Blog Post

An Introduction to the Suzuki Method

Ava Cash • July 28, 2017

There have been thousands of methods of teaching throughout history, why should one settle on this one?

Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki Method, a wonderful violinist, teacher, and human being

Ask yourself, when did you learn to speak your native tongue? When did your neighbor? Your best friend? That stranger you met last week on the train? The answer is generally the same- we learn to speak the language as children. No one gives us instruction on the words, the construction of sentences, the forming of thoughts, we just know. It's fairly obvious how we intuit such things, given every infant's propensity towards observation. Our parents, our siblings, and others surround us with language, and we absorb that which they say. It is the exposure to the language that opens our minds, and allows us to learn to speak, and take the first steps towards communicating effectively.

The Suzuki Method is built upon similar principles. Listening to music is an incredibly important facet of the method, as exposure to music creates that similar familiarity. This is referred to as the 'mother tongue' method.It is for this reason that the Suzuki method is unlike every other method of music instruction, as it is based on such simple principles as these, which are naturally built into human development.
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There is a foundation in the method, often referred to as the Suzuki Triangle. At each vertex, we have a player in the game- the student, the teacher, and the parent. Each must participate equally to ensure success.

The student must pay attention in lessons, and follow the instruction of the teacher as closely as possible. They must practice often and efficiently, and find motivation for their music. It is their responsibility to take charge of their music, to make goals, and to find a direction for their career.

The teacher must provide instruction, which consists of several components. They must isolate and address problem areas, while at the same time identifying and enhancing the student's strengths. They must follow the method dutifully, while personalizing pedagogy for the individual student's needs.

Finally, the parent must record the lesson, and note which specific aspects of performance their child must practice. They must assist in and guide the student's practice according to the direction of the student, which sometimes requires the translation of the teacher's intentions to the individual language of the child.

The inclusion of the parent in the method is incredibly important, as a responsible parent gives the teacher an additional voice to communicate their instruction, while acting as an anchor for the student. Sometimes, the parent acts as a translator, rephrasing the teacher's intentions into words and actions their child can understand- this is especially prevalent with small children, at the beginning of their violin career. Really, the parent has the most difficult job, as they are the glue holding their child's musical escapades together, and the force pushing and pulling them along the path to greatness.

The child sees the parent in an interesting light- in most cases, the parent is just as clueless as the child. They are both in a new environment, and they are both learning. The child sees their parent as a fellow student, and at the same time, as a bonus teacher, one who will be there every step of the way, where the teacher in the traditional method cannot. This perception of the parent often establishes a specific and strong mutual respect- the child learns to understand the trials of the parent, and their efforts, while the parent must recognize their child's endeavors, their failures and successes, as they watch every single moment of their child's musical journey.
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The Suzuki method is formatted in such a way that the student only learns one new concept at a time. Attending a lesson once a week should not bombard a student with a thousand ideas to attempt to remember over the course of the next seven days- instead, they should be allowed to focus on a specific idea. This does not mean that every lesson is an hour of dull, repetitive nonsense, rather, each lesson introduces a key technique or idea, and utilizes it in a variety of ways, applying it to their music every which way, to solidify their foundation.

Indeed, the Suzuki method's books follow this train of thought. Each piece of the repertoire introduces one new aspect of technique. In the beginning, this is as simple as bringing in 'skips' rather than 'steps', or playing on the D string for the first time. As the repertoire becomes more advanced, we get into such things as new keys, shifting to new positions, etc. In the later books, new styles of playing are brought into focus, each new piece introducing a key element of professional repertoire, ending with a full Mozart concerto, the first real foray into standard professional repertoire.
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By no means is the Suzuki method objectively any better than any other- claiming such would be akin to the claim that red velvet is the best flavor of cake. Yes, many people might agree, but it relies on the baker to prove it through their skill. Similarly, the responsibility of teaching most effectively lies on the teacher.

The Suzuki Association of America requires that instructors receive training for the repertoire in each book. This training involves observation of and instruction from highly experienced teacher trainers, and discussion with similarly experienced fellow teacher trainees. Needless to say, a teacher must be fully immersed in the environment of a Suzuki institute, experiencing every aspect of it through the eyes of a teacher, a child, and even a parent, before they can claim to be a licensed Suzuki teacher. We return time and time again, to reinforce and expand our knowledge of the Suzuki method.

