The Suzuki method guitar books are made from a series of brilliantly graded and sequential pieces, each building on the last. Once the student gains some momentum, progress can be swift and impressive. The method makes use of many pieces of the classical guitar repertoire.
The question arises, do you have to completely embrace the Suzuki teaching philosophy and methodology in order to benefit from the method books? Well, no you don’t.
The Suzuki method is aimed at very young children and has produced many fine young musicians. Typically, they come from families whose parents have high expectations and a strong work ethic. However, there is often a strong criticism of the Suzuki method and that is that Suzuki trained children can't read music or at least have the learning this skill delayed, perhaps unnecessarily. There is a "sound before symbol" or play before reading way of thinking. The philosophy of the method is that children learn to acquire music skills in the same manner as they acquire language skills. A child learns to speak only after being immersed in the sounds and rhythms of the “mother tongue” and will speak only after having heard its words spoken perhaps hundreds of times. They do become very good at playing by ear. But with the delay in learning to read music, it has been said that learning to read becomes much harder than if it was taught early on.
So, how do you create an environment where the child is immersed in the music that they are to learn?
Well, the recordings that accompany the method books are to be continually played, in the car and at home. At least one parent is to accompany the child to their lesson and learn alongside the child or if not, take notes. The parent is to establish a practice routine and must ensure that pieces are played as per their teacher’s directions. The parent becomes the ‘at home tutor’ and practicing becomes part of the family routine and as natural as any other family activity. The child learns to play by imitation and by rote.
But what about the child whose environment is not that favourable, whose parents can’t attend lessons or would prefer to send their child to soccer on a Saturday morning than sit through another group lesson or ensemble rehearsal? Can a young child learn to play an instrument whose parents don’t want a Suzuki flavoured home?
Most of the parents of my young students are happy to have their child taught guitar but keep their involvement to a minimum. Although some have been known to sit in on lessons and learn alongside their son or daughter, parental involvement is not something I insist on. but, as any music teacher will tell you, parental involvement and enthusiasm can have a huge bearing on the progress of the child.
Early Childhood Educators start to teach children to recognise symbols…letters and words and often associate them with an image. They simultaneously develop a child’s fine motor skills with activities like colouring in and cutting out shapes from paper. This being the case, if children are capable of learning symbols whilst developing their fine motor skills, why do Suzuki music teachers delay note reading in favour of playing by rote?
The Copy, Play and Learn Guitar method assists children as young as 5 years of age to develop their fine motor skills and learn to read music in a similar way as early childhood educators teach a young child to read and write. Children learn naturally through imitation, and Copy Play and Learn uses this as the cornerstone of its methodology. The book consists of 43 easy pieces, but I find that by about the twenty-second or so, the child is equipped with the note reading skills and fine motor skills necessary to be able to start on the Suzuki pieces. By starting with Copy, Play and Learn, children can easily and confidently read and play music at the level required at the start of the Suzuki guitar books. They do so independently, without parental involvement, and in a relatively short period of time.
To learn more about Copy Play and Learn Guitar head to https://www.copyplayandlearn.com/
Author: Bryce Leader
Bryce is a teacher trained conservatorium graduate who has been teaching guitar since 1978.
Opmerkingen