Experiencing the Suzuki Method: A Guide to Help Answer your Questions about this Extremely Popular Method—And Why I Don’t Teach It
This blog entry contains the material of a bulletin I made to have available in my studio. Because of this, the material is short and concise. I would be happy to write more on the subject should I get enough interest!
First of all I would like to clarify 2 things:
- Many of my colleagues and friends are Suzuki teachers and educators. This information is not meant to discredit their teaching or their students. Each teacher and student should be evaluated on an individual basis, not by a label or association.
- I have sought to represent the Suzuki method accurately.
Q: What is the Suzuki method?
A: The Suzuki method was created in Japan by Shinichi Suzuki. His idea was that children should learn music just as they learn to speak. If properly taught using this school of thought children would become just as proficient on the violin as they were at speaking their native language, and learn it just as easily.
Q: Did it work?
A: Yes, students of Suzuki were able to learn the violin quickly and proficiently. They could learn new pieces rapidly and autonomously at an early age.
Q: Do students of the Suzuki method in the US show this same aptitude?
A: No. Unfortunately the majority of students learning under the Suzuki method today have poor technique, note reading ability, rhythm, and understanding of music.
Q: What accounts for this difference?
A: I believe there are several factors that are contributing to the low level of proficiency demonstrated by Suzuki students in America today.
- Shinichi Suzuki vs. The Suzuki method: Suzuki was an extremely intelligent man and a gifted teacher. I believe the success of his students in Japan did not primarily have to do with his method, but with the man himself. If you read about Suzuki you will find he did not teach all students the same. His philosophy of learning was consistent, but one cannot codify what made Suzuki such a brilliant and successful instructor. One can take his ideas, but one must be sensitive to each student to know how to utilize and adapt these ideas. This is why I use his books, but do not use the procedure taught by the Suzuki Association. In addition, Suzuki taught out of a love for his students and their learning. Unfortunately many teachers today teach because they need to make a living, and the highlight of their day is going home, not the time they spend with your child.
- A difference in cultures: Japanese and Asian cultures are structured very differently than American society. In general they are more disciplined, more driven to academic success, more family oriented, and more involved in their children’s education. If you read more about Suzuki and how he taught, you will see that the “Suzuki method” America so proudly asserts is very different from the teaching Suzuki imparted to his students.
- American Suzuki teachers are often uncertified, or have low skill levels: There are certified Suzuki teachers and uncertified Suzuki teachers. Teachers certified in the Suzuki method have to demonstrate a level of proficiency for each Suzuki book they complete. This means that if your child is learning Suzuki book 1, that teacher must have completed the hardest song in that book. While many Suzuki teachers are certified above this level you don’t want to assume all teachers are skilled at their instrument. Uncertified Suzuki teachers have not taken the certification test that the Suzuki Association of the Americas offers and may or may not have taken any Suzuki method courses, they simply use the Suzuki books and call themselves a “Suzuki Teacher.”
- A difference in education: The Japanese educational system during Suzuki’s time placed a high emphasis on teaching children the rudiments of music. All students learned how to read music and sight sing. They understood rhythms and musical notation. Since they had this foundation, Suzuki was mainly concerned with teaching students the violin. Since students in America do not learn music as such under the American educational system, private teachers have a lot more to teach. This must be taken into consideration when trying to apply Suzuki’s method to American students
Q: What evidence do you have that the Suzuki method doesn’t work?
A: 1. Experience as a Suzuki student. 2. Experience as a teacher of Suzuki students.
1. As a child, starting violin at the age of 4, I gained the benefits of developing a very good ear under the Suzuki method, as many students do. However, I also became a very poor note reader. I soared ahead of my classmates in ability as I had natural talent, but my inability to read music, quickly decipher rhythm and poor technique lead me to a dead end. In middle school I decided I wanted to overcome my deficiencies, and found a teacher who worked patiently and diligently with me to give me the instruction I needed to fill in the gaps in my learning. It was a hard and arduous road I wouldn’t wish on any student. This kindled in me a desire to be a teacher, and teach students the violin correctly from the beginning.
