Talent Education
In Research Findings

Written for class: Psychology in Music Teaching (Fall 2000)

Part 1

by Petra Schwarthoff

Abstract

Talent Education, often called the Suzuki Method, is an interesting, but heavily debated pedagogical approach. Teachers are heavily divided in their opinions about the Suzuki method: a teacher either belongs to the Suzuki circle, or he/she is outside it and called a "traditional" teacher. This paper gives an introduction into the Suzuki method, its history and main principles in areas of parent involvement, listening, rote learning, note reading, movement, group and private lessons, and child development. These principles are compared with current research data, and enhanced with viewpoints from Suzuki and traditional teachers. The idea of this study is to combine the principles of Suzuki's Talent Education with the current research, and to find important applications for violin teachers in general. The paper concludes with a universal call to all teachers to take advantage of every opportunity to improve teaching and to keep an eye on the current research.

Introduction
History of Talent Education
Method of Instruction
Parent Involvement
Early Beginning
Listening
Private lessons
Group lessons
Rote learning - Memorization
Reading
Motivation
Teacher characteristics
Step-by-step learning
Repetition
Repertoire
Practice
Cooperation
Special approaches
Research Findings
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Fifty years since its conception, Talent Education, often called the Suzuki Method, has spread all over the world. It is currently growing in over 30 countries. A World Wide Web search (Yahoo!) on "Suzuki and Violin" resulted in with over 1200 hits. There are 336 articles in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).
While browsing through pedagogical string literature, readers will become aware of the Suzuki Method, which is mentioned everywhere. In Strategies for teaching strings and orchestra published by the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), Suzuki book I is used as repertoire book. Other Suzuki books like Nurtured by love, Shinichi Suzuki: The man and his philosophy, and Suzuki cello school are listed for additional resource information. The author of The strings - a comparative view (Skoldberg, 1982) writes: "The Suzuki approach which has been so highly successful with young children, stresses an early development of aural sensitivity through rote teaching and the playing of recordings." String guides like Teaching strings by Klotman and Guide to teaching strings by Lamp have extra chapters on the Suzuki Method. In contrast to Carl Seashore , who believed that musical talent was an inborn trait that was only given to a few individuals, Suzuki strongly believed that every child has an enormous learning potential and that an early and appropriate environment could enhance it. Howard Gardener developed a theory of multiple intelligences and noticed that talents (or intelligences) can't develop without at least some opportunities for exploration. To cultivate the musical intelligence he often refers to Talent Education. He mentions Suzuki Education quite often, three times in Multiple Intelligences and seven times in Frames of Mind, including two subchapters: "The Suzuki Talent Education Method" and "a critique of the Suzuki approach:"

I am impressed with the method of training developed by the Japanese master Shinichi Suzuki for teaching music to young children. The method works because Suzuki has identified the factors that matter in developing musical skill in early life - such as finger arrangements possible on the violin, the kinds of pattern that can be readily recognized and sung by young children, the capacity to imitate mothers, the tendency to identify with slightly older peers, and so on (Gardener, 1983, p.48).

The idea of this study is to combine the principles of Suzuki Talent Education with the current research, and to find important applications for the violin teacher, insofar as he/she has not adapted these already. Many of Suzuki's principles, as brought up by Fink (1985), are mentioned in a "traditional" violin school from C. H. Hohmann published in 1888.
The first exercise should be practiced by ear, the teacher to play, and the pupil to imitate. At first the open strings will suffice. The pupil must first practice short bows (in the middle of the frog) and then longer bows: at first in slow tempo, and then more rapidly. These exercises should at once assume a rhythmic form, and very soon the pupil may play upon the open strings and with the proper division of the bow. For exercises to be played from memory, the teacher may choose songs and hymns already familiar to the pupil from his school-days. Hymns are particularly well adapted for the cultivation of a full and vigorous tone (p.28).
It is time that traditional teachers and Suzuki teachers meet in the middle and draw from each other. Both should treat each other with respect, because both have the same goal: happy and fulfilled human beings, who grown up with an appreciation for music. It is time to end the destructive debate "Suzuki violin versus traditional violin" (Coff, 1998).This little story reveals how much work needs to be done:
On director reported that a mother requested permission to sit in at an orchestra session to observe and evaluate the operation of the class. This mother displayed the concern common to many parents of Suzuki-trained players, often reinforced by Suzuki teachers, about whether 'those public school students' are good enough to make music with their children (Brathwaite, 1988, p.42).

