What is the Suzuki method ?
What is the Suzuki method ? - in more detailThe method was developed by Shinichi Suzuki and was refined by him over his lifetime. He believed that children could learn an instrument from an early age (three upwards) in the same way that they learned language. This belief has been described as the "mother tongue method". In other words the process of constant repetition and absorption by which language is learnt could be imitated in the teaching of a musical instrument. He also made learning fun. Although he himself was a violinist and the method is associated predominantly with the violin it is in fact a method which can be applied to any instrument, and in the UK, there are Suzuki teachers for viola, cello, flute, piano and recorder. Suzuki required the presence of a parent during the lesson so that they could act as a facilitator for their child at practise time. A step-by-step teaching process using graded repertoire books with accompanying recordings identical for Suzuki pupils all over the world ensures a comprehensive teaching process and a common repertoire. The cornerstones of the method are listening and observation. Pupils and parents listen to the recording of a piece in advance of learning it. This is the key to producing a good sound on any instrument. All pieces are learnt from memory so that the pupil, having mastered the physical requirements of a piece, can concentrate on quality of sound. This does not mean that Suzuki pupils learn only by ear. They learn to read notation from day one. Memorising pieces gives pupils a confidence in the geography of their instrument so that sight-reading becomes easy. For very young children who have not learned to read language sight-reading is introduced later. Another very important feature of the Suzuki method is that pupils only perform pieces, either as a solo or in a group, when they have progressed beyond the technique demanded by those pieces. This means that pupils do not face the challenge of performing when they are only just getting to grips with new aspects of technique. How do I know if a teacher is a genuine Suzuki teacher ?A Suzuki teacher in the UK will have undergone specialist post-graduate training accredited by the European Suzuki Association. They will also be a member of their national association, in the UK, the British Suzuki Institute. The Suzuki name is a trademark that is protected world-wide and no-one may promote themselves as a Suzuki teacher unless they fulfil both criteria above. At what age should my child start to learn ?Ideally, at three or four years old but many start later. How do I choose an instrument ?In the UK there are Suzuki teachers in five instruments but they are spread out across the country. In London, violin, viola, cello and piano are taught. Can a child learn two instruments at the same time ?Yes, and many do. Is there an opportunity for me to witness the Suzuki method in action before committing to lessons ?Yes, you can come to St Marylebone School, Marylebone High Street, London W1 on any of the six Saturday mornings during term time to observe group teaching. Please e-mail Heidi Neilson at heidi @ sailingholidays.com to arrange to view the classes. If you want to observe individual teaching please contact Jillian (violin) on jillianleddra@hotmail.com (violin), Claudio Forcada (violin) or Emma Butterworth (cello). What does it mean in practical terms for me to have a child taught this way ?The Suzuki method is about enjoying music for life. Individual lessons, practice and group lessons, rehearsals, performing and concerts are all about creating and sharing music. If you become a Suzuki parent then you must take the long view for your child that you do anyway. This means that learning an instrument is part of the fabric of family life. It is not an appointment in your diary for an activity in which your involvement is confined simply to driving to and from lessons. If your child becomes a pupil of the BSG then it will be assumed that they will take Grade 8 before they leave school. This means that your child, starting at three, will be learning for ten or more years and you will have been a figure of crucial importance in that learning process together your teacher. This is the triangular relationship at the heart of Suzuki learning. Group LessonsIf your child becomes a pupil of one of the teachers in the Bayswater Suzuki Group then you will automatically be committing to a private lesson during the week and six Saturday mornings during term time of ensemble playing and musicianship. A seventh week will be added in the near future so that older children can take part in chamber music groups. You will not be able to commit simply to a private lesson. Group lessons are an extremely important part of learning and performing an instrument. They are also very important socially. An excellent article about the value of groups has been written by Ö The duration of the group lessons on a Saturday depends on the age of your child. Private LessonsIndividual private lessons for small children will be 30 minutes in length. The parent observes and makes notes of the lessons in order to guide practice at home. Some parents video the lesson and use it during practice. Lessons increase to 45 and then 60 minutes as children get older. Practice should be time tabled round the child and not the parent. Itís extremely important to make practice positive and fun. A really excellent account by a Suzuki parent about how to approach practice is given in Dr Helen Likiermanís, article for the British Suzuki Instituteís magazine, Ability It should be noted that both the group lessons and the private lessons follow the English school terms. For the group classes there are generally four classes before half term, a break of two weeks and then two groups after half term. Performance opportunities The private lessons during the spring and summer terms end with a *Pizza Party* week when all pupils perform a solo piece with piano at the home of a parent. There are also concert opportunities at the London Suzuki Group recital series at the Royal Academy of Music on two Sundays a term. There is an informal concert at St Marylebone School on the last of the six Saturdays when pieces learnt at these group sessions, are