Suzuki himself learned just as much from his contemporaries as he did from his formal instructors. There is a reason why the Galamian and Suzuki methods both place so much emphasis on form and technique, rather than repertoire; the men were contemporaries, who admired each others' work, despite their vastly differing backgrounds and interpretations of aspects of violin instruction. That's a discussion for another time, though. Suzuki was constantly evolving, constantly changing his opinions, methods, and techniques, to better suit his students, up until the very end. The founder of the method recognized an ever present need for individual attention and change, a concept foreign to the majority of other methods, which have stagnated since their initial conception however many centuries ago.

I cannot claim that the Suzuki method is objectively or subjectively speaking the best of all methods of musical instruction. I can say with confidence that it is the only method which is founded on the principles of one's natural learning process, the dynamic between parent and child, and the knowledge that even the greatest teacher can still learn from their fellows. No other method requires constant study throughout one's entire career.

The Worst Part of My Job

By Ava Cash • October 2, 2022
Think of this post as a diary entry, a cathartic rant to help cope with what is undoubtedly the worst part of being a music teacher.

Announcement Regarding the Location of our Studio

By Ava Cash • July 4, 2022
Holy Trinity Anglican church is losing their facility. unfortunately, this means that when they do, we will have to move as well. Here's the plan.

BINGO with the STUDIO!

By Ava Cash • May 31, 2022
A game to encourage practice and participation through the summer months

Group Class Schedule Summer 2022

By Ava Cash • May 25, 2022
This summer, we are offering group classes every other week until school resumes. As a bonus, all students whose teachers are members of the suzuki association (ISA or SAA) are welcome to attend the classes, free of charge!

The Dollar a Day Scholarship

By Ava Cash • February 10, 2022
We surpassed our funding goal, and we're so excited to see what comes next!

Silent Auction 2022

By Ava Cash • January 30, 2022
The offerings for our first silent auction fundraiser 

Being Double Jointed on the Violin

By Ava Cash • February 18, 2021
I did not realize that I was double jointed (otherwise known as 'hypermobility') until it began to adversely affect my violin playing in a noticeable- and legitimately painful- manner. It was my last year in college. To be specific, every time I curved or straightened my pinkies, they would "pop", and cause immense pain, and inflammation, that made my hands feel like they were on fire. By then, it seemed to be too late for me to fix habits in my playing that were causing me pain, so I looked for external means of stopping the pain. I ended up wearing these little splints on my pinkies, called 'Oval 8's' (pictured below), as an occupational therapist concluded that I was suffering from trigger finger in my pinkies. This configuration forced my pinkies to remain straight, effectively forcing me to learn to play without pinkies. Unfortunately, this kept my pinkies in a perpetual state of hyperextension, which was incredibly painful, and therefore quite pointless.. As my other six fingers began to pick up the slack, I started developing the same pain in my joints on those fingers, and the therapist declared that I must have trigger finger in every single finger on both hands.

Day One: The Gibbes Art Museum

By Ava Cash • June 2, 2020
When I was little, the Gibbes museum had this miniatures exhibit. It was, and still is, my favorite thing I had ever seen in any museum, ever. Everything was tiny, like the entire exhibit was the excavation of the lilliputian society, a race of teeny little people who were hiding away in the shadows in the corners of the room, ready to jump back into their homes when we weren't looking. I loved this exhibit so much, I ended up having my picture taken in it, and it was shown on the Post and Courier:

Announcement: Reopening the Studio

By Ava Cash • May 6, 2020
The Music Academy of the Two Rivers plans to reopen on June 1, 2020. Lessons should resume at that time, barring further announcements. We also plan to offer a new scholarship upon reopening, details below. At MATR, our mission is to bring happiness, peace, and achievement to the lives of the children of Charleston, through music. At this time, due to the influence of COVID-19 on all of our lives, we recognize that more than ever, people- especially children, who may not understand the full scope of the virus’s consequences- are in need of these things. Normally, our scholarship program is limited to applications from good samaritans who are aware of children in need; however, given the coronavirus, we are offering a special scholarship to which anyone can apply. This scholarship will give up to 10 children three full months (June, July, and August 2020) of free violin lessons, and instrument rentals. Any child under the age of 8 whose life was affected by the coronavirus is eligible to apply. The application asks for the child’s information, the parent’s information, and a 500-1,000 word statement detailing how the coronavirus has affected the child and their family’s lives. The deadline for application is May 22, 2020, at midnight. If your family suffered a loss, or even just the heavy emotional turmoil of a loved one in the hospital; if a member of your family is an essential worker or healthcare worker, who has been distanced from the rest of the family due to their job; if your family’s provider has lost their job, severely impacting your child’s quality of life; if your child themself was diagnosed with the virus; or if the virus has impacted your child and your family’s life in any other way, please apply. There are no strings attached; after these three months are over, there are no further obligations to the studio, and the child can drop out at any time with no penalties during the duration of the scholarship. We just want to help however we can, while we all heal. If you are interested in applying, the application is located here (CLICK HERE). With love, Savannah Cash UPDATE: 5/6 I thought I'd add in an FAQ, to address some of the questions that I've received. If you have any questions, please contact us through Facebook, email, or just give us a call. If only 10 people (or fewer) apply, will all of them get the scholarship? No. We will only grant the scholarship to those that we select from the applicants, and our limit is 10. How many lessons and instruments does this scholarship give? The scholarship will allow for unlimited lessons throughout June, July, and August 2020. Each student will begin with 30 minute lessons, once a week; if the teacher deems that the student can move faster, we will switch to 1 hour lessons, once a week. If the teacher deems that the student can move even faster, we can add in additional lessons as needed. As for instruments, the student will be given a violin their size when they advance to the actual instrument; the student and parent will still be responsible for the safety and care of the instrument. What is the monetary value of the scholarship? If the student does the minimum and sticks with 30 minute lessons once a week, the monetary value is approximately $400. If the student works hard, and the teacher moves them to hour long lessons twice a week or more, the value is approximately $1,400+. Essentially, this is an opportunity to really take advantage! Can I still apply if my child is already taking lessons with another teacher? We have a strict policy against poaching students from other studios. However, if you are already taking lessons with another teacher, we will take your child strictly in a tutoring position, maintaining an open line of communication with your primary teacher, so as not to overstep boundaries. What if we're not planning on continuing lessons after the scholarship ends? That's fine. There are no strings attached here- if you decide after 3 months not to continue, then you can quit. If you decide after 3 months to keep going, then we'd be happy to have you! It's up to you. This scholarship is an opportunity to bring your child happiness, peace, and achievement. It's meant to be for the benefit of the child; if it's not for you, that's fine, but we encourage you to continue if your child derives any of these benefits from music. How are you going to keep lessons safe while COVID-19 is still going on? All students and their parents will be encouraged, but not required, to wear masks. Only one parent/guardian is allowed to attend with the student, no siblings will be allowed to attend, unfortunately. Before and after each lesson, students and parents will be required to wash their hands. The teacher will guide the parent to assist the student, so there will be no physical contact. Any other reasonable accommodations requested will be considered. What's the catch? There is no catch. If you get the scholarship, you get 3 months of lessons, with no strings attached. If you want to quit at any time, you can. If you get to the end and decide to continue somewhere else, we'd be happy to give you a recommendation. If you decide at the end that you'd like to keep taking lessons with us, we'll happily welcome you in the studio. Can current students apply? And what about past students? Yes to all. Will the scholarship cover travel expenses? No. The scholarship will only cover the cost of lessons, and the instrument loaned from the studio. The parent and child will be responsible for their own travel, and any other non-lesson or instrument costs. That being said, there is no restriction geographically for this scholarship; as long as you are willing to travel the distance, you are eligible to apply. If I miss a lesson under the scholarship, can I get a makeup lesson? As long as the scholarship term has not ended (August 31, 2020), and 48 hours notice is given before the cancelled lesson, the teacher will find a time to make up the lesson. If the scholarship term has ended, or adequate notice is not given, the lesson will not be made up. I have a vacation (or some other commitment) planned during the scholarship term, can I get it extended into September, or shifted into the school year? The scholarship term will remain fixed, June/July/August. This scholarship is meant to last the summer term, so that your child has more time to dedicate towards learning a new skill- it is much easier to start the violin outside of the school year, than during the school year.

Practicing When You Are Sick

By Ava Cash • February 3, 2020
"NO" IS NEVER THE RIGHT ANSWER WHEN YOUR TEACHER ASKS, "DID YOU PRACTICE THIS WEEK?" BUT IT'S OFTEN HARD TO PRACTICE WHEN ILL.
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