History of Talent Education

Shinichi Suzuki was born in Nagoya, Japan, in 1898. His father was founder of the largest violin factory in the world in that time. At the age of seventeen he heard his first gramophone recording with Mischa Elman, a famous violinist. His interest for the violin was awakening.
It made a tremendous impression on me. To think, the violin, which I considered a toy, could produce such a beauty of tone! Elman's "Ave Maria" opened my eyes to music. I had no idea why my soul was so moved. But at least I had already developed the ability to appreciate this beauty. My profound emotion was the first step in my search for the true meaning of art (Suzuki, 1983, p. 69).
This marked the beginning of Suzuki's violin study, which soon brought him to Tokyo to study with Ko Ando Koda. In 1920 he went to Berlin, Germany. On his three-month search for a good and soul-touching teacher he heard Karl Klingler and arranged to study with him. While in Berlin he met a German singer who became his wife. At the age of thirty-one he returned to Japan and formed a string quartet with his brothers. Their main goal was the introduction of western chamber music to Japanese audiences. During that time Suzuki started to teach violin in various universities using a European traditional method. However, he became more and more interested in the education of young children.
In 1945 he started to develop his Talent Education School. Two major incidents had an effect on Suzuki's philosophy. The first occurred during an audition, where Suzuki noticed great resemblance between a father and his son. The only teacher the son had so far was his father. Suzuki was so impressed by this fact that he decided to teach children, stressing cooperation with their parents. The second incident occurred while Suzuki was in Germany. He noticed that all German children spoke fluent German. In fact, all children throughout the world speak their native tongues with the utmost fluency. While this observation seems trivial, Suzuki made the transfer from speaking the native language to playing a musical instrument: He assumed that any child is able to gain musical abilities if only the correct methods are used for the training. This led him to the conclusion, that the perfect educational method for all learning processes, especially music, is the "mother tongue."
For thirty years now I have been pleading with people to believe that all children can be well educated, and not to turn away those who drop behind in learning. I named my method Talent Education, and began an educational movement in which children dropping behind or struggling to get along are not turned away. The day of my startling discovery became for me the starting point in my search for human potentials (Suzuki, 1983, p.3).
Suzuki's basic ideas are: talent is not inherited; good environmental conditions produce superior abilities; what does not exist in the cultural environment will not develop in the child; and we need to look at the parents to guess what the children will be like.
In 1958 a Japanese student at Oberlin College presented a film of Suzuki's young students performing in a national concert. American string teachers became interested in the Suzuki method and began to visit Japan to learn more about his work. Interest intensified in 1964 when Suzuki brought a group of students to tour the U.S. and perform at a joint meeting of the American String Teachers Association and the Music Educators National Conference. The method began to grow in the U.S. with visits of American teachers to Japan, performances of Japanese tour groups, and the growth of hundreds of Suzuki programs across the country.
Today the Suzuki Association of America (SAA) has 7,500 active teachers and 200,000 students, parents and other professional members. International or Regional Associations exist in Japan, Australia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, East Asia and elsewhere. SAA has a membership directory, teacher registry, job listings, a library, and insurance programs for instruments and health, and is publisher of the American Suzuki Journal, free for all members. Many Suzuki Schools also publish newsletters for parents and teachers to support their ideas and announce concerts, upcoming events, and changes in the local school settings. Summer institutes offer student and teacher training. This activity is getting more and more popular. Many retailers like Shar Products, Southwest Strings or The String House offer special features and extra sections for Suzuki products.

