Music Education
Teaching today for tomorrow.
Importance of Music
Donna Olkowski is committed to investing in music education as a vital part of society.
Instrumental music education helps students acquire the skills of musical communication and the developmental means of successfully sharing ideas in society. Music is an expressive art that requires growth in physical, intellectual, emotional, and aesthetic areas. It contributes to success in school, intellect, and core life skills. It is important to tailor music education to the unique needs of the student, and Donna Olkowski can help you start today.
The Suzuki Method
The Flute Studio teaches lessons using the Suzuki Method. The Method’s adage is, “Every Child Can Learn.”
Formulated by Shinichi Suzuki, the Suzuki Method applies principles of learning language to the learning of music. The Suzuki Method strongly relies on the ideas of parent responsibility, loving encouragement, constant repetition, group learning, and listening.
How does Suzuki Method music education differ
from other music education methods?
Parent responsibility
Parents are active in the learning process and work with the teacher to create a favorable learning environment. Parents or guardians attend lessons with the student and serve as home teachers during the week to clarify lesson and practice expectations.
Delayed reading
Before learning to read music, students become comfortable with the instrument. Just as one learns to read after they learn to speak, students should develop basic technical competence on their instruments before being taught to read music.
Repetition
Required repertoire undergoes constant refinement, interpretation, and review. Constant repetition is essential to learning an instrument. Children do not learn words or pieces of music and then discard them; they add them to their vocabulary or repertoire. This allows them to use learned material in new and more sophisticated ways.
Everyone can learn
Suzuki teachers believe that musical ability can be cultivated in all students.
Encouragement
All efforts to learn a musical instrument should be met with encouragement and praise, understanding that students learn at their own rate.
Listening
Students listen to music every day, especially pieces in the required study repertoire.
Technique
Technique is taught through the required repertoire rather than through technical exercises.
Learning in a group
In addition to private lessons, students perform both individually and in groups. Group performance allows students to learn from and motivate one another.
Encouragement
All efforts to learn a musical instrument should be met with encouragement and praise, understanding that students learn at their own rate.
Connect
If you are pursuing music education, studying the Suzuki Method, or employed as a band director or music educator, Donna Olkowski’s Flute Studio is available for:
- Suzuki Teacher Observation Time.
- Networking.
