When you are looking for a way to learn violin, you will not escape stumbling upon these two popular methods - the Suzuki method and the traditional or normal method of learning. When you ask around the music community, you will probably receive many recommendations for the Suzuki method, especially if the student is a young child. It is said to be very effective in teaching young children and also adult beginners.
Suzuki violin Lesson Overview:
Deciding between Suzuki violin lessons and traditional lessons is an individual decision. You should make a decision based on the advantages and disadvantages of each method and how effective you feel each one would be.
The Suzuki violin method is more "hands on" for both the parents and the student. This method requires a great deal of involvement from the parent, and requires that they help children with practice. It is a great way to interact with your child. Violin classes under this method are available for very young children, even for those as young as two or three years old.
Children first learn by listening then by playing what they listened to. They listen to recordings at home and then begin to play them. The Suzuki method emphasizes listening, watching, and then playing before starting to learn to read music. Essentially it is the same learning method in which children learn language acquisition. The usual order of learning for a child is to learn to speak first before they learn to read. They normally acquire these skills by watching and listening.
In the Suzuki method of learning, the teacher provides individual as well as group lessons. The idea behind the group lessons is to allow children to observe other children who play at a higher level.
Traditional Violin Lesson Overview:
Parental involvement in traditional violin lessons is much less. Violin classes usually begin between the ages of 6 and 10. In this method children don't listen to recordings at home, or before they start practicing. Learning to read music is emphasized right from the beginning, and often even before a child begins to play. Most traditional violin lessons are given individually and group classes are not taught.
Choosing between the two can be difficult, however many parents seem to prefer the Suzuki method, if only because it creates a parent/child activity from the learning process, and kids think it is a great deal of fun. The only issue for parents with this method is the fact that the parent also needs to make a commitment to the class, and this can be difficult for some parents.
Children also seem to like the group classes in this method and it gives them more self esteem in their playing. When they see that other children have the same practice problems and successes then it makes them feel better.
All in all, choosing between traditional violin lessons and Suzuki lessons needs to be both a parent and a child's decision and should be based on which method is the most fun, and the most successful.
