On Friendship
“Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an “acquaintance” or an “association”, such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.”
I am continually reminded of the amazing intuition Dr. Suzuki had in understanding a person's learning experience. He incorporated listening to the repertoire as the first step to learning to play an instrument far ahead of all the traditional methods of learning. Now this is standard practice among all methods. Dr. Suzuki realized the importance of the social context of learning--whether it is a musical instrument, a new language or even learning mathematics. He believed that the environment was essential in optimal learning. In the Suzuki approach this starts with the learning triangle of teachers, students and parents! He went even further to say that Suzuki teachers should nurture the parent to create the appropriate home environment for learning. The parents serve as the teachers at home and they must attend lessons with their child to learn how to do this. This builds a state of mutual trust and support into the student's world, and the student is now part of a larger learning environment than just the lesson room. Dr. Suzuki realized that this would create a bonding relationship that motivates the learner.
Friendship is an important part of a student's experience in learning. Dr. Suzuki created the concept of group class where social interaction becomes part of the learning environment. Music students need friends! Whether they are children or adult learners, what brings us to go beyond our comfort zones and stretch our learning is to do it among a community of friends! In our school we want to build this Suzuki learning community. We want to build friendships! We have started summer group classes and an adult chamber ensemble. In August we will have a 5-day music camp, and for seven weeks we are holding Suzuki Preschool camp.
Our teachers are extraordinary. They care about each of their students. The teacher-student bond is very special, and it comes from the dedication of the families and the teachers---individual, group and musicianship--working together to provide a nurturing environment. Learning occurs best with a sense of trust and safety. Building this trust is important and it works three ways, just as the learning triangle functions in three ways.
As a Suzuki teacher, I am very touched by the care and attention of the parents of my students. I am so grateful for their dedication and time! It is not easy being a parent in today's world. I would like to believe that my relationship is one of friendship in some cases. We have been holding parent "chat sessions" via Zoom once per month during the school year. We will continue these and look for more ways to develop the support and encouragement parents need in the learning process.
We encourage our students to participate in Group class and musicianship so that students get to know their peers. The continued relationship among students often leads to resilience and tenacity in the face of challenges such as a new technique or a difficult piece. The student sees others overcoming these challenges, and this leads to the belief in oneself that they can also achieve more advanced results. The group class provides a safe environment in which a student may try out his solo before actually performing it in front of an audience. This is the trust that is built among the students in classes together.
We live in a busy world. The bond of friendship is very important and very strong in the Suzuki School of Newton. However, the strains of the pandemic have inhibited our ability to build our closer relationships through social events. Large classes that bring students together had to be reduced. Social distancing has caused a great toll on these important social interactions that connect students together. We must actively take steps to regain a sense of closeness and friendships as the world returns to more normal living. We have become comfortable with remote learning and remote interactions. I believe it is time for us to refocus on friendship and closeness.