Building Beautiful Hearts
Through the development of discipline, observation, musicianship, and classical violin and viola techniques, the Suzuki Method allows students to mature into well-rounded artists.
The “Suzuki Triangle”
Japanese violin pedagogue, Shinichi Suzuki, prefaces his teaching method with a bold statement: “Talent is no accident of birth.” In today’s society, there tends to be a common misconception that the true music prodigies were somehow born to be magnificent. Unfortunately, becoming a skilled musician does not come that easily.
In order for progress to take place, three roles must be filled-- the teacher’s role, the student’s role, and the parent’s role. These three roles make up what is called the “Suzuki Triangle.” The teacher’s job is to give the student adequate information to be able to practice at home, and to give the parent guidance on how to best coach their child’s practice. The student’s job is to listen carefully to the teacher’s guidance and implement these instructions at home. The parent’s job is to be present in the student’s lessons, to take notes to guide home practice, and to coach the student at home. If one side of the triangle is not fully present, the student’s progress will be compromised.
As a parent of a Suzuki student, it may be necessary to have the parent also learn the beginning techniques on their own violin. The parent cannot effectively coach their child at home if they do not also know where the notes are or how the violin should be held. Parents who have a basic understanding of the Pre-Twinkle to Book 1 pieces will likely have better success with their child during practice at home.
Japanese violin pedagogue, Shinichi Suzuki, prefaces his teaching method with a bold statement: “Talent is no accident of birth.” In today’s society, there tends to be a common misconception that the true music prodigies were somehow born to be magnificent. Unfortunately, becoming a skilled musician does not come that easily.
In order for progress to take place, three roles must be filled-- the teacher’s role, the student’s role, and the parent’s role. These three roles make up what is called the “Suzuki Triangle.” The teacher’s job is to give the student adequate information to be able to practice at home, and to give the parent guidance on how to best coach their child’s practice. The student’s job is to listen carefully to the teacher’s guidance and implement these instructions at home. The parent’s job is to be present in the student’s lessons, to take notes to guide home practice, and to coach the student at home. If one side of the triangle is not fully present, the student’s progress will be compromised.
As a parent of a Suzuki student, it may be necessary to have the parent also learn the beginning techniques on their own violin. The parent cannot effectively coach their child at home if they do not also know where the notes are or how the violin should be held. Parents who have a basic understanding of the Pre-Twinkle to Book 1 pieces will likely have better success with their child during practice at home.
The Mother Tongue Method
“All Japanese children speak Japanese,” Suzuki states in his method. While studying the children in his life, Suzuki realized that all children go from not being able to communicate at all to being fluent in their “Mother Tongue” language. It did not matter whether the child was “smart” or “talented”-- all children became fluent in their mother’s language.
When Suzuki made this observation, it led him to the discovery that all children are capable of being an accomplished violinist. The Suzuki Method firmly follows the philosophy that “Talent” represents an acquired skill, not a genetic trait. With the right training and time spent in thoughtful practice, every child can become fluent in playing the Violin or Viola, just as they can be fluent in their own language.
The way that children become fluent in their own language is through hearing it spoken to them constantly. They “pick up” the sounds they hear and learn to recreate them. In the same way, Suzuki students will learn by listening both to the teacher and to other musicians. Through being exposed to beautiful playing, they too will learn to play with beautiful sound.
“All Japanese children speak Japanese,” Suzuki states in his method. While studying the children in his life, Suzuki realized that all children go from not being able to communicate at all to being fluent in their “Mother Tongue” language. It did not matter whether the child was “smart” or “talented”-- all children became fluent in their mother’s language.
When Suzuki made this observation, it led him to the discovery that all children are capable of being an accomplished violinist. The Suzuki Method firmly follows the philosophy that “Talent” represents an acquired skill, not a genetic trait. With the right training and time spent in thoughtful practice, every child can become fluent in playing the Violin or Viola, just as they can be fluent in their own language.
The way that children become fluent in their own language is through hearing it spoken to them constantly. They “pick up” the sounds they hear and learn to recreate them. In the same way, Suzuki students will learn by listening both to the teacher and to other musicians. Through being exposed to beautiful playing, they too will learn to play with beautiful sound.
Systematic Development of Skills
When trying to memorize a phone number, rather than trying to memorize all ten digits at once, one finds it much easier to break the number into smaller sections to memorize one at a time. For almost every child, (532) 441-9576 is much easier to process than 55324419576. In the same way, students of the Suzuki Method will be taught one step at a time. It may sometimes seem like progress is slow and painstaking, but instructions are much more effective when they are small and easy for the student to process at home. It is the parent and teacher’s job to remind the student to not be disheartened by small, detailed corrections.
In addition to improvements through small steps, reviewing past pieces is a crucial aspect of progress. Review pieces can be used both to refresh old techniques and to discover new ones. Suzuki students incorporate review into their daily practice to be able to focus on specific techniques by practicing them through pieces they know by heart.
When trying to memorize a phone number, rather than trying to memorize all ten digits at once, one finds it much easier to break the number into smaller sections to memorize one at a time. For almost every child, (532) 441-9576 is much easier to process than 55324419576. In the same way, students of the Suzuki Method will be taught one step at a time. It may sometimes seem like progress is slow and painstaking, but instructions are much more effective when they are small and easy for the student to process at home. It is the parent and teacher’s job to remind the student to not be disheartened by small, detailed corrections.
In addition to improvements through small steps, reviewing past pieces is a crucial aspect of progress. Review pieces can be used both to refresh old techniques and to discover new ones. Suzuki students incorporate review into their daily practice to be able to focus on specific techniques by practicing them through pieces they know by heart.
The Development of Tone and Heart
In the Suzuki method, students not only develop proper Violin or Viola technique, but also they become artists. Daily practice includes tonalizations to discover a rich, warm, ringing sound. Students will learn to draw out the most clear sound from their instrument in order to truly emote when they play.
Above artistry and musicianship, however, comes the learning of life skills. Students of the Suzuki method will learn to be self-motivated, disciplined, creative, and to strive for excellence. Through observing the teacher, taking instruction from the parent, and learning to practice efficiently, Suzuki students will gain the skills and knowledge to be able to continue improving as artists for the rest of their lives.
In the Suzuki method, students not only develop proper Violin or Viola technique, but also they become artists. Daily practice includes tonalizations to discover a rich, warm, ringing sound. Students will learn to draw out the most clear sound from their instrument in order to truly emote when they play.
Above artistry and musicianship, however, comes the learning of life skills. Students of the Suzuki method will learn to be self-motivated, disciplined, creative, and to strive for excellence. Through observing the teacher, taking instruction from the parent, and learning to practice efficiently, Suzuki students will gain the skills and knowledge to be able to continue improving as artists for the rest of their lives.
Suzuki Quotes to Ponder:
“We cannot dig up the seed to see whether it is really growing; to do so would be to destroy everything.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.44)
“All the world’s children could be brought up singing out of tune.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.8)
“If a child hears good 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, Nurtured by Love, p.104)
“If nations cooperate in raising good children, perhaps there won’t be any war.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.104)
“We cannot dig up the seed to see whether it is really growing; to do so would be to destroy everything.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.44)
“All the world’s children could be brought up singing out of tune.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.8)
“If a child hears good 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, Nurtured by Love, p.104)
“If nations cooperate in raising good children, perhaps there won’t be any war.” (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p.104)