Learn, develop, encourage, communicate …
Shinichi SUZUKI was born in 1898 to Nagoya (Japan).
His parents were luthiers, But despite this family environment, He received no musical training. However he had the opportunity to hear a recording of the violinist Mischa ELMAN, what determined his vocation.
Suzuki began the study of violin by listening and imitating what he heard in the recordings of the great concert. He made a trip to Germany where he studied with Karl KLINGER. The Japan returns, He met many difficulties because of the second world war.
This motivated to provide children with a development of their lives, and thus positively influence through music, and especially from listening, as he had done for himself.
What he wanted above all, It was to develop the sensitivity and responsiveness of children to beautiful music. His goal was not to make virtuoso, but to educate their taste for work, effort, concentration, the sense of responsibility and respect for the discipline.
He understood that teach the children to hear, enjoy and create beautiful music, developing of great souls, and brought to the world, peace and serenity. To this end, He used the concept: "Personality of first, «virtuosity after "Recognizing that the development of musical talent was secondary compared to the moral nature.
Suzuki had noticed, During his stay in Germany, and while he same adult, had difficulty learning the language, that German children spoke fluently and with ease , their mother tongue. Observing that it was same for children in all countries, who learned to speak naturally hearing and repeating sounds, and receiving an enthusiastic encouragement, it applied the principle of the “Tongue” the teaching of music.
Dr. Suzuki has created the school of music of Matsumoto and the Talent Education Research Institute in the Japan. In the years 1960 Suzuki students on a trip to the U.S.A. greatly impressed a group of music teachers. This method being spread , There are currently in the United States, thousands of students studying the violin, Viola, the cello, the double bass, Guitar, the harp, the piano, the flute, the recorder, and also the voice. The Suzuki method is currently taught in 38 countries with most of 400,000 students in the world.
The 8 basic principles of the method
- Parental involvement : Parents play an essential role in the Triangle of Suzuki. "Not only they attend lessons and learn the concepts with their children, but they also have the role of "teacher at home. "It is not necessary for the parent to be musician, but to understand the learning process, and to encourage the child in its efforts.
- Start early : Very young children are very receptive. It is amazing to see the facility with the how they can acquire knowledge and retain them for their first years. This is true for music, and Suzuki had understood that all children learn to speak in their mother tongue at a very young age, with great ease and are very receptive to anything new, including music.
- Learn to listen : It is heard talking about him that the child learns to speak. The repetition of the same sounds allows the ear and the brain to recognize and them to imitate from the hearing become familiar. Students listen so daily directory records Suzuki facilitating recognition and repetition of pieces of music.
- Repetition : When a child learn a Word, It abandons not immediately to move to the next. But it repeat and use it repeatedly until it becomes familiar. The Suzuki method uses this same principle of repetition and the repetition, in music. Children continue to play their songs after they have learned, to acquire ease and fluidity. These pieces are then used to practice new techniques, and refine the musicality. They remain in the 'musical vocabulary' forever.
- Encouragement : The first role of parent is to encourage the child sincerely. Recognize and reward hard work and effort entering learning an instrument. Enjoy the lightest progress gives confidence to the child, who has the satisfaction to continue his goal in joy.
- Work with other children : Children learn not only with their parents and their teachers, but also for other children. In addition to weekly private lessons, children, participating in group classes are studying the principles of ensemble music, with what this entails pooling of competencies of each, and good social discipline. On the other hand, music in common allows them to create a special relationship with other children .
- Progression of the directory : Each piece in the Suzuki method is chosen based on techniques and concepts of the previous track. The new challenges are introduced gradually, that avoids the tedious exercises, and retains only the pleasant side.
- Learning delayed reading : Children express themselves with a natural ease, well before read and write their native language. In the same way, children learning to hold their instrument with ease, in good posture, and produce a beautiful sound before they learn to read music. In this way, they play naturally and memory, with the ease that gives the absence of partition.