I have included one or two articles that Suzuki parents may find useful to read and reflect on below.
The Staircase of Learning
Learning to play our instruments requires that we develop new skills. Physical skill development is enhanced or sometimes only possible, if we correctly approach the tasks in hand using all of our concentration, our listening skills, our knowledge of the recordings and always remembering what it is that we’ve been asked us to practice. Remember, if you can demonstrate a new skill in your lesson that does not mean you have learnt it. Our muscles need many repetitions before they will have progressed to executing any skill with ease and without persistently demanding our attention.
The process of learning any new skill at the piano is often described as happening in 4 stages known as the “Staircase of Learning”
Here is a story and some comments that follow, both passed on to me from Christina Smith (Newfoundland) via Helen Brunner (London).Both are violin teachers but you can apply this story to the piano in EXACTLY the same way. It emphasises the importance of daily practice. When you read the story it might be helpful to try replacing the phrase “bow hold” with “relaxed and balanced Twinkle hand position”
ABILITY DEVELOPMENT V’S INABILITY DEVELOPMENT – DO THE MATHS
Dr Suzuki called his method of education “Ability Development”. In order to develop ability, you have to listen and practice every day. If you miss a day, you lose about 50% of what you achieved the day before. If you miss two days, you loose 75 – 80% It’s kind of like take-home pay: there’s gross and there’s net. It takes at least 200 repetitions for and average four year old to achieve conscious competence over making a bow hold.
Billy is four. He and his mum practise every day. At the second lesson, the teacher showed them how to make a bow hold. Billy and his mum do fifteen bow holds every day and by the next lesson he is making a pretty good bow hold, with help. One week later, he can do it all by himself. Two weeks later he has achieved unconscious competence holding and moving the bow and has moved on to playing the Twinkle rhythms on open strings.
Susie and her mum practise twice a week. They do fifteen bow holds each practice, but because the skill was not reinforced the next day, it is as if they only accomplished five each practice. At this rate it will take Susie 20 weeks to acquire a reliable bow hold. After two weeks, Susie’s mum has trouble getting her to practice. Susie reasons that it doesn’t happen every day, so why does it have to happen THIS day? When she does practice, she finds it difficult to focus, because that skill has not had enough repetition either. After three weeks, Susie is getting frustrated because no matter how hard she tries, she can’t manage to make that darned bow hold right. After all, she’s made 90 of them, but it’s like she only ever made 30. Her mum is getting frustrated because Susie can’t seem to focus well on the task at hand. After six weeks (60 net repetitions) Susie’s mum goes to the teacher and tells him/her that Susie is getting bored and that it is time now for her to advance. Two weeks later (80 net repetitions) Susie’s mum again urges the teacher to let her advance. Against his/her better judgement, the teacher allows Susie to play rhythms on open strings, even though she still can’t reliably make a bow hold. Now Susie has two skills to build simultaneously. Susie eagerly plays on open strings, but can’t make the bow go straight because a) she still can’t reliably achieve an ergonomically efficient bow hold, and b) she doesn’t get enough repetitions to build this skill either. This skill seems even more difficult than the last one. Another six weeks go by and Susie’s mum urges the teacher to let Susie begin using her fingers.
By Christmas, Billy is balancing the violin beautifully, has a good bow hold, can play Twinkle Variation A through and is working on Variation B. Susie is still trying to build basic skill like focus, holding her violin up, holding the bow correctly and keeping her bow straight. By June, Billy is playing through Allegro with lovely tone, good intonation, no mistakes and a balanced posture. Part way through the next year, he starts Book Two (piano book 1 takes longer than this!). It takes Susie four years to finish Book 1. Her pieces are full of mistakes, she can’t manage to make a reliably good sound and her mum and teacher are still harping on about making a nice bow hold. She doesn’t enjoy her music but her mum says she has to do it. She has adopted a coping strategy of shutting down and not trying because she has learned from experience that effort doesn’t lead to success. Her mum has come to the conclusion that Billy is “exceptional”. She and Susie continue because Dr. Suzuki says that “every child can learn music”.
The teacher swears to himself/herself that this won’t be allowed to happen again. The next September, Johnny and Melinda begin lessons. Johnny’s Dad can only practice with him twice a week. Melinda and her mum practice for ten minutes every day after breakfast…… You finish the story.
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As you can see, this is no small commitment. If any of the ingredients of success are omitted, the method will not work as it is intended. It is not fair to expect a young child to advance without sufficient input from a grownup. While missing a day once in a while when your regular routine is disturbed won’t impede your child’s success, lack of consistent, dedicated application will. Lack of consistent listening and practice means lack of success, which in turn means lack of motivation, then to lack of ability and eventually to lack of self-esteem. It is important for your child’s future happiness that music not be connected to a feeling of failure. If you simply can’t manage to ever get to group classes, if practicing routinely with your child is impossible, if you don’t have time to devote to creating and maintaining the musical environment, you will either have to change something in order to make it happen, or possibly wait until the child is old enough to take responsibility for their music by themselves.
The Suzuki Method requires dedication, discipline, love and perseverance. It is rewarding, though, as you and your child develop a deeper understanding and mutual respect through musical study. The Suzuki community is there to help you on your way.
It helps to assess your daily schedule (and your child’s) and plan an appropriate time for practice. The ideal time would be when your child is not too tired and another adult is available to look after siblings. This ideal situation will not be possible every single day but planning ahead will make it much more likely to happen and also helps the practice to go smoothly. Make sure you have “violin time” (“piano time”) every day, even if you only sit and listen to the CD. If practice is seen as an optional activity you will have arguments!
- Attend Group Classes
- Bring your child to concerts (Suzuki and non-Suzuki)
- Attend Suzuki workshops
- Enjoy the process. Take pleasure in each small achievement. The journey is just as important as the destination.
- Listen to the teacher and follow instructions. Do not push ahead! – you may be creating future problems.
- Apply the method seriously, have faith in it and above all, do not limit your child’s potential by any doubts on your part.