2. As a teacher, I have seen that the negative effects that I experienced as a Suzuki student are still plaguing the majority of Suzuki students today. Most of the students I have had the pleasure of teaching that have come out of the Suzuki method have demonstrated a high level of playing ability, with extremely low levels of technique, musicianship, note reading and rhythmic understanding. I have had to walk through the difficulties with them of re-learning the violin to fill in the gaps, just as I had to do many years ago with my teacher. It is a delight for them to finally be able to pick up music for themselves and play the correct notes and rhythm without having to hear the music first. They experience the satisfaction of feeling competent on their instrument, and not weighed down by the burden of being tied to their teacher for all the answers. I give them the tools to be able to figure things out for themselves. Just as a parent seeks to teach their children how to become self sufficient and successful adults, so I desire for my students to become self-sufficient and successful musicians at whatever level they choose to work to achieve. My experiences as a student and teacher defy the claims that the Suzuki method is the best way to learn an instrument, and I believe it does more harm than good.
Q: I’ve read a lot of positive things about the Suzuki method and other parents have said their children really enjoy it. Why should I believe what you have to say?
A: Don’t take my word for it. Research it for yourself! Most successful Suzuki students had teachers who did more than just teach the Suzuki method, and just because a child has fun does not mean they are learning. Inform yourself on what to look for in a good teacher and a good method, then compare!
Emily Williams is the creator of Strategic Strings: An Online Course for Violin and Viola Teachers
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Hey Emily,
I know I’m commenting a long time after the fact, but I only recently stumbled upon your blog. I wanted to pipe in with something Kurt Sassmannshaus told me back in Pedagogy class at CCM. A student asked about his father’s method (Sassmannshaus), which is very popular in Europe, as compared to the Suzuki method; Prof. S’s reply was, “Any method is only as good as the teacher teaching it.” I am relatively new to the world of Suzuki- I don’t teach it, but now have a five-year-old who is learning to play beautifully!- but in the short time I have been involved, I have observed both the problems you address, and also some truly remarkable playing and teaching. The good teachers ARE out there, and the dedicated parents who are committed to the work at home are out there, too. :)
Now just a small comment on what Pam said- I have read several Suzuki books and writings, and it is NOT that all students should progress at the same rate with the same results and same effort, it is just that, given ENOUGH effort and good training (both by the teacher and the parent), the result CAN be achieved. It is about persistence, really.
Some really good writing here on your blog- I look forward to reading more!
~Sheridan
Sheridan – Thanks for your comments! I’m glad that you have found a good program for your daughter to be part of. I’m sure that you’re expertise at home in practicing with her has a lot to do with her success. :) As you say, it’s the partnership of the teacher and parents. Good instruction with parental involvement is surely the key!
I just finished reading a book written to help guide parents through the jungle of music education. It’s called Raising Musical Kids by Robert Cutietta. I read it (obviously not as a parent), but in order to expand my horizons of the ideas that are out there, and was pleased to read his emphasis on involved and engaged parents being a key to raising kids who are musically successful and enjoy music through adult hood.
I’m *really* late discovering this post, and also wanted to say great points. My daughter is in a Suzuki method program based at a local university, and there are definitely pros and cons. She takes the book class, followed by an individual lesson. I like the book classes because of the opportunity they provide to get a sense of playing with a group.
It’s been harder to get behind the emphasis on ear training, which is so different from the more traditional way I learned to play piano. I remember lots of work with music-reading workbooks first, before being treated to our first actual pieces.
This is another extreme and I don’t think I’d like my daughter learning this exact way today, but as it is, her private-lesson teacher is trying to get her started in a music-reading text and the resistance is strong, precisely because she has a good ear and she can’t see why she should bother with this extra step (sigh). It’s frustrating! After studying piano, I studied voice and was always so grateful I had that early sight-reading training, so I’m trying to get her to see it’s really worthwhile.
As a teacher, I’ve observed the same things you have about students trained in the Suzuki method. I like the repertoire of the Suzuki books, and some of Mr. Suzuki’s ideas, and use them with most of my students in spite of not teaching the actual Suzuki “method”. I was wondering what method books you recommend. I have tried supplementing Suzuki with everything from Beriot to Doflein, to Hohmann, to All for Strings, Solo Time for Strings, etc. Would love to hear if you have any recommendations!
Hi S,
Thanks for your comment! I too have looked for supplementary material to the Suzuki rep. and have trouble finding any. I of course teach scales and etudes to supplement. I like Progressive Scales by Amy Matherly for beginning and intermediate students and the Carl Flesch Scale System for advanced students. I use Fiddle Magic by Sally O’Reilly as an etude book for young beginners, and the Wolfhart series for intermediate students. Kreutzer and Schradiek are good for intermediate and advanced students as well.
