Woodsong Suzuki Violins
Woodsong Suzuki Violins
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    • Home
    • Testimonials
    • Suzuki Method
    • Fiddling
    • Get Started
  • Home
  • Testimonials
  • Suzuki Method
  • Fiddling
  • Get Started

What is the Suzuki Method?

 Shinichi Suzuki first developed his education approach as a way of  effectively teaching very young children (3-4 years old) to play the  violin. It differs from the traditional way of teaching the violin in  many ways.  A few of them are: 

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The "Home Teacher"

 

 In Suzuki lessons, a three-way team is formed:  teacher-student-parent.  It’s called the “Suzuki triangle”.  One of the  parents takes on the role of “home teacher”.   That doesn’t mean you  need to know anything about music or the violin.  My job is to educate  you about how to work on your weekly assignment each day with your child  at home. Although the violin is well known as a difficult instrument to  master, even very young students can make incredible progress when  parents guide them in daily practice sessions.  Most parents find this  to be an enjoyable project that they can share with their child.

I’ve always seen the home teacher to be the most important in the Suzuki triangle.  If you are considering taking on this role, please understand that the  commitment in time and discipline is the same as if you were going to  take lessons yourself. As a matter of fact, many parents  also rent a violin for themselves and learn right along with their  child.   Many of these parents have gone on to play with community  orchestras and chamber groups!

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Learn to Play, Then Learn To Read Notes

 

Just as toddlers learn to speak well before  they begin reading words, Suzuki students master correct form and  foundation skills before they begin to learn to read notes in a music  book.  The idea here is to allow the student to focus entirely on  learning the all-important basics without the added distraction of also  having to decipher a new written language.

Reading music is, of course, an essential  skill for a violinist.  The violin is a social instrument,    and the  student advances, there will be many opportunities in to play with  orchestras and chamber groups.  Once the basics of good violin technique  are well established, I teach reading skills in the private lessons and  at the group classes.  In addition, when students are ready, I  encourage them to enter their school orchestra, or one of the local  youth symphonies.  Playing in an orchestra is one of the best ways to  acquire the ability to read music at sight.  Many advanced students go  on to perform with local community orchestras.  Playing in an ensemble  is also a great way to keep children motivated to practice and improve

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Listening / Memorization

 Instead of using written music, beginning Suzuki students listen to  recordings of the songs they will be learning until the music is fully  absorbed.  At that point, it becomes easy to find the  right notes on  the violin’s fingerboard.  If a mistake is made, the student knows  instantly, and is able to correct it easily. This approach to learning  songs is an excellent way to train the fingers to find the notes that  the ear wants to hear—to play by ear! Also, the “memory muscle” is  developed right at the outset.  Suzuki students are known for their  ability to play from memory fearlessly without the “safety net” of the  printed score. .

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Group Classes

 

Private lessons are where students learn  how to play the violin, but many other aspects of music are better  taught in a group environment. Woodsong Suzuki students play music in  ensemble with other children right from the beginning!  Once a month,  students come to group classes to learn essential ensemble skills: How  to listen to others in the group, precise rhythms, and later, reading  skills.  Advanced students form small chamber ensembles, and in the  spring summer, we have classes that focus on fiddle styles.  Several  times each year, we perform classical and fiddle music as a group in  venues like the Boulder Creek Festival and downtown on the Boulder Mall.

A very important reason for group classes  is motivation.  The violin is a long-term project; the kids who learn to  play it well are the ones who stick with it.  Suzuki said that nothing  motivates children more than other children.  I teach the group classes  with the intent, above all, of making them fun.

There is a reason that the Suzuki method is so popular


it works!

Children taught  properly in this manner learn the violin well and have fun doing it.   The string sections of professional orchestras all over the world are  populated in large part with musicians who got their start with the  Suzuki Method.  To learn more about this educational approach, you and  read “Nurtured by Love”, by Shinichi Suzuki, and “To Learn with Love”,  by William and Constance Starr.  I strongly recommend these books for  parents who want to start their child with violin lessons.

Woodsong Suzuki Violins

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303-668-2872

 Learning to play the violin should be fun and rewarding. Our focus is to  help each student reach their full potential in a nurtured, and very  effective way. 

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