Suzuki Guitar Handbook Complete · PDF file1 Denver Guitar Academy Policies Relating to Suzuki...

Denver Guitar Academy

Suzuki Guitar Studio

Home Coach Handbook

Table of Contents

I. Denver Guitar Academy Policies.................................................................... 1

II. Suzuki Method and Philosophy 101

A. Suzuki Method – a description................................................................. 7

B. “You are single most important factor...”................................................. 10

C. “On Review”................................................................................................. 12

D. “Message from Peggy Wise”...................................................................... 16

E. “Raise Your Ability...”................................................................................. 18

F. “10 Good Ideas for Suzuki Parents”.......................................................... 20

G. “The No’s of Learning”............................................................................... 21

H. “Tips for Practice Sessions”....................................................................... 23

I. “How to Help Your Child at Home”.......................................................... 25

III. Private, Group and Practice Session Expectations, etc.

A. Private Lessons

1. Expectations...................................................................................... 27

2. Lesson Assignment Sheets

a. Pre-Twinklers Weekly Lesson Sheet............................... 28

b. Twinklers & Book 1 Weekly Lesson Sheet..................... 29

c. Daily Practice Chart............................................................ 30

d. Book 2 Weekly Lesson Sheet………………………....... 31

B. Group Class

1. Expectations...................................................................................... 32

C. Practice Sessions

1. Expectations..................................................................................... 33

2. Practice Routines and Suggestions............................................... 34

3. A Parent’s Daily Dozen Practice Chart....................................... 35

3. Repetition Games............................................................................ 41

IV. Appendix

“The Wheels on the Bus” Lyrics..................................................................... 43

Proper Rest Position (Picture taken during lesson)....................................

“Parts of the Guitar”........................................................................................ 44

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Denver Guitar Academy

Policies Relating to Suzuki Students

My mission is to provide a fun and nurturing music education experience for

those families who are committed to the basic tenets of the Suzuki philosophy.

This document describes the studio policies that apply. Issues discussed include

group class attendance and timeliness, initial training and ongoing discussion

groups for home coaches, quarterly fees and payment due dates, make-up

lessons, cancellations due to weather, teacher illness and other emergencies,

recital attire, and expectations for behavior during lesson observations.

I. Group Classes

Attendance:

Regular group class attendance is critically important for your child’s musical

development. Moreover, frequent absence, on the part of any one child, can have

a significant negative impact on the quality of the group experience for his/her

peers. As a consequence, group class attendance will be tracked, and a child who

accumulates more than two “misses” (see also “Timeliness” below) in a given

quarter may be excluded from the next studio recital. A child who accumulates

more than two misses in two separate quarters within a 12-month period will be

asked to leave the studio.

Group Attendance after Three Years in the Program:

The only exception to the above policy is for families who have demonstrated the

commitment necessary to have stayed with the program for three or more years.

Such families may, at the discretion of the director, be given a limited amount of

additional flexibility with respect to group class attendance. If you fall into this

category, and think an upcoming quarter’s group class commitment may be

impossible to meet, please let the director know well in advance of the start of

the quarter so we can discuss what impact your child’s planned absences might

have on his/her group class’s roster and curriculum.

No Shows:

If your child will be unable to attend a group class for any reason other than last

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minute illness, please let me know by the end of the prior day so that lesson

plans can be adjusted accordingly.

Timeliness:

In fairness to those who arrive on time, group classes will begin promptly, as

scheduled. Also, when a teacher stops in the middle of a group class to set up a

tardy student’s stool and footstool and to tune his/her instrument, it dramatically

disrupts the class. Consequently, please arrive at least five minutes before the

scheduled start time of your child’s group class. Any arrival after five minutes

prior to the start of a group class will be deemed “late.” Two “lates” in a quarter

will count as a “miss” for attendance tracking purposes.

Any child who arrives after a group class is already underway is welcome to

observe, but not participate in, what remains of the class. If you find yourself in

this situation, please have your child sit with you in one of the home coach

seating areas. Please do not disrupt the class by attempting to set them up

yourself while class is in session.

II. Fees

The standard quarterly fee for a child involved in the Denver Guitar Academy

Suzuki program is $300. These fees are non-refundable.

Tuition for Advanced Students:

As students progress into the middle and upper books, a half hour private lesson

is no longer adequate for the child to feel like he or she is making satisfactory

progress. At some point, usually around Book 3, the family is encouraged

(though not required) to take a 45 minute private lesson slot. When the child can

handle it, lessons will move to being 1 hour in length. In such cases, $120/quarter

will be added to the student’s standard quarterly tuition for each 15 minutes

beyond the typical 30 minute lesson slot.

Due Dates – Child’s First Full Quarter

In order to mitigate the cash crunch associated with acquiring an instrument and

all the associated accessories, parents of new students will be allowed to pay

their first quarterly fee in three roughly equal installments. The payment

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schedule for these installments is: first payment due at the child’s first regularly

scheduled private lesson, second payment due at the child’s fourth regularly

scheduled private lesson, third payment due at the child’s seventh regularly

scheduled private lesson. For families that start mid-quarter, special

arrangements will be made for payment of fees relating to the partial quarter.

Due Date – Child’s Second Full, and All Subsequent, Quarters

The due date for fees for the child’s second and all subsequent quarters will be

the date of the child’s regularly scheduled private lesson in the last week of the

previous quarter. By meeting this due date, parents will reserve their child’s

private lesson slot for the coming quarter. If payment for the coming quarter

has not been received by the due date, the child’s lesson slot may be made

available to new prospective students and to those veteran students who wish

to make a scheduling change. Finally, we request that any parent who is

contemplating leaving the studio be considerate of those who may be on a

waiting list by letting us know, as far in advance as possible, when you will no

longer be studying with us.

III. Home Coach Training & Discussion Groups

Training:

During a student’s first quarter in the program, parents are expected to attend

one or more, approximately one hour “home coach” training sessions. During

these sessions, the home coach will learn about the Suzuki philosophy, how to

make the most of the child’s individual and group lessons, how to make the

home practice sessions fun, and how to play the first few tunes the child will

learn on his/her instrument. It has been our experience that these sessions are

critical to the parents’ understanding of how and why our program works, and

therefore to the success of the student. As a consequence, attendance is

mandatory. If you are unable to make all four of these sessions, please let me

know, in advance, so that alternative arrangements can be made.

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IV. Make-Up Policy

Group Classes

Make-ups will not be given for group classes missed.

Individual Lessons

One make-up lesson will be given for individual lessons missed by the student if

the teacher is given 24 hour notice. As a consequence, a current student phone

list and lesson calendar will be made available by the director to all parents via

www.DenverGuitarAcademy.com. It is strongly recommended that, if you

know you have to miss a lesson, you try to arrange to swap with another

student, and if successful, notify the teacher of the scheduling change ahead of

time.

There are no refunds for lessons missed due to inclement weather but the

director will attempt, if possible, to provide make-up lessons in this instance.

Weather Cancellations

The Denver Public Schools policies in terms of cancellations for weather will be

followed. On any day which the Denver Public schools are closed due to

weather, the studio will also be closed. Also, the studio will be closed on any

day which DPS school children are sent home early due to weather. If you call,

but can’t reach the studio to learn about a weather cancellation, there are two

other ways to find out if the DPS schools and the studio have been closed, or are

sending children home:

1) Check out www.DenverGuitarAcademy.com if there is ever a question of

cancellations or

2) go directly to the DPS District web page. School closures are prominently

displayed at or near the top of the home page.

