“Look Mommy and Daddy, I play the violin!” Wonderful when you see your toddler shine with pride with his violet in hand! The Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki developed a teaching method that allows very young children to learn to play an instrument in an adapted, fun way. Why start so early? Because active music making has a positive influence on the development of a child. By playing an instrument, children learn to build motor, social and cognitive skills. Making music helps them to express their emotions and stimulates their language development through melody, intonation and rhythm. It exercises memory and concentration. In short, making music is healthy for your child!
Shinichi Suzuki (1898 – 1998)
The Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki was born in Nagoya in 1898. His father was a violin maker and founder of the very first and largest violin factory in Japan. That meant that the young Shinichi soon became interested in the violin and violin music. When he was 17 years old he happened to hear a recording of Schubert’s Ave Maria, played by the renowned violinist Mischa Elman. That made such a deep impression on him that he decided to teach himself to play the violin. Later he was taught by Ko Ando in Tokyo and then went to Berlin to perfect with Karl Klinger, a student of Joseph Joachim. In Berlin he met the soprano Waltraud Pranger, whom he married in 1928. Back in Japan, he and three of his brothers formed a string quartet with which he traveled all over Japan to give concerts.
Gradually, however, his interest began to turn to music education. In 1946 he started a music school in Matsumoto. There he was able to put his innovative educational ideas into practice. It was the start of his now world-famous school “Talent Education Institute”. In 1969 his book ‘Nurtured by love’ was published in which he explains his philosophy and his teaching methods. From the 1960’s many Western violin teachers became interested in his method and traveled all the way to Matsumoto to see him and his students working and to learn the method. Thus the Suzuki method was spread in the US and later also in Europe. There are now courses all over the world to become a Suzuki teacher. Until an old age, Suzuki remained active as a teacher and traveled the world to spread his ideas. He died in 1998 in his 100th year. He received many awards during his lifetime and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The philosophy behind the Suzuki method
‘All Japanese children speak Japanese ??. This obvious fact made Suzuki think: if all children learn to speak their mother tongue so easily and fluently, can’t they learn to make music in the same way? How does a child learn to speak their native language? It simply mimics its parents and people around it and it exercises a lot. According to Suzuki, the same principle can be applied when learning an instrument: by listening to melodies and playing them back, a child can learn to play an instrument by ear, without being able to read notes. Because of the analogy with teaching the mother tongue, the Suzuki method is often referred to as the mother tongue method.
The method is more than a learning method, it has a whole philosophy behind it. The basic principles are the following:
- Talent is not innate but must be developed.
- The goal is not the music itself. Music is a means of developing sensitivity, discipline and perseverance in children. The ultimate goal is to form nice, happy people with a warm heart.
- Children must be raised in a loving environment. Love is the basis of everything, where there is enough love much can be achieved.
The Suzuki method in practice
As already mentioned, the Suzuki method works from the ear. Preschoolers cannot read yet, they learn to play songs by imitating. It goes without saying that listening to music is a necessary part of the method. Children repeatedly listen to the pieces they are about to learn. They must have an internal image of the pieces before practicing them.
The method is based on the following principles:
- Start at a very young age (from 3 years).
- Listen frequently to the melodies that are going to be practiced.
- Practice and repeat daily with the help of mom or dad.
- Moving forward in small steps, steps that the child can handle.
- Educating in a loving and positive learning environment.
- Collaboration teacher – child – parent.
- Two lessons per week: an individual lesson and a group lesson.
- Much attention to producing a beautiful, natural tone.
- The repertoire is the same for everyone, from children’s songs to real concertos.
Parent participation
A very important aspect of the Suzuki method is the parent participation. Parents are actively involved in the lessons. After all, a toddler is not yet able to practice independently every day. Help from mom or dad is absolutely necessary. That is why one of the parents also learns the basic techniques of the instrument. Parent and child always go to class together. This way, parents can really help their child to practice. It is very important that parents guide their child in a positive way: encourage the child in the things it does well. First compliment what was done well, then improve things. This keeps practicing fun for both parties! It is good to plan a fixed practice moment, preferably a time when the child is not yet tired, for example in the morning before school. When practicing at the same time every day, the child gets used to it and the moment of practice becomes a fixed ritual.
Parents should remain vigilant to focus on only one point during practice. Not trying to improve several things at the same time, that makes it no longer clear and doable for the child. The practice moment must of course also take place in a quiet place, interference factors such as television, playing siblings, telephone, etc. must be avoided. To motivate the child, show moments can also be arranged: a small concert for grandma and grandpa and the applause that follows will make the child shine!
Suzuki teachers
The lessons are adapted to the young age of the child. They are given in a playful way. Suzuki teachers use all kinds of aids, toys and games to captivate the child and facilitate learning the instrument. In addition to their studies to become a professional musician, the teachers receive a thorough training to be able to teach the method. Giving instrument lessons to preschoolers naturally requires a very different approach. During their training, teachers learn to use these specific didactic methods. They must also have a thorough knowledge of the repertoire, learn to work with auditory teaching methods, learn to deal with parental participation. Furthermore, the teachers are trained in giving group lessons: creating a fun moment, learning to maintain the concentration of the young children, ensuring that every child feels good in the group.
Group lessons
The weekly group lessons are a very valuable part of the Suzuki method. During the group lesson, the child comes into contact with other children who learn the same instrument and are at the same level. Children are very stimulated by this. After all, playing together with other children is fun! It also goes smoothly because all children practice the same pieces and play the entire repertoire by heart. By often playing in a group, the child becomes more confident on a stage. Concerts, even solo performances, are experienced as very normal, these are moments to look forward to!
Instruments
Because Suzuki was a violinist himself, he worked out his method for violin. Later it was expanded to viola, cello and double bass. Now the method can also be followed for flute, guitar, harp, mandolin, organ, piano, recorder, trumpet and voice. Suzuki’s approach makes learning an instrument accessible to every child.
The Suzuki method international
Today there are some 300,000 teachers and students around the world. Internationally, workshops, summer courses, congresses, etc. are often organized for both students and teachers. The umbrella organization is the ISA (International Suzuki Association). There are also the following regional organizations:
- ESA (European Suzuki Organization): Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
- PPSA (Pan-Pacific Suzuki Association): Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands.
- SAA (Suzuki Association of the Americas): North and South America.
- TERI (Talent Education Research Institute): Japan.
Decision
‘Every child has talent’. That was Suzuki’s firm belief. Talent is there and just needs to be developed. A loving, stimulating environment and a lot of practice are necessary for this. Suzuki’s main goal was not to train professional musicians but to develop the whole child through the music. By actively making music, children become more sensitive. They are given an extra value that makes their lives richer and happier.