performed. This does not mean that you can choose whether or not to attend. All pupils have to attend and all parents are invited to be there. Itís simply another event when all the parents and the pupils get together and pupils can perform what they have learnt that term. Performances of any kind are always from memory and all parents and pupils stay for everyoneís performance. The winter term ends with a formal concert in the evening usually at St Peterís church, Notting Hill. The programme of this concert will include group pieces and solos only some of which will be from the Suzuki repertoire. There is usually a string orchestra piece which may be performed by a larger combination of the pupils. The formal concert is programmed so that very young children play in the first half of the concert and can leave at the interval. All pupils have to conform to the Suzuki concert dress code. In general, parents and pupils are encouraged to stay for the entirety of a Suzuki concert ñ wherever it is ñ to listen and observe. The audience, like any audience in any concert hall, is asked to sit and remain quiet during the performance. We do ask parents not to bring infants. Itís very distracting for performers (anywhere!) when there is noise in the audience. Growing up with the Suzuki methodThe important social dimensions to all these activities support families in the ongoing learning process and bring pleasure to all. It is often these that help the parent at home supervising practise. And this is not always easy! There is no question that the going sometimes gets tough for Suzuki parents as their children grow up and other interests compete for your and their attention. If your child has started at three or four by the time they are fourteen and fifteen practise is a very different matter. By this age, the teenager will be expected to practise by themselves and sport, socialising, academic work may all take up much more time than they did when they were three years old! You will always have to keep practise going during holiday times whether at home or abroad. That means the violin (viola, cello) goes on the plane/in the car/in the train, as hand luggage and comes out during the holiday wherever you are staying. Holiday work prepares pupils in the pieces they will be doing the following term. However, by the time you have a teenage Suzuki pupil they are also able to go, unaccompanied, to, say, the London Suzuki Groupís, summer course at Bryanston. Here, they can stay with all the other teenagers in the all-teenage house and have a great time making music and socialising. There also other Suzuki courses in the UK, and indeed, abroad, as well as music courses run by others which offer many opportunities for Suzuki pupils. Holiday CoursesJillian also has her two summer courses both, this year, in July. On is the Harrodian Chamber Music course for Book 5 or Grade 5 players and above. The other is the Summer Exgravaganza at which participants put on a show at the end of four full days. Many of her pupils attend as do others. We also welcome non-Suzuki participants, playing any instrument or none, to these courses. You can find out more about these by clicking on New courses at the bottom of the home page. I am not a musician and do not read music, how do I manage my childís practise?Bear in mind that your will be attending all your child's lessons, and so effectively learning alongside the child. In the same way that the child does not need any prior knowledge, nor do you. The mail order bookshop of the British Suzuki Institute in London W14 has the largest stock of Suzuki and related books and materials in Europe. There are many books to help parents and children in addition, of course, to the core repertoire books and recordings. And in order for your child to get used to playing with a pianist the recordings all include a rendition of the piano part without violin (or cello or viola). In addition you can buy a midi disc that has the relevant piano parts whose tempo can be altered without altering pitch. How much will lessons cost for a term?Please discuss this with Jillian, Emma or Claudio as appropriate. Do children take Associated Board Grade exams?Each teacher will have their own policy. Jillian aims for all her pupils to take Grades 5 and 8 practical exams and Grade 5 theory. Why, when my child starts lessons, do I have to become a member of the London Suzuki Group and the British Suzuki Institute? What is the relationship between these organisations and others that I hear about?The British Suzuki Institute is the national association representing all Suzuki teachers and their pupils in the UK. A mandatory subscription from teachers and their pupils payable to the BSI supports the Suzuki teacher-training programme in the UK as well as giving parents membership benefits of various kinds. One of the most relevant of these is that members receive, on average, a 13% discount on items from the BSI bookshop. In addition, many teachers round the country, either singly or with others, describe themselves and their pupils as groups simply to create group cohesion. Many of these do not have a formal constitution, but the few very large ones like the [[http://www.londonsuzukigroup.co.uk][London Suzuki Group]], whose London-wide membership is substantial, have constituted themselves as charitable trusts and also charge a subscription. This gives pupil members another raft of benefits including taking part in the main LSG concert in a London concert hall. For more information about these organisations click here. If your child becomes a pupil of any of the BSGís teachers you will pay an aggregated subscription direct to the [[http://www.londonsuzukigroup.co.uk][LSG]] who will, in turn pay the http://www.britishsuzuki.org.uk that part of the subscription owed to the BSI. Can my child, who is not Suzuki taught, join the Saturday morning group lessons to have the experience of ensemble playing?Yes, they can, and it can be very rewarding for the child, but to avoid any potential difficulties we ask the following:
Online articles about Suzuki teachingInteresting articles by Suzuki teachers: More readingPlease see Books and Links for a lists of associated or recommended reading. |
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Suzuki FAQs |