Rethinking Genius

One question I get asked all the time is how "Suzuki" is different from "Traditional" lessons and which is better. I think it's easiest to answer this question by breaking things down into several important points: 1) There is really no such thing as "traditional" music lessons. To say that there are would mean that someone had systemized this approach and all traditional teachers follow a uniform approach to teaching. They don't. Every music teacher is going to be different. You'll even find huge differences between Suzuki teachers and their approach has been systemized! 2) What I think people are often thinking is that Suzuki = no sight reading approach while traditional = the sight reading approach. Which is really not the case. Suzuki students are initially taught by ear but sight reading is a part of the method. This would be different from an approach where the student is taught how to play by having the sheet music placed ...

When students of any age start music lessons they first go through what I call “the honeymoon period.” The instrument is new and exciting, everyone has a positive attitude about the experience and the student approaches new assignments with an open mind. Once the honeymoon excitement fades away the real work must begin. This is a natural and necessary next step to the learning process. The purpose of this booklet is to present fifteen different strategies or adjustments you can make to your at-home practice in order to make the whole process smoother. Every child will respond to activities differently. Successful practice requires constant analysis of how you, the parent, are presenting the material. You can find this booklet on Amazon , Barnes and Noble and most other major e-book stores.