Dr. Shin’ichi Suzuki (1898-1998) was born in Nagoya, Japan where his father owned a violin factory. One of 12 children, he became inspired by the beautiful tone of the violin upon hearing a recording of Schubert’s Ave Maria on a gramophone. He started playing the violin at the age of 17 and went on to study the instrument in Germany in his early 20s. He returned to Japan to devote his life to the development of his method and philosophy of teaching music which he called Talent Education. Dr. Suzuki was a violinist, educator, philosopher, and humanitarian who believed deeply that developing a beautiful tone had the power to nurture a beautiful heart in every child and collectively build a more peaceful world through music.
The Suzuki Method is based on the belief that every child can learn and develop their musical ability in the same way they learn to speak their mother tongue from an early age through listening and repetition. The Suzuki Method consists of the student, the teacher, and the parent in partnership. Parent responsibility, loving encouragement, a strong foundation in technique, mastery of a graded repertoire, and playing music with peers are some of the important features of the Suzuki Method.
To learn more about the Suzuki Method: