Suzuki Method

Children, like little “sponges”, absorb everything – especially at a young age.

Also called the Mother Tongue approach, the Suzuki Method is based on the idea of how every child learns to speak his or her native language. The essence of the Suzuki approach is that ANY 3 year old can learn to play an instrument, if a nurturing environment is created, combined with the right approach.

The Suzuki method differs from the traditional way of learning to play an instrument on many levels. Some examples:

• It involves the child at a very young age – sometimes as early as the age of 2.5, but usually it starts from the age of 3. Early exposure is one of the reasons why this method is so successful.
• Besides weekly private lessons the Suzuki method also offers the invaluable opportunity of participating in weekly group classes, where children learn (and practice) to perform in front of others; observe, motivate and learn from each other. The group class reinforces the work done in private lessons, provides exposure to pieces soon to be studied, as well as further introduces the fundamentals of music. A well-known fact: the Suzuki kids have the most amazing performance results – thanks to the group classes.
• The parent’s involvement and commitment is another key element to Suzuki’s success, because all these youngsters need a “home-teacher” who can guide and help them with practicing. To be able to do this, the parent learns to play the piano at the same time as the child. This way the parent understands every little step on the road better, therefore he/she can support the teacher’s work more effectively, as well as able to share quality time, and the joy (and sometimes frustration) of mastering a skill together with the child. This triangle between student, parent and teacher makes the Suzuki learning environment very unique.
• It moves in small steps, therefore every step on the way can be mastered, which develops confidence, motivation for learning, and a solid foundation on the instrument.
• It postpones reading that would make things harder at the beginning, therefore it focuses on learning by ear, which – through constant exposure to listening to music – will develop an amazing ear to music, besides developing an amazing memory. This early reliance on the memory is very important for gaining a big repertoire and a sense of security in performance.

AT TRIBECA PIANO STUDIO you can register for private and group lessons at any time during the year.

Because of the Suzuki students’ young age, an initial interview is required before registering for lessons – understandably, not every 3 year old is ready to take on the task of learning and playing the piano.  A complimentary trial lesson is available upon request that can help parents to take a quick, “insider look” at a Suzuki piano lesson.

TRIBECA PIANO’S SUZUKI PIANO PROGRAM consist of a weekly private lesson and a weekly group class.
The private lessons can be 30, 45 and 60 minute long, depending on the child’s age, attention span and development. If schedule allows, even two private lessons a week can be taken – as more practice means more progress.
Group classes are 30 and 45 minute long, depending on the size and advancement of the class. All students participating in group classes learn the fundamentals of piano playing in their private lessons. At the same time, music and technique learned in private lessons is reinforced and further enhanced in group classes. And as a big bonus, to be able to play “solo” in front of others from week to week helps students to gain confidence as performers. That’s why the group classes at Tribeca Piano are also called the “Performance Classes”.
At Tribeca Piano, these classes are carefully designed, so the number of participating students is maximized to 7-8, therefore each student gets a fair share of performance time in each class.