FAQs
Children can begin Suzuki piano anytime from around 3 to 6 years old, depending on individual readiness and family involvement. The earlier a child is immersed in a musical environment, the more naturally musical skills develop. Readiness is assessed by the teacher in a pre-lessons observation period through the time in sece classes or an extended period of observations of other childrens lessons. Please don’t push your child to begin before they are ready – your teacher will tell you when the time is right.
Yes. Consistent daily practice is a core element of the Suzuki Method, and having a piano at home is essential to progress. An acoustic piano is ideal for developing tone and touch, there are many options out there to consider. Rent to buy offers are often a great beginning, offering you the opportunity to purchase a good instrument from day one.
Students typically receive one individual lesson or one group class per week during the Zürich School year. During the State of Zurich School Holidays there are no piano lessons given.
Individual lessons focus on the child and their personal progress.
Group lessons reinforce repertoire and review, encourage ensemble playing, and foster peer learning in a joyful, motivating setting
Missed Lessons
All students are expected to attend lessons regularly. Daycare centres, dance schools, or football clubs do not refund fees if a child misses a session, rehearsal, or game for personal reasons — piano lessons are no different. Each student has a fixed time slot reserved for them for the semester, which in a large school such as mine, cannot simply be made up if the student misses the lesson due to their own circumstances.
If your child is too ill to attend regular school classes on the day of their piano lesson, they should also stay home to rest and recover, and not attend their piano lesson. Thankfully we also have ZOOM, now so now no child ever has to miss a lesson because of illness, and I also don't have to share the illness here too!
If a lesson is cancelled due to a planned absence of the teacher (for example, for professional development), the teacher will offer two alternative times on two different days to make up the lesson. In some cases, these may be held as group lessons. If neither of the offered times can be attended, the students right to a replacement lesson is forfeited.
If a lesson is cancelled due to an unplanned absence of the teacher (eg. illness), students are entitled to a partial refund of fees - only if more than two lessons per school year are missed for this reason. Missed lessons in these cases will not be made up by the teacher.
Below is an article that beautifully explains about makeup lessons. It was originally published by Vicky Barnham in the American Suzuki Journal in 2001.
Make-up Lessons from an Economist’s Point of View
I’m a parent of children enrolled in Suzuki music lessons. I’d like to explain to other parents why I feel – quite strongly, actually – that it is unreasonable of we parents to expect our teachers to make up lessons we miss, even if I know as well as they do just how expensive lessons are, and, equally importantly, how important that weekly contact is with the teacher to keeping practicing ticking along smoothly. I think that it is natural for we parents to share the point of view that students should have their missed lessons rescheduled, but if we were to ‘walk a mile’ in our teachers’ shoes, we might change our minds about what it is reasonable for us to expect of our teachers.
Like many parents, I pay in advance for lessons each term. In my mind, what this means is that I have reserved a regular spot in the busy schedules of my sons’ teachers. I understand – fully – that if I can’t make it to the lesson one week (perhaps my son is sick, or we are away on holiday, or there is some other major event at school) then we will pay for the lesson, but that my teacher is under no obligation to find another spot for me that week, or to refund me for the untaught lesson. And this is the way it should be.
In my ‘other life’ I am an economist and teach at our local university. Students pay good money to attend classes at the university; but if they don’t come to my lecture on a Monday morning, then I am not going to turn around and deliver them a private tutorial on Tuesday afternoon. When I go to the store and buy groceries, I may purchase something that doesn’t get used. Days or months later, I end up throwing it out. I don’t get a refund from the grocery store for the unused merchandise. If I sign my child up for swimming lessons at the local pool, and s/he refuses to return after the first lesson, I can’t get my money back. So there are lots of situations in our everyday lives where we regularly pay in advance for goods or some service, and if we end up not using what we have purchased, we have to just ‘swallow our losses’. On the other hand, if I purchase an item of clothing, and get home and change my mind, I can take it back and expect either a refund or a store credit.
So why do I believe that music lessons fall into the first category of ‘non-returnable merchandise’, rather than into the second case of ‘exchange privileges unlimited’ (which I think is one of the advertising slogans of an established women’s clothing store!)? Speaking now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that items like clothing are “durable goods’ – meaning, they can be returned and then resold at the original price – whereas music lessons are non-durable goods – meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my son’s teacher can’t turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable – I can’t think of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldn’t work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon, but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will be work for them then!
