After the MA Suzuki festival this year, I finally decided that I will start my 3 year old on Suzuki guitar. My husband and I have been grappling with the decision on when to start her on Suzuki violin, being that I am a Suzuki violin teacher. We have been planning for this since her birth, we decide that I would be the teacher and he would be the practice parent. We had it all thought out to avoid the common "parent as teacher" problems that can come from the Suzuki Triangle having 2 of the points merged into one person.
My decision wasn't a fleeting, "oh ya, I forgot Suzuki guitar was a thing!" It was a carefully thought out path that I think will be beneficial for our family, not because I don't want to teach my very headstrong child violin (an instrument notorious for being "hard to learn"), but rather because we both have an interest in learning guitar. When I found out that Suzuki guitar is the classical style, or "finger-picking style" as my husband calls it, and that it's his favorite to listen to and therefore wants to learn, I realized this will be a great opportunity to begin my child's Suzuki music education, and a chance for us to learn something together as a family. After all, learning via the "Mother Tongue" approach, and seeing us motivated to practice, will help my child see that practicing is just something that we do each day.
I am very much looking forward to entering the 3rd point of the Suzuki Triangle, being a Suzuki kid, and then doing the teacher training as an adult and having a great career as a Suzuki teacher, this final step in the journey - Suzuki Parenting, will help me truly experience it full circle.
My decision wasn't a fleeting, "oh ya, I forgot Suzuki guitar was a thing!" It was a carefully thought out path that I think will be beneficial for our family, not because I don't want to teach my very headstrong child violin (an instrument notorious for being "hard to learn"), but rather because we both have an interest in learning guitar. When I found out that Suzuki guitar is the classical style, or "finger-picking style" as my husband calls it, and that it's his favorite to listen to and therefore wants to learn, I realized this will be a great opportunity to begin my child's Suzuki music education, and a chance for us to learn something together as a family. After all, learning via the "Mother Tongue" approach, and seeing us motivated to practice, will help my child see that practicing is just something that we do each day.
I am very much looking forward to entering the 3rd point of the Suzuki Triangle, being a Suzuki kid, and then doing the teacher training as an adult and having a great career as a Suzuki teacher, this final step in the journey - Suzuki Parenting, will help me truly experience it full circle.
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