Suzuki Method

If all Japanese children can speak Japanese, why can’t all Japanese children develop a basic musical understanding?  This is the heart of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s approach to talent education.  Dr. Suzuki understood that newborn babies are constantly listening, both from the womb when their ears have developed and after they are born.  By the time a child is one year old, they will understand approximately 50% of everything that is said around them.  By the time a child is two, they are fluent in their comprehension — well before the vast majority of children are comprehensible themselves.  And it is because of this that just about every child learns their native language. 
Suzuki teachers help young musicians grow by encouraging students to listen, then mimic sounds on an instrument.  As young children listen and speak before they read and write, so students of the Suzuki method move gradually from listening, to playing, and then on to reading musical notation.  

I am so pleased and honored to be among the 132 Suzuki Brass Teachers in 22 countries worldwide; it is a growing, thriving movement, dedicated to providing young brass players the best start possible—with strong fundamental technique, solid musical understanding, and a deep sense of the joy and wonder of making music.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Absolutely! Dr. Suzuki believed that we should learn how music sounds, then how to make those sounds on an instrument, and finally how to read the notation for those sounds. Brass players benefit greatly from listening to, and imitating, beautiful tone with the help of qualified Suzuki method teachers.

  • The Suzuki method for any instrument, brass included, recognizes the smaller size of our children’s arms and hands, and develops each instrument’s course of study accordingly. With a pocket trumpet (designed for compactness to fit a child’s hand) or an alto trombone (with a shorter reach to accommodate smaller arms), children as young as 4 or 5 can effectively learn a brass instrument, and do so with an ergonomically sustainable approach.

  • Regarding mouthpieces and pressure, any concerns about excessive force or pressure are mitigated by the slow progression through the method (Suzuki Book 1 for trumpet covers only one octave, from middle C to 3rd space C in the treble clef). By the time a young player is studying material that requires a greater degree of support from the mouth structure and core abdominal muscles, they will have their adult teeth in place.

  • One of the goals of any music learning system is for children to learn to read music. The key difference between Suzuki and other systems is the order. Though there are individual exceptions, traditional music teaching tends to train students to first identify and read notes and rhythms, then how to place those notes in the fingering systems of the respective instrument, and then to understand what those pitches and notes sound like. Dr. Suzuki believed that students studying music should do so as they learned a language, first learning how music sounds, then how to make those sounds, then how to read the notation. Suzuki students learn to read once they have a basic understanding of not only how music sounds, but how to make music on their respective instruments with correct and ergonomically sustainable posture, positioning and technique. Once these (physical) skills are mastered, the (intellectual) skill of reading music notation — of matching symbols on paper to actual experience — becomes much simpler.

  • Aside from the overall philosophy and order of learning, Dr. Suzuki believed in the importance of the triangle of learning: teacher, parent, and student. For Suzuki method families, parents serve as practice partners, working with their children daily to support their learning. Parents attend all lessons, take notes, and are welcome to observe group classes. On many instruments, parents learn to play the instrument at a basic level; different teachers have different requirements for this.

  • Parents attend all lessons so they understand how to practice with their children. However, how much practicing is required varies depending on the age and level of the child. As little as ten minutes per day divided into two five-minute sessions can be enough for a young beginning student. As students acquire more skills, they require more practice to continue to develop those skills. Older students may become more independent earlier in their studies. The most important factor is mindset. As a Suzuki parent myself, when I look at practice time as an opportunity to spend time with my child one-on-one, it adds a positivity to the work, and allows me to keep the learning process fun through games, competitions, or whatever activities reach my child. “Do it again,” is a way of saying, “I believe in you — I love you!”

  • Lessons and group classes typically occur on Saturday mornings and afternoons on the New England Conservatory campus.

Suzuki Method Information

2023-24 is the inaugural year of Suzuki trombone and early trumpet at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School.  Check us out—if you’d like to visit or are interested in a trial lesson for your child, or if you’re interested in becoming a Suzuki teacher yourself, please complete a contact form.