Method of Instruction

Suzuki's dream is that every child should have the opportunity to learn music in a nurtured and positive environment that respects the individual. He envisions the development of the whole child, growing into a fine human being with feelings of self worth. A slogan from Suzuki is: "Education through music!"
Suzuki believes that if children are surrounded by music in the same way that they are surrounded by speech, they acquire the ability for music as easily as they acquire the ability to communicate. With this idea in mind, he developed the "mother tongue approach," or talent education. His philosophy is nicely explained in his book Nurtured by love (translated into English by his wife). Unfortunately the text gives only little insight into the method used by Suzuki and thousands of Suzuki Schools to teach violin or other instruments. Many people wrote guides for the developing Suzuki Schools: Kendall, 1973; Starr, 1976; Slone, 1982; Landers, 1984; Romeo, 1986; and Lee, 1992 to mention only a few.
Blaker (1995, p.3365) "investigated the scope and implementation of Suzuki violin instruction in [41] community music school programs." She investigated the size of the faculty and student enrollment, the characteristics of the teachers, and the characteristics of the programs. Most programs were successful in implementing the basic principles of the Suzuki method. Following is a summary of these principles used in Suzuki Schools all over the world. The information in the following 15 principles was mainly found on the internet.

Parent Involvement:
When a child learns to talk, parents function very effectively as teachers. Children imitate their parents' manner, accents, interests and hobbies. Parents can decide what skills they want their child to develop through adjustments in the child's environment. Parents are the primary educators of young children.
The Suzuki Method creates a learning triangle of parent, student and teacher. The parent attends all lessons and classes and practices every day with the child as a "home teacher." In some Suzuki Schools parents learn to play the first songs that the child is going to study before the child starts with violin lessons. This approach motivates the child to imitate what he/she sees the parent doing. It also helps the parent to understand the difficulties involved in learning to play an instrument and increases their patience with the learning process.
Early Beginning:
During the years of language acquisition children's aural capacities are at their peak. These early years are crucial for developing mental processes and muscle coordination. This is an excellent time to establish a musical environment. Children respond to music from before birth. Musical ability is developed at a very young age (mainly between 0 to 4 years).
Suzuki emphasizes the importance of listening that should start in the womb. Formal lessons begin between the ages of three to five, depending on the school. Some Suzuki Schools encourage an even earlier start around two or two and a half.
Listening:
Children learn to speak in an environment filled with language. Hearing is the first sense to develop; very young babies can recognize the voices of their parents. Parents can make music part of the child's environment by playing recordings and attending concerts. This enables children to absorb the language of music just as they absorb the sounds of their mother tongue. They develop an "ear for music."
In the Suzuki Method, students listen every day to recordings of the music they are studying and will study in the future. Recordings are often played as background music for hours each day. With repeated listening to the pieces children become familiar with them and learn them easily. Children learn not only the melody and rhythm but also the nuances of phrasing, the construction of the piece and all the tiny details about the subtleties of music.
Private lessons:
Every Suzuki student goes once a week to his/her private lesson. Many people think Suzuki training is only taught in groups, but the private weekly lesson plays a very important role. The lessons can vary in length according to the concentration span of the child. Students are encouraged to observe other students. Often, students are scheduled together in groups of two to four. All students receive private attention, but they also learn from observing their peers. During these lessons the teacher can address the unique needs of the student. Special problems and abilities receive special attention and each student can develop at his/her own rate. Parents attend these lessons.
Group lessons:
The Social Learning Theory suggests that children learn primarily through imitation and modeling. Participating in group lessons motivates children. They enjoy observing other children and like to share challenges with their peers. Group lessons provide valuable opportunities to play as part of a group, polish ensemble skills, experience the thrill of performing for an audience, and interact with peers who are also string players.
Suzuki Schools have group lessons either once a month, biweekly or weekly. These group lessons are often sorted by ability; that means all children in book III play together, and so on. Because all Suzuki students learn the same repertoire, they can play and perform together. Suzuki believes this spirit will extend beyond music lessons and into the student's everyday life, which leads to a more peaceful world.
Rote learning - Memorization:
It is normal that children speak for several years before they learn to read. Just as one learns to speak before one learns to read, students learn to play from memory before they learn to read music notation. This allows the students to concentrate on elementary but essential skills. Suzuki teaches the instrument, the sound, first, and then he teaches how to read music. Suzuki students do not begin reading until they are comfortable with the instrument. This sequence of instruction enables both teacher and student to focus on the development of good posture, beautiful tone, accurate intonation, and musical phrasing. This process usually takes a few years, depending on the student's age.