Student Illness:

In the interest of keeping a safe and healthy environment for everyone in the

studio, please do not bring your student to his/her lesson or group class under

any of the following circumstances:

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1. if the student was or, on a Saturday or vacation day, would have been kept or

brought home from school due to illness,

2. if the student has a fever

3. if the student was up sick the night before the lesson or group class.

We all get colds, and if we take the proper precautions, the risk of spreading

them can be significantly reduced. So students who have colds are welcome to

come to lessons or group classes, as long as the cold is not accompanied by

symptoms such as a fever, chills or nausea, which may suggest a more serious

illness. Please notify your teacher, upon arrival, if either you or your student has

a cold. Thank you for your understanding on this. We all stand to benefit.

V. Performances - Attire & Timeliness

Unless otherwise specified, students will be required to wear a dark gray or

black skirt or slacks, and a white dress shirt or blouse to all public performances

and recitals. Usually, the “Call” time for all recitals and public performances is

½ hour before the scheduled start time. A child who does not make the “Call”

time will be excluded from participation in the recital.

Observation of, and participation in, another student’s lesson

One tenet of the Suzuki Method is that all children should be encouraged to

observe and, when appropriate, be invited to participate in, the “private” lessons

of other students. Parents are invited to bring their children to lessons early and

to stay late, in order to provide opportunities for this kind of joint learning. It

must be understood, however, that even under the best of circumstances, the

arrival or departure of another family can temporarily disrupt the flow of a

lesson already underway. As a consequence, standards of behavior must

actually be higher for those children that are observing, than for those whose

lesson it is. Please, when entering the studio with your child, be mindful of the

potential impact your arrival may have on the student who is already in session.

If your child appears prepared to sit and observe quietly, by all means, bring

him or her in. If, however, his or her mood suggests that their behavior may be

difficult to manage, please wait in the car until the other student’s lesson is

nearly finished. Thank you for your consideration.

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By signing this document, we acknowledge that we have read, understand,

and agree to adhere to all of the above policies.

_______________________________ ____________

Mike Hyland, Studio Director Date

________________________________ ____________

Home Coach Date

7/20/2011

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The Suzuki Method:

What is the Suzuki Method?

The Suzuki method was created by and named after Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. To read more

about the life of Dr. Suzuki you can read the book Nurtured by Love. Another wonderful

book is To Learn with Love by William Starr.

The Suzuki method is now being taught all over the world, to hundreds of thousands of

children. It is widely recognized as a highly successful method for teaching very young

children to play music. There are several basic principles in the Suzuki Method which are

outlined below.

Mother Tongue Approach

The Suzuki method is often referred to as the Mother Tongue Approach. In the Suzuki

method we try to teach music the same way we "teach" language. Just as we learn to

speak our mother tongue well before we can read or write, students in the Suzuki method

also learn to play music and develop a level of instrumental competence before they read

music on the instrument. Just as a baby is surrounded by language, so must the Suzuki

student be immersed in the music he/she will study. The student listens daily to a

recording of the music he/she will study, hopefully many times a day. Knowing the

music intimately frees the student to be concerned with the quality of the tone he/she

creates, and with the technical accuracy and efficiency of his/her playing.

Everyone understands that their child will become literate in his/her mother tongue, and

the situation is no different for Suzuki students. We expect them to develop full

competence in music literacy. If you have heard that students in the Suzuki Method do

not read music, you have heard incorrectly. Historically there have been teachers

associating themselves with the Suzuki method who did not teach music reading, but

they were not Suzuki teachers. Any worthwhile method should demand the student

become musically literate, and the Suzuki method is clearly worthwhile in this regard!

Parental Importance

Children learn language from their parents, so it is necessary that if we call this the

Mother Tongue Approach, surely the bulk of the learning comes from the parent. This is

exactly true.

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The importance of the parent in this method is impossible to overstate. Since young

children are incapable of making long term commitments, it is the parent's responsibility

to make the commitment on behalf of the child. The parent is committing to regular

attendance at private and group lessons, daily practice with the child, and daily listening

to the recorded music. At the Denver Guitar Academy, the parent who assumes

responsibility for the daily practice (hereafter referred to as the "Home Coach”) will

attend four Home Coach training sessions where he/she will learn the tools needed to

help the child succeed. This includes information about the Suzuki method, the

rudiments of playing the instrument, strategies for practicing with his/her child and a

great deal of moral support! The Home Coach is embarking upon a fantastic journey

with his/her child, and these sessions are designed to prepare the parent and child for

success.

Small Steps

The repertoire in the Suzuki method is designed in such a way that the child can progress

from music that is very simple, to very demanding repertoire, always with a feeling of

mastery. The student will take small incremental steps which lead to thorough

confidence and mastery on the instrument. The job of a Suzuki teacher is to take the

smallest task and break it down even further for a student. We need the student to feel

confident and secure, not frustrated. The repertoire is arranged very well to accomplish

this task, as generally speaking, each piece presents one new demand on the student, so

that the student is free to focus on the one new issue, as the previous issues are

completely assimilated into his/her playing mechanism. It is a well researched pedagogy

and is reaping benefits for thousands of children.

Group Lessons

In the Suzuki studio, the child will attend group lessons in addition to the private lessons.

One lesson will be a private lesson where the student is given very specific personal

instruction on how to play the instrument. The other lesson is a group lesson where the

student has the opportunity to play his/her instrument and learn more about music in the

company of peers. The group lesson is a brilliant motivating force for children. It allows

them to see other children their own age doing what they are doing. The group does not

introduce negative competition in any way, but rather the children come to rejoice in

their friends’ accomplishments. While different students may be at different levels in the

repertoire, they are all continually working on excellent tone, ease of playing, and

beautiful musicality.

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Better People through Music

Dr. Suzuki was adamant that he was not trying to create an army of super children with

freakish musical abilities. He was not even trying to create professional musicians.

Rather, he felt that the study of music helped to create beautiful people. Surely continued

study of beautiful music must penetrate deep into children's beings and create warmer,

fuller, more beautiful people. We hope to create a lifelong love of music and beauty, but

the end goal is that this beauty manifests itself in the children. As simplistic and perhaps

idealistic as it sounds, we hope to create a better world through the study of music.

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You are the single most important factor in determining

your child's likelihood of success.

Though some percentage of children may go on to succeed with an instrument

without significant parental involvement, such cases are relatively rare, and they

do so in spite of, not because of, the parents' limited level of commitment. We

want every child to have in place all the supports necessary to succeed. Hence,

before joining the program, we urge every parent to make the following

commitments to his/her child.

1. My child will study the instrument for at least a year.

Every child has peaks and troughs in his/her level of enthusiasm. If we

enter the process without a predefined commitment to stick with it, we're

setting the child up for failure. If on the other hand, we can get the child

through that first year, there are two important outcomes:

o First, students will have had ample opportunity to experience

success with the instrument. Hence, even if they do quit, they won't

leave feeling as though they've failed.

o Second, kids love to do what they're good at. As a consequence,

when they get to that one-year mark, they rarely want to quit. They

see the results of their efforts, have developed a sense of

community within the studio, and are willing to do whatever it

takes to continue studying.

2. I will attend, and take copious notes, at all of my child's lessons and

group classes. The teacher sees the child once or twice a week. You'll be

practicing with him/her almost every day. In order to be effective in your

role as “home coach,” you must collect and organize all the information

disseminated at lessons, and be able to feed that back to the child during

practice sessions.

