Talent Education- Every Child Can

At Cornerstone Music Studios, we believe in a modified Suzuki method. Our teaching is largely based on the philosophies of Dr. Shin'ichi Suzuki, that all people have  the ability to learn a musical instrument, and that music is best learned in the way that children naturally learn language.  Suzuki believed that “All children, without exception, flourish in response to skillful teaching. They are born equipped with that potential,” and so, it is our role at Cornerstone Music Studios to provide that skillful teaching. 

The Mother Tongue Approach

As we strive to provide quality music education to every student, our teachers use a method for music learning and literacy described by Suzuki. The Mother Tongue Approach is designed to mimic the way that infants and children learn language and apply it to music instruction. The primary idea is that students should be immersed in the music that they are to learn, just as they are continually surrounded by the spoken word of their native language. This development of the ear is viewed as curtail to the growth and learning of the young musician. The child is given CDs with recordings of the pieces they are to play. Furthermore, within group classes, young students listen to the performances of older students, listening to the musical works they will someday perform themselves.

 For the first portion of study, music is taught by rote. It is not until much later that the reading sheet music is introduced, further paralleling the process of learning spoken language before its written representation. 

Suzuki Confirmed in Science

Shinʼichi Suzuki’s statement that “everyone can develop superior sensitivity and a true understanding of music if they are raised amidst high quality music” has not only been supported by his pedagogy, but also by scientific study. There is interestingly a direct correlation between language and music learning as demonstrated by brain mapping. All languages follow the same sequence of development, starting with babbling and moving to the use of words and sentences. As this process is underway different areas of the brain activate and create connections to store the understanding of the language. Brain imaging studies show that within the temporal lobe, Broca’s area is more strongly activated when developing grammatical representations of language, while Wernicke’s area is more activated when learning and categorizing vocabulary.  The pathway between the two areas strengthens with practice to aid comprehension and speech. Furthermore, the recognition of inflection and speech tone are processed through the auditory cortex and the dorsal frontal cortex. This has a direct connection to phonation in song. When the singer concentrates on learning the words of a song, the temporal region in the left side of the brain, where Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are located, is more engaged, but when learning the melody, the auditory and dorsal frontal cortexes are activated. (Trollinger, 2010). By engaging and developing musical skill through the use of the language learning process, educators can take advantage of the learning process the brain is already designed and programmed for. Through observation, Suzuki was able to recognize a learning pattern and make use of it, creating an entirely new perspective on music education. 

Suzuki in Our Classrooms

Suzuki’s writings provided a revolutionary prospective on child development and the learning process. His ideas of talent education create an inclusive environment for all aspiring learners, and his commitment to continuous creativity and problem solving in teaching is something that we at Cornerstone Music Studios strive to model. Combined with technical approaches from Paul Roland String Pedagogy, we aim to provide the quality instruction that makes each student flourish. 

We strongly recommend Dr. Shinʼichi Suzuki’s book Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education to all parents of string players. The book is available in our library, or can be purchased online.

Sources

Dweck, Carol. “The Impact of a Growth Mindset.” ScienceImpact, www.mindsetworks.com/science/Impact. 
Osman, Sara Eldirdiry, et al. “‘Singing for the Brain’: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Health  and Well-Being Benefits of Singing for People with Dementia and Their Carers.” Dementia, vol. 15, no. 6, 2016, pp. 1326–1339., doi:10.1177/1471301214556291.  
Suzuki, Shinʼichi, and Waltraud Suzuki. Nurtured by Love: the Classic Approach to Talent  Education. Summy-Birchard, 1995.Trollinger, Valerie L. “The Brain in Singing and Language.” General Music Today, vol. 23, no.  2, 2010, pp. 20–23., doi:10.1177/1048371309353