A Little Fear Goes a Long Way

All three of my children are musicians. This is because I am afraid of music teachers. There's no way I'm going into a music lesson with a child who has not practiced! (though it took me a while to learn how to accomplish it).

We've been students of the Suzuki method (yes, I said "we" and I'm sticking with it). I know that there are musicians who dislike the Suzuki method and say that students trained in the method lack an understanding of theory. I suppose that could be so. I'm not really much of a musician myself so I'm in no position to judge. My philosophy is that any method is only as good as the teacher you have, so find yourself a good one. We've had six teachers all told and I think they've all been good. A couple have been very good and one, perhaps, quite stellar (if you want that name you'll have to ask).

The Suzuki method, in it's pure form, is a beautiful thing. The concept that "every child can learn" is close to my heart. Having said in other posts that preschoolers should not have any formal training thrust upon them, I have to now add a caveat. If you have the right teacher and the right attitude, then I recommend Suzuki music lessons even for preschoolers. Some people start their child at three. That can be an expensive waste of money (though not time), but four year olds are definitely old enough to get started. Even my unruly four-year-olds benefited (it's not fun to watch the other, mild mannered preschoolers doing what they're supposed to do while you are wrestling with yours, but never mind). It all depends on when you want to start and how long you are willing to take to get the thing to gel.

Studying the Suzuki method as a parent can be extremely helpful to homeschooling parents. It's all about structure and patience. What a difficult combination! The structure was something our homeschool desperately needed. The training in patience was something our homeschool desperately needed too! And accountability. Did I mention accountability? It helps that you have to face that scary music teacher once a week! Funny, my kids were never afraid of their music teachers (well, maybe one. . .)