Suzuki Violin Lessons Vs. Traditional Violin Lessons

June 24, 2016, 8:07 AM ·

Many parents of budding violinists pose the question "What is the difference between Suzuki Violin Lessons and Traditional Violin Lessons"? This article is your guide to helping you decide on the right path for your child. Let's start with Suzuki Violin Lessons.

Suzuki Violin Lessons

Founded by the famous Japanese pedagogue Dr. Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998), the Suzuki Method was formulated in the middle of the Twentieth Century. Suzuki was heavily influenced by the belief that man is a product of his environment. He believed this to be the case so much, that his Talent Education method, as it was initially called, taught that gifted children were most often gifted because they were exposed from a very young age to influences that allowed them to develop their talent. In other words, to Suzuki, talent wasn't exclusively the result of an innate gift from birth, but rather, a gift of a nurturing environment bestowed by loving parents, guardians, or teachers.

Dr. Suzuki also did not believe that the exclusive goal of violin lessons should be to create virtuoso performers, as was often the prevailing belief in the mid Twentieth Century. He was certainly not against this as an idea, but at the core of Suzuki's philosophy was that music lessons had the potential to create "good citizens" and that the qualities and sensitivities developed would create noble human beings. For instance, Suzuki often equated playing with a pure tone to having a pure heart.

Central to the philosophy of Suzuki violin lessons and the Suzuki Method is that children can learn music in the same way that they learn their mother tongue. When we learn a language as babies and toddlers, we imitate our parents - first we listen, then we imitate vowel sounds, then consonants, and eventually words, ultimately resulting in complete sentences full of ideas. Shinichi Suzuki believed that music could be taught in the same way, starting off by exposing children to great music with recordings. Inspiring music would ultimately create in the child a desire to imitate the beautiful sounds. With the proper nurturing parent-teacher-student relationship and much repetition through consistent practice, students ultimately become great communicators of music and they learn through both private and group lessons.

Traditional Violin Lessons

In my experience, I have often seen a common stereotype of "traditional violin lessons" to mean "Russian Violin Lessons". Because the Cold War brought forth intense competition between Russia and the West, the stereotype has often meant "a strong focus on discipline, hard work, and high standards". Some would view this as a positive and others would criticize the approach as overbearing and lacking in love.

As a former student of Suzuki teachers, "traditional" non-Russian teachers and "traditional" Russian teachers, I would like to shatter this stereotype. Here is why:

The Suzuki Method certainly believes in discipline, hard work, and high standards. Yet, because teachers come from a place of love and a nurturing environment is a key factor in the success of the philosophy, many parents and "traditional teachers" unfairly and derisively view Suzuki teachers as being "soft". It is my opinion that while this might be the case, it is no different than a "traditional teacher" who is also nurturing in his or her approach. Being "traditional" does not have to mean being a slave-driver.

In the Twentieth Century, distinct "traditional" pedagogical approaches developed in Russia and the United States (not to mention France, England, Austria, and many other countries). Furthermore, there used to be a well known rivalry between the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the Moscow Conservatory resulting in different ways of playing.

Ultimately, with the breakup of the Soviet Union and a world that became increasingly more connected, the methodologies above became more and more standardized.

Suzuki's influence in the United States and Europe was so profound that even many teachers who do not agree with all of his ideas love his philosophy and the collection of pieces he assembled in his method books.

As you can see from the above points, a good violin teacher, whether Suzuki or "traditional", comes from a place of love. Perhaps Suzuki's gift to violin teaching was so all-encompassing that his philosophy has permeated the "traditional" realm.

Suzuki has often been criticized by "traditional teachers" for what was perceived as too much focus on playing by ear and not enough focus on rhythm and note reading in the early stages of learning. Ultimately, it has been my experience that the ability to focus on these facets depends on the abilities of the student at his or her age and how much time one has in a given lesson. It is also worth noting that just as no traditional teachers are alike in their methodology and teaching styles, there may be many differences in the styles of teaching between two Suzuki teachers.

Furthermore, without getting into too many technical details, Suzuki's initial approach to how one initially holds the bow and how one positions the left thumb on the instrument has been seen by many "traditional teachers" as being unorthodox and old-fashioned. Yet, it is worth noting that many Suzuki teachers today approach the instrument with a more "modern" technique that matches the "traditional" teachers. Sounds like an oxymoron? You bet. Now you can understand why I have been using quotes to describe "traditional" teachers. Due to point number three above, the "traditional" teachers are often the most modern in their approach to technique.

In conclusion, Suzuki violin lessons are more community-focused and require parental involvement in lessons. There is also a strong focus on playing together in groups. "Traditional teachers" often do not subscribe to these philosophies and depending on family dynamics and personalities, parental involvement might or might not be a distraction or impediment for a child. Furthermore, while "traditional teachers" are all in favor of students playing together, many wait until they have reached a certain level of musicianship and technique before introducing the concept of chamber music.

I hope that this little guide has been helpful to you. If you enjoyed it, kindly visit our website at www.maestromusicians.com where you can sign up for more helpful articles like this which will be delivered straight to your inbox monthly.

Daniel Broniatowski, D.M.A.
Maestro Musicians Academy
Parent tested, Child approved
Greater Boston

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