The International Suzuki Early Childhood Education programme has been designed and created specifically for newborns and children up to the age of three. In small mixed-age classes of children and their caregivers, we help you to bond, observe and support each child as they begin their journey developing their enormous learning and communication skills. We sing songs, dance, play real musical instruments, practice catchy musical rhymes, march, twirl, shake and „pop“!

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The Suzuki Method is a proven and effective way to bring the joy of music into you and your babies world. The learning ability of children has been researched in many ways and today it is commonly understood, that the best time to begin educating children is before the age of three – and optimally- as early as the day of birth or even before. Dr. Suzuki arrived at this startling conclusion early in the 1960s based upon his excellent observations of his students and their families long before it had even been been scientifically proven. He observed how children's characters reflected how they had been raised in their home environment, and how early the children were already responding to learning such a difficult language as Japanese. He noticed how the music they had already been listening too had become part of them.

 

The Mother Tongue Approach and subsequent Suzuki Talent Education Method grew out of these observations.  The simple knowledge of how important the surrounding environment in which we raise our children is, should guide us as we strive to raise the most loving and noble citizens we can. Our children can easily be compared to sponges, soaking up whatever stimuli we give them, it is therefor a no brainer to comprehend that the environment that we place them in is can and will have a striking influence on their future development.

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Dr. Suzukis Music Program was, and still is, one of the only methods that allows children to begin playing a musical instrument at a very young age; Suzuki was so concerned that childrens’ education was beginning too late so whilst already working on his established violin school he asked Mrs Dorothy Jones, a Suzuki mother, piano teacher and Elementary School teacher to work on a program for "the babies".

 

The resulting curriculum is what we use in our Baby Music Classes today. It is a carefully planned and developed repertoire of Children's Songs with movement, rhymes and finger games. It even incorporates the careful and planned use of Percussion Instruments within these pieces. Babies and their parents are taught not only the basics of music, but within this caring and loving environment each and every child can experience an upsurge in the social, emotional and communicative areas of their development. If we look at the children graduating from the Suzuki Early Childhood Program after spending three years with us in the Baby Music Classes, we see that they are not only able to master the musical basics such as singing in tune, clapping and moving in time to a rhythm, but they are also able to wait their turn, wait quietly and listen for instruction and then in turn, carry out those instructions, politely interacting with their peers and other around them. This and more all happens at the tender age of four years or younger.   

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In order to give the children enough time for repetitions of the curriculum, the songs repeat in a biweekly cycle, and should also be incorporated at home in the daily routine. Sometimes grown-ups can be tempted to think that this way small children will get bored, but it is not the case at all! Creative variations and the opportunity for a lot of repetition allow each child to successfully master their skills at their pace and enjoy their accomplishments as they complete the repertoire.

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The Suzuki Early Childhood Education Programme is unique in that its roots lie firmly within the Suzuki Mother Tongue Philosophy. The 7 Principals upon which it is based, summarize and highlight the special character of the Suzuki philosophy.

 

Our primary goal as Suzuki ECE teachers of the "Baby Music Classes" is to help our parents embrace and expand the loving bond between themselves and their child through music, whilst giving the children their first “delicious” taste of music. We prepare not only the child but also the parent for further musical education so that at the age of 3 – 4 years old they are more than ready to begin their wonderful journey of individual instrumental instruction.