The American Suzuki Institute: The Suzuki Method in Action are videotapes of Dr. Suzuki’s teaching at ASI in 1976. They are now available for viewing on line in the University of Wisconsin Digital Collection through a grant made possible by the University of Wisconsin Digitizing Center and the permission of the International Suzuki Association. The Aber Suzuki Center is particularly proud to be the first to have a video library of the Dr. Suzuki himself teaching at the American Suzuki Institute for two weeks in 1976.
In 1976, at Miss Aber’s invitation, Dr. Suzuki spent two weeks at the American Suzuki Institute. During this time he gave lectures and demonstrations to teachers and parents and taught master classes and group classes to students. All of his presentations were recorded. The footage in this collection is important from both a teaching and a historical standpoint. At age 77, Dr. Suzuki was still very active. He was at the pinnacle of his career and traveling internationally to promote his philosophy and his particular approach to teaching the complexities of string playing, especially to children as young as 3 or 4 years. His playing skills were still at a high level and his English language skills were at their peak. In later years, Dr. Suzuki’s teaching focused exclusively on teaching tone and its implications for the bow arm almost to the exclusion of the left hand. However, these videos show him at an earlier stage in his career when his attention was more in balanced between the two.
In addition to the original footage, Margery Aber, and UWSP graduate students of that era compiled twelve tapes that are edited versions of the original footage. These are organized by topic so that anytime Dr. Suzuki spoke or demonstrated a technique for changing strings that clip is on the tape of that title. Anytime he spoke about posture and left hand technique that clip is on the tape of that title etc. The topics in these edited videos are:
- Philosophy
- Tonalization
- Finger Flexibility and Thumb Power
- Posture and Left Hand Techniques
- Bowing
- Vertical Power
- Changing Strings
- Tone
- Musical Tempo
Dr. Suzuki died on January 26, 1998. There is now a whole generation or more of teachers and students who never met or observed Dr. Suzuki teaching. Seeing and hearing him speak about his philosophy of education allows viewers to gain insight into the person behind the vision. Those researching the development of string technique, the mother-tongue approach to music education or early childhood music education now have access to the primary source.
The American Suzuki Institute is held on the UWSP campus each August. It is the oldest and largest of its kind outside of Japan and has been the prototype for the other institutes that have been established in the Americas, Europe, Australia and other countries. Because of the vision of Margery V. Aber, the fact that so many of the best teachers, nationally and internationally, have taught here and the innovations that therefore ensued when creative minds are gathered, the American Suzuki Institute developed a reputation for being at the center of the Suzuki movement. It is only fitting then that this collection of videotape continues to contribute to that legacy.
