This led me to wonder about education in general. Doesn't it seem obvious that the goal of schools should be to educate our children? This then leads to the discussion, what is education?

For me, I have often defined courage as acting boldly in the presence of fear. That is, courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to still move forward while being fearful.

This Preschool is very special because it is a Suzuki environment for children ages 2.9 to 5 who get a strong early childhood curriculum that embraces the philosophy that every child can learn --music, foreign language, sports, math, science, etc.--if they are surrounded by a positive belief in the ability of the child…

The beginning of a new school year brings the feeling of a fresh start--and a new beginning. For so many school children, our Suzuki Preschool and music school students, we just started the new year this week!

As adult learners, we must know the "language" that works for us. Simultaneously, we must learn to speak the language of our children, so that they may focus on the actual learning.

Because our Suzuki pedagogy is based upon learning music like learning a language, we begin by learning by ear. The use of hearing, singing, and internalizing a melody or harmony is fundamental to music. Using our ears to learn music at our beginning stages of learning helps us to focus on making music first and learning the basic techniques that are required to produce these sounds. As we learn the notes to a tune, we can play from the heart. That is, we play "by heart" or from memory.

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.

Real teaching for the Suzuki teacher is about the learning process. Our goal is to teach the "pull" of the learning process. Teaching our students how to learn, how to work on a piece by practicing in small bits, how to use repetition, or how to figure out the notes by ear is invaluable knowledge.

The concept of connection is an important feature of the Suzuki pedagogy through our group classes. Dr. Suzuki knew, that in post-war Japan, making music together would bring out the humanity and feelings that had been crushed during the WW II. Making music together is a primary experience that reawakens our souls and inner feelings in a positive way. Since it is difficult to have the self-discipline to practice every day, our weekly group classes create connection among our students. Similar to finding a friend to share a daily run or a friend who will diet with you, group classes are so that our students can practice and play music together. They are not alone but together in the process of learning.

Improvisation can be lots of fun! But, for some it is a little intimidating because they don't know what to play. As in all things, repetition and lots of listening will increase the comfort zone for each student. Remember, with improvisation there is no right or wrong---but we do realize that sometimes we play something we like and sometimes we don't like it. Give it a try---and enjoy!

If we use our energy towards making music, perhaps we can unite people through the commonality of beautiful music and overcome our differences.