Suzuki Style Method: Breaking Down Culture Blocks

Suzuki Style Method: Breaking Down Culture Blocks

The topic I am choosing to write about is the Suzuki style of music education, or better known as the Suzuki method. It was brought to my attention by the lessons teacher the different methods of teaching flute and other instruments. She preferred to teach me music from the Suzuki method book and after doing some of my own research I realized what a good method the Suzuki style is for teaching children, especially children at a young age.

The point I want to prove is the Suzuki style method is the best way of teaching a child how to play and understand music from modern times to early music and from all over the globe. This topic is important because I believe this is the best way to teach a child to not only learn to play an instrument, but to love to play their instrument and to love making music. Not only will they love the music but they will become more open to different kinds of music and cultures. I think every culture has its own music style, and most people become comfortable with what is around them so they don’t think to venture out. With this style more children will grow up to appreciate the classics of our country and other countries and to not be so closed minded. If I can prove this method to be the best way of learning/teaching, then I think we have found a solution to culture gaps all over the world.

I have a few books and internet sources lined up for my paper. Many of the books I plan on getting soon and already have include parents speaking of their ways of training their children, and a hands on book from someone who has learned the Suzuki method. I have books from teachers and 1 book in particular is an observer of the style who travels the world seeing children playing in concerts and sees their lessons and practicing method. One novel I am reading is written by the creator of the style, Shin’ichi Suzuki, and explains how he made this method, his observations compared to other methods, and why he thinks this is a good way of learning. I only have a few internet sources, and I am using them to have an inside look on the world wide association for this method and to know a little more about what this method is about.

I am currently taking notes on all that I am reading right now. I am forming my own opinions and am practicing according to the teachings. I don’t want to only look up Suzuki books, but other books on education and ways teachers show their students music. I am using a lot of my own experiences to prove my thesis and using trying to go more into Mr. Suzuki’s reason for this method. He explains that learning music for a child is like learning another language. Being bilingual and trying to learn a 3rd language, I can see how he had difficulty learning another language as a teenager, but how he could see children speaking a difficult language with ease. Learning at a young age is a perfect way to open up a mind to other cultures and this is the point I am trying to get at with my research.

My first main body paragraph, I will talk about who Shin’ichi Suzuki is, Suzuki in a nutshell. Where he grew up and to what kind of parents will be the first topic. How his love for music grew and how he found his specific way of teaching music. I will briefly go into his Style and how it works but I plan to save that for the second paragraph and combine It all in to the third main body paragraph.

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