Thoughts taken from the American Suzuki Journal, Spring, 2008
By Elizabeth Young (a Suzuki Mom)
This article compares the life of a Suzuki family to a sports team. "Teamwork (is the) cornerstone of the foundation upon which our ideals are realized."
The team members are parent and student. The parent "brings an intimate and profoundly personal understanding of the student, and how she or he thinks and learns. This, by the way, continues to develop in the practice room, and becomes ever more useful throughout a Suzuki eduation. Likewise, the parent brings the deepest investment in the well-being and development of the child. The teacher, in addition to specific training in educational methods that work well at a variety of developmental stages, brings his or her own experiences as a musician, and a former student."
The opposition, hopefully is not the child, although it sometimes might feel that way. The "opponent may vary from day to day or season to season. One time it may appear in the form of a tendency to tire quickly on the part of the child. Another time it may be reluctance to try something new, or conversely, the inability to understand why we have to keep doing "old" stuff that has already been learned... Then there is the ever-threatening enemy ... an over-commitment to too many activities to ever be able to do any of them particularly well."
I'd like you to think about what some of the oppositions are in your "Suzuki Life". What is stopping you from practicing every day with your child? Would a specific practice time each day help? Are you listening to the CD every day? If not, then why? Do you understand the importance of listening to the CD? How about review? Why DO we keep going OVER AND OVER the "old" stuff? :)
Are you encouraging your child to enjoy practice time instead of dread it? Do you need ideas on how to do this? What are your goals as a parent for your child regarding music lessons? What are your child's goals?
"Your child's teacher is only a phone call or an email away and she would love to share your burden and offer you something new from that inexhaustible bag of tricks!"
Your child is the very important third member of the team. At first "a young child is typically not mature or experienced enough ... to engage fully in the cooperation and collaboration that drives teamwork... Your child needs you and your teacher to lead the way and model the success that comes from collaboration with another."
Please share with me your concerns, and ask for input when you need it! I will do the same. Ms. Young states that along the way, "Practice routines were easier to outline. Review was accepted without resentment. Progress became the norm. And here's the weird part... somewhere along the way each child (gained)... a sense of ownership and shared cooperation in dealing with the obstacles that remained to be faced."
A good saying from Dr. Suzuki for us to memorize: "Every child learns. It depends on the teacher; it depends on the parent; it depends on me. Therefore, I will say, "Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Parent. I will do my best."