3. I will practice with my child at least five times a week.

You can't learn Japanese by studying it once a week. Research has

consistently shown that five short practice sessions are far better than two

long ones. Success breeds success. If children consistently come to lessons

prepared, they will feel successful. When they feel successful, lessons and

practice sessions will be fun. When practice is fun, they practice more.

When they practice more, they do better, etc., etc. Once this cycle is

started, they quickly learn to love the study of music.

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4. I will do everything I can to make home practice sessions fun and

exciting.

Once again, the parent is the lynch pin. We'll give you all the tools you'll

need to make practice something your child will look forward to. It'll be

up to you to put them to use.

5. I will work with my child to continually maintain, refine and polish

review repertoire.

Repetition, repetition, repetition! Unlike the old adage, “We're gonna do

this 'til we get it right!” the Suzuki Method suggests that real practice

doesn't even begin until after we've already gotten it right. Think of the

process in three discrete phases, each requiring a deeper level of

understanding. They are: a) finding and memorizing the notes of a piece, b)

mastery with the instrument, and c) mastering of the music. Shinichi Suzuki

once said “Learn to play with a piece you already know.” In other words,

in order to master the instrument, and music, you must constantly strive

to perfect music you already know how to play.

6. My child will listen to the Suzuki Guitar CDs daily.

As with language, kids learn music best when they're immersed in it.

Hence, a cornerstone of the Method is that a child will listen to a quality

recording of the music he/she is about to learn, many, many times before

attempting to play it.

7. We will attend at least four group classes each quarter.

This commitment is not only important to your child's musical

development, it also has implications for the other kids in his/her group.

Imagine the goalie on a youth soccer team only showing up for two of this

season's ten games. The goalie’s absences would not only affect the

goalie, it would affect his/her team mates as well. The group classes are a

centerpiece of the Suzuki Method. In them, kids learn to play music in a

group, to lead and follow a leader, develop a social context for their music

and play lots of games that make the study of an instrument fun. If only

one or two kids show up for a class, many of the advantages of the group

setting are lost.

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On Review The following has been taken from the Teaching from the Balance Point by Edward

Kreitman.

One of the most important and least understood aspects of the Suzuki Method

is review. Three stories will illustrate.

Story 1: The Interview

A father calls and wants his child to audition for my studio. And appointment is

made for the boy and his father to come in and meet with me. I ask the student

to tell me a little bit about his background with the violin. He started violin

lessons in the fourth grade and has played in the school orchestra program. He

is now in the eighth grade. I ask him if he has something that he can play for me.

The student replies, “I have been working on the Vivaldi Concerto in A

Minor, but I don’t know all of it yet.”

“That’s OK. Play what you know for me, and if you need the music, we’ll

put in on the stand.”

The student is barely able to get through the first page of the Vivaldi;

there are lots of wrong notes, and the technique does not really support playing

at this level. That’s OK; that’s why he is here, to improve his playing skills. I ask

him what else he could play for me.

“Last spring I played Humoresque for solo and ensemble contest, but I

haven’t played it since then.”

“What do you usually work on when you practice?”

“Well, this Vivaldi and my orchestra music, mostly.”

How sad, I am thinking to myself. This poor fellow has been playing the

violin for four years, and today, he has nothing to show for it but a page of badly

played Vivaldi concerto. We talk about what it will take for him to get his

playing in shape, and I ask if he and his dad are ready to make that kind of

commitment to his music. They agree, and we set a date for his first lesson.

Story 2: The Mother with an Agenda

My first student for the day comes into the studio. While I am tuning the

violin, the mother explains that her daughter is anxious to play her working

piece. “She has finally learned the last few measures of Gavotte from Mignon

and wants to pass the piece so she can move on to something new.” Mother and

daughter are “really tired” of working on the Gavotte.

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The truth is, they have not “worked on” the Gavotte at all. They are still

struggling to learn the notes. “Let’s warm up a bit first. How about f we start

with a tonalization piece? How is your Chorus from Judas Maccabeus?”

The student looks at her mother, as if to say, “Which one is that?”

I play the first few notes to get the girl started. Oh yes, she remembers

that tune. She plays through the first section, not very confidently, and for about

the hundredth time, I have to remind her of the D sharp in the middle section.

Meanwhile, Mom is rolling her eyes and thinking, “Why does he insist on asking

her week after week to play these old tunes that are obviously rusty, when I have

just explained that we have worked hard all week on finishing up the Gavotte

from Mignon?”

“Pretty good. How about a little Bach Musette?”

The notes are fairly solid, but when it’s time to play the scale passages, the

student gets them mixed up. Mom is rolling her eyes and looking annoyed.

“Let’s try the Long, Long Ago with the variation.”

“I don’t think she’s played that one in a while.” Mom interjects. “She

really worked hard on the Gavotte from Mignon this week. Could she play that

for you? She’s anxious to start on the Lully Gavotte so she can play it on the

recital this spring.”

“Well, all right,” I reluctantly agree. “Let’s see how it goes. The Gavotte

from Mignon starts pretty well, but the bow is slipping over the fingerboard on

the sixteenth notes, and the rhythm isn’t quite right on the thirty-second notes in

the second phrase. By the time we get to the section in B flat, the playing is so

out of tune that I can’t listen anymore. In self-defense, I’m wondering what is in

the freezer to defrost for dinner.

Story 3: The Model Student

The next student, a six-year-old, is going to have his first lesson on the Bach

Bouree at the end of Book 3.

“What would you like to play first for me today?”

“Time needs to ply the Boccherini Minuet. He’s playing that for the solo

recital in two weeks.”

He confidently performs the Minuet with beautiful posture and excellent

tone and intonation. It is played at just the right tempo and has lots of musical

expression.

“Oh that’s great. I think you’ll do a terrific job on the recital. Have you

rehearsed with the accompanist yet?”

“No, but we have an appointment to get together before group class

tomorrow.”

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Mom replies as she consults her daily planner.

“Terrific. What would you like to play next?”

“Oh, I don’t know, anything from Book 2 or Book 3. I play through them

all every day.” Tim is excited for me to know.

(And it shows! I am thinking.) “Well, how about the Becker Gavotte, and

then you can show me how you are doing on the notes to your new piece.”

He flies through the Becker without a hitch. The up-bow staccato is

perfectly executed, probably because he can play the Long, Long Ago variation

and the Beethoven Minuet Trio, which prepare for this technique.

“OK, that’s great. Now let’s hear the Bach.” This is the first time I have

heard this piece. He plays straight through. A few places are a little out of tune,

and he misses a couple of bowings in the minor section. These small

imperfections will be corrected in a week or two, and then we can really get to

work on understanding and developing the musical aspects of this piece.

The Point

What a difference in these three students and their approaches to playing the

violin! The first boy can’t do much of anything, but he seems eager to learn more

about playing well. I’m sorry that we’ll have to start from scratch with

technique, but then he’s never had the benefit of private lessons or

understanding how to play by ear.

The second lesson is the one that really disturbs me. After the lackluster

performance of the Gavotte from Mignon, both mother and daughter looked to

me as if to say, “Well, did I pass?” I asked them both to sit down. I thought that

wee needed to talk. “What is the point of learning the next piece? I can

remember six months ago, when you were all excited to learn the Long, Long

Ago. Today, you can’t remember it. If we follow that pattern, six months from

now, you won’t be able to remember how to play the Lully Gavotte either, so

why don’t we save ourselves the trouble and just skip it altogether?”

