The Suzuki method is an  excellent approach for learning music. Based on Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy that “every child can”, this method uses principles of the language-learning experience to foster success in music. Dr. Suzuki’s breakthrough moment was realizing that all Japanese children learn to speak Japanese. This led to his journey of applying language-learning principles to the process of teaching children to “speak” the language of music. Foundational to his philosophy is the idea of the Suzuki Triangle: teacher, parent, and child all equally involved and working together to further the process of learning.

Some of the important elements of the Suzuki approach are the following:

1. Positive Environment: just as in language learning, every small musical step is celebrated. Both the parent and teacher work to create a positive learning environment, striving towards excellence.
2. Daily Listening: just as young children learn to speak their language by having lots of exposure to it, young children learning the language of music need constant exposure to it.
3. Parent Participation: unlike many traditional approaches to learning music, Suzuki parents have the incredible privilege of being part of the learning triangle. As such, they attend all lessons and group classes and serve as the “home teacher” for their child. What a benefit to both parent and child! By nurturing an enjoyment of music, spending time with their child, and providing a positive environment, parents give their child a gift that will benefit them for their whole life.
4. Beginning Early: young children have a great capacity for learning language, and by beginning early, we’re able to tap into that capacity. Additionally, young children are eager to imitate, they delight in repetition, and they have a great enthusiasm for learning.
5. Step-by-Step Learning: the Suzuki method is laid out very systematically and introduces new techniques and concepts in an orderly and organic manner. Each new piece adds only a small amount of new information, so there’s time to master skills and perfect what was learned previously. Rather than learning a piece and then being done with it, the Suzuki approach encourages regular review of previous pieces, acknowledging that the more times skills are practiced, the easier they become and the easier it will be to apply them to new pieces.
6. Common Set Repertoire: the Suzuki books use real music to teach skills, so students enjoy playing and progressing. In addition, having a standardized repertoire means that all Suzuki students everywhere can share the joy of playing together.
7. Ear before Eye: as in language learning, children are taught to “speak” music before they learn to read music. Although elements of music reading are introduced early, the emphasis of early lessons is on beautiful tone and balanced posture.
8. Learning with Other Children: in addition to private lessons, the Suzuki approach also includes regular group lessons to give children a chance to make music together. Group classes are a joyful time of playing together, learning group skills, and reinforcing concepts, and they also provide an opportunity to build community with other musicians and learn from each other.

The Suzuki method is about so much more than learning to play music. It’s about fostering the child as a human being and helping them to develop character, good habits, and a love for music that will stay with them their whole life. It’s about helping them to become a better human being.