The Suzuki Method

What is the Suzuki Method?

The Suzuki method was started by violin pedagogue and philosopher Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. The Suzuki Method stems from the belief that musical ability is not something that a child is born with, rather it is a skill that every child can develop through careful nurturing and training. When Dr. Suzuki started considering all children’s ability to learn not only their native language, but also regional dialects, and even two languages at once, he realized that he could apply a similar approach to learning a musical instrument.  This is called the Mother Tongue Method.

The Suzuki Method involves not only the student and the teacher, it also involves you, the parent. You are an active participant in your child’s lessons and musical development.

A little more about The Suzuki Method…

There are three pillars to the Suzuki Method: Philosophy, Curriculum, and Pedagogical Technique. 

First, the Philosophy of the Suzuki Method all boils down to this one idea: Every Child Can!  Dr. Suzuki was fascinated with the unlimited potential he saw in each child based on the fact that every child is able to pick up their native language, regardless of any privileges or disadvantages a child may be born into.  Not only that, they learn the syntax, grammar, and something close to a 6,000 word vocabulary all by the time they’re 6 years old.  With that in mind, the Suzuki Method believes that with the correct environment, a child can learn a musical instrument, like the violin, in the same way he or she learns his or her native language.

Another important component to the Suzuki philosophy is that the main goal of the method is to teach the whole child.  This means that we are using the violin as an educational tool to cultivate each child’s greatest potential as a human being.  Dr. Suzuki liked to say he was not interested in training musicians.  He was interested in cultivating a beautiful heart and a noble soul in his pupils and creating good citizens.

The next pillar of the Suzuki method is the curriculum.  Dr. Suzuki designed an elegant curriculum that beautifully develops the student’s technique and skill.  Each song builds upon what was learned in a previous song, and is an etude and scale study disguised in a song that’s exciting for the student to learn.  Moving through these songs give the student a sense of accomplishment, while they are building and refining their technique.

The third pillar is the pedagogical technique, or put simply, how we are teaching the child.  First, we start much earlier than traditional music education.  Depending on the child, Suzuki training can start as early as 3 years old.  Also, you the parent are a very important part of the educational process.  We like to call the relationship between the student, parent, and teacher the Suzuki Triangle.  You as a parent are asked to be involved in the lessons by following along, taking notes, and at home you will help your child in their daily practice. 

Next, following the Mother Tongue method, Suzuki students learn to play the instrument by ear, much like they learn to speak by ear. Therefore, just as a child learns to speak before he or she learns to read, music reading is not emphasized until later in the student’s musical development.

Another important part of the process is review of previous material.  Once a song is learned we continue to review and refine that song while we move on to new material.  In that way the skills learned are reinforced, making the new material that much easier to learn. 

And finally, participation in group class is strongly encouraged.  This is not only a social aspect that builds community between the children and their parents, but also it’s a place to reinforce the review.  It also develops the students’ ability to play in an ensemble.

Is the Suzuki Method right for my child?

Learning violin, like so many activities a child can engage in, has many different paths to success. I believe strongly in the principles of the Suzuki Method, and invite you to try it out for yourself. The beauty of this method is that since its inception, it has been curated and refined by a community of dedicated Suzuki teachers, and is always continuously growing and developing with the times. It affords a flexibility in molding the training to each child’s needs, while maintaining its core principles. However, if it is not the right fit for your child, I am also proud to offer a more traditional course of violin and viola instruction.

What age is appropriate for the Suzuki Method?

Because of the Mother Tongue philosophy at the heart of the Suzuki Method, children can start much younger through this method than traditional methods of instrument study. I recommend starting a child anywhere between 4 and 7 years of age, although in some cases you can start younger or older. For a younger student, I am happy to evaluate the child and give my opinion on their readiness to start, and likewise for an older student I’d love to discuss with the parent and the student their goals on the instrument as well as their current level of musical knowledge to better determine if Suzuki or traditional methods of learning are more appropriate for their studies.

Do you teach traditional violin studies?

Yes I do! As I touched on above, every child has different educational needs, and I’m proud to offer both Suzuki and traditional tracks of violin and viola studies. Traditional means that we’re going to engage in music reading earlier in the student’s studies as well as incorporate scales and etude studies rather than some of the Suzuki literature. If you’re interested in violin or viola lessons for your child but you’re still unsure about which method is right for them, please feel free to be in touch and we’ll discuss the best option for your child!