This is a direct contrast to the traditional approach, which generally recommends waiting until children are between six and ten before starting lessons. Suzuki pupils begin with passive learning. This natural immersion replicates learning one's mother tongue. Babies begin by differentiating sounds, then regrouping them into words and later sentences. The process is positively reinforced by the parent, who will never say, 'Stop practising that word.
Music is learned in the same way.
Children love to mimic. In the Suzuki method, they practise a piece in small sections until they know it from beginning to end. If children like what they're playing, they will repeat the passage quite naturally. As a matter of fact, the Suzuki method's late introduction to sight-reading, which often translates into a laziness to do so when older, is frequently the target of criticism. Carole Meneghel, a teacher for 18 years, has had several pupils who went through the Suzuki method.