Quotable Quotes by Shinichi Suzuki:

- Knowledge is not skill.  Knowledge plus 10,000 times is skill.

- What is man's ultimate direction in life?   It is to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty.

- Any child can be developed, it depends on how you do it.

- It is necessary to be concerned about the importance of educating a really beautiful human spirit.

- Art is not in some far-off place.  A work of art is the expression of a man's whole personality, sensibility and ability.  

- Children learn to smile from their parents.

- Every child grows; everything depends on the teacher.

- Art expresses man.

Lessons & Performances

Students involved with the Suzuki Strings program begin with one private lesson and soon after add a group class component.  We give one formal recital a semester in addition to every-other-month community recitals at nursing homes throughout the year.

The private lessons are the core of the student's education and ensure correct technical development, individual rate of progress, relaxed movements, and the opportunity to nurture the unique relationship between student, teacher, and parent.

Group classes begin once a child reaches the end of Preparing for Twinkle.  Group classes provide an opportunity to review techniques learned in private lessons, and build critical listening and ensemble playing skills.  This is also the venue that provides peer involvement, and social encouragement for both the students and the parents.  Children learn to play together, perform for each other and take on leadership rolls.  Group class is also where basic note reading and theory is introduced.

Recitals and Concerts are an excellent means to create a desire to practice.  Before the concert, children work hard to be ready, after the concert they are excited and carry that success to their practicing.  They gain more than encouragement from these performing opportunities.  Playing in front of people is a skill all on its own.  It nurtures confidence, intense focus, setting and achieving short and long term goals, and stage presence. 

For more information on what the Suzuki Method is and how it works, please check out the blog post "Suzuki Question and Answer"

Book 2 students learning how to write a harmony part based on a simple chord progression

Group students learning how to tune their instruments.