I tell these three stories to illuminate the profound difference between a

student who uses the technique of review to build skill and one who does not.

The first student has been studying in what we call a traditional method. His

primary focus in lessons and practice has been on reading music and preparing a

certain piece for a performance. After that performance of the piece, the music is

collected, and he gets new music to work on. Earlier pieces are never seen or

heard again. In this case, review is not even a though on the practice agenda.

In the second case, the student is supposedly studying the Suzuki Method,

but, as you can see, she is no better off than the first student, because she doesn’t

understand the importance of review. For this student, reviewing pieces is

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drudgery that she goes through periodically to get a few old pieces ready to play

on a recital. Review is not a regular part of her daily practice regime, and she

certainly doesn’t understand how reviewing the old pieces will actually make

learning the new ones easier and faster.

The third case is an example for the model Suzuki parent and student who

understand the review process and put their understanding into action.

From the SAA Journal “Dear Verna” column July 1987:

Dear Verna: How much should my child review?

Verna: There’s a true story about a 7 year old boy from Japan playing in the 7th

Suzuki violin book. While visiting the U.S. his mother was asked how long he

practiced every day. Although hard to believe, the answer was 5 minutes.

“Impossible,” everyone thought, “a real Suzuki miracle. Please explain

what he did in the five minutes.”

“Oh, he practices the one small point that Dr. Suzuki asked him to do. He

repeats it correctly over and over for about 5 minutes. Then he plays all his

songs – Book 6, Book 5, Book 4, Book 3, Book 2, and Book 1. But that is fun for

him, we don’t think of it as practice,” the mother answered.

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Message from Peggy Wise – Suzuki Teacher & Parent

“If your child is like every other child I’ve ever known, he or

she will definitely learn to play the chosen instrument.

Along the way, he or she will most certainly – at one time or

another:”

Lie down on the floor when everyone else is standing

Stand when everyone else is lying down.

Interrupt a lesson with a rambling discourse – definitely not on music.

Seem more interested in the mechanics of the instrument than in playing it

Have times when they feel more sleepy, hungry, angry, or lazy than

musical.

Have time when they’ll declare they hate the instrument (or you).

Resist and test your ideas about habit-building, especially concerning

practice.

Get to a lesson and do absolutely nothing that has been worked on at

home.

Make pronouncements to the teacher regarding your practice or lack

thereof, listening or lack thereof, home life, family problems and secrets,

etc.

Appear to you to be the only one out of step in the entire class.

Have a 5-to-10 minute attention span and sometimes only 5-to-10 seconds.

Deliberately do things backward or incorrectly.

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“It’s funny, I can appreciate these actions and reactions in the other

children in the class. As a matter of fact, I think they’re cute and

funny, and well, just terrific to be making the progress they’re

making. It’s exciting to watch learning happen. While with my

own, sometimes I want to sit on my hands, bite my tongue, hide

my face, duck my head, or maybe yell. However, I learned over the

years that my kids sense it when I feel that way, and they become

nervous and less confident. What they need most is:”

My interest – I’m here, I care.

My faith – I believe they can learn to play the guitar.

My enthusiasm – this is a neat thing to do!

My respect – For them, their very real efforts, concentration, and

personhood; For their teacher and the teacher’s ideas, advice, interest,

ability and training.

My enjoyment – of every step along the way.

My acceptance – indicated by a pleasant expression on my face at lesson,

class, and practice.

My praise – of EVERY small success.

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Dr. Suzuki

Raise Your Ability with a Piece You Can Play

By Shinichi Suzuki

Not only in music but in every area, the success or failure of education depends

on whether or not you carry out the “principle of fostering ability.” Therefore,

those who don’t know how to foster ability will be unable to raise children

beautifully. And those who, not knowing how to foster ability, overlook the flaw

in the traditional idea of ability as something “inborn,” never fail to ask, “Does

every child grow in the same way?” If they understand the “law of ability”, such

a strange question can never surface.

Babies in the Stone Age, without exception, all grew to have the heart, sensitivity,

and ability of the Stone Age, despite differences in the environment of their

growth. Whether in the heart, sensitivity, or ability, no one’s upbringing will be

totally identical with another’s. Anyway, above all I would like you to know the

“law of ability.” How ability can be acquired and fostered, and how it can fail to

form, is the first principle one needs to know of education.

Ability is the problem of the physiology of the big brain. The right hand of a

right-handed person has acquired far better sensitivity, power, and other abilities

than the left hand. These abilities developed in the right hand in the course of

repeated training in what it can do. Please clearly understand that repeated

practice of what one is capable of doing is the principle of fostering outstanding

ability. Take calligraphy for example. If you have written a character five times,

can you say you are through with that character because you can already write

it? In order to refine your hand, you must compare what you have written with

the model from which you copied and write it many, many times. Thus, the

ability to write well gradually grows. I think you can understand the method of

fostering fine ability from this example.

After a student has learned to play a piece, I tell him during the lesson, “Now

that your preparation is complete, let’s practice in order to build your ability.

The lesson is just the beginning.” I let him practice by comparing his

performance with the record, or by playing along with the record. This serves to

gradually foster musical rhythm, refined tonality, and beautiful deportment. This

is the crux of my approach to fostering fine students. Only after the student has

19

learned the piece, can the teacher begin to demonstrate his skill of fostering

ability. Yet, some mothers who don’t know this key point of Suzuki education

think that “going to the next piece means becoming more advanced.” All they

want is to advance to a higher piece. Aiming at fostering fine ability, the teacher

may try to zealously instruct according to the principle of “creating ability with a

familiar piece the student can already play,” but some mothers seem unhappy

that he “just won’t let us go forward.”

Create fine ability with an old piece – if this method is carried out correctly,

every child will grow splendidly. I would very much like the mothers of talent

education members to understand this. It’s like learning the mother tongue. A

small child repeats what words he can say every day. He may seem slow at first,

but he quickly increases his vocabulary by the time he is five or six and starts to

jabber loquaciously. In the same way, while diligently working to enrich his

ability using old pieces, a student will soon begin to display fine ability to go

speedily ahead. The Suzuki method is the mother tongue method. We are

practicing the same method as the education of the mother tongue, which never

fails any child.

Please let your children listen well to the records, and work on creating inner

ability at home. If a child does not listen to spoken Japanese, he will be a

miserable speaker. “Listen and practice, listen and practice” – this is the same

thing as “look at the model and practice, look at the model and practice” in

calligraphy. In any case, please think this over for your child, so that fine ability

will grow. In other words, the Talent Education Center is a center for studying

how to foster fine children. Therefore, I beg you members to study eagerly.

20

Ten Good Ideas for Suzuki Parents:

I. There’s never enough sincere and honest praise!

II. Find something good in every attempt before constructively

criticizing.

III. Don’t compare your child with other students.

IV. Communicate your successes, failures, and frustrations with

your teachers.

V. Don’t talk with other parents during Group Class (remember

it’s about the kids).

VI. Be content with every step (the smaller the better)!

VII. Be content when your child would rather watch than

participate.

VIII. Approach daily practice with passion and enthusiasm. Enjoy

the ride!

IX. Do not compare other children with your child!

X. Listen to the Suzuki recordings!

21

The “No’s” of Learning

By Edmund Sprunger

Dr. Suzuki prefers to call his

style of teaching “The Mother Tongue

Method” rather than “Suzuki Method.”