Many teachers hesitate to refuse our request to shift lesson times (because our busy schedules *do* change), because unless they keep us parents happy, we will decide to take our child somewhere else for lessons (or to drop musical study), and they will lose part of their income. This is particularly true in areas with lower average income, where it can be particularly difficult to find students. So rather than telling us that ‘well, actually, the only time when I’m not teaching and that you can bring your son for lesson is during the time I set aside each week to go for a long soul-cleansing walk, and I *can’t* do that on Monday at 3:30 when you should have turned up’, they agree to teach us at a time that really doesn’t suit their schedule. Teachers who are ‘nice’ in this way often, in the long run, end up exhausted, and feeling exploited; they try to draw a line in the sand. However, too few parents ask to switch only when absolutely necessary, and too many parents want lesson times when it suits them this week, which is not the same time that suited last week. The only time that I would feel entitled to discuss shifting a lesson time is if the reason I can’t make the lesson is because (i) I have to do something for the Suzuki school and the only time at which that other event can happen is during my lesson time; (ii) my teacher were to ask us to participate in some other activity (e.g., orchestra, etc.) and that other activity were to create the conflict. If the conflict arises because my child is in the School play, and they have their dress-rehearsal during his lesson time, then I feel that I must choose between the two activities, and if he attends the dress rehearsal my private lesson teacher doesn’t owe me anything.
During May, my eldest son will be missing three lessons because he is going to accompany me on a trip to New Zealand to visit his great-grandparents. I do not expect my son’s teacher to refund me for those missed lessons, or to reschedule them by ‘doubling up’ lessons in the weeks before or after our departure. Since there will be lots of advanced notice, I might ask her to consider preparing a special ‘practice tape’ for that period, or to answer my questions via e-mail, but if she doesn’t have the time (the second half of April is going to be really busy for her, and she wouldn’t be able to do the tape until more or less the week we left) and so has to refuse, then that’s fine. I certainly don’t expect her to credit me with three make-up lessons; there is no way for her to find a student to fill a three-week hole in her schedule during our absence. Instead, I hope that she will enjoy the extra hour of rest during those three weeks, and that we will all feel renewed enthusiasm when we return to lessons at the end of the trip.
Credit: Barham, Vicky (2001) Make-Up Music Lessons from an Economist’s Point of View. In: American Suzuki Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 57.
Group lessons are an integral part of the Suzuki learning process. Because these lessons are so important to me, at the Piano box, in group lesson week, there are no individual lessons, only the group lesson. So if you miss groups your child will miss having any lesson that week which is a shame.
Children build more than just their musical skills – they build their confidence amongst their peers, develop listening and interpersonal skills. They learn to be considerate to others, to help others, they celebrate their successes and that of their peers in a non competitive environment. They also need to review to prepare for the lessons, meaning their repertoire becomes more confident and polished. While they mostly have no idea about all that, they simply experience the joy of music-making together.
Reading is introduced once a solid foundation in playing and listening is established — similar to how children learn to speak before they read. This approach ensures that music reading develops naturally and fluently, with strong ear–hand–eye coordination.
Yes, daily listening to the Suzuki repertoire is fundamental to the success of the method and will reflect clearly in your childs progress. Listening is the one way that enables children to internalize the music, develop phrasing, rhythm, tone, and memory. Other music is welcome and enriching, but listening to their suzuki playlists is essential for their success in the method. A small note here – when listening at home, please play the recordings quietly – you shouldn’t have to raise your voice to be heard over the recording. It can be played anytime, your child doesn’t need to be sitting and concentrating – just in the background while they’re eating, playing or even heading off to bed. It should provide a sense of comfort and familiarity after a while.
Regular, focused, and enjoyable home practice is key to progress. There is no recommended time, rather your child should be enjoying their practice and be able to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Young beginners may start with 2 minutes, but 5 times a day, gradually increasing with ability and attention span. Consistency is more important than length, so we even have special practice charts sometimes to help motivate the children to keep at it when the motivation wanes. A favourite way to talk to your child about practice is, no you don’t have to practice everyday, Dr Suzuki said, “you only need to practice on the days you eat” 😘
Yes. In the Suzuki Method, the parent plays a vital role as an active partner in the learning process — often referred to as the “home teacher.” Parents are expected to attend all lessons, take notes, and support daily practice at home. This involvement is key to your child’s success. At home, you become their cheerleader, motivator, and guide.
While this role can be both rewarding and challenging, it is also a rare and precious opportunity: few experiences allow us, as parents, to spend focused, meaningful time working side by side with our children every day from such a young age.
And when the time finally comes to ask your child if they’re ready to attend lessons on their own, the answer is often something like, “Sure… but they can still come if they want.” Which, in teenager-speak, is usually their way of saying — yes, I still want them there.
No prior musical background is necessary. Teachers will guide parents step by step. What’s most important is a willingness to learn and be involved. Many parents enjoy gaining new insights into music and education alongside their child. Suddenly you will also know a lot about the piano too!
The Suzuki Method is built on the belief that “Every child can learn” when nurtured in a positive, consistent environment. With its emphasis on listening, repetition, parental involvement, and character development, it offers a holistic and child-centred approach to music education.
Character before Ability is my favourite quote from Dr Suzuki, and in the end playing the piano becomes the “side effect” of suzuki lessons. Suzuki Students are fortunate to enjoy loving and caring environments in lessons and at home allowing them all become really wonderful people and upstanding citizens in our communities. It provides hope that just as in Dr Suzuki’s vision- maybe it is Music that will save the world.