1. Begin early

Suzuki instruction typically begins at age 3½ or younger, when a child enjoys repetition, does not view activities as difficult, and has little fear of failure. Every child can speak their own language. Dialects that are difficult for an adult to learn prove easy for children 3 to 7. Musical experiences are also enjoyable for a very young child.

2. Learn by aural memory

Dr. Suzuki called this the “Mother Tongue” method. Every child learns how to speak his own language. Children hear words thousands of times before they are able to speak them. Once the child learns how to speak, he then learns how to read. The same can be accomplished with the violin. Suzuki students listen to recordings of the pieces they will play every day. Children then learn how to play the piece in the lesson, both by imitating the sounds they heard in the recordings and by imitating the teacher. Students and parents will then have a strong ear with which to create fine musical sounds.

3. Creative repetition

Parents encourage their children to say the same word over and over again until it is mastered. Suzuki limits the amount of material on any given level and encourages repetition. Old pieces are not learned only to be forgotten! They are used in performances and as a tool to learn new techniques. New techniques are considered learned when the student is able to demonstrate his ability over and over again each day.

4. Active repertory of all pieces learned

In our native language, we never get to a point where a word is leaned only to be forgotten. Suzuki students constantly review repertoire both in the lesson and in group class. Old pieces can be used to teach new techniques. Children also enjoy being able to play many pieces well.

5. Reading after physical control

Just as children hear spoken words and speak themselves long before they learn how to read, children will demonstrate technical competence and a strong sense of pitch before they learn how to read music. Once a student has command of both what he is able to hear and how he is able to hold his instrument, then the student can begin to learn how to read music. Just as we continue to listen to spoken language, Suzuki students continue to listen to recordings as a learning tool.

6. Parent education

Parents do not need to have a musical background, just a desire to learn and teach their child. Parents attend every lesson and group class of the child. They also attend other students’ lessons so they can learn how to be the teacher at home. The teacher teaches parents how to work with their children. In the beginning, parents will be responsible for taking notes at lessons and group class, and then performing the same activities at home. As the child gets older, the teacher will give more responsibility to the student.

7. Encouragement

Parents do not scold their infant for mispronouncing a word. Instead, they express joy with each attempt and encourage the child to say the word again and again! Likewise, Suzuki education is focused on the abilities of a child to do things well. Through the use of the child’s abilities, the teacher and parent encourage further learning. Humiliation is never a part of Suzuki instruction. Parents praise their children when they hear sounds that resemble words. They smile, and encourage the child to say the word over and over again, often having the child echo the word after the parent has said it. Children will learn the violin in the same way.

8. Step-by-step mastery

Small, manageable steps make learning easy. Children do not learn language through exercises, they simply learn from hearing people talk and reading books. The Suzuki repertoire is designed so that students learn skills through the pieces they play, instead of through dry technical exercises. Each piece presents a new skill that can be mastered using an old piece.

9. Listening to recordings

The idea behind the “Mother Tongue” method is that the more a child hears a mature violinist play, the more he will be able to play like a mature violinist. The ability to play with beautiful tone, perfect intonation, accurate rhythm, and musical creativity can all be accomplished through daily listening to the Suzuki CD and to other music recordings. The parent needs to saturate the child’s environment with recordings of high quality music, just as the child is always hearing his language.

10. Every child can learn

Dr. Suzuki believed that if he could teach every child to learn how to play the violin if he could control a couple of key elements. While children all learn at different speeds, all children can learn how to play any instrument to a high level. Children enjoy learning with one another. When they play music together, they are able to serve as leaders and as positive group members.