His whole approach to education is

based on the idea that since all children

learn their native language so well (an

incredible feat when one examines the

complexities of language) they possess

incredible abilities, and it is up to adults

to examine the process of mother tongue

acquisition and apply the elements of

this education to the child’s education in

general.

An important part of mother

tongue acquisition is the precepts and

attitudes shared by the adults who

surround children. These precepts and

attitudes need to be applied if an

experience in what we call “Suzuki

Method” is to be rewarding and

complete. Although Suzuki teachers

joke that one of the basic rules of

teaching is “don’t use negatives!” I have

taken the liberty to call these precepts

and attitudes of Mother Tongue learning

“THE NO’S.”

NO DOUBT

Is there ever any doubt in the

minds of parents that their normal,

healthy baby will learn to speak? No!

Our precept is that the child will learn.

Have you ever heard a parent say of an

infant “this one appears to have a talent

for learning to speak”? No! My cousin

and his wife just adopted an Indian baby,

but there are no expectations that he will

learn Hindi in northern Indiana. Parents

don’t say “I think he may just learn

English – you know, his aunt spoke

English...” We don’t evaluate babies

and say, “Well this one goes to Italy to

learn Italian, this one will probably be

good at Japanese, and – let’s see, send

this one to Romania.” No! There is NO

DOUBT that children will learn the

language that is around them.

NO CHOICE

“He seems to show an interest in

English, but I don’t know if it will work

out or not. We’ll give it a try, and if it

doesn’t seem to go right after a year or

two, we’ll switch to German.” We don’t

ask children, “Do you think you’d like to

learn English?” No, there is no choice.

(MH: I would add that they have some

say as to the instrument, but learning to

play and understand music is not a

choice.)

NO PROBLEM

We assume that it won’t be

difficult for a child to learn his native

tongue. But if you’ve ever tried to learn

another person’s native language, or

spoken with a foreigner trying to learn

yours, even if that person is very

intelligent, you notice that language is

very complicated.

NO PRICE TOO SMALL

In other words, adults value

learning language. My sister’s twin girls

are babbling away at 15 months, and she

says, “I can’t wait until I can understand

what they’re talking about.” We feel

sorry for foreigners who are around us

and don’t know English. We value our

language and the freedom it gives us to

communicate.

22

NO RUSH

Adults praise small steps. A

small child learning to make sounds says

“boyaboy-aboy” and everyone around

her is charmed. What adult says “Is that

ALL she can say?” There is a great

tolerance of errors and fragments for

children learning their native tongue.

NO PAIN

Learning your native language is

not difficult. There are thousands of

words in your vocabulary. And you

didn’t suffer memorizing them. There

was no hardship. Parents correct the

language mistakes of small children with

great willingness.

NO ISOLATION

We don’t learn our language at

home and only use it there. We use it

with our friends, on the street, etc.

NO DISPOSAL

“Well, now that you know words

like ‘franchise,’ ‘equilibrium,’ and

‘metropolitan,’ go ahead and drop the

simple baby words like ‘mom,’ ouch,’

and ‘love.’” Sounds pretty ridiculous,

doesn’t it? We don’t throw away the

words we first learned because they’re

“baby” words. We keep them in our

vocabulary and use them again and

again. This is a point Dr. Suzuki

continually comes back to: the

importance of review.

NO READING

When I was in Japan, Mrs.

Kataoka told an American student,

“there, now you’re playing with your

ears. That’s how you learned

English...and your English is

marvelous.” Don’t underestimate the

ear. It can teach a child English,

Japanese, Finnish, Bach, Mozart, or

Tchaikovsky.

NO RULES

Even the best linguists admit

they can only describe a fragment of

language. The majority of the grammar

we use is correct only because it “feels

right.” Native speakers know their

language inside and out.

NO GOALS

We are delighted with whatever

small progress a child makes in learning

his native language. It would be

ridiculous to say “By next Thursday you

should be able to pronounce your S’s

perfectly.” If not we’ll switch to

Chinese. We enjoy the process and are

not attached to goals!

NO LIMITS

If a child is constantly exposed to

her native tongue, we don’t think of her

limits with the language. We don’t

decide at age seven that someone isn’t

going to ever be a public speaker. The

actor/dancer/poet/author Maya Angelou

was a mute for several years as a child.

23

Tips for Practice Sessions (mostly) Compiled from Parent/Teacher discussions presented at the Colorado Suzuki

Institute, Snowmass Village, Summer 2000

Most important aspect of practice is enjoyment!

Practice needs to be fun or your student won’t want to continue.

SMILE during practice! Children feed off of facial expressions.

Actual ability to play the guitar will be achieved over time. Be patient!

Student is not learning each piece of music but learning how to play the

instrument.

Have a set practice time. It needs to be a routine; A part of life. A FUN part of

who they are becoming.

Practice is NOT nag time.

Use step by step approach. Focus on one very small task at a time.

Repetition is unavoidable. Skills are acquired after countless repetitions. Make

them fun.

“Twinkle” and variations lay the foundation. Suzuki could tell what book a

student was in based upon how well “Twinkle” and its variations were played.

Focusing is the most important issue in the beginning. Everything needs to be

done with INTENT. Have one focused activity a week.

Be crystal clear about the focus of the practice session.

Be active in lessons with teacher by knowing what to work on at home.

Do not impose adult time concepts on children when practicing. Don’t feel

rushed. If you have 10 minutes, don’t try to do 25 minutes worth of practice.

Parent/Coach is the “teacher” six days a week! Think long term.

24

Use incentives. Nothing wrong with awarding hard work that is well done.

Some students like the competition and challenge. “I bet you can’t play that five

times perfectly!”

Listen to the recordings! You may grow weary of them, your student won’t!

Record in a journal or sticky notes or however, the practice techniques that are

successful. Praise non-musical skills like organizing time and recognizing

weak spots!

NEVER practice when you are angry with your child.

End practice sessions on positive notes. If that means ending sooner than later

that is fine! Short positive practice sessions are the best medicine!

Don’t let them quit, they’ll thank you one day!

25

How to Help Your Child at Home

• Practice regularly, every day—seven days a week—no matter how many other

demands present themselves.

• Have a routine time that you practice. Ideally all you have to say is “Oh, look

what time it is...” and your child knows it’s practice time.

• Do you have a format you follow when you practice? What is it? For example:

Tonalization-Review-New Piece – Review

• Is your practice environment focused and calm? Younger siblings interrupting?

• Play the artist’s recording of the music being learned. Do this casually, several

times a day without concern for whether the children are listening attentively.

• The age of your child will be a major factor in your approach to practice. If your

child is a pre-schooler, keep the elements of a game in high priority since

learning takes place best when an activity is fun.

• Let your child have some say about the schedule for daily practice. Make a chart

showing the times that you have both agreed to and post it as a reminder.

• Be enthusiastic yourself about practice time!

• Find an interesting practice routine that will cover the tasks to be done. List the

assignments for the week and decide in what order they will be practiced. This

can be done by using a prepared chart, by drawing lottery cards, or by some

other system.

• Precious moments between parent and child for making music and working

together should not have to be shared with a younger sibling. Make special

arrangements if necessary.

• Know (ask your teacher) what is reasonable to expect. Children learn at different

rates, but excessive demands (or leniency) as a regular diet will create tensions

and disinterest.

• Actively involve your child in determining specifically what is to be learned and

how to go about it. Do not tell him what the teacher said—ask him.

26

• Learn how to work in very small steps –one note, two notes, a measure. Connect

one small step to another and rejoice in the progress.

