The Suzuki method was originally called the "mother-tongue method" because its was based on how children learn their home, or native, language. Children listen and repeat back sounds, then words, then more words, and, eventually, they're stringing their own thoughts together into sentences and stories. When learning to speak, parents and family are patient and they encourage the little one for their efforts, however imperfect, and repetition is exciting. This learning is sequential and old vocabulary is not tossed out, but kept and built upon.
Learning to play a musical instrument - or really learning anything else - can be done the same way. Listening both passively and intentionally, making slow and steady progress with seemingly simple skills, retaining basic skills and pieces then building upon them, and encouraging repetition are all part of how we learn to play violin or viola.
Another essential aspect of learning is the environment in which we work and learn. Parents, teachers, and other mentors must establish helpful routines and repertoire, practice spaces, and, most importantly, an atmosphere of loving encouragement. Suzuki wrote a book called Nurtured By Love in which he discusses how this impacts a learner. I recommend anyone interested read it - and you don't need to be a musician to understand the contents.
At the beginning of most of the Suzuki repertoire books, there is a foreword or preface containing some of Shinichi Suzuki's pedagogical ideas. I encourage anyone using the book to read that part and take his advice to heart.
An inspiring concept at the core of the Suzuki Method is this quote from him: "Beautiful tone, beautiful heart." Suzuki didn't set out to create a line of child prodigies, but he did want to help those who studied to become better people through their musical journey.
Learning to play a musical instrument - or really learning anything else - can be done the same way. Listening both passively and intentionally, making slow and steady progress with seemingly simple skills, retaining basic skills and pieces then building upon them, and encouraging repetition are all part of how we learn to play violin or viola.
Another essential aspect of learning is the environment in which we work and learn. Parents, teachers, and other mentors must establish helpful routines and repertoire, practice spaces, and, most importantly, an atmosphere of loving encouragement. Suzuki wrote a book called Nurtured By Love in which he discusses how this impacts a learner. I recommend anyone interested read it - and you don't need to be a musician to understand the contents.
At the beginning of most of the Suzuki repertoire books, there is a foreword or preface containing some of Shinichi Suzuki's pedagogical ideas. I encourage anyone using the book to read that part and take his advice to heart.
An inspiring concept at the core of the Suzuki Method is this quote from him: "Beautiful tone, beautiful heart." Suzuki didn't set out to create a line of child prodigies, but he did want to help those who studied to become better people through their musical journey.
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