The Press: Teaching based on love
Dr Shinichi Suzuki, aged 89, and living in Matsumoto, Japan, believes that, given the right environment, even very young children can learn to play a musical instrument.
His philosophy, demonstated in “That’s Fairly Interesting” tonight (Saturday) at 7.30 on Two, is: “Where love is deep much can be accomplished.”
He calls his teaching the Mother Tongue method because, when he was studying in pre-war Berlin, he noticed that very young children could pick up their native tongue quickly, whereas he, as an adult, struggled to learn German. His observations formed the basis of the Suzuki teaching method which is now world-wide. Basically, mothers are taught a musical instrument and practise constantly in front of their children until they want to join in, too. Says Auckland Suzuki teacher, Sophie Hartigan: “It’s all a con. It’s like vacuum cleaning — they want to try too.” “That’s Fairly Interesting” went to the annual concert put on by the four Auckland Suzuki teachers and their pupils. Youngsters, from two-and-a-half years of age, learn to play holding chocolate boxes and standing on foot charts, until they graduate to scaled-down instruments. They learn to play first by ear and then, at six or seven, they start to learn to read music. Also on “Thats Fairly Interesting” this week, Belinda Todd meets the lucky survivor of a hanggliding accident; Eliza frolics with some spotted sheep near Gisborne, and Neil meets the coconut man and has another close encounter with crocodiles.
