Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was the founder of what he called the Talent Education Movement, which is known in the west as the Suzuki method.  He formulated his approach after considering how naturally children learn to speak their mother tongue: by being surrounded by it in their environment, by learning one word at a time and repeating it hundreds of times, by adding other words one at a time, and proceeding to mastery.  He suggested that this approach could be used to teach any subject, and that it was, in fact, the best teaching method.  Further, he claimed that any child could learn using this method, and that if any child failed to learn, it was the fault of the teaching method and not of the child, because all children are the product of their environment.

As a violinist, he applied his method to the teaching of music in his native Japan, beginning in 1945.  He continued to define his ideas as he taught many young children to play the violin.  His approach was based on creating a rich, loving, musical environment in the home as the basis of learning, and providing a social environment with regular group classes to inspire children to always want to learn new pieces.  As Dr. Suzuki recounts in Nurtured By Love (translated by Mrs. Waltraud Suzuki), Professor Kendall of the Musikingum College (Ohio) and Professor Clifford Cook of Oberlin College were the first to embrace the method in the United States, with Professor Kendall spending a month in Matsumoto, and returning home to publish the violin method and give lectures about talent education.  In 1961, four hundred Japanese children played for Pablo Casals in Matsumoto, moving him to tears.  Soon after, Dr. Suzuki toured America with ten students aged five to thirteen, and so brought the movement to America.

Today, there are teachers of the Suzuki approach in all corners of the world.  It is important to note that the "Suzuki method" is first and foremost a philosophy of education, rather than a "method": individual teachers can and do interpret the method differently, though some things might be said to be non-negotiable!  The mother-tongue approach is certainly the cornerstone, as well as the principle of moving in small steps, with the child mastering each step before moving to the next.  An early beginning is also important, as are the ideals of teaching with love and striving for excellence.  (Note: though an early beginning is encouraged, because of the high ability of young children to learn, many teachers have found that the Suzuki approach is effective at any age!)  Regular attendance at group classes, review of older pieces, and listening to reference recordings to develop the ability to play by ear, are also among the basic tenets.  For further information about the method, it is best to consult one of Dr. Suzuki's own books, as well as any of the numerous books which have been written by others who have also found their joy in his philosophy. 

(text by Kelly Williamson)

Links for further information:

Suzuki Association of the Americas: www.suzukiassociation.org

About Haruko Kataoka, founder of Suzuki piano