Suzuki learning is about the process

It takes training to become a Suzuki teacher. Our music teachers and most of our preschool teachers have taken "Every Child Can," a course on the Suzuki philosophy that is the basis of the pedagogy.  To actually teach an instrument using the Suzuki pedagogy, prospective teachers have to audition on their instrument and then follow a course of study that starts from the earliest musical beginnings to the advanced player.  Suzuki teachers are drawn to this approach because of the important relationship that is established between teacher and student.  The fundamental principle of Suzuki is to incorporate a parent or adult caregiver in the process to further the home environment for positive learning. Similar to children who grow up in a multilingual household and become fluent in multiple languages, students thrive by being immersed in a musical household where music is being listened to every day and throughout the day.

The role of the Suzuki teacher is to facilitate learning. This is to the benefit of both the student and the adult who supports the practicing at home. The Suzuki teacher is adept at not only knowing what to teach, but how to teach it and when to teach it.  All learners need space and time to absorb new information.  Our Suzuki process involves focusing on one step at a time.  Clear focus on one concept with abundant repetition allows this new step to become a new ability.  Dr. Suzuki said "Knowledge plus 10,000 repetitions develops extreme ability. Talent is having this extreme ability."  It is this extreme ability of a skill that appears effortless and natural that we have as our goal. The key to this, however, is to focus on the process and not focus on the final product.

This idea may seem contradictory. There is a lot of this in everyday life and that is why learning music is such a good foundation for learning life skills.  Suzuki teachers have a saying,"if you practice in small sections, then when you perform you will be able to play from beginning to end.  If you practice by playing from beginning to end, when you get to a performance it is likely to be cut up in sections."  Another saying we have is "if you practice slowly, in a performance you will be able to play fast. If you practice fast, when you perform you will slow down or even stumble." Our advice is for students to focus on the process.  Each step along the way is important and we cannot hurry to a final product. Each achievement along the path to learning is valuable and needs to be celebrated. Our best advice is to encourage the effort and celebrate the small steps. These small successes allow the student the pleasure of small achievements which will keep them on the long path of learning.