The Legacy of Shinichi Suzuki
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.
The Suzuki Method Today
Dr. Suzuki did not develop his method in order to produce professional
musicians but to help children fulfill their capabilities as human beings. As
he has said, "Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good
citizens, noble human beings. If a child hears fine music from the day of his
birth, and learns to play it himself, he develops sensitivity, discipline and
endurance. He gets a beautiful heart."
Through his life and work, Dr. Suzuki inspired thousands of parents and
teachers in more than forty countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa and
the Americas to nurture loving human beings through the mother-tongue
approach to music education. In the supportive environment fostered by the
Suzuki method, children learn to enjoy music and develop confidence,
self-esteem, self-discipline, concentration, and the determination to try
difficult things-qualities that are sorely needed in our time. As Pablo
Casals remarked through his tears after hearing Suzuki children play,
"Perhaps it is music that will save the world."
© Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc. 1999
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE SUZUKI METHOD
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.
Repetition - When children have learned a word, they don't discard it but
continue to use it while adding new words to their vocabulary. Similarly,
Suzuki students repeat the pieces they learn, gradually using the skills they
have gained in new and more sophisticated ways as they add to their
repertoire. The introduction of new technical skills and musical concepts in
the context of familiar pieces makes their acquisition much easier.
Encouragement - As with language, the child's efforts to learn an instrument
should be met with sincere praise and encouragement. Each child learns at
his/her own rate, building on small steps so that each one can be mastered.
This creates an environment of enjoyment for child, parent and teacher. A
general atmosphere of generosity and cooperation is also established as
children are encouraged to support the efforts of other students.
Graded Repertoire - Children do not practice exercises to learn to speak, but
learn by using language for communication and self-expression. With the
Suzuki method, students learn musical concepts and skills in the context of
the music rather than through dry technical exercises. The Suzuki repertoire
for each instrument presents a careful sequence of building blocks for
technical and musical development. This standard repertoire provides strong
motivation, as younger students want to play music they hear older students
play.
Delayed Reading - Children are taught to read only after their ability to
speak has been well established. In the same way, Suzuki students develop
basic competence on their instruments before being taught to read music. This
sequence of instruction enables both teacher and student to focus on the
development of good posture, beautiful tone, accurate intonation, and musical
phrasing.
© Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc. 1999
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