A Brief Description of the Suzuki Method

Washington Crossing Violin & Viola Studio

Carol Gwen Kiefer – Suzuki Violin Instruction

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, a German-trained violinist from Japan, began teaching children the violin after the Second World War using a system he had been developing over the previous ten years. Suzuki opened the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto City, implementing an educational concept and philosophy that he termed the “mother tongue approach” due to its basis in language development.

The mother tongue approach can be summarized as:

1. Start young, structuring the home environment from birth to be rich in the great music and musicians of the century;
2. Begin instruction using very simple tasks, mastering each step through imitation and repetition;
3. Practice and listen daily;
4. Make music an integral part of positive interaction with the family, especially the Suzuki parent;
5. Make learning fun by using praise for each accomplishment towards increasing competence, and by challenging children in enjoyable ways at lessons and practice sessions;
6. Postpone music reading until a sound technical foundation and aural/oral and rhythmic skills are established.

Goals

It is not the goal of Talent Education to produce concert artists, but rather to produce well-adjusted, self-disciplined people with highly developed abilities. Creating an environment conducive to developing children’s abilities does not simply happen. However, because the mother tongue approach uses games to instruct and emphasizes an environment free of anger and stress it can be misunderstood. Suzuki Education is a serious approach to music study. Daily quality time between parent and child and a commitment to doing one’s best are the goals.

“Man is the product of his environment.”

“What does not exist in the environment will not develop in the child.” 

S. Suzuki

Further reading

1. “Nurtured by Love,” by Shinichi Suzuki.
2. “Ability Development From Age Zero,” by Shinichi Suzuki.
3. “Man and Talent,” by Shinichi Suzuki.
4. “Where Love is Deep,” by Shinichi Suzuki.
5. “To Learn With Love: A Companion for Suzuki Parents,” by William and Constance Starr. Knoxville, TN: Kingston Ellis Press, 1983.
6. “They’re Rarely Too Young and Never Too Old ‘To Twinkle,’” by Kay Collier Sloan. Ann Arbor, MI: Shar Products, 1982.
7. “How To Get Your Child To Practice Without Resorting To Violence,” by Cynthia V. Richards. Provo, UT: Advance Publications, 1985.
8. “Your Child’s Self-Esteem,” by Dorothy Corkille Briggs. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
9. “Understanding Your Child’s Temperament,” by William Carey. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Macmillian Company, 1998.
10. “Kids are Worth It,” by Barbara Coloroso. Toronto, Ontario: Somerville House Publishing, 1995.
11. “Mindset,” Dr. Carol S. Dweck. New York: Ballantine Books, 2008
12. “Helping Parents Practice,” by Edmund Sprunger. St. Louis, MO: Yes Publishing, 2005