Opinion: The importance of repetition in teaching

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Shinichi Suzuki’s philosophy of teaching the violin has always been referred to as the ‘mother-tongue’ method. Indeed, the concepts respected by Suzuki teachers today still closely follow three principles of learning to speak our own language: active encouragement from parent or carer; listening; and repetition.

Suzuki often talked about the 10,000-times repetition needed to be able to acquire a new skill or idea. Many authors and educators have since written about applying this concept of repetition to developing ability, particularly in sports, but Suzuki already understood the principle more than 80 years ago. He would refer to ‘the beauty of earnest repetition’, which allows your music to become a fluent part of you.

Suzuki often reiterated that real ability is developed at home. He believed we should learn all the notes, bowings and fingerings first, before the lessons begin. In this way, the lesson becomes an opportunity to learn how to play your instrument better and how to develop expression and performance in music. He taught us how to enjoy repeating the experience of performing over and over, in group lessons and frequent concerts. Suzuki never stopped at the point where something was ‘just learnt’.

One of the reasons why we find it difficult to embrace repetition is that our educational system is heavily skewed towards constantly offering children new materials, and endlessly presenting them with different skills, challenges and goals.

This can create an anxiety towards learning and a limit on students actually owning what they know. Children are often learning outside their comfort zone and performing on the edge of their ability – and this is not only in music. Too often we meet children who have forgotten how to play last month’s music exam pieces but are struggling to learn new material. They have nothing ready to play for their teacher.

If they cannot perform anything fluently at this point, music no longer forms a language in which they can express themselves. What a waste! ‘Ability grows on a piece, you know,’ Suzuki told me. Practise music you know every day and you will soon appreciate that your new repertoire becomes more fluent and easier to learn.

If students embrace the art of listening, repetition will make more sense to them and they will fly. ‘Listen one year ahead, one book ahead,’ Suzuki told me. In the same way that we learnt how to speak, we will already know the sound of every note of the music before we look at the score. When a student knows the music, they will play it as well as they play Happy Birthday, they are very easy to teach and it becomes a joy to learn. We just have to match what we can read in the notes to the sound already inside us. It surely is a lot of work, but it is not a struggle.

When I was studying with Suzuki in Japan, I spent time observing the mathematics lessons for nursery-age children at the Matsumoto Talent Education Institute. The classes were a perfect testament to the power of repetition. The children would repeat their sums over and over, day after day – with quicker responses every time. They were laughing and jumping for joy as they mastered the principles of addition. They all knew the answers as the teacher called out the numbers and I never saw a furrowed brow. It was all a game and it made me want to be five years old again.

Similarly, I ask my young Suzuki students to play every piece in vol.1 of Suzuki Violin School every day. It takes nearly 20 minutes, but the 17 pieces become mastered, progress is evident and everything sounds better.

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