themselves over and over again: Why are we doing all this? It is very clear, one is not in this community to gain fame, wealth, or power. Even though we care deeply about the quality in our music playing, it is surely not our primary goal to produce the next topselling player. One hopefully is in this for a much bigger vision. How this vision is described might vary from teacher to teacher, from personality to personality. It might sound something along the lines of: Sharing the patience for music Nurturing children, families, friends and people around us with love Connecting to people and building communities. Such goals or visions are also described as our common Philosophy. Practising this way of living should also be done apart from our instrumental teaching and our specialised music teaching bubble. SUZUKI™ Early Childhood Education (SECE) is often referred to as “SUZUKI™ Philosophy in Action” – quite rightly so These classes give us the opportunity to practise and re-think our Philosophy. In other words, we can also say, the SECE lessons are a tool to deliver and model the SUZUKI™ principle without many explanations. In this way, it becomes clear, that the SECE program is not only a tool to practise SUZUKI™ principles, but the classes are also valuable by themselves. As much as it is a good idea to use music as a tool for learning, connecting, finding balance etc it should never be used only as a means but also always as a purpose by itself. Looking at the SECE classes in a more practical way, it is worth pointing out the following facts: Weekly music classes for babies & toddlers together with a parent/ caregiver SUZUKI™ Principals in action True early start NOT a Pre-Twinkle Program One of the beauties of Suzuki instrumental teaching may be that it enables very young children to begin playing music directly– without the need for too many introductions. I would advocate that this should still be possible. However, these days an increasing number of families are facing demanding schedules from an even earlier stage. Also, high-quality music lessons for little children are often perceived as either elite or something more suitable for tigerparents. Both of which are rather sad and not true about the goal of the SUZUKI™ approach. SECE offers a fantastic way to provide easier access. It is one way of reaching children we would not reach otherwise. This means, we get closer to “every child” and can also live our inclusive philosophy. On a more practical level, SECE helps teachers to build up and maintain their Suzuki studio community applying the SUZUKI™ principles. What should not be underestimated is the fact that families are introduced to the SUZUKI™ approach and getting to know the teacher some years before they even start to play their instrument. This means strong relationships have been created and a good foundation of the triangle is in place. The benefits of teaching SECE classes for Suzuki teachers as well as the motivation of taking some SECE teacher training varies: It helps to grow a Suzuki community the right way directly from the start It builds up the SUZUKI™ triangle in a very early and strong way Getting used to work with VERY small children Growing and maintaining their Suzuki studio If the question remains, ‘Why SUZUKI™ Early Childhood Education matters to all SUZUKI™ Teacher Trainers?’ then we should reflect on the motivation of being a teacher trainer in the first place. Firstly, being a teacher trainer, one is certainly interested in helping the community grow both in quantity and quality. Furthermore, every teacher trainer is surely also looking to support their trainees in the best way and are content when they can grow and blossom to good Suzuki teachers. SECE teacher training is an excellent way of deepening the understanding of the SUZUKI™ approach. A key factor in becoming a good Suzuki teacher certainly is experience. As SECE teaching can help build a solid Suzuki class, it can therefore also increase the level of teaching experience. There are also trainees who need a bit more time before taking the next level in their instrument. Taking SECE Teacher Training in this gap year can feel very nice as they truly stay in the active learning process. SUZUKI™ Early Childhood Education matters to everyone in the SUZUKI™ Community as it is a relevant part of our vision and might be the answer to some of today’s challenges. 18 SUZUKI™ Early Childhood Education - Why it Matters Patricia Rüttimann All who are into SUZUKI™ in a serious way, must ask
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4MzY=