Sunrise Babies and Suzuki Early Childhood Education

Suzuki Method for Our Youngest Children Serving Portland, Beaverton, Tualatin, Hillsboro, and all others in the PDX Area

When Dorothy Jones went to Matsumoto, Japan for training in the Suzuki Piano curriculum with Dr Haruko Kataoka, she also spent a good amount of time with Dr Shinichi Suzuki who insisted that, despite many teachings of the time, that every child at any age had the capacity and ability to learn. Before she returned home, Dr. Suzuki reminded her to “remember the babies”. Over the following decades, she developed Suzuki Early Childhood Education, a curriculum to prepare children ages 0-3 not only for private music study of their chosen instrument, but also a lifetime of kindness, appreciation and ability development. At Sunset Suzuki Academy, Karen Huffman uses this curriculum in Sunrise Babies to connect with children and families across Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, and other surrounding areas and introduce them to the beautiful heart of the Suzuki Method.

What IS Suzuki Early Childhood Education?

While we will go into each of these in more detail in future posts, Suzuki Early Childhood Education is a curriculum developed for children ages 0-3 and their parent or guardian. It relies on seven core principles. They are:

Every Child Can Learn

Before a teacher can begin Suzuki training on any instrument, they must take a class called “Every Child Can!”. This ensures that every teacher trainee understands that, no matter their age, social circumstance, race, background, disability, or any other factor, every child that walks through your door has the capacity to learn. Some may learn slower; some may require adjustment to the instrument; some may never get past a certain point; but all children have the ability to learn and love music.

Ability Develops Early

Would you be surprised to know that your child begins learning before they even leave the womb? By 20-28 weeks of gestation, your child’s ear has developed enough for them to be able to hear not only the heartbeat and voice of the parent carrying them, but also muffled sound from outside their parent’s belly. Studies have shown that infants will show a preferential response to their native language within hours of being born because that is the language their parent, and presumably those around their parent, speaks. In fact, one of the first studies to study this involved a group of mothers watching a certain soap opera in the weeks before their child was born. When presented with the theme song from this show, the children also showed a response indicating they were familiar and comfortable with the music! They have been listening and learning for months! It is never to early to begin your child on a musical journey.

Environment Nurtures Growth

Everything and everyone around a child will influence how they learn and grow. But the most important part of a child’s environment is a feeling of calm and safety. When trying to learn, will adults get angry or frustrated when they get it wrong? Will normal childhood behaviors cause a negative response? In Sunrise Babies and all SECE classes, we build an environment that encourages children to build skills through experimentation, repetition, creativity and celebration, and also gives them a safe place to let out their energy when things become overstimulating. Working within a child’s physical, mental and emotional ability creates an environment where safety helps children make great strides in learning.

Children Learn from One Another

While children will learn well with a caring adult, they will probably pick up more skills from watching and listening to their peers. Have you ever heard of a child going off to school and suddenly coming home saying a word (or words) that may be inappropriate? They probably didn’t pick that up from their teacher! By putting children in a class that mixes children of different ages, Sunrise Babies gives the smallest babies the chance to learn by watching older children who have already done the experimentation and repetition it takes to master a skill. This gives them more courage to try it themself!

Success Breeds Success

Because we make sure that every miniscule step of learning is celebrated individually and as a group in SECE classes, children feel confident and even eager to not only repeat the skill but to learn more. Maybe your child has secretly been practicing the motions to 6 Little Ducks, one of our favorite songs. When the teacher or parent notices them trying out their Quack during class and rewards them with a big smile and hug, they will have more courage to also try their duck wings or their wiggle waggle! Each minute inch of progress is a stepping stone to learning the next skill.

Parent Involvement is Critical

Every child needs an adult in their corner who will catch them when they fall down and lift them up when they succeed. When a very small child sees their parent or guardian excitedly participating in class, they will be much more interested in doing the same. Even if you think you can’t sing a note, if you try, your child will try and they will learn! Even if the adult that brings a child to Suzuki classes is not the parent or main guardian, it is critical that the adult that child goes home to is excited and eager to experience everything that child has learned. A child that knows nothing will follow the example they most care about.

Encouragement is Essential

In the same vein as the above, it is also essential that the teacher and the parent or guardian always offer encouragement to the child. If a child is made to believe that they can’t do a task, then they won’t try. But when a child’s efforts are continuously encouraged, even when they “fail”, they will get up and try again. One of the most beautiful things we have seen in our Sunrise Babies classes is, having been encouraged and celebrated by their own parent, an older child mimicked the behavior for a new baby who just joined the class.