Passage III

The Suzuki Method

In the early 1930s, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was teaching violin at the Imperial Conservatory in Japan, a father brought in his four-year-old son for lessons. Although Suzuki had never taught anyone so young, he reluctantly agreed to accept the tiny violin student.

As he pondered what training might work for this preschooler, Suzuki began to think about how young children learn to use language in very sophisticated ways. He suspected that this miraculous-seeming process may or may not offer valuable insights into how all learning occurs, including learning to play a musical instrument.

[1] Immersion was already understood to be a key to a child’s language development by Suzuki. [2] Newborns are immersed in language. [3] Babies first attempts at speech generate excited responses from adults who encourage and guide the children toward more precise and complex speech. [4] Teachers provide in-depth language understanding, and children are rewarded for improving his or her communication skills. [5] Based on these realizations, Suzuki developed an awareness of how children learn language. [6] His program has since grown into an internationally acclaimed philosophy of music education. (39)

In the Suzuki method, students are immersed in music. Each day students and their families listen to recorded music that at a future date the students later learn on an instrument. When the time comes to play a composition, the student already feels intimately familiar with it. The child’s early musical accomplishments are greeted with enthusiasm. Lessons provide expert assistance; group sessions and concerts reward students with opportunities to share music.

Even so, for a long time, Suzuki encouraged students and teachers alike to strive toward lifelong learning. Worldwide, he promoted the idea that every child possesses the potential to develop musical talent and for the joys of achievement. All that his teaching inspired are enriched, who hear the beautiful music.