In the Suzuki method, one parent is the child’s home teacher. That parent goes to every lesson, takes notes, plays the recordings at home each day, and leads daily practice. The parent does not need to play the instrument well. The job is to carry what the teacher taught on Tuesday through the other six days.
It is a real commitment. This guide sets out what it involves, so you can decide with open eyes.
Why the parent matters so much
Shinichi Suzuki based his method on how children learn to talk. A small child hears the language all day, copies it, and is praised for every try. A parent is there for all of it.
Suzuki teachers describe the method as a triangle of teacher, parent, and child. The teacher guides. The parent makes it happen at home. The child does the playing.
Your four jobs
1. Go to the lesson
The same parent attends each week, if possible. Sit where you can see the child’s hands. Stay quiet and let the teacher lead. The lesson is for you as well as the child.
Some teachers begin by teaching the parent to hold the instrument and play the first steps. This shows the child what is coming and shows you how it feels.
2. Take notes
Write down the one or two points the teacher wants this week, in the teacher’s own words. Note which bars, how many times, and at what speed. Ask before you leave if anything is unclear.
Many parents record a short video of the teacher showing the week’s task. Ask first.
3. Play the recordings
Each Suzuki book has a recording of its pieces. The child listens to it every day, so the tunes are known by heart before the fingers learn them.
Play it in the background at breakfast, in the car, and at bedtime. The child does not need to sit and listen. Suzuki listening has ways to fit it in.
4. Lead daily practice
You set the time, read the notes, and guide the child through the list. With a three-year-old, you are beside them for every minute. With a nine-year-old, you are nearby and check in.
Practice includes review. Suzuki students keep playing their old pieces, and they use them to work on new skills.
How to be a good home teacher
Give one instruction at a time. “Watch your bow thumb” works. Three corrections at once do not.
Praise what is true. Name the thing that went right. “Your bow stayed straight on that line.”
Keep it short and often. Two short practices can beat one long one for a small child.
Use games. Count repetitions with coins or beads. Roll a die. Let a stuffed animal be the audience.
Stop while it is going well. End on a piece the child loves.
Stay calm. You are the home teacher, and you are still the parent. If practice is turning into a fight, stop for the day and tell the teacher.
How to get kids to practice without a fight has more ideas.
What you do not have to do
You do not need to read music or play the instrument. You do not need to fix everything. The teacher decides what comes next and when.
How the job changes with age
As a child grows, the parent steps back a little at a time. A beginner needs you for every practice. An older child plans more of the practice alone. A teenager may come to lessons alone. The teacher will tell you when to let go.
Group class and concerts
Most Suzuki programs have a group class as well as the private lesson. Your job is to get your child there and to watch. Group class is where children hear the pieces they will learn next, played by children a little ahead of them.
Is this right for your family?
Ask yourself three things. Can one parent attend every lesson? Can that parent give time every day? Will that parent enjoy it?
If the answer is no this year, other paths are open. Suzuki vs traditional lessons compares the two.
Print and play
Print a weekly practice chart for the fridge and the 100 days of practice chart for a long streak. For the method as a whole, read the Suzuki method explained for parents. To find a teacher, read how to choose a Suzuki teacher.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music teaching methods for kids compared: Suzuki, Kodály, Orff, Dalcroze, and traditional lessons.
Dalcroze eurhythmics explained for parents: learning music by moving
What Dalcroze eurhythmics is, what happens in a class, the three parts of the method, who it suits, and movement games to try at home.
Early childhood music classes compared: a guide for parents
The main early childhood music programs compared for parents: Music Together, Kindermusik, Musikgarten, Music for Young Children, Yamaha, and Suzuki baby classes.
El Sistema explained for parents: free orchestras for children
El Sistema explained for parents: how the Venezuelan program began, what an El Sistema-inspired program looks like, where to find one, and what to ask.
How to choose a Suzuki teacher: training to look for and questions to ask
How to choose a Suzuki teacher: how Suzuki teacher training works in the Americas, where to find a teacher, what to watch in a lesson, and ten questions to ask.
Is my child too old to start Suzuki lessons?
Is a child too old to start Suzuki lessons? What the Suzuki associations say, how lessons change for a beginner of 8, 10, or 13, and what to ask a teacher.
Montessori music for kids: how the bells work
Montessori music explained for parents: what the Montessori bells are, the steps a child takes with them, what else the classroom offers, and what to do at home.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.