"Every child can", said Dr. Suzuki, the famous Japanese music educator. He discovered that children can learn music the same way they learn their mother tongue: by listening. His mother-tongue approach made it possible for young children to learn an instrument even before they could read. Young children are able to learn much more complicated pieces by ear than they can by reading. In fact, students of a variety of ages - even adults (see more on this topic in the "Adult Beginners" section) - benefit from learning music by eartraining. It refines students' musical hearing and helps them focus first on their technique.

The Suzuki method can also be successful in teaching students with certain visual processing disabilities. I have had students with dyslexia who were able to learn to write music before they were able to read and write words. This is the magic of music and the magic of the method.

After finishing the first book playing by ear, students' technique is well enough developed to begin learning to play their pieces by reading written music. Reading musical notes is not completely new to students at this point, as they have begun learning to read music by singing with the help of the Kodaly method. This method teaches music reading in a very systematic manner through folksongs, beginning with simpler melodies and adding complexity as the student learns to read. It also takes into consideration the different developmental stages and abilities of children. It gives a great framework for studying music theory too. (See more about music theory in the "International Students" section.) The two methods complement each other so well!