If you play or are considering encouraging your child to learn the violin as their first instrument, you may have heard of the Suzuki Method. This particular method is prevalent for beginners, as it is based on the idea that young children have the ability and can learn to play through nurturing.
Here’s what parents should know about the Suzuki violin method, from what it is to how it’s done.
What is the Suzuki Violin Method?
The Suzuki violin method was established by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, an accomplished musician, teacher, and philosopher. He was born in Nagoya, Japan, in 1898, the son of the country’s largest violin manufacturer.
Dr. Suzuki believes that every child can learn music, and early exposure has the most profound impact on their musical development. The idea revolves around encouraging musical ability, much like how a child learns to talk.
The Suzuki Method came to fruition after he learned to play the violin as an adult beginner. He learned through self-teaching but later went on to study music in Germany, teaching young children in the 1930s to develop his ideas regarding the violin.
The approach has been applied to many other methods of teaching music across different instruments. It’s meant for students as part of a lifestyle and helps mold development in music students rather than a set of books to follow.
Key Principles of the Suzuki Violin Method
Dr. Suzuki created this method with principles based on what he called the “mother tongue approach,” where learning music is taught similarly to how young children learn their native language.
Suzuki based his approach on the belief that “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed. Any properly trained child can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.”
In private lessons with Suzuki teachers, the primary principles are parental involvement, early immersion and listening, repetition, ear training, and socializing. The early years are crucial for the growth of mental processes and muscle coordination.
Let us break down the different principles of the Suzuki Violin Method.
Emphasis on Early Immersion and Listening
Listening to music should begin at birth, with formal training with a home teacher or violin teacher at the age of four. However, it is never too late to learn to play a musical instrument using this method, so don’t let the age factor stop you.
Children learn words when they hear them repeated over and over by others after some time. Listening to music consistently is a part of this method to help your child or children make the connections in their brains.
Students in Suzuki lessons often listen to recordings of their repertoire daily as part of the repetition. It helps them learn what the music sounds like so that they memorize the piece of music.
Importance of Parental Involvement
Parents are heavily involved in their children’s music training. They can attend private lessons with the child and serve as home teachers during the week to help them learn techniques.
Using a piece of music from the Suzuki repertoire in the early stages as part of the repetition is an excellent way to aid your child’s musical training. You can explore how your children naturally learned their native tongue to apply the same inspiration for music learning.
Talent Development Through Nurturing Environment
Parents can work directly with teachers to create an enjoyable and thriving learning environment. Dr. Suzuki called his method “Talent Education.” In Japanese, the word saino for talent has another meaning – ability.
Children learn language through exposure, so the translation emphasizes listening to music and developing the best environment for learning as the children grow. Talent education prioritizes the development of character to help children become “noble human beings” using both heart and mind rather than becoming professional violinists.
Focus On Ear Training and Learning By Imitation
Children learn to read after they have learned to talk. The Suzuki lessons follow this same learning pattern, with ear training and imitation rather than reading and writing of music theory.
Muscle memory and coordination are more of the focus so that students can perform what they hear and imitate it without the need to know a particular note.
Gradual Introduction to Reading Music
The information is presented to students so that they can develop basic technical competence with their violin or another instrument of choice before they are taught to read music.
Importance of Group Lessons and Performance
The environment also involves socializing. In addition to parents’ involvement, peers should be there to encourage and learn together, so the teaching method often includes group classes.
In group lessons, students help motivate one another instead of competing. Many former students of the Suzuki Violin School state that they feel a strong sense of camaraderie with other members of their group classes, which allows them to meet new people with similar musical interests.
Advantages of the Suzuki Violin Method
So, now that you have a grasp on the method, how do you know if it’s effective? The teacher, student, and parents, as well as other factors, work together when it comes to the learning of music.
Just like language learning happens in stages, the Suzuki method takes students through similar levels by utilizing carefully selected programs of classical music to give them a way to progress their musical skills.
