Shininci Suzuki's method of early instrumental music instruction started in Japan and quickly spread to the United States. Suzuki believed that any child who could learn to speak a language could learn to play the violin at a high level of technical proficiency and artistry. He passionately believed in the value of music in aiding character education in children. Suzuki said, "The main concern for parents should be to bring up their children as noble human beings. That is sufficient. If this is not their greatest hope, in the end the child may take a road contrary to their expectations. Children can play very well. We must try to make them splendid in mind and heart also."
About the Class:This one hour small group class will be split into two half hours. The first half we will all learn together, covering games and exercises geared towards the first song in the Suzuki repertoire: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. And older child may master Twinkle by the end of the session, a three year old may take 6 months to a year to learn his first song. The second half of the class the children will play with a babysitter and I will work with the parents. We'll learn to play Twinkle and talk about the Suzuki method and how to help children learn the violin at a young age.
The homework for this class is minimal, and can be minutes equal to a child's age (a six year old practices for 6 minutes to start with). However, the practicing requires the help, patience and energy of the same parent who attends the Suzuki classes with the child and should happen every day between classes.
Parents will rent full size instruments for the first 3 weeks of class and then trade in for their child's size. Rental information will be given out at the first class. In the past students have rented instruments from Gailes Violin Shop (price listed at the top of this page), Perrin & Associates, and Music & Arts.
Megan Beller comes to Maryland from Rochester, NY where she taught violin and fiddle to all ages at the Eastman Community Music School. She also taught Suzuki violin at the Kanack School of Music working with Alice Kanack, a well-known Suzuki violin and improvisation teacher. The Eastman School required a high degree of discipline and hard work; the Kanack School emphasized fun, creativity and character building through music. Megan brings both approaches to her own teaching.