Shinichi Suzuki believes that every child has great potential. He believes that every child is born with innate talent but it is through nurturing and development that that talent becomes ability. The 5 fundamental to the Suzuki Method are:
1. People are a product of their environments
2. The earlier, the better-not only music, but in all learning
3. Repetition of experiences is important for all learning.
4. Teacher and parents (adult human environment) must be at a high level and continue to grow to provide a better learning situation for the child.
5. The system or method must involve illustrations for the child based on the teacher’s understanding of when, what, and how
“Mother Tongue.” Over 50 years ago, a Japanese violinist, Shinichi Suzuki noticed that all children speak their native language perfectly. Children learn to speak their respective languages by first listening, then to speak, read and write. Suzuki applied this same approach to music by having the children listen to music until they have it memorized and thoroughly ingrained in them, the equivalent of listening and understanding a language. Next, children learn to play the music that they hear and lastly, the children learn how to read the music, which is just like reading a book. Since children hear words from the first day of life, in preparation to speaking, Suzuki advocates listening to great music from birth in preparation to playing music. Formal study can begin at ages 3-5 years old. This process of learning is referred to as the “Mother Tongue” approach and focuses on the natural process of learning.