Some professional musicians were also Suzuki students, including:
- Hilary Hahn
- Anne Akiko-Meyers
- Jennifer Koh
- Leila Josefowicz
- Sarah Chang
There are plenty of benefits for learners and parents when utilizing Suzuki books. The method is not geared only toward the violin or any particular instrument. Many other instruments can use the Suzuki Method, including:
So, even if you or your children are interested in instruments other than the violin, you can still consider incorporating the Suzuki method.
Benefits for Learners
Many teachers and students swear by this method for kids since it focuses solely on their ability to learn through repetition and grow through ear and muscle memory. It enables children to pick up techniques and skills quickly.
Music education is an essential aspect of child development and human experiences. Having kids learn music at a young age benefits their academic learning, cognitive development, fine motor skills, and social abilities.
Benefits for Parents
Parents who enroll their children in a popular Suzuki Violin School have been enthusiastic about the many positive effects on their children. The method and Shinichi Suzuki’s view allow children to develop more well-rounded traits, including performing in front of others, appreciating others, and instilling a love for music.
For example, Jan McNair participates in Suzuki violin study with her four-year-old son Ben in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. She points out that Ben is discovering “the joy of doing something because you’ve worked to do it. What he’s doing right now will be second nature to him. This is the way to learn.”
Disadvantages of the Suzuki Violin Method
As with any technique or method, there are some things to consider that could be less beneficial. The method may pose challenges for learners and parents.
Challenges for Learners
One primary difficulty when teaching this specific method to children is that they have a short attention span. The constant repetition can get dull very quickly, so keeping them engaged during music lessons and practice times may be challenging.
Music learning takes a lot of time and dedication. Children may feel discouraged or that it’s taking “too long” for them to learn and pick up specific techniques, but it is part of the process to understand that with dedication and time, the results will come.
Challenges for Parents
The same challenge of attention span can also make helping your child at home difficult. The Suzuki method of learning involves a demanding routine and schedule, and it may seem that young children may find it too complex to keep up with.
It may also be tricky when working with repertoire choices if they aren’t something your child is interested in playing. There is a lot of emphasis on songs in the classical genre, and it may pose a problem when your child doesn’t want to learn a musical piece because they don’t like it.
Is the Suzuki Violin Method Right for You?
The Suzuki violin method is excellent for some, but it can be tough to incorporate for others. Children and parents may prefer a traditional teaching method over the Suzuki method.
So, how can you tell if this method is right for you or if you should go the traditional method route? Here are some things to consider when it comes to you or your children when deciding which way to go for learning music.
Assessing Your Child’s Learning Style
Unlike traditional music lessons, the Suzuki method incorporates parental involvement 100% of the time. Ascertaining your child’s learning style can help you determine what works best when taking on an instrument.
You may have a more independent child who would excel learning music with traditional teachers. However, your child may also be great at listening, and you should focus on the ear training associated with the Suzuki method before introducing music theory and reading.
Many parents like the idea of being more involved in their child’s development and musical learning, so teaching using the Suzuki method can be beneficial. On the other hand, note learning is a crucial aspect of music, and you do not want to delay it if it is more difficult for the student to understand.
Family Dynamics and Commitment
Another important question when deciding which method to have your children learn their musical instruments is how much time you have to help them. Since the parents must be involved when using the Suzuki method, you need just as much discipline and time available to help your child progress and develop musical skills.
Commitment to helping your child as a home teacher is essential to learning with the Suzuki method. If you don’t have the proper training or time to help your child, it’s probably wiser to go with the traditional method of music lessons.
The Suzuki Method Mission
The Suzuki method of learning an instrument is not for children looking to become professionals in music or prodigies. The method’s mission is to create better humans through enrichment, expression, discipline, patience, and strengthening the family relationships.
This method can be utilized by every child to learn how to play the violin or any other instrument. Many instructors and music teachers also offer both traditional and Suzuki methods in their violin lessons so that you can enjoy the benefits and uses of both methods.
So, whatever your music learning style, age, or instrument you’d like to learn, join many advancing students here with Music To Your Home through in-person or online lessons at your convenience. You can experiment with different styles, teachers, and instruments to find the perfect fit and advance your music education.