Reading:
Reading, writing, and creative skills are developed when basic skills are established. Music reading is a skill that needs to be taught. Many Suzuki teachers have developed ways of doing this at the appropriate time for each individual child. Suzuki does not have any concrete suggestions on how to teach reading, but all Suzuki Schools implement delayed reading in their curriculum.
Motivation:
Children start to talk when they are ready; this can be quite different for each individual. No child is hurried, but all children are encouraged by the environment to talk and become an active member of society. Praise from parents plays an active role in development.
Suzuki children start violin lessons in the same way. They need to be mentally and emotionally ready and willing to learn to play the violin. Once they show interest in learning, they start at their own pace. Motivation is encouraged through listening to recordings, attending concerts, and observing other lessons including lessons from their own parents.
Teacher characteristics:
Children learn material better when they are having fun than when it is being forced upon them in a negative way. A positive approach is more effective than a negative one. As with language, the child's efforts to learn an instrument should be met with praise and encouragement.
Suzuki teachers and parents work closely together to motivate the child in a positive way so that lessons and practice are enjoyable. The Introduction of new technical skills and musical concepts stands always in connection with already familiar pieces. A normal lesson focuses only on one aspect. Suzuki teachers respect each child and see him/her as a unique human being. Teachers are encouraged to take part in Summer Institutes and rethink and refine their teaching skills.
Step-by-step learning:
During the acquisition of language children slowly learn new words to complement the old words, one after the other. Language and Music learning are skills that require step-by-step learning. Building on small steps so that each one can be mastered creates an environment of enjoyment for child, parent and teacher.
Suzuki planned his Method in small steps. Each piece the student learns demands only a few new skills, and reinforces those previously learned. The sequence of skills taught is based on a thought-through progression. Each small step is mastered through daily practice.
Repetition:
When children learn a new word, they use it over and over again. After a while they start adding new words to their vocabulary and repeating all words. The same happens when a child learns a simple task. In this way, children develop skills and talents.
In the Suzuki Method students continue to play all the pieces they have been learning. They use the skills they have learned and add new songs while repeating and polishing old ones. Consequently, students always have something ready to perform. Suzuki students are not allowed to drop one piece in order to learn another. They refine their musical skills with pieces they have already mastered.
Repertoire:
Children do not have exercises to learn how to speak. Instead, they are using language in their normal daily life. Suzuki students learn musical concepts and skills in the same way they learn language, in the context of the music. The Suzuki repertoire presents a sequence of pieces for technical and musical development, often called the standard repertoire or "vocabulary." Children learn songs they have heard and seen performed by other Suzuki students. They look forward to learning these songs. Since they all play the same repertoire, which they continually review, they are always ready to perform in groups or as soloists.
Practice:
People practice their language skills every day without even noticing. Music learning demands exposure and practice as a consistent and regular part of the child's daily life. Once lessons have begun, practice and listening routines are established and carried out by teachers and parents. The parent can help the child focus on the established goals during the lessons, and can make the practice time a pleasant learning experience. Practice advice is found in newsletters, books or even on-line.
Cooperation:
Psychological-social factors like cooperation (in contrast to competition) need to be stressed. People use language to communicate or sometimes to tell jokes, but very seldom to compete, or to show off.
Suzuki emphasizes cooperation and respect over competition. There are many social aspects in the Suzuki Method. During group lessons and in master classes children are encouraged to support the efforts of other students. They are often asked to reveal what they liked about the performance of another student. They are involved with other children, play games and violin together, and struggle with the instrument together. Many musical and social skills are learned during the group lessons. Concerts and recitals are given together; everybody plays, even the beginners.
Special approaches:
Many Suzuki teachers use little helpers to make it easier for the beginner. One common one is the foot chart. The feet location in rest and playing position is marked on cardboard; the child stands on it during his/her lessons and at home. Eisler (1993) explains some techniques she values: "At first we use cardboard boxes and sticks to teach the children posture and position and strengthen their fingers...The fingerboard is marked with tapes for finger placement... The initial bow-hold places the thumb under the frog, because a small child's hand is not strong enough for the normal hold" (p. 25). There are also other tools used by some Suzuki teachers like corn pads or nests for a round pinky (bow hand), hair elastics for better finger distribution, long sticks on the sides of the violin to keep the bow straight, vibrato pads and more.

Part 2 Bibliography

Page design: Petra Schwarthoff
Last update: Nov. 2 2002

Talent Education In Research Findings