• Motivate your student by making a chart which shows his progress. Be creative!

• Tape your practice sessions. The child hears himself. You hear yourself. You

both are sure to get some objective feedback.

• Learning the notes, fingering and other technicalities in the beginning of study

for a musical piece. Only through mastery will it contribute to the building of

permanent skills.

• Never begin work on a new piece unless your teacher has suggested or approved

it.

• Be generous with encouraging remarks, even though a good effort may not have

produced successful results. Treat ‘praise’ with caution, avoid verbalizing

irritation, and reward your child with your love and appreciation.

• As you advance in the repertoire, spend more and more time reviewing and

improving the pieces learned.

• Once or twice a week, give a home concert for the parent who does not usually

supervise the practice sessions. Include bowing and applause.

• Sense when a practice session is over. It is more important to return to the

instrument with joy and enthusiasm tomorrow than to force a few extra

minutes today.

From an 1986 article in Ability Development by Lorraine Fink

(a publication no longer in print)

27

Expectations for Private Lessons

Parents:

� Attend all lessons and take detailed notes so as to be an effective home teacher.

The parent who will be practicing with the child that week should be the one

attending lessons.

� Do not interfere with the lesson. However tempting it may be to remind your

child of something you worked on at home but seems to be forgotten now, this

can be humiliating for the child and can disrupt the flow of the lesson. I promise

I have noticed the problem, but am waiting for an appropriate time to address it.

If there is something that I’d like you to participate in I will ask.

� Be positive, encouraging, excited about small achievements, never sarcastic or

humiliating. Try to make a positive attitude one of the skills to practice for you

and your child!

� Arrive five minutes before the lesson so that your child can go to the bathroom,

unpack, get a drink of water, etc., so that the lesson may begin on time.

� Try to attend all student recital performances, whether or not your child will be

performing. If your child is performing, please stay the duration of the recital to

support your peers.

� Attend lots of performances! Be exposed to great music!

� Maintain instrument in good condition at all times and purchase/rent supplies

promptly.

Students:

� Cooperate with teacher and parent during lessons and home practice.

� Wash hands, file nails, go to the bathroom, get a drink before daily practice time

and lesson time.

� Treat parents, teachers, and peers with respect.

� Listen to recordings daily.

� Bring all necessary materials to all lessons.

Older Students:

� Be prepared for all assignments at all lessons. Your practice guidelines will be

laid out for you in your lessons.

� Show up on time and with all required materials for lessons, master classes and

performances.

� Be a role model for younger students in behavior, attitude, commitment and

attire.

28

Pre-Twinklers

Weekly Lesson Sheet

Lesson Assignments ___/___/___ : Student Name __________________

Fingers – R hand p, i, m, a, and L hand, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Parts of Guitar – Anatomical (head, neck, shoulders {upper bouts}, waist, hips {lower bouts}, heel.) Easy (back,

sides, sound board, sound hole, rosette, tuners) Harder (nut, frets, fret / finger board, saddle, bridge) Really Hard

(purfling, braces)

H2H Posture (Rest Position) – Sit tall, Right Foot Stomp, L foot on stool, R thigh parallel to floor, shins vertical,

guitar bottom rests against R thigh, waist consumed by L thigh, heart to heart, neck at 45 degrees, sound board

vertical, head stock level with L ear, R forearm on lower bout, R hand on upper bout.

Rocket Ship Position – Both feet on floor, R hand holds guitar by neck at heel, bottom of guitar rests on R thigh,

strings/sound board facing R wall, head points to ceiling.

Bow (4 steps) – From rest position, 1 = R hand grabs neck at heel. 2 = (2 movements) Go to Rocket ship position. 3

= Stand. 4 = Bring L foot to R foot. Bow from waist and hold long enough to whisper “hippopotamusic”. Sequence

is then reversed to return to Rest Position.

Musical Alphabet & Music Notation – Be able to identify letters A – G, place in proper order, tell which ones are

missing, etc. Identify whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes, sharps, flats, repeat signs, fermatas, crescendo and

decrescendo markings. Begin learning placement of letters on treble clef.

People on the Bus –

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________

Suggested Approach ______________________________________________________________

Moonwalk -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Twinkle -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Activity Tracking…

Student listened to entire Book 1 CD ______ times this week. (Goal = 7+)

Student practiced ______ days this week. (Goal = 5+)

Reading was covered in ______ practice sessions. (Goal = Same # as Practice)

29

Twinklers & Book 1

Weekly Lesson Sheet Lesson Assignments ___/___/___ : Student Name __________________

Last Week’s Review Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


This Week’s Review Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Polish Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


New Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Theory / Reading ______________________ -

Practice Point(s):

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________


Listening – Student listened to entire Book 1 CD ______ times this week. (Goal = 7+)

Practice – Student practiced ______ days this week. (Goal – 5+)

Reading – Reading was covered in ______ practice sessions. (Goal = Same # as Practice)

Repertoire -

Student played newest piece ______ times this week. (Goal = 10+)

Student played polish piece ______ times this week. (Goal = 10+)

Student played 5 most recent review pieces ______ times this week. (Goal = 5+)

Student played older review pieces ______ times this week. (Goal = 3

30

Daily Practice Check-List Twinkle & Book 1

Week of_____________

Day M Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Reading Readiness & Theory

How many minutes?

Supp. / Ensemble Rep.

Piece 1

Piece 2

Pre-Twinkle

Finger Names

Parts of Guitar

Heart 2 Heart Rest Pos.

4 Step Bow

People on the Bus

Right Hand Posture

Moonwalk

Left Hand Posture

Mary Had Little Lamb

Book 1

Twinkle Theme

Mississippi Tick Tock

Trip-a-Let

Jack Rabbit, Jack Rabbit

Mississippi is-a-ri-ver

Ice Cream Cone

Lightly Row (Folk)

Rhody (Folk)

Song of Wind (Folk)

May Song (Folk)

Allegretto (Giulliani)

P. Motion (S.S.)

F. F. Song (Folk)

Brother John (Folk)

Rigadoon (H. Purcel)

Tanz (G. Fuhrman)

Tanz (J.C. Bach)

S. Hands (Longay)

M. Minuet (F. Longay)

31

Book 2

Weekly Lesson Sheet Date: ____________

Lesson Assignments

Last Week’s Review Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


This Week’s Review Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Polish Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


New Piece ______________________ -

Practice Point(s)

Technical _______________________________________________________________________

Musical ________________________________________________________________________


Theory / Reading ______________________ -

Practice Point(s):

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________


Listening – Student listened to entire Book 2 CD ______ times this week. (Goal = 7+)

Practice – Student practiced ______ days this week. (Goal = 5+)

Reading – Reading was covered in ______ practice sessions. (Goal = Same # as Practice)

Repertoire -

Student played newest piece ______ times this week. (Goal = 10+)

Student played polish piece ______ times this week. (Goal = 10+)

Student played 5 most recent review pieces ______ times this week. (Goal = 5+)

Student played older review pieces ______ times this week. (Goal = 4+)

32

Expectations for Group Classes

Group Lessons:

Group lessons are a very important part of studying the Suzuki method. They

are not only fun, they develop ensemble skills, social skills and an eagerness to

learn. Students are exposed to many other students at many different levels. This

is a powerful incentive to practice and improve without encouraging

competitiveness. Students who regularly attend group lessons progress more

quickly and are more consistent players.

Group lessons happen (bi) weekly except for recital weeks and are required of all

students.

