Suzuki Violin Lessons Versus Normal Violin Lessons – What Is Better?
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. You will hear of this method of violin learning called Suzuki method, as you do your research about the most effective ways to learn violin. It is especially helpful to children and even some adult learners.
Suzuki violin Lesson Overview:
Deciding between Suzuki violin lessons and traditional lessons is an individual decision. You should base that decision on knowing what each method has to offer and which one offers what you are looking for.
The Suzuki violin method of teaching encourages active participation of the parents in teaching their children. 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. Violin classes using this method can start as early as two or three years of age.
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. Essentially it is the same learning method in which children learn language acquisition. There is no child on earth that learns to read before beginning to speak and that learning comes from listening and watching.
In Suzuki violin lessons, the teacher gives both individual and group lessons. The group lessons give the younger students the opportunity to observe and learn from children who are more advanced in skills, than they are.
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. In this method children don’t listen to recordings at home, or before they start practicing. 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. Most traditional violin lessons are given individually and group classes are not taught.
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. What some parents don’t like about this method, is the way it requires them to be present during lessons. This could be hard on those that have a full schedule on their hands.
Children also seem to like the group classes in this method and it gives them more self esteem in their playing. When they see that other children have the same practice problems and successes then it makes them feel better.
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.