As Suzuki educators, we participate in training that emphasizes giving positive, specific feedback.  For all who are involved in the Suzuki learning approach it is a difficult viewpoint to adapt because we are much more susceptible to observing what goes wrong. 

In teacher training classes, we have practiced the effects of constant negative feedback.  We are human beings and it is much easier and impulsive to shout out things to correct:  straighten your wrist, curve you pinky, "that's a fa-sharp!", etc. I remember a teacher workshop I attended where the guest speaker was sharing a story.  She told us that one day she was baking cookies and her husband came into the kitchen and smiled and said how delicious everything smelled.  She said that she beamed at him and was so happy to be appreciated for the effort she made. She felt inspired to remember that moment so well. She also told us on another occasion, he came into the kitchen and smelled the stew on the stove, and went over to taste it.   He commented on it being pretty good, but that it needed more salt and maybe having less onions would be better. She told us that her immediate reaction was to get angry and think about not cooking for him and telling him to make his own dinner....This kind of feedback sent her a message on how she might better teach her students. 

The advice she gave at the workshop was to notice all the good things in the playing.  If her husband had commented on the stew:  "Oh it smells so good...may I taste it?  Hmm, it is really nice and hot. I like the texture and the chunkiness, and the beef. You must have been cooking it for a long time and had to chop up so many ingredients!  Did you experiment with a different recipe?  Did you make some changes to your usual way of doing it? What vegetables did you add this time?"  In this way, the positive comments are showing appreciation for the work to make the stew.   The questions lead the cook to evaluating by herself the results of the culinary efforts and leading her to the comparison of past versions of the stew.  In this way the person does not feel judged but asked to notice the differences.

Parents who help in the home practice can be sensitive to this approach and to help guide the student to self-observation and correction.  Filming some of the practicing can allow the student to watch and listen to their own practicing and discover what might have gone wrong. It is very difficult to improve when one feels judged and has someone who is critical always making negative comments.  Allowing the student to discover places to improve is a little bit slower  process at first, but the student will speed up their own learning by building self-awareness.

Children are extremely self-critical.  Adults are also very self-critical.  If I ask a parent to play the same piece as the child, sometimes they are more nervous than their own child. This understanding that we hear our own mistakes first might help ourselves to learn to be patient and better practicers by slowing down and trying to observe what went well! Knowing how to make positive comments is a new skill and habit to develop. It takes practice, too! 

Dr. Suzuki was a master at noticing what was positive in a student's playing.  He was very patient and he encouraged teachers to work on improving the best prepared places in a students' playing. In this way, we are working always towards building a higher level, not just fixing.  He was known for letting the work of fixing notes be done at home and not to do this in the lesson. I must say, that is not easy for us to do in our lessons here.  We are all very tempted to always believe that pointing out what went wrong is helpful to the student.  I do believe the student can be led to discover and notice on his own what went wrong.  Our true job is to encourage, believe in the student, and be patient.

Sachiko Isihara

Executive Director

Suzuki School of Newton