The repertoire in the first 3 books in Suzuki is 2nd and 3rd rate material - music that no professional would ever touch in concert. Whereas in my Method, the material from Book I - III resonates at every level. I have played Beautiful Skies and Boil em Cabbage Down for instance with top musicians in front of huge audiences. So the children feel empowered with the material from my Method as opposed to it being just student music and 3rd rate classical pieces that never get performed outside of Suzuki student recitals. The Suzuki Method narrows book to book to the point finally where the Mozart Concerto ends the series. It is a narrowing method, not an expansive method. It starts out very narrow, and gets even more narrow as it goes. This is a reflection of Suzuki the musician. He couldnt play. He was neither a musician nor an artist, and he was not a composer or arranger. So, if a Suzuki student succeeds and does not quit the violin along the way, it is mostly likely their teachers supplemented so heavily, that thankfully they were not burdened with Suzuki material alone. If you have to supplement that much, then it is no longer the Suzuki Method. It is an odd thing that the people who succeed, take less Suzuki from the Suzuki teachers. So in other words, the less Suzuki you have, the better your chances. And of course - that is no methodology. Japan figured out that decades ago. Hopefully this interview from Japan makes us feel a little uneasy and basically embarrassed. We should be, frankly. Be sure to read some of the other blogs here that describe the American System. - Mark OConnor
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 02:59:11 +0000
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