Well, for one, your child’s performance won’t have you holding your ears shut.
The Suzuki Method is an interesting balance between insistences on technique, against an acceptance of all levels of learners. Unlike other methods, where the student is taught to master the song rather than the good “sound,” Suzuki wants the student to perfect all aspects of music: a good ear, perfect bow hold, excellent posture. You’ll know a Suzuki concert when the students play with confidence, joy and with collaboration.
Other artributes of the Suzuki Method include:
1) An Early Start - The best time for children to begin musical training is between the ages of four and eight – the most flexible age – when the brain is growing the fastest and absorbs the most. Pre-exposure (listening to recordings, attending lessons, classes and concerts) may be started much earlier.
2) The Postponement of Note Reading - In the Suzuki Method, children learn to play by imitating the recorded pieces that they listen to every day. This follows the same procedure by which children learn to speak their native language. A child learns to play the instrument, mastering many of its technical aspects first, and learns note reading later, just as he learns to speak his native language before he reads.
3) Parental Participation - Many parents are attracted to Suzuki study because they value spending quality time with their child(ren), and understand that they will have many opportunities to enjoy, teach and nurture their child(ren) in meaningful ways. The parent’s level of involvement, and the environment they create in the home, has a direct impact upon the success of the Suzuki Method.
4) Mastering Each Step - A slow, careful beginning is essential in any method; each step must be thoroughly mastered before moving on to the next. Every step, no matter how small, is recognized as an achievement. Success builds success! In speaking their mother tongue, children never forget their first words; likewise, Suzuki-trained students are able to perform any of the pieces they have learned at any time. They perform with poise and confidence, since they have participated in group classes and concerts from the beginning of their music study.
5) More Than Music - Suzuki-trained students develop musical sensitivity, memory, discipline, endurance, coordination and self-confidence as well as a life-long appreciation of classical music. Suzuki families find their lives enriched in many ways, musically and otherwise, due to the establishment of a positive environment full of encouragement and praise. The Teacher, parent and child work very closely together to correct inaccuracies while urging children to continually strive for beautiful sound. At the same time, they are more concerned with the student’s total self-development than with turning out expert musical performers.
In conclusion …The Suzuki Approach is much more than teaching a child how to play an instrument. It seeks to develop the whole child and unfold his natural potential to learn. The purpose of Suzuki training is not to produce great artists, but to help every child find the joy that comes through making music. Through the Suzuki growing process, children thrive in a total environment of support; they develop poise, confidence and self-esteem, the determination to try difficult things, self-discipline and concentration, as well as a lasting enjoyment of music, and the sensitivity and skill for making music.
BTEC is now enrolling students, beginning at age 5. For more information about how you, too, can enjoy this journey with your child, please click: Fall.2011.Reg