I am not a critic of the Suzuki Method!

Written by Thomas Gregory
Published: September 23, 2015 at 9:49 AM [UTC]

A good friend of mine was recently attending a talk at a Suzuki conference discussing the Suzuki brand and highlighting recent criticism from elements regarded as hostile. Suddenly a picture of my face appeared on the PowerPoint presentation next to a quote of mine that must have appeared on this site a while back. The inference was that I was being less that flattering about the Suzuki model in order to promote Vamoosh, my own publication. I would like to take this opportunity to exonerate myself as I don’t regard myself as a critic of the Suzuki method in any way.

As my friend noted at the time, I have great respect and appreciation for the considerable contribution Suzuki has made to the world of instrumental teaching. The model has set the standard for all teachers of young children, whether as part of the Suzuki community or not. I merely suggested that teachers who are not official Suzuki teachers can achieve similar results and shouldn’t be ignored.

I never intended Vamoosh to be ‘method’ books to rival others. They are largely directed at slightly older children whose parents may or may not support their learning. In essence, they are designed to motivate children to practice by offering memorable pieces in a way that makes it easy for them to understand.

So please don’t imagine I have anything against the marvelous work of Suzuki teachers. There is room for all of us!

From Jim Hastings
Posted on September 23, 2015 at 3:36 PM

I feel the same way. I'm not a teacher and didn't learn by the Suzuki method, so I'm in no position to vote it down or up. Still, I've seen firsthand the positive results of this teaching method. We can't argue with success.

As I've mentioned before, degree of parental involvement in Suzuki is often a point of contention. Some advocates feel that a child can't go through violin lessons without a good deal of parental participation -- whether in Suzuki or non-Suzuki training.

But I did. From experience, I feel strongly that this part of training depends on the kid. Some juvenile learners thrive on having parents directly involved in lessons and practice times. But as a former kid beginner in violin -- and one with a strongly individualistic personality -- I don't feel this team approach would have worked well for me. Then, too, my parents weren't string players, and they wouldn't have had the time to give to my lessons and practice sessions that Suzuki typically requires.

My parents were involved -- they paid for my lessons and required regular practice and attended my recitals. But I had the training -- from elementary through degree program -- without their direct on-site involvement.

To recap: I'm not a critic of the Suzuki method, either. Best, in my view, to pick the training approach that best fits the individual learner.

From Kimberlee Dray
Posted on September 28, 2015 at 5:48 PM

*sigh* ...

From Helen Jacob-Stein
Posted on September 29, 2015 at 5:39 PM

Absolutely, agreeing with you. There are many ways to learn, but I do love the Suzuki approach for most young children, and adapt in various ways for old students. You're good too!

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I am not a critic of the Suzuki Method!

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