Practicing Can Be Hard—Season 2, Episode 3

Music practice has its highs and lows. Sometimes we reach a state of bliss and flow as we find the perfect balance of competence, challenge, and creativity with our instrument. Or, sometimes we can feel like Sisyphus; over and over pushing up a hill a huge… grand piano …or something. Mastery requires effort, and I…

“Skills I didn’t know my child had”—Episode 5

When is the ideal age to start a music education? Many teachers start students as young as 3 and 4 years old, but Dorothy Jones took to heart Dr. Suzuki’s admonition to focus on the babies. In this episode, we hear about Dr. Suzuki’s thoughts on an early start, the development of the Suzuki Early…

|

Your Teacher is an Undercover Superhero and You Are the Key

A special message for students (and their parents, too) by Karen Kubin This might seem like a stretch, the claim in this title. I mean, your teacher is fabulous, of course: friendly, knowledgeable, skilled—but a superhero? Not exactly! What you do not realize is that she is deep undercover, like Bob Parr working in that soulless…

|

Double (or Triple!) the Twinkles

The Joy and Challenges of Raising Multiple Musical Children by Stacy Smith “Man is the son of his environment.”—Dr. Suzuki I recently watched a video of a Suzuki group performing repertoire in an outdoor concert. The group’s playing was polished, but what stole the entire show was a two-year-old little boy. He had a tiny violin…

|

Making Suzuki Work in a Dual Household Family

by Crystal Hardman Boyack, Clarissa Hoover, Elanor Van Hoose, Jonathan Van Hoose A recent interaction with a new family that came into my studio took me by surprise. In our first lesson, the mom said, “I spent all night googling how to make Suzuki work in a split household family—and I found nothing! Is this even possible!?” She was…

|

Learning from Every Corner of the Suzuki Triangle

by Laura Anderson Schleiger I have performed each role of the Suzuki Triangle in my musical journey. In a well-functioning Suzuki Triangle, teacher, parent, and student work together to nurture musical development during lessons, home practices, and by creating a positive musical environment. Reflecting on my experiences at all three points of this triangle guides many…

|

Fostering Creativity in the Suzuki Triangle

by Ruth Meints Those who aspire to live out the Suzuki philosophy in their daily lives are committed to the inherent potential of every person, no matter their role (teacher, student, parent). In order to successfully “practice” Suzuki principles, the development of strong relationships between each point on Suzuki’s teacher/student/parent triangle is essential. In a…