Please arrive five minutes prior to the beginning of the group lesson for tuning,

removing shoes, bathroom visits, etc.

Parents should be attentive and focused on the tasks so to further aid their

children at home.

Students should be aware of their behavior expectations. Young children should

be told their expectations prior to each group lesson.

33

Expectations for Practice Sessions

Suzuki teachers always preach the virtues of regular practice, and with good reason. The

process of learning music is not only an intellectual one, but physical as well. Musical concepts

are not difficult for most children to understand; the real challenge is in acquiring muscle

memory; that is, putting these concepts into action through the use of arms, hands, fingers and

breath. It is this “brain-to-body” connection that needs to be forged through the daily

repetition that we call practice. Practicing should be fun. Kids learn best when they are

enjoying themselves, and they will always look forward to practicing if their teachers and

parents take a creative approach to daily work through the use of motivational games and

activities. First, some important words to live by, in regard to practice, that have become

something of a mantra – both serious and good natured – in the Suzuki world:

You only have to practice on the days that you eat!

• Try to have a regular “Practice Time” each day; early mornings, right after school – whatever

works best for your family.

• Be present during practice time; if you are not actively playing, listen attentively. Above all,

do not engage in another activity while your child is practicing.

• Do not use practicing as a punishment – an obvious turn-off.

• Do not time practice; your child will become a clock-watcher and will not pay attention to

the music. Focus instead on completing a given task – even if it only takes a minute or two.

• Offer praise for every effort your child makes – never be negative. Think of music as a

language your child is learning, and remember how you taught your child to speak as a

toddler – one thing at a time, lots of repetition, lots of praise and support.

• If your child, especially a young one, resists daily practice, allow him or her to take

ownership of practice time by choosing special “Practice Days,” and then try your best to be

consistent with this schedule.

• Despite our goal of daily practice, some children may benefit from an occasional day off.

We are interested in long-term gain and the ultimate development of your child as an excellent

person, so we will not let one missed day of practice stop us.

• Be creative – use progress charts, rewards and motivational games to set short and long term

goals for your child.

34

Practice Routines and Suggestions

General Observations

The best thing you can spend on your children is your time. Consistent daily practice

time(s) can work wonders: for example, after dinner but before dessert.

Make sure the child is neither tired nor hungry during practice time. Make sure you the

“home coach” are in a good frame of mind. Make sure you are not in a hurry or in any way feeling

pressured by time restraints or by the fact that you may have missed a few practices and

therefore need to “make up for lost time.” An unhappy practice time is worse than no practice

at all.

The development of ability in the child depends on the amount of review and repetition

– so it is essential that the student and home coach learn to enjoy the process of endless

repetition and review. Make use of repetition games. One might find that practice sessions

often start with “I know Mom, every time I do a song, we get to...” Don’t forget that this is

your time to have fun together.

Listening to the recordings at home is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! Progress on the

instrument depends on this listening.

Notes from Carol Bigler lecture:

It’s not how much you love your children; it’s also how much your children feel loved.

Problems come not from our interactions, but from our reactions. Productive reactions are

controlled reactions. There is no such thing as a negative child – the behavior is negative, the

child is not. SO work on the premise that children are perfect – teachers are imperfect. If the

student fails, there is something wrong with the system, not the student. Criticism promotes

contrary behavior – to prove that the teacher is wrong. Don’t moralize or preach – this implies

that you are perfect. Don’t give a sermon in a moment of crisis. Strive to generate an

environment of calmness, one that is safe and confirming. Walk into practice sessions with the

attitude that you are setting a precedent for future practice sessions. In this sense, the

atmosphere generated is more important than what you actually accomplish. Quit before

they’re through – don’t wait until they ask to be done. Have a specific requirement for the

practice time – so the child is not subjected to an unending “just one more time.” Don’t

“teach” your child; just be with him/her. Play the guitar not just to learn something but to have

FUN!

Concerning the child’s receptivity: “you cannot teach the child if he doesn’t want to

learn – period!” Appreciate the good qualities in your child and get used to looking for them. He

is doing the best he can under the circumstances, and productivity is never consistent. “Treat

people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become that which they are

capable of being.”

35

“Parent’s Daily Dozen” Practice Chart Stephanie Judy, September 2002

The Parent’s Daily Dozen” practice chart was developed in response to a discussion in

2001 on the Suzuki-Chat email list about what teachers can do to help parents gain better

skills at being a “home coach”. After being revised it was tested at various Suzuki

Institutes and in several teachers’ studios, with both teachers and parents reporting that

it was useful. I would like to ask you to use this chart for 8 weeks. During the “parent

time” in group class, we’ll discuss how it’s working for you.

Some general notes about practicing

For most children younger than about 12, taking music lessons and learning to play

an instrument is primarily the parent’s commitment. Some children are enthusiastic,

some are not. No child is aware of the challenges ahead. Every child needs the parent’s

consistent, loving support to meet those challenges day after day.

The first year is the hardest. You may encounter some rocky times – you may even

regret that you got started! Hang in there! If things get really rugged phone me or

phone an experienced parent to get some ideas and encouragement. During the first

year, we are not so much teaching the child how to play the guitar as we are teaching the

parent to understand how your child learns...not how children in general learn, but how

your child learns best.

In Suzuki guitar practice, the relationship of the parent to the child is very much like the

parent/child relationship in learning to cross a street. At first, the parent has total

responsibility, and the child has none- the child simply goes along for the ride, in arms,

in a stroller, or in a backpack. Gradually however, the child begins assuming more and

more “street-crossing” responsibility – first by holding the parent’s hand instead of

being carried, and then by walking beside the parent without holding hands. At some

point, the child learns to look for cars and helps decide when it’s safe to cross, and so

forth. As the years go by, the parent very gradually relinquishes responsibility to the

child.

Guitar practice is the same way. You will “carry” your child for a long time – maybe

weeks, maybe months, maybe years. You will see to it that the practice happens and

you will ensure that the environment is positive, (although you can certainly enlist your

child’s help). If you and I do our jobs he or she will likely be practicing independently,

and – I can promise you this – you will look back and feel that it was worth all the effort.

36

Some specific notes about the “Parent’s Daily Dozen”.

1. Please let your child hear the Suzuki book level recording a minimum of three

times each day (about an hour in total). Daily listening is the single factor that

is most strongly correlated to a student’s success in a Suzuki program.

2. Make practicing a routine event that happens at the same time every day. Pick a

time when your child is reasonably alert but also calm. In most families, it’s best

to set a practice time as early as possible during the day so that if it doesn’t happen,

you still have time left in the day to do it. It’s also a good idea to tie practicing to

another inevitable daily event – “after lunch, we practice.” The hardest part of

practicing is get the guitar out of the case and getting it ready to play.

3. Find a special corner of your house where you can keep the things you need –

Guitar, Suzuki Notebook, music stand, tuner, metronome, etc. You will be

spending a lot of time in this space, so make it inviting and special. Before the

practice starts – earlier in the day, if you can – jot some notes about what you

plan to accomplish. If it helps you to us a practice task chart (for you child) by all

means do so.

4. Children often dislike changing from one activity to another. A bit of warning

helps smooth the way: “In 10 minutes, it will be time to practice. Find a stopping

place in your book/game/puzzle.”

5. If you aren’t in the habit of bowing to being and end your practices, it may feel

awkward or unnatural the first few times. That’s OK. Do it anyway.

6. A parent’s attention is a precious commodity for a child. Practicing together

gives you an opportunity to offer undivided attention to your child every day.

