The Suzuki Method
The Suzuki piano teaching method was developed by Shinichi Suzuki in Japan shortly after WWII. Its focus is the use of music education to enrich the lives and character of its students.
The Suzuki method arose out of a music pedagogy resting on the double premise that
- all children can be well educated in music
- learning to play music at a high level involves learning certain character traits or virtues which make a person's soul more beautiful
Musical Immersion
For Suzuki, the primary method for achieving this centers around creating the same environment for learning music that a person has for learning their native language. This 'ideal' environment includes love, high-quality examples, praise, and, where possible, complete immersion in a musical culture.
While the Suzuki Method is quite popular internationally, within Japan its influence is less significant than the Yamaha Method, founded by Genichi Kawakami in association with the Yamaha Music Foundation.
Labels: music moral development, piano pedagogy, piano teaching methods, suzuki method, yamaha music teachers
posted by by Gnosis Arts Multimedia at
4:19 PM
9 Comments:
Excellent post. Love the Suzuki method and your article makes it that much clearer. Thank you!
Edward Weiss
http://www.quiescencemusic.com
Hello,
I'm a piano teacher in Tallahassee, Florida, and author of some wonderful piano stories that are largely inspired by the Suzuki philosophy.
Children love stories, and they are a great way to teach important lessons and motivate young girls and boys. I find that most young students who are starting music lessons have lots of questions, and all beginning students must learn how to develop good practice habits. Piano Bears Musical Storybooks provide a wonderful way to inspire young piano students and help them succeed. These books use the characters of Little Bear, who is just starting to take piano lessons, his friends and family, and Mrs. Treble Beary, his teacher. In the stories, Little Bear, with the help of his family and friends, learns how to overcome his worries and set positive goals to achieve his musical dream.
In my studio, we give these books to all new students aged six to eleven at their first piano lesson. These fun stories help our students understand what piano lessons are like, resolve their worries about starting something new, and help them begin to develop the practice routines and habits that are so critical to their success.
Piano Bears Musical Storybooks include the following materials.
1. Little Bear’s Musical Garden.
This beautifully illustrated story sets young students at ease and gives them confidence in their own ability to learn piano. The story follows Little Bear as he begins piano lessons and asks questions that all beginning students have. Children enjoy reading the storybook with their parents and grandparents, who learn great ways to encourage their children in piano.
Little Bear’s Musical Garden CD-ROM allows children to hear a narrated version of this story. The CD-ROM also includes a fun, interactive quiz that helps students remember the important story concepts that will help them succeed.
2. Little Bear’s Piano Goals.
This beautifully illustrated story continues Little Bear’s adventures as he learns how to tend to his musical garden and achieve his musical dreams. Little Bear, with the help of his family and his neighbor Mr. Green Bear, a master gardener, learns how to set and work toward the goals that will lead to his musical growth and success.
3. Piano Bear’s Musical Storybook Journal.
This illustrated journal provides a fun way to keep track of weekly piano assignments and goals. It also provides big keyboard pictures that make it easy for their teacher to indicate hand positions, scales, chords, and fingering. The journal also includes pages for recital photos and achievement stickers, and provides a wonderful memory book for students and their parents to keep forever!
Any teacher or parents can get these materials at www.PianoBears.com
Piano Bears Achievement Stickers to motivate and reward students for achieving their weekly goals are available at http://www.pianostickers.com
Warm regards,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham
@ Cynthia
Thanks for the tip, Cynthia. I give stickers out to my students when they do an assignment well. So, I'll keep Piano Bears Stickers in mind.
Thanks for the comment.
I am a Suzuki piano teacher in Charlotte, NC and this idea about Little Bear books sounds very helpful, I plan to look into it. I also teach Suzuki Early Childhood classes designed for ages 0-3, which is a readiness class for more than just music. You can find information on www.suzukiece.com about this relatively new addition to the areas of Suzuki training. Are you familiar with Suzuki ECE?
The website for more information about the Suzuki philosophy can be found at www.suzukiassociation.org which is the official site for Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Thanks for the info, Nancy.
Nancy-I am the mother of a 2 and 1/2 year old in Matthews, NC and I would love to get her into something like this. Can you get in touch with me? snichols24@earthlink.net Thank you!
Hi, Nancy, thanks for the inquiry. As we are in Central NJ, I am not familiar with the Matthews MC area. Let me look into, and I'll get back to you.
Anonymous in Matthews, NC
I'm Nancy and thank you for your interest in Suzuki Early Childhood Classes.
I plan to start a class in Sept. on Tues. mornings in the Ballentyne area of Charlotte, probably at 9:30am. Let me know if you are interested.
Nancy Brown
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