The Suzuki Method

• The Suzuki method is an internationally known music curriculum and

teaching philosophy dating from the mid-20th century, created by
Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki (1898–1998). The
method aims to create an environment for learning music which
parallels the linguistic environment of acquiring a native language.
Suzuki believed that this environment would also help to foster
good moral character.
• “I want to make good citizens. If a child hears fine music from the day
of his birth and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity,
discipline and endurance. He gets a beautiful heart.”
• — Shinichi Suzuki
 The Suzuki Method
The Suzuki Method was conceived in the mid-20th century by Suzuki, a
Japanese violinist who desired to bring beauty to the lives of children in
his country after the devastation of World War II.
As a skilled violinist but a beginner at the German language who
struggled to learn it, Suzuki noticed that children pick up their native
language quickly, and even dialects adults consider "difficult" to learn
are spoken with ease by children at age five or six.
He reasoned that if children have the skill to acquire their native
language, they have the necessary ability to become proficient on a
musical instrument.
The Suzuki Method
• He pioneered the idea that preschool age children could learn to play
the violin if the learning steps were small enough and the instrument
was scaled down to fit their body. He modeled his method, which he
called "Talent Education" ( sainō kyōiku), after his theories
of natural language acquisition.
• Suzuki believed that every child, if properly taught, was capable of a
high level of musical achievement.
• He also made it clear that the goal of such musical education was to
raise generations of children with "noble hearts" (as opposed to
creating famous musical prodigies).
Central belief
• The central belief of Suzuki, based on his language acquisition
theories, is that all people can (and will) learn from
their environment.
• The essential components of his method spring from the desire to
create the "right environment" for learning music (he believed that
this positive environment would also help to foster
excellent character in every student).
Key components
• Saturation in the musical community.
• This includes attending local classical music concerts, developing friendships with other music students, and
listening to recordings of professional musicians in the home every day, starting before birth if possible.
• Deliberate avoidance of musical aptitude tests or auditions to begin music study.
• Suzuki believed that teachers who test for musical aptitude before taking students, or who look only for
"talented" students, are limiting themselves to people who have already started their music education. Just
as every child is expected to learn their native language, Suzuki expected every child to be able to learn to
play music.
• Emphasis on playing from a very young age, typically starting formal instruction between the ages of three
and five years old. (See Technique).
• Using well-trained teachers.
• Suzuki believed in training musicians not only to be better musicians but also to be better teachers. Suzuki
Associations worldwide offer ongoing teacher-training programs to prospective and continuing Suzuki
teachers.
• In the beginning, learning music by ear is emphasized over reading written musical notation.
Learning by Ear
• Suzuki observed that children speak before learning to read, and thought
that children should also be able to play music before learning to read.
• To support learning by ear, students are expected to listen to recordings of
the music they are learning daily. Other methods—such as Simply Music,
the Gordon Music Learning Theory, and Conversational Solfège—have
students playing before reading notes, but may not have the same focus on
daily listening and learning by ear.
• Memorization of all solo repertoire is expected.The focus on memorization
continues even after a student begins to use sheet music to learn new
pieces.
Learning notation
• Music theory and note reading are left to the teacher.
• The Suzuki method does not include a formal plan or prescribe
specific materials for introducing music theory & reading, in part
because Suzuki created the method in a culture where music literacy
was routinely taught in schools.
Playing in groups
• Regular playing in groups (including playing pieces in unison) is
strongly encouraged.
Technical exercises
• Retaining (memorising) and reviewing every piece of music ever
learned is also strongly encouraged.
• This is intended to raise technical and musical ability. Review pieces,
along with "preview" parts of music a student is yet to learn, are
often used in place of the more traditional etude books. Traditional
etudes and technical studies are not used in the beginning stages,
which focus almost exclusively on a set of performance pieces.
The importance of performance and
collaboration
• Frequent public performance makes performing feel like a natural
and enjoyable part of being a musician.
• The method discourages competitive attitudes between players, and
advocates collaboration and mutual encouragement for those of
every ability and level. However, this does not mean the elimination
of auditions or evaluations of student performances.
Involvement of family and parent
• The parent of the young student is expected to supervise instrument
practice every day, instead of leaving the child to practice alone
between lessons, and to attend and take notes at every lesson so they
can coach the student effectively. This element of the method is so
prominent that a newspaper article once dubbed it "The Mom-
Centric Method."
Tonalisation
• Tonalization is a term coined by Suzuki, and is deliberately similar to the
word "vocalization" (as it is used by singers when they talk about warming
up their voices).
• Tonalization is defined as the student's ability to produce and recognize a
beautiful, ringing tone quality on their instrument. While initially
developed for violin education, the tonalization technique has been
applied to other instruments such as the piano.
• Suzuki believed that a student must learn tonalization in order to properly
reproduce and perform music (Lavie, Karen, New Zealand Suzuki Journal,
2005). Outside the Suzuki method, the term used is "tone production," and
is part of Western music education stretching back to its beginning.
Learning from sound recordings
• Using sound recordings is another technique common to all the musical
instruments taught in the Suzuki method. Pre-recorded music is used to
help students learn notes, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, and beautiful tone
quality by ear. Suzuki pointed out that great artists (such as Mozart) were
surrounded with excellent performances from birth, and that the advent of
recording technology made this aspect of their environment possible to
achieve for large numbers of "ordinary" people whose parents were not
themselves great musicians & music teachers like Mozart's father was.
• So-called "traditional" (that is, not Suzuki trained) music educators have
used this technique since the earliest days of recording technology; the
difference in the Suzuki method is the scale on which Suzuki systematically
insisted on daily listening in the home, from before birth if possible, and his
focus on using recordings of beginner's repertoire alongside recordings of
advanced repertoire.
Use of child-sized instruments
• "Adult" sized instruments are adapted to meet the demands of a
small child's body in various ways. This lowers the age at which
people are developmentally ready to begin studying an instrument.
• Scaled down instrument sizes are used for children studying stringed
instruments.
• Curved headjoint flutes with displaced keys which are closer together
than normal flute keys & holes are also available making it possible
for children as young as 3 years old to study the flute through the
Suzuki method.
• Height adjustable chairs, benches, and footrests are used for piano,
guitar, cello, and string bass.
Suzuki Institutes and Festivals
• Suzuki Institutes were established to encourage a musical community, train
teachers, and provide a place where master teachers' ideas can be spread
to the whole community of Suzuki students, teachers and parents.
• These short term music festivals began in Matsumoto, Japan, where
teachers & students came to learn from Suzuki. In the US, they often last
for a week or two and include daily masterclasses; repertoire (group)
classes; teacher training courses; concerts; discussion sessions; seminars;
and various 'enrichment' classes in different musical styles, instruments, or
non-musical (usually arts, crafts, or dancing) activities.
• As at any music festival, participants must pay registration and tuition fees
to the institute they are attending. Each national Suzuki association
handles registration for teacher training, and policies differ from country to
country
Common graded repertoire
• A common repertoire for all students of an instrument was established.
This body of music allows each student to participate in group classes,
helps foster local and international musical community and camaraderie,
and provides motivation for students to learn new music while keeping the
'old' pieces they have learned in top form
• . This is in direct contrast to music education outside of the method, in
which teachers tailor the repertoire to the current need and level of the
individual student.
• ..If it is true that "everything in music is preparation" (Gerhart
Zimmermann), then the genius of Suzuki is truly expressed in the scope and
sequencing of the music....
• — Edward Kreitman