning since constant listening to music performed with beautiful tone provides children with a role model for their playing.
It also helps the student to learn their pieces faster if they know how the piece sounds.
What is the role of the parent?
The parent’s role is crucial and involves:
- Attending each lesson, making notes and assisting with practice at home
- Creating a loving, supportive and encouraging environment
- Playing the recordings at home
- Attending workshops, concerts, graduations and other Suzuki activities with the child.
What sort of music do the children learn?
Children start with nursery rhymes and folk songs and move through the classical repertoire. The order of the repertoire is carefully chosen to develop technique, musicianship and style. A student is often given supplementary material to widen his/her musical experience.
At what stage do Suzuki children learn to read music?
In the same way that children learn to speak before they are taught to read, children learn to play music before they are taught to read it.
Reading music is taught after basic playing skills have been mastered.
The stage at which this happens varies from child to child and depends on the child’s age and general developments.
Do students perform in public?
Yes. Students perform in public at an early age, gaining self-esteem, confidence and encouragement from these public performances.
What are the benefits of joining the Suzuki Talent Education Association of Australia (Victoria) Inc?
The Suzuki Talent Education Association of Australia (Victoria) Inc aims to foster and encourage the use of the Suzuki Method and approach to music education in Australia.
There are many benefits of joining the Suzuki Talent Education Association:
- A quarterly newsletter containing helpful articles and information on events
- Access to events such as festivals, concerts, masterclasses, workshops and others
- Access to the Association’s library and books, cassettes, music and videos
- Support from fellow parents
- An opportunity for students to get access to the network of like-minded peers
- Opportunity for graduation after each level.
Levels (Levels Days) and Graduation
Doing ‘Levels’ is not an examination. Every child succeeds.
Teachers present students only when they are certain that the performance is secure and musical.
To graduate is to achieve recognition for having reached a certain milestone in the ongoing process of musical education.
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