As far as rep. goes I haven’t found any supplemental material that I’m really fond of. Out of all that I’ve tried I would recommend the Solos for Young Violinists series by Barbara Barber. The first book advances a little quickly for beginners, so I usually use this series with my intermediate students.
For beginners my husband (a composer) and I are actually in the process of writing our own curriculum so supplement the Suzuki rep. There just wasn’t anything out there, so when you can’t find what you’re looking for sometimes you have to create it! What we have right now are some open string songs. I find they are very useful for beginners starting out. Two of them are right hand pizz and the other is left hand pizz. Our goal is to give students repertoire that progresses along withe the Suzuki rep, but introduces students to different styles and time periods sooner. The Suzuki rep. is very much Baroque and Classically oriented as I’m sure you’re aware.
Once I hit book IV in Suzuki I usually transition my students out of the Suzuki rep. and start doing full concertos. This is basically what Book IV is anyway, except that the Suzuki rep only includes 1st and 3rd movements of the concertos. I like my students to start gaining an understanding that concertos have 3 movements and how these movements work together to form a whole piece. I also like them to learn the slow movements. Students by this point in time should be learning vibrato, so the slow movements give them the opportunity to practice this and I can teach musicality in a different way than fast movements allow you to. I use the Seitz Pupil’s concertos as well as Vivialdi concertos and Viotti concerto. The Barber series has some other genres that are good for this level and my husband and I also hope to develop rep. to go along with the vast array of Baroque and Classical violin music available.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you’re interested in the music my husband and I are developing please let me know and I would be happy to keep you up to date. Just send me an email at [email protected].
I really appreciate your sharing! I just thought that I would share that i have been teaching a lesser known method more familiar in homeschooling circles called, “The Violin Book” by professor Eden Vaning-Rosen for the past 5 years. This is a full strings curriculum and is like nothing else I have found out there. These are complete comprehensive violin workbooks that begin with the simplest of exercises on open strings, bowing patterns, advancing to 1st and 2nd finger, then 3rd with simple folk songs using A2, A3, E1, E2, etc, with theory and technique that are packed with illustrations, tips, etc. and come with CD’s. Note reading is introduced gradually using 2 notes, then 3, etc.There is a scale book with CD, and a separate book just for learning the vibrato with scales also with metronome charts. They put out a series of books that I have used over and over again for doing group strings concerts using my students at any level called Family Gospel. All the string instrument parts are in the set. I can get any beginning student to play that’s ready for that experience, whether they can do only open notes, string/finger # symbols, or notes. I usually found that within 1- 1.5 years all students were very good at reading music. The advanced book teaches elements of a tension free bow hand, and is full of really beautiful etudes, Wolfart, Hohmann etudes, etc. I really think that if I had had this method when my 2nd violin teacher dismissed me and told my parents that she couldn’t do anything with me because i was too spoiled on 2 years of the Suzuki method, I would have saved her all the embarrassment!
Thanks so much for your pointers on what books to go with at what stages, and I am curious to know if you have completed your own curriculum. I hope you will check out the one I have mentioned. You can take a peek at it at theviolinbook.com.
Blessings!
Merrilee McCain,
Director, Angelic Violin Studios
Emily: apart from your own experience, is there evidence to confirm the assertion that Suzuki students are poor music readers? My daughter, a 6 year-old Book 3 Suzuki violinist is an excellent and fearless sight-reader. Perhaps she is an exception.
Are there published data about this?
At any rate, I find the comment that “[The Suzuki method] does more harm than good” over-reaches.
Alan, I don’t think that there is evidence in the form of “scientific data”, just as there is no scientific data that “proves” that the Suzuki Method produces good sigh readers. However, I do think that many well known pedagogues in the string world share my experiences. There are quite a few newer violin methods that promote music reading as an alternative to the Suzuki approach. In addition European teaching as well as South American cultures tend to produce very well trained musicians that are good sight readers and many of these musicians learned to read music rather than learned by ear. Yes, perhaps your daughter is an exception. It would all depend on who you talk to, and again, I would argue that successful teaching is more about the teacher than the method.