Rethinking Genius

A very interesting video on Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes.  Shows the classes in action and what participating parents think about the program.

One of my teacher trainers told me that practicing should be like brushing your teeth. There is never a day when your tooth brushing is affected by other events in your day. The process is completely emotionally detached. I mulled over her words of wisdom for quite some time after she said them to me. What struck me the most was the suggestion of emotionally detaching myself. All my life I have been told that music is supposed to express emotion. So it was almost like it would be wrong to try and strip that away. For me, the teeth brushing example was a very interesting concept. I realized that the level of habitual repetition of that daily routine is rarely achieved in any other life areas. Dishes get put off, vacuuming, shopping for groceries.... but I always make the time to brush my teeth. Always making the time for practice? A lofty ideal indeed.

Welcome to Rethinking Genius, Dorothy! Please introduce yourself and give a us a little background on your history with the Suzuki Method. I am a Suzuki specialist in Early Childhood Education.  I founded a Suzuki School in London Ontario Canada. In 1993, the ISA approved my program in Early Childhood Education and designated my school as a world Teacher Training Centre. Past President of the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) past board member of the ISA, I was a founding member of the Board of the Suzuki Association of Ontario and served as President of that organization. I have been a Suzuki parent, Piano Teacher Trainer and keynote speaker at conferences and workshops around the world for over 41 years. I am recognized as a Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) teacher trainer in the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), the European Suzuki Association (ESA) and the Pan Pacific Suzuki Association (PPSA). Explain to us what Suzuki Early Childhood Education (...

A quintessential point made by Dr. Suzuki is that music teachers are not just making better musicians; they are making better human beings. This somewhat daunting task may be boiled down to the more tangible goal of creating an independent musician. The establishing of an independent musician begins as soon as that very first lesson. Young children rely on their parents for just about everything. The parent is their provider and protector. So, in many ways, the parent is a child’s medium to the outside world. They pick up cues from their parents on how they should respond to strange situations. This is very important for a teacher to keep in mind especially when first interacting with a young student. It should not be a teacher’s goal to instantly befriend the child. Rather, the initial main focus should be on the parent. If a child sees that their parent is relaxed and willing to talk around this new and unfamiliar person, so too will they be relaxed and more inclined to talk...