Suzuki Violin Lessons Versus Normal Violin Lessons

When you do research about violin lessons, you will undoubtedly stumble upon these two methods of learning it - Suzuki method and the traditional method. These are the two most popular ways of learning to play the violin.

Once you get your feet wet with information on violin learning, you will come across the Suzuki method, which has a great deal of advantages for children and for some adult learners.

Suzuki violin Lesson Overview:

Deciding between Suzuki violin lessons and traditional lessons is an individual decision. Your decision will have to be based on the merits of each method and on which one can provide the most effective lessons to you.

The Suzuki violin method is a “hands on” parental method of learning the violin. This method requires parents to be included in the lessons as guide and instructor when the children practice. It is a good way to spend quality time with your child. This method of teaching violin allows children as young as two or three years old to start with the lessons.

Children first begin learning the music by listening to it and then repeating what they hear. They are made to listen to recordings at home, and try to play them afterwards.

The Suzuki method emphasizes listening, watching, and then playing before starting to learn to read music. Basically, it involves the same methodology employed in teaching children language acquisition. Children usually, learn to speak first before they learn to read. And this learning mostly is acquired through listening and watching.

In Suzuki violin lessons, the teacher gives both individual and 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 are usually recommended between the 6th and 10th year of a child. Through this method, there is no listening to recordings at home, or before practice required of the students.

Learning to read music is given much importance from the very start of the lessons and are often prioritized before they are taught to play. Generally, traditional violin lessons are given on a one-on-one basis and not in groups.

Deciding between the two is really not easy. There are parents who bat for the Suzuki method because of the way it involves them in the learning process and kids enjoy it for its fun activities. 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.

The children also have a great time in the group classes - learning, playing and interacting with other children. Seeing other children struggle with practice, and how some others succeed, uplifts their spirits.

The decision on whether to learn the violin through the Suzuki method or the traditional method should really be arrived at after the collaboration of both the parents and children, and after considering the fun factor and how effective the method is in teaching the student to play the violin.