The Group Class

  In the Suzuki studio, the child will attend group lessons in addition to their weekly private lessons. In Private lesson students are given very specific personal instruction on how to play the instrument. Group lessons are where the student has the opportunity to play his/her instrument and learn more about music in the company of their peers. The group lesson is a brilliant motivating force for children. It allows them to see other children their own age doing what they are doing. The group does not introduce negative competition in anyway, but rather the children come to rejoice in their friend’s accomplishments. While different students may be at different levels in the repertoire, they are all continually working on excellent tone, ease of playing, and beautiful musicality.

As one of my favorite quotes goes “competition isn’t always healthy, but it’s always productive.” Group lessons allow students to see what is possible as other children provide living proof of what the right practice routine can do. The goal isn’t to instill competition, far from it, but the result of seeing other students progress at a faster rate can be extremely powerful.