The Suzuki School is an Original
While there are other Suzuki programs throughout the world, what makes our Suzuki School of Newton strikingly unique is our musicianship program. Our musicianship department is made up of outstanding musicians, some with advanced music degrees and/or Suzuki training. The Department meets regularly and gathers to discuss curriculum and student placements in the same deeply caring manner of our instrumental and Preschool Suzuki teachers.
The Suzuki pedagogy has a proven history of its effectiveness and success. As educational and neuroscience research has come to prove, the learning techniques of the Suzuki music lessons have results that enable thousands to learn to play a musical instrument extremely well and also teach students how to effectively approach learning challenges with success. Our solo recitals of this past weekend and throughout the year, attest to the progress our students are making. As I mentioned in my previous commentary, through applying this Suzuki learning, we are creating talent in our students.
The outstanding proficiency of our students sometimes occurs in our youngest students making it appear that they are "child prodigies." This expression stems from the false idea that their talent is inborn. The young students who show this kind of rapid advancement do so because they are highly motivated to practice. In my experience, I had a four year old who enjoyed playing the piano so much she would play for a couple of hours every day! Without the time put in and lessons, this student would not become a professional level musician.
In tandem with developing talent as a skilled musician, we believe in nurturing creative individuals. The training of classical music does not necessarily mean we are developing creativity. This comes when we can express emotions through our musicality, improve our own melodies or compositions, or compose onto written form a piece of music. Much of that skill is learned in our Musicianship classes through ear training, sight singing, music theory, and composing.
In order to develop creative individuals, we need to develop the ability to see everyday occurrences in a new way. Often problems that seem unsolvable just need an entirely different approach. The ability to see things differently is typical among our creative individuals. The non-conforming child is sometimes our most creative and innovative individuals as adults. These are also sometimes the most troublesome students in school.
A person who sees things differently from others sometimes questions the rules. This individual who wants to do things their own way can be disruptive in a group situation. In his book, Originals(1), Adam Grant points out that a survey was conducted of elementary school teachers of their favorite and least favorite students. The least favorites were the non-conformists who wanted to follow their own paths. The favorites were the ones who quickly learned to follow directions and do what was expected. In this way, originality is no longer nurtured but hidden.(p. 10)
Likewise, Grant postulates that high achievers fit this same category of conformists. In their efforts to excel, achievers "work harder, longer and smarter" in conventional ways that will acknowledge their achievements. Perfect scores on standardized testing, classical music competitions, etc. run the risk of training high achievers at the sacrifice of their creativity. Grant attributes this to the drive that results in high achievers striving for success and to be on top as also negatively impacting the individual's willingness to take risks, divert to a different approach, and use creativity that might lead to failure.
In our musicianship program we are teaching skills such as singing and writing new melodies. Stepping out of their comfort zone to sing something they have never seen before or putting down notes that others might then perform is subject to being criticized or judged. This, too, is a way of learning by being courageous and by knowing that re-writing a melody several times can lead to a better outcome. Trying to write something new may result in something great or something that sounds "bad" or needs redoing. It is taking a risk for some students and can push them down an uncertain path.
Likewise, the art of improvising is risk-taking. When we teach improvising in the classical style, fiddle style, jazzy style, etc. we are trying out our own creativity. It can sound terrible at first, but the idea is to keep trying and new results might sound better. Again this is a fearful challenge to some students. We provide this opportunity through our group classes and through workshops such as the upcoming StringFest in April.
As we evaluate our Musicianship program it is hard to quantify these skills we are teaching. Creativity is a process and skill that is developed only with practice. If something is not quantifiable, it is still a valued part of learning. In our recent Musicianship Department meeting we discussed the importance of singing and the desire to incorporate parents into this early learning stage. In the fall, we are introducing our Musicianship Choir that will be for our youngest students prior to the more intellectual Workbooks and Levels 1-9 curricula. In this way, we hope both parents and students will enjoy the concepts of music and music literacy in a fun and engaging way, while also learning the tools of ear training and notation. The Musicianship Choir will be open to the entire school as an additional option even if already enrolled in the core program.
We look forward to all our singing voices in the Fall. Most of all, however, we are able to find a path for the non-conforming student at the Suzuki School of Newton. We believe in them, as our future creative leaders and their unique ways in seeing the world may lead to solving some of our most difficult world challenges.
Sachiko
1. Grant, Adam, Originals, How Non-Conformists Move the World, Penguin Books, 2017.