The Suzuki Method, cont.
History of the Suzuki Method
Shinichi Suzuki was a violinist, educator, philosopher, and humanitarian. Over the past fifty
years he had a profound influence on music education in his own country and throughout the
world. Suzuki based his approach on the belief that, "Musical ability is not an inborn talent
but an ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical
ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential
of every child is unlimited." Suzuki's philosophy and the method he developed have now
reached thousands of teachers, children and families in many nations. When he died in January
1998, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was mourned around the world. His belief in the marvelous
capabilities of all human beings and the importance of nurturing these capabilities with love
has left a lasting legacy.
Suzuki based his approach on the belief that, "Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an
ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical
ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential
of every child is unlimited." Suzuki's beliefs and the method he developed have now reached
thousands of teachers, children and families in many nations.
Born in 1898, Shinichi Suzuki studied violin in Japan for some years before going to Germany
in the 1920's. After further study there, he returned to Japan to play and teach. He taught
university students, but became more and more interested in the education of young children.
Suzuki realized the implications of the obvious fact that children of all nationalities
easily learn their native language. He began to develop a method for teaching violin modeled
after the way in which children learn language and called it the Mother-Tongue Approach or
Talent Education.
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