Suzuki method

Teaching the Cello - Teaching Beginners - Motivation - What age to start lessons

The Suzuki Method in America became the mainstream way of teaching violin and cello since about the 1980's. Before then, there was very little understanding of pedagogy nor was there any way of training musicians to teach children an instrument like the violin or the cello. The Suzuki Association of the Americas trains musicians to become better teachers and it provides opportunities to families in educating their children.

I would say that good Suzuki teaching is a way of learning the musical instruments of Western Classical Music in small steps, through the senses and through the imagination, in an environment where the student can develop self-confidence through their ever-increasing ability to express themself. The benefits are many but ultimately, if love is the highest priority in the relationship between parent, child and teacher, beauty will pour forth from the soul of the player into beautiful sound.

The unique aspects of the Suzuki method

A unique and important aspect of the Suzuki method is that students memorize all their pieces. Memorization comes easy for most children who have early exposure to high quality music and it is absolutely essential in learning the cello.

Another important aspect is the training that teachers receive from excellent teacher trainers. You learn to develop an understanding of the progression of pieces and how new skills are added over time. Most Suzuki teachers also teach a group class in addition to a weekly lesson. This is wonderful because the students and parents inspire and motivate each other.

There are no exams in the Suzuki method but some children and parents automatically view each successive book as a step towards the ladder of achievement. This can be a problem for older students who know that their peers are in a higher book. It can make them feel they are behind or not good enough to be in such and such an orchestra. Schools often put pressure on students by asking what Suzuki book they are in. I keep explaining, until I'm blue in the face, that it is much harder to play a simple piece well, than a more advanced piece in a mediocre fashion. Even without an exam system, the Suzuki method can still be viewed as competitive by people who are uninformed as to its philosophy.

My experience with the Suzuki Method

I've had Suzuki teacher training through short-term courses in both the US and in England. I was a "Suzuki parent" of my 3 children for more than a decade so I've observed countless Suzuki lessons with many teachers on cello, violin and piano.

I will never forget a Suzuki teacher trainer in England who once said, "no method can make a good teacher out of a bad one." Very true! It's not the method as much as the structure or framework that a teacher can then use as a basis to develop her understanding of how, why, when and where to progress in learning an instrument. You will not see that structure by just looking at the Suzuki music books. You must learn from a teacher trainer to understand the methods and develop your own teaching. The Suzuki philosophy is also part of the training. It is a belief that with enough love and patience, all children can enjoy playing a musical instrument. The dedication of the teacher is paramount, and no method can ensure that teachers will dedicate themselves to serving the students.

The standard of cello teaching in the US has risen during the last few decades and I think it is largely due to the www.suzukiassociation.org and their teacher training programs and summer institutes. I highly recommend taking some courses and learning from different teacher trainers.

In addition to the Suzuki repertoire I create my own exercises and etudes many of which you can download from various pages on this website.

I really like Solos for Young Cellists by Carey Cheney while continuing with the Suzuki repertoire. There are lots of great pieces in these books and you can also buy excellent recordings for each volume.

Like most Suzuki teachers, I use Rick Mooney's Position Pieces books. They are really good for understanding the positions and developing shifting skills. There is also a second cello part for the teacher and these duets are very creative and beautiful!

I also teach etudes from Matz, Feuillard's 60 Etudes for the Young Cellist, Schroeder's 170 foundation studies vol. 1, Kummer Ten Etudes and more.

Depending on the student, I use Fun in Thumb Position by Jensen to start learning thumb position which has great photos and charts that are clear and simple or I use Mooney's vol. 1. I also use Rick Mooney's Thumb Position Volume 2 after the student has finished Fun in Thumb Position or Mooney Vol. 1.

I've also recently started to do some pre-thumb position reading/playing by using the first 10 pages of Cassia Harvey's Thumb Position Book. This book starts out by learning to go into thumb position from 4th position so it helps students relate thumb on the harmonics to 4th position.

Learning the Cello - Suzuki method