Suzuki method

The Suzuki method is a way of teaching most often used in learning to play music. The name is also sometimes used to refer solely to the sheet music books and/or audio recordings which have been published as part of the method. It was invented in the mid-20th century by Dr. Shin'ichi Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki noticed that all children pick up their native language very quickly, and even dialects which adults consider "difficult" to learn are spoken with ease by people of 5 or 6 years old. He reasoned that if a person has the skill to aquire their mother tongue, then they have the necessary ability to become proficient on a musical instrument. He modelled his method, which he called "Talent Education," after the process of natural language acquisition. Dr Suzuki believed that every child, if properly taught, was capable of a high level of musical achievement. He also made it clear that the goal of such musical education was to create a generation of children with "noble hearts" (as opposed to creating famous musical prodigies).

References

• Barber, Barbara (Autumn, 1991). "Traditional & Suzuki Teaching: A Comparison". American String Teacher.
• Kelly, Birte (2002). International Suzuki Association: Regional Suzuki Associations. Retrieved September 25, 2005.
• Meyer, Constance (2003, Sept 7). The Mom-Centric Method. Los Angeles Times, Classical Music.
• Nurtured by Love: The life and work of Shinichi Suzuki . Produced by The Cleveland Institute of Music. Telos Productions, Inc.
• Suzuki, Shinichi. Nurtured By Love: A New Approach to Talent Education. Warner bros. Publication, Miami, FL, 1968