Suzuki Method

What is the Suzuki Method of music instruction?

Shinichi Suzuki had a revelation during a quartet rehearsal one time many years ago that “Japanese children speak Japanese”. It seems an obvious statement, but by this he meant that speaking Japanese was an extremely difficult skill to acquire, as anyone who has tried to learn a second language as an adult can attest, but yet a 6 year old can already speak their “Mother Tongue” fluently and with ease. This is actually quite a profound ability that is born within every child - the potential to learn many intricate concepts and skills, yet seems so intuitive that no one tends to give it a second thought. Suzuki then dedicated himself to exploring how this potential could be translated to learning music.

To understand the process better, Suzuki broke down the steps that everyone goes through when learning their native language and discovered that those principles can be applied to music instruction, or he believed, indeed any type of instruction. The steps for language learning are:

• having a favourable environment surrounding the child, where they are spoken to frequently by their parents and extended family, encouraged to imitate and repeat words and sentences to refine them. These steps are conducted through aural processes alone, leaving the concept of reading until later, when the child has acquired a strong vocabulary and has absorbed inherent grammatical and syntactical rules.
• having encouragement and enthusiasm present for every small step along the way, even when the child can not yet produce the exact sounds, sentences, or concepts fully.
• breaking down the task into small steps at first, and building on those steps to create more and more intricate sentences and concepts

• realizing the potential of ALL children to master the task, and giving each one their own “space” to be able to develop at their own pace

  Applying these principles to music education, Suzuki posited that parents and teachers using his “Method” would need to

• create a similar positive environment for the child, rich with lots of music examples of pieces to be learned, both at the level where they currently are, and also of great music that they will aspire some day to produce. Students are required, then, to listen daily to the Suzuki recordings of the pieces to be learned, and are also encouraged to listen to other music that features their instrument, both solo and orchestral. Attending symphony concerts, workshops and summer institutes will also help to create an environment of aural richness, and excitement about what’s in store for them for the future.

• commit to daily practice, to reinforce the repetition and imitation necessary to acquire the skills of playing their instrument. Once the technique is comfortable and consistent, it opens up the possibilities of creativity and personal interpretations.
• the parents will be fully involved in the process when young, giving lots of enthusiasm and excitement for every step along the way. Also recognizing how much learning happens when children are exposed to other children and a wider community, Suzuki always emphasizes having group classes in addition to the weekly private lessons, to also encourage excitement about what’s ahead, while refining what the student already knows.
• recognition of the potential of ALL children (and adults!) to be able to learn an instrument to a high level, given that they commit to following these principles. Most Suzuki teachers accept families on their willingness to participate fully in the process, not on any musical experiences that the parents may or may not have had. And most teachers following these principles believe in the life long learning that the child acquires besides the musical skills, which includes: the ability to set and achieve goals, knowing how to work diligently on something that’s not easy, learning how to break things down into doable steps, experiencing the discipline needed to achieve a high level skill, and the freedom of expression that can come once technique is fully mastered. Most Suzuki students will not become professional musicians, but these skills and others will be with them for their whole life, along with the ability to play their instrument, and the appreciation of beauty and music that will also ensue from Suzuki study.

A family starting their Suzuki journey will need to commit to:

• daily listening and practice
• purchasing a decent, properly sized instrument (the teacher will give guidance on this)
• attending lessons and group classes regularly, and taking notes so that the home practice is streamlined
• keeping the Suzuki philosophy and principles in mind while working with the child, especially remembering that each child will grow and develop at their own pace--comparisons and competition with others is to be de-emphasized
• enjoying the process of growing together, with the teacher as mentor and resource.

For further information about what the “Suzuki Method” is, please see the following resources

https://psychology.fandom.com/wiki/Suzuki_method
https://suzukiassociation.org/about/suzuki-method/

Quotes from Suzuki

We all have unlimited shortcomings. Yet one way of seeing things is to consider our lives as a time frame that allows us continually to work at changing our weaknesses into strengths. This, I must say, is an intriguing task.

If a musician wants to become a finer artist, he must first become a finer person.

Tone has a living soul.

An unlimited amount of ability can develop when parent and child are having fun together.

Dr. Suzuki talks about his “Method”