Inspiring Children to Practice

            An adult can control his mind to act when there is something he must do.  Even if the task requires great effort, he is capable of carrying it through: all he has to do is make up his mind.

            Young children, we have to be aware, are completely different.  They don’t “do things because they have to”.  They live in a natural world in which they “do things they feel like doing”.

            Gaze at the reality of children who try to live vivaciously.  Only then can we grasp the true heart of children.

            When you look back at the environment in which your child has been fostered, you will be surprised to realize that the entirety of his being, including the heart, ability and personality, is the product of the history of his environment.

            Among the abilities that grow in children, I have noted language ability.  How easily and smoothly it grows in every child, and to such an extraordinarily high level.  How are we to explain this?

            We don’t clumsily get set by saying “now, work hard”, when we teach children how to speak.  While people live happily talking to one another every day, a young child naturally adapts to that linguistic environment before one knows it, and “a desire to speak” germinates.  That leads to daily training and to smooth mastering of high ability.  I have come to understand that the knack of the most skillful education must consist in this natural style.  Teachers and parents should ponder this question.  One who tries to “skillfully inspire the child’s desire to learn” is one who is good at fostering.

            Let me tell you how it is done.  Suppose a three-year-old, for example, starts the violin.  In talent education classrooms employing our new teaching method, the training starts with hearing and seeing.  At home, the child hears the first Twinkle record over and over till it becomes his daily environment.  This is the same as the native language training in the environment in which it is constantly spoken.

            Next, the child goes to class accompanied by his parent.  He is allowed to leisurely enjoy himself in the environment in which other young children are playing violin.  During that period, the teacher instructs the mother on how to hold the violin and the bow.  He also trains her to play the first Twinkle variation.  This prepares the mother to become a teacher at home when the child starts to play.  Another purpose is to inspire a thought in the child: “Other children are all playing violin, how come I’m not allowed to play?  Mother’s playing the violin, and I’m the only one not playing.  I’ve already memorized all the Twinkle Variations.”

            A strong desire to join the others burgeons in a month or two.  In other words, we aim at fostering the desire to learn.  This is most important.

            Think of babies born into families where big brothers or sisters play violin.  These little brothers and sisters, as many of you already aware, develop well and fast when the time comes for them to start violin.

            Again, in talent education classes, group lessons are given from time to time so children can enjoy practicing together.  It’s a great joy for them to play with friends.  They start to play vigorously as though waking from slumber.

            However, those who do not attend group lessons have a smaller share of the joy of the heart.  They also grow slowly.  Please always let them attend group lessons.  A child does not learn the native tongue only by daily one-to-one training but smoothly and rapidly learns it through talking with others.

            This is the real teaching method of talent education.  If there are classes which neglect to follow this throughly, I encourage you to improve them quickly to let this method penetrate for proper fostering.

            No, the first step of the training is to carefully create an environment.  Next is “the skill to inspire the child to practice at home,” i.e., the parent’s educational skill.

            Although the teacher teaches, the mother fosters the child in proportion to her skill.  However, many do the opposite.  Thinking it educational, they say, “Come on, let’s practice,” “don’t look sideways, now hold your bow.”  The harder they try to “make the child do it,” the faster the child runs away the minute he hears a call for practice time.  This creates contrary results.

            Some neglect playing records every day at home, or go home after the lesson as quickly as possible, thinking they are too busy to listen to other children’s lessons.  This ignores the preparatory training of inspiring the child.  Then at home, they say, “Come on, practice.”  This is illogical.  Naturally it leads to failure.

            Every child is at first disinterested.  That is natural.  However, gradually the child begins to grab the violin when the parent plays tukka tukka stop stop in front of him.  That is the time for him to start.  For it means he now clearly wants to do it.

Shinichi Suzuki