How to Teach the Suzuki Method of Brass

The Suzuki method is a musical pedagogy method developed by the Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki in the mid-20th century. Suzuki taught himself to play the violin by ear after being inspired by a Schubert record, and the idea of being a self-taught musician is at the heart of the Suzuki philosophy. An unorthodox method of teaching, the Suzuki method encourages students to sound out music as opposed to learning musical notation, the idea being that a child must speak before he learns to read. Originally geared toward the violin, the Suzuki method has since been used to teach other musical instruments, including brass.

Instructions

    • 1

      Start the Suzuki method when the child is very young. Let the child experiment with his brass instrument and sound out the music he wants to play. Focus on allowing the young student to develop a full and resonant tone, which Suzuki thought was the basis of learning music.

    • 2

      Immerse the student in the musical community. Homework includes attending concerts and listening to music in a positive environment. Suzuki believed that a student immersed in a musical environment will pick up the musical language as he would his native tongue.

    • 3

      Introduce the principles of musical theory when the student has begun to develop an ear with his brass instrument. There is no formal method for teaching music theory, and this is left to the discretion of the teacher. It is important to note, however, that the student is expected to memorize all solo musical pieces. The Suzuki method focuses on learning performance pieces as opposed to learning from etude books or other music theory teaching tools.

    • 4

      Have the student play regularly with other musicians. Music, as a language, should be "spoken" with others.

    • 5

      Have the student perform publicly as frequently as possible. Performing should be an enjoyable experience and a student should feel natural on stage.

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