Book Review: Nurtured By Love

I've been wanting to learn more about the musical method of Suzuki. I knew it was based on memorizing music and originated with violins, but that it about all I knew. However, I've been finding myself more and more drawn to learn about the exact approach.

I happened upon a book called Nurtured by Love: Classic Approach to Talent Education; which happens to be Suzuki's book about his life and principles he's learned, which play into his creation of the Suzuki Method. And as I read I kept seeing great principles. I had to take notes. So here they are....

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"The child who cannot do arithmetic isn't below average in intelligence; it is the educational system that is wrong."

Our the approaches we He mentioned that we as educators must "plant the seed of ability" and that no one is born with or without talent per say, but rather we prepare talent by the environment and repetition/time of that which nourishes the talent. This process takes perseverance, energy, and patience. But doing so helps infants acquire interests with which they are most familiar. So basically, children become the fruit of training and environment.

Motto: First Character, Then Ability
Suzuki's philosophy is that training which should lead to a noble mind and high sense of values, then also a splendid ability. But ability, without character, to him is nothing. He gave some character advice:

• Be sociable and eager to learn from others. Have them talk about themselves. Learn to listen, for everyone has a different experience than you.
• If I simply do my best I cannot be taken to Hell.
• Pride interferes with the power to perceive truth and greatness.
• Only through action cam life force be displayed .
• To make a resolution and live accordingly is to have hope.
• Thank only; don't ask favors.
• Children… they have no thoughts of self deception. They trust people and know only how to love. They love justice and keep rules. They seek joy and live happily. They live in security.

His Ultimate Desire: to Understand Art

• He said of Klinger... "he would look for the roots underlying a man and his art and then lead me to them."
• The real essence of art is right inside myself: the very way you greet people and express oneself is art. An art work is an expression of one's whole personality.
• If a musician wants to become a fine artist he must first become a finer person.
• Sound has life and soul without form.
• He sought to teach...musical sense, musical performance (or ability), and character (and feeling)

Education: Develop a Habit of Action

• Education is two parts: a) educe which means to bring out, develop from latent or potential existed or b) to instruct.
• Strong endurance --Kan, or intuition/sixth sense--is absolutely necessary in education.
• Hand and body work together (clumsy body means slow head).
• High jump daily: hemp seed jump (if you jump it each day it grows, your habit of jumping improves steadily and jumping high doesn't seem so big a task. Incremental goals.)
• Achievement is the product of energy and patience.
• The ability to memorize is one of the most vital schools only because man has memory is experience possible and because of experience man can reason.
• In training oneself the road to improvement is closed if thoughtful self examination is lacking this is self training or correction.
• There is no merit in just thinking about doing something. Act on your good thoughts.
• Too much thought makes thought meaningless.
• People who find judgment are people of ability. reflective thought is part of judgment.
• To know something and not put into practice is a weakness.
• Develop a new skill to replace wrongly developed ones.

Motto: Life is the Voice of God

• Children in their simplicity seek for what is true, good, beautiful and based on love.
• Our life force is the greatest thing we have. This power controls human seeking and finding.
• Intuition is the reliability slumbering at the base of rational experiences and works in an instant when needed.

Suzuki's overall desire was to build good citizens with beautiful hearts...through sensibility, endurance, and sensitivity.