Our DS4 takes Suzuki Cello lessons at the local conservatory.
I had been worried about the Suzuki method before we began, but I have come to believe that a huge amount depends upon the way the method is practiced by the particular teacher. We couldn't be more pleased.
We have been encouraged to listen to the CDs, but we have been playing the cello since day one. Our teacher is a professional cellist who taught by the regular method for 30 years and was certified in the Suzuki method four years ago. There are various aspects to the method, but the one she emphasizes the most, and finds the most interesting and important distinction from traditional methods, is the triangular relation between teacher, student, and parent. The method as she practices it requires a huge commitment from the parent - I am at every lesson and am the coach for every practice session. But frankly, it's hard for me to imagine it's working any other way with a four year old. It's true that we haven't spent any time learning to read music - so far from DS4's point of view the entire thing has been by ear. But he is interested in learning to read music anyway, and often insists on playing with the music on the stand before him. I imagine that sooner or later he will learn to read music the way he learned to read text - that is, more or less by osmosis. Anyhow, this is just to say that there is a lot of room for difference among the teachers who teach by the Suzuki method, and what is most important, in my opinion, is to find a teacher whom you and your child resonate with and respect.
Just my two cents...
BB