Your child will take cues from you about the value of practicing. IF you give it

only a quarter of you attention, your child is not likely to develop much

commitment to it either.

7. The key word here is EFFORT! You are acknowledging effort – not

achievement. (Achievement will come through effort and never without it). You

can show appreciation non-verbally by smiling, nodding, giving a “thumbs up,”

applauding, tapping your foot, anything to let them know you’re engaged.

8. This is the real key to productive, contented practices. Your child is working

hard and, at times, really struggling. He or she will get discouraged and

frustrated from time to time. Your child has a limited understanding of the

process; you are the adult, and are able to take a longer view. A “one-point

practice” means that you focus on ONE THING AT A TIME. Avoid, for example,

saying, “That was pretty good but your wrist was bent and the C# was too low

and your pinky was straight and you’re supposed to use rest strokes and you

forgot to play the repeat...” OVERLOAD! Instead, pick the one thing that will

make the most difference in the child’s playing. This may well be something that

was emphasized in the lesson.

9. Many children get frustrated when they feel that they don’t have nay control

over the situation. Give your child every choice that you reasonably can. She

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doesn’t get to choose whether or not to practice and whether or not to play F# in

tune, but she can choose which review piece she wants to play first, and whether

she’d like to do scales at the beginning or end of the practice.

10. Any time you are focusing on tone – on the beauty of sound – you are practicing

tonalization. I will usually assign a specific practice for tonalization.

11. Book 1 students review every piece every day.

12. As often as possible, end the practice when the child is happy and enthusiastic,

or end it with something the child especially likes to do.

The last two items on the chart are for you and your child to summarize the day’s

practice. You can use this space in any way you like. You might want to rate the

practice on a scale from 1 to 10 or any suitable way. The space for your child’s

comment is extra big, so that your child can draw a happy face, put on a sticker, or

write a few words – whatever seems appropriate.

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Repetition Games

1. Make a Snake: Start with putting an adhesive dot on a plain sheet of paper to

represent one execution of a spot, piece, or technical exercise. Add a dot,

putting them next to each other in a line, one for each repetition. Label the

sheet for what is being practiced. Watch the path snake all over the page.

2. Dominoes: The teacher sets up one or more dominoes for each repetition.

Student gets to tip them over.

3. Read a book: Read one page (paragraph, etc) for each successful song.

4. Make a Meal: Using clay construct “something to eat” or item of your

choosing for each repetition.

5. Direct the Artist: During each repetition, color a portion of a page from a

coloring book with a color chosen by the student.

6. Five Times: For five repetitions, pull up one of the teacher’s fisted “reluctant”

fingers for each correct repetition. Put fingers down for each unsuccessful

repetition.

7. Puzzle: One puzzle piece for each repetition.

8. Make a Chain: Cut colored strips of paper, tape into a loop, and create a chain.

One loop for each successful day of practice. Especially good around the

holidays.

9. Building Blocks: One block for each repetition. At the end of the session the

blocks come tumbling down.

10. Ball Bounce: After each rep stand up and bounce a beach ball back and forth

without dropping.

11. Match Game: Lay out cards face down, start with one card face up. After each

rep both parent and student get to turn over one card. After you turn the card

over, leave it face up. If you can make a pair, then you get to turn one more

over. Who is going to get the most pairs? The same as the board game

“Memory.”

12. Matchstick Castle: Glue matchsticks for repetitions and build a house/castle.

A long term project.

13. Snowflakes: When the weather turns cold hand out pieces of colored paper.

During the week the goal is to practice each review song 10(?) times. When the

student reaches 10 repetitions of a song, fold up the colored paper and cut out a

snowflake. At the end of the week bring the snowflakes to decorate the

teacher’s studio.

14. Pennies: Start out with two stacks of pennies, marbles, buttons, etc.: student’s

stack and teacher’s stack. Pick a technical point to work on. After each

execution, if the students remembered to watch what they were supposed to

watch for they announce “I remembered” and take a penny from the teacher’s

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stack. If during a repetition the student doesn’t pay attention and lapses into

incorrect playing, the teacher announces “I remembered” and takes one of the

pennies. Object is for the student to get all the pennies.

15. Popcorn: Student gets un-popped kernels of popcorn for each correct

repetition. 15 reps a day will yield 100 kernels by the end of the week. Save

them up (or if assigned by the teacher) bring them into group class to pop and

eat.

16. LEGOS!: Build a Lego structure one piece at a time for successful repetitions.

Can be a long term project or a daily exercise.

17. Fishbowl Game – Use a Magic Marker to write on 3x5 cards all of the activities

and information the student needs to be practicing. One activity or piece of

information per card. The cards are kept in a small box which can be decorated

by the student. The student closes his eyes and gets to pick a card. Use a single

simple short word, in lower case, the student will easily learn to recognize and

read for himself. This is a great way to organize practice – if a practice session

ends before all of the cards are played, pick up at the next session where you

left off. Short, frequent sessions can be encouraged: “Let’s just do 5 cards.” As

the number of cards increases, specific cards can be “retired” and kept

separately for occasional reference. As the student increases his abilities there

can be a few activities that are practiced at the beginning of every practice

session, with the rest of the lesson taken up with the card game. A favorite

variation of the card game is “skip it”. The student practices as many cards as

he can do by memory, and then does the “fishbowl game.” When he gets to a

card he has already done he gets to “Skip it.”

18. Burn a candle while you practice – when it burns down, go get an ice-cream

cone (or other reward).

19. Split responsibilities: Have the less involved parent be in charge of a different

activity, like flash cards.

20. Keep track here of your own ideas and share them with other parents at group class!

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The Wheels on the Bus Students may participate in this activity when they have mastered the steps for sitting, holding

the guitar in upright position and alternating i-m on the open third string, although parts of the

activity may be introduced earlier as appropriate. The song may be sung by the teacher, students

or parents (or everyone); accompanying chords may be I-IV-V7-I in any key, but E Major is

recommended.

VERSE 1 The wheels on the bus go ’round and ‘round,

‘Round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round

The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round,

All around the town

The student holds the guitar in bowing position and walks around the chair and footstool. Make

a left hand circle in the air at the end.

VERSE 2 The children on the bus go up and down,

Up and down, up and down (repeat as in Verse 1)

The student alternately sits and stands through this verse, and should end sitting with the guitar

in “Rocket Position”, i.e., on the right leg, with the neck straight up.

VERSE 3 The driver on the bus puts his/her foot on the gas

While sitting on the front portion of the chair with the guitar in “Rocket Position” the student

repeatedly places his/her left foot on the footstool.

VERSE 4 The door on the bus goes open and shut

While sitting on the front portion of the chair with the guitar in “Rocket Position” and the left

foot on the footstool, the student should gently swing the guitar, using the right hand alone, in

front of the torso while keeping the bottom of the instrument anchored on the right leg. This is

challenging – younger students may need teacher/parent help.

VERSE 5 the money on the bus goes 3-2-1

Left hand fingers tap the thumb, in rhythm.

VERSE 6 the wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

With the guitar in “Ready Position”, the student places the flattened palm of the right hand on

the strings and moves the hand back and forth, creating a “swishing” sound in time to the music.

VERSE 7 the horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep

With the guitar in “Set Position”, alternate i-m on the open 3rd string, in rhythm.

Suzuki Guitar Handbook Complete · PDF file1 Denver Guitar Academy Policies Relating to Suzuki...

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