Merlin Thompson

Merlin B. Thompson (Ph.D., M.A., B.Mus.) is one of Canada’s leading authorities on the Suzuki Piano Method and the first Canadian to graduate from the Matsumoto Talent Education Institute under the mentorship of Suzuki Piano Method co-founders Drs. Shinichi Suzuki and Haruko Kataoka. He has worked with hundreds of children, their parents, and teachers in workshops, institutes, conferences, established programs, and mentorships throughout Canada, US, Australia, Japan, Spain, Great Britain, and New Zealand. Most recently, his book Fundamentals of Piano Pedagogy was published by Springer Publications in both e-book and soft-print formats. Merlin is the 2017 recipient of the Article of the Year Award by the American Music Teacher journal of the MTNA. In addition to his Suzuki teaching, Merlin is instructor of music pedagogy at the Schulich School of Music (McGill University) and teacher mentor in the Werklund School of Education (University of Calgary).

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Practical and Personal: An Inquiry into What Teachers Do

November 9, 2017 by Merlin Thompson

Editor’s Note This article first appeared in the American Suzuki Journal volume 46, no. 1, Fall 2017, but a section of more than 600 words was omitted during the publishing process. It is reproduced here in a printable format. We… Read more ▶

Pictures of Suzuki Parents

by Merlin Thompson

Parents, Suzuki, Suzuki Triangle, Working with Parents
ASJ 44.2, page 82

Tone and More Tone

by Merlin Thompson

Piano, Shinichi Suzuki, Tone
ASJ 44.1, page 65

Thank You, Suzuki Parents: Everything You Do is Much Appreciated

September 3, 2015 by Merlin Thompson

Thank you, Suzuki parents. You do an amazing job. We teachers cannot even begin to express how deeply we value who you are—your vision, your commitment, your love for your child and music. Read more ▶