Holland String Studio
  • Home
    • Cello
    • Violin
    • Time Management
    • Studio Policy
    • Tuition and Scheduling
    • Mesa Suzuki Groups
    • Helpful links
    • Students' corner
  • Blog
  • The Suzuki Method
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs
  • Watch and Listen

Yes, Suzuki Students Read Music

8/14/2013

4 Comments

 
This is probably the most persistent myth about the Suzuki method, and I encounter it on a regular basis. I recently was in a practice session with a current student and the mom mentioned that when she was doing research into the Suzuki method someone told her Suzuki kids never learn to read music. "But it looks like we're headed in the direction of reading music," she said.  My reply was, all my students, and all of the students of all my colleagues, read music.  We just don't start out doing it that way.

Think of it like this: When your child was learning to talk,  first he babbled and learned how to make various noises with his mouth. Then he started combining those noises into syllables. Then the syllables became words, which became sentences. Some of my students are still too young to read, but reading comes many years later. Imagine how difficult it would have been if, upon uttering his first word, you put a book in front of your 10 month old and said, "OK, we're going to learn to read now. Once you learn how to read the word, then you can say it." Now, I know there are new baby reading programs, but you get what I'm saying.

Ok, now imagine you already know how to read a book. You've discovered "Sweatin' to the Oldies, Kindle edition". How successful do you think you'll be learning the moves? I think we'd all rather dance alongside Richard Simmons than read about him. Then, once you've mastered all the fancy dance moves on the video, you can read a book about advanced ae

The eyes are very powerful. Once we're looking at something, our other senses tend to take a backseat.  Suzuki teachers typically like to set up their students first, make sure they can play well, and only when the student gets to the point where they're not having to consciously think about technique does the teacher introduce reading. If the technique becomes automatic, when the student is reading music there's less chance that the beautiful bow hold they've been working on is going to disappear forever.  This process takes a different amount of time for each student. In my own studio, the younger students take longer to read (some of them aren't reading books yet, so that makes sense anyway) and the older ones read faster. 
4 Comments
online assignment help link
3/22/2015 01:17:38 pm

It is good to know that your child knows how to read music. Like with my Sophia, before I feel so nervous because she talk late as I remember her talk when she was two and half years old. But you know? She can recognize music that fast. She can sing and dance at the same time without saying anything just rhythm.

Reply
online assignment help link
6/9/2015 04:34:04 pm

Wow, thanks for this great post ;)

Reply
best-custom-essays.com link
10/9/2015 02:39:30 am

Sounds interesting :) Unique term papers are righ here ;)

Reply
college essays for sale link
1/13/2016 08:58:11 pm

Really amazing blog post. thanks a lot

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Megan Holland plays and teaches the violin. She also enjoys spending time with her two daughters and husband James, who plays and teaches cello.

    Archives

    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All
    Day Off
    Lesson
    Parents Helping Parents
    Practicing
    Suzuki
    Violin
    Young Children

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly