Aryo's parents say their son will be an international star by the age of five. His teacher can't promise that. Maybe at five he will be wonderful, maybe at five he wants to be a truck driver. Schipperuss coordinates the school's Suzuki strings program. With the Suzuki teaching method, children learn music like they would a mother tongue.
Strong emphasis is placed on listening, imitation and parent involvement.
Schipperuss, who holds a master's degree in performance from the Amsterdam Conservatory, believes that a parent has an obligation to nurture a child's talent. Aryo is clearly musical, she says. When I play his instrument, his whole body wiggles and shakes. But it's a fine line that divides nurturing from bullying. And many a gifted child has cracked from shouldering the weight of a parent's dream.