| Dr. Shinichi
Suzuki was raised in a traditional Japanese home
where great emphasis was placed upon honor which
led him to become a man of very deep character.
As a teenager he discovered Tolstoy’s
Diary and this was a seminal point in his life,
for this began a lifelong search for inner truth
and a fascination with philosophy.
While studying violin in Germany, he met and
befriended Albert Einstein as well as other
intellectuals. He also became greatly moved
by the music of Mozart.
After returning to Japan, where he was teaching
and performing, Suzuki was suddenly struck by
the concept that all children speak
their native tongue. This fact and
finding the solution to it became the basic
purpose of his life.
Soon after this discovery, he was asked to
teach a four year old how to play the violin.
After much contemplation, he realised his discovery
could apply to the teaching of music.
Dr. Suzuki insists
that the environment is everything, that what
does not exist in the environment will not exist
in the child. After studying the environment of
a child learning to speak, he concluded that it
contains six fundamental elements: love, listening,
motivation, vocabulary, repetition and parent
involvement.
The parallel between music and sound or speech
is as one for a young child. While an adult
finds speech immediate and music complex, a
child, who has yet to decipher speech finds
both complex and yet obviously enjoyable and
within reach.
Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy
is based on the theory:
“Talent
is no accident of birth
and the potential of every child
is unlimited.”
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"Musical ability is not
an inborn talent but an ability which can be
developed. Any child who is properly trained
can develop musical ability just as all children
develop the ability to speak their mother tongue.
The potential of every child is unlimited." |
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"Where love is deep,
much will be accomplished."
“What
is man’s ultimate goal in life? It is
to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty.”
"Teaching music is not
my main purpose. I want to make good citizens,
noble human beings.
If a child hears fine music from the day of
his birth, and learns to play it himself, he
develops sensitivity, discipline and endurance.
He gets beautiful heart."
“The
aims of the Suzuki method are to produce a child
who loves and appreciates good music through
the highly skilled mastery of an instrument:
to ennoble his soul through the appreciation
of beauty: to help parents and children to love
and respect each other: to develop the character
of the child: to unite the world through the
love of music and occasionally produce professional
musicians"
Alinta Thorton, A
Parents Guide to the Suzuki Method
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