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Community Music School
775 West Main Street
Trappe, PA 19426
610-489-3676
info@cmsmusic.org
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Home > Programs > Suzuki Academy

The Suzuki Academy at Community Music School

The Suzuki Philosophy

The late Japanese violinist, educator, philosopher, and humanitarian Dr. Shinichi Suzuki devoted his life to developing a method for teaching music to young children.  His method is based on his belief that, “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed.  Any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue.  The potential of every child is unlimited.” Dr. Shinichi Suzuki used this philosophy to formulate what he called the “mother-tongue approach”.  This approach teaches young children to learn musical skills similar to how young children learn to speak – through observation and imitation.  Dr. Suzuki believed that all children should study music to help nurture and develop their characters.

Special features of the Suzuki Philosophy

Dr. Suzuki’s method is based on the following principals:

• Parent Involvement - Because children are often very young when they begin, parent involvement is crucial.  Through the course of Suzuki instruction, the parent becomes the home teacher.  Educating parents about the fundamentals of Suzuki instruction and their role in the process is a necessary part of the Suzuki Method.
• Beginning music lessons at an early age – Musical learning is a life-long process that begins at birth.  The early childhood years are a perfect time to begin cultivating a child’s mental and physical coordination and artistic skills through music.  The early years are crucial for developing mental processes and muscle coordination .Never is too late to start.
• Use of sequential material presented by knowledgeable teachers in an organized and clear manner – Dr. Suzuki ingeniously developed a graded collection of repertoire that sequentially introduces and develops skills necessary for violin playing.  Teachers of the Suzuki Method are encouraged by organization such as the Suzuki Association of the Americas to seek out courses and mentors to develop and refine their teaching skills.  All CMS Suzuki teachers have completed and registered Suzuki teacher training courses offered through the SAA.
• Nurturing a student’s cognitive, emotional, social, language, and physical development through music while developing ease, balance, and confidence - The Suzuki Method encourages nurturing of the whole child.
• Development of the child’s sense of self-discipline and work ethic – Through regular practice, students learn the importance of the process over the product.  They learn that students who play well do so because they worked hard and persevered through challenges, and not solely because they are talented.
• An environment that enables all students to reach their fullest potentials – As Dr. Suzuki stated, “Every child can learn” and “Man is the son of his environment”.
• Social interaction and motivation among students through group classes – Cooperation, not competition, is the goal.
• LISTENING  ,CHILDREN LEARN WORDS AFTER HEARING THEM HUNDREDS OF TIMES BY OTHERS Listening to music every day is important, specially listening to pieces in the Suzuki repertory.
• REPETITION, constant repetition is essential in learning an to play an instrument. Children do not learn a word or piece of music and then discard it. They add it to their vocabulary or repertory gradually using it in new and more sophisticated ways.
• READING, children learn to read after their ability to talk has been well established .In the same way, children should develop basic technical competence on their instruments before begin taught to read music.
• ENCOURAGEMENT, as with language ,the child’s effort to learn an instrument should be met with sincere  praise and encouragement. Each child learns at his/her own rate, building on small steps so that  each one can be mastered. Children are also encouraged to support each other’s efforts, fostering an attitude of generosity and cooperation .

REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE SUZUKI ACADEMY

• All students must attend a weekly private and group lesson.
• At least one parent or guardian must attend all private and group lessons with the student.
• Parents of new Suzuki Academy students must attend the Suzuki Parent Education Class and observe one group lesson and one private lesson prior to the student beginning lessons.
• All Suzuki Academy students are expected to participate in scheduled Suzuki Group Recitals and workshops.
• All parents of Suzuki students (new and returning) must attend the annual Suzuki Parent Orientation held prior to the start of the first quarter.

SUZUKI PARENT EDUCATION CLASS

It is essential that parents become familiar with the Suzuki method and its supporting philosophy so they have the ability to fulfill their role in helping their child succeed. The class must be taken prior to beginning lessons at CMS (with the exception of one interview lesson). Please contact CMS for the exact dates and times.

The cost of attending the Parent Education Class is $140 and includes the Suzuki materials the student will need to begin lessons.

LESSON LENGTHS

Suzuki Academy students through the beginning of Book 2 generally take a 30-minute lesson per week. By Book 2, the teacher may request that the student move up to a 45-minute private lesson. For younger students at this level, two 30-minute lessons per week may be more beneficial to the student. Students usually move up to a 60-minute private lesson when they have reached Book 4. It is crucial to the student's progress that they be registered for the appropriate lesson length.

SUZUKI MATERIALS

The materials packet for new, beginning Suzuki violin, viola and cello students includes Suzuki Book 1, the corresponding Suzuki listening CD, the Suzuki philosophy book Ability Development From Age Zero, and the parenting book How to Get Your Child to Practice Without Resorting to Violence.

All Suzuki Academy students must purchase a Suzuki Academy polo shirt to wear at all Suzuki Academy performances, workshops and events. The cost of the shirt is $20 for children sizes and $25 for adult sizes.

 Suzuki Academy TUITION

Contact CMS for the 2010-2011 Suzuki Academy Group Class Schedule.

Tuition for the Suzuki program includes:

 - weekly private lesson and the appropriate group lesson or ensemble

 - one 9-week music enrichment class

 - participation in special Suzuki concerts at CMS

 - rehearsals and performances with a professional accompanist

 - student recitals

 - written progress report at the end of the year

 - access to the CMS music library

2010-2011 Suzuki Academy Events

August 3, 2010 9:15am-12:00pm Violinist David Kim Master class

Sepetmber 25, 2010 Renaissance Academy Community Day

October 9, 2010 Venezuelan Expressions Concert

November, 2010 GPSA Workshop More Information Coming Soon

November 14, 2010 Suzuki Academy Harvest Concert at CMS 2:00pm

December, 2010 GPSA Solo Recital More Information Coming Soon.

December 11, 2010 Little Night Music Concert with CMS Faculty Artists

February 11, 2011 Winter Ensembles Concert at CMS 7:30pm

February 26-27, 2011 Suzuki Festival at CMS More Information Coming Soon.

April 9, 2011 Little Night Music Concert with CMS Faculty Artists

April 30, 2011 The Annual Student PERFORMATHON at CMS 9am-5pm

June 12, 2011 Suzuki Spring Concert at CMS 2:00pm

June 24, 2011 Spring Ensembles Concert at CMS 7:30pm

August 1-5, 2011 Camp

SUZUKI ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS

Belmary Lorcas (violin & viola) is the Suzuki Academy Coordinator at Community Music School. She earned the Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Venezuela's Conservatorio de Musica Simon Bolivar and a Master of Music Education degree from Carnegie Melon University where she also attended their performance residency program. She has attended SAA-registered teacher training courses through Suzuki Book 7 and is a registered Suzuki teacher in addition to being a member of the Greater Philadelphia Suzuki Association.

Peter Lanctot (violin) is a certified Suzuki instructor through Book 5. Mr. Lanctot has trained under famed Suzuki clinician Linda Fiore at Lehigh University and has also worked with Paul Salerni. Mr. Lanctot holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance and a Master of Music Degree from Lehigh University.

Community Music School is currently accepting resumes for the following positions:

Suzuki Instructors:  Applicants must posses an undergraduate degree in music education or performance, certified SSA teacher training and at least two years teaching experience. Interested parties should send resume and cover letter to:

Edwina French, Executive Director

Community Music School

775 W. Main Street

Trappe, PA 19426

french@cmsmusic.org

Fax: 610-409-0811