The Suzuki Method - Criticism and Response

The most common criticisms of the Suzuki method from educators outside the various Suzuki associations are that group playing, extensive listening to and copying of recordings, and early focus on memorization lead to:

• compromised sight reading skills
• a tendency towards rote learning and 'robotic' group performance at the expense of individual musicianship

Other criticisms include:

• teachers are often low-level performers, and are not required to hold a degree or have had any formal training on their instrument

• if music is to be learned from audio recordings, the quality of the recorded pieces must be questioned in terms of style, integrity, and its positive or negative traits. The resulting views are subjective and may differ between people.

• any reliance on listening to a single piece in order to learn it is not sufficient for instilling a sense of the style of the work (where the style refers to the traits of performance that are common to many similar works), since a style can only be acquired by listening to a range of works of common style (including listening to works for enjoyment, rather than with only the goal of copying them).

Criticism has also sprung up from within the Suzuki movement:

• students may progress too rapidly and find themselves studying repertoire for which they are not yet emotionally prepared.
• Baroque music is emphasized in the Suzuki violin literature to the detriment of other styles and periods. Some of this literature includes note errors and 19th-century editorial changes that are not in keeping with historically informed performance practice. (The International Suzuki Association is in the process of addressing this by revising the violin repertoire).
• "Older students can become overly dependent" on the support structure of recordings, parental note-taking and tutoring at home, and teaching styles appropriate for younger students (Barber, 1991).
• very young students, such as those aged 3–5, are often not ready for formal instruction, and too much emphasis on practicing hard at this age may be counterproductive (American Suzuki Journal, 2005).

Keep the V&A Musical Instrument Gallery Open

The V&A have decided to close its long established musical instrument gallery, in effect the de facto National Collection in the absence of an official collection. Join this group to petition the museum requesting this action be postponed until alternative arrangements can be made to house these instruments.

Crisis at the V&A!

Taken from http://www.hogwood.org/news/crisis-at-the-vanda.html:

The Victoria and Albert Museum plans to break up its historic and valuable music collection to make space for fashion.

There has been widespread consternation in the music world at the news that the the V&A plans to break up the collection that has been fostered since they bought their first instrument in 1856. A petition to the Prime Minister has been written and signed by many, including Christopher. The museum has issued a statement saying that the instruments are being moved to make way for more fashion on the basis that they are a museum for the decorative arts, and fashion is more fitting for that description. Read Ben Hoyle's article in The Times for more information.

Christopher, who holds a personal affection for both the venue and its instruments, having played concerts and recorded CDs on the instruments there, believes it is important not to break up such a collection. His worry is that, as a result of the loss of official space in which to display the instruments, they will find themselves kept out of sight, under lock and key. These instruments, whilst being appreciable for an aesthetic value, are also of great importance to those academics, like Christopher, who want to revive the sound as well as view the sight of these important instruments.

Click Here to listen to Christopher voice his opinions to Sean Rafferty on BBC Radio 3's In Tune.

The fate of the instrument gallery is still under discussion. You can sign the petition, or take action in person, to which end Judith Wardman of the British Clavichord Society advises members:

'Last chance to visit to the Musical Instrument Gallery and express your concern:

'Forgive me if you've already heard that there's a chance to demonstrate your concern about the V&A proposal this Thursday lunch-time, 4 February, 1 to 2pm. Meet at the entrance to the instrument gallery, where James Yorke of the V&A will be opening the gallery to the public for what seems to be the last time. Various organizers are suggesting that as many people as possible should turn up to protest at the closure and to pressure the museum to make the best possible arrangements for its instruments in the future.'