The Suzuki method
All of the following text is copyrighted by the
Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc. 1997
More than fifty years ago, Suzuki realized the implications of the fact that children the
world over learn to speak their native language with ease and began to apply the basic
principles of language acquisition to the learning of music. The ideas of parent
responsibility, loving encouragement, listening, constant repetition, etc., are some of the
special features of the Suzuki method.
Parent Involvement:
When a child learns to talk, parents function very effectively as teachers. Parents also have
an important role as "home teachers" as a child learns an instrument. In the beginning, one
parent often learns to play before the child, so that s/he understands what the child is
expected to do. The parent attends the child's lessons and the two practice daily at home.
Early Beginning
The early years are crucial for developing mental processes and muscle coordination in the
young child. Children's aural capacities are also at their peak during the years of language
acquisition, and this is an excellent time to establish musical sensitivity. Listening to
music should begin at birth and formal training may begin at age three or four, though it is
never too late to begin.
Listening
Children learn to speak in an environment filled with language. Parents can also make music
part of the child's environment by attending concerts and playing recordings of the Suzuki
repertoire and other music. This enables children to absorb the language of music just as
they absorb the sounds of their mother tongue. With repeated listening to the pieces they
will be learning, children become familiar with them and learn them easily.
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