Creating a Listening Routine

Listening to your current repertoire everyday can be an easy task: it can happen in many different settings and is usually a much more passive activity than practicing. Without a listening routine in place, though, listening often falls by the wayside.

Listening, like any other habit, gets easier to do the more we do it. Having a system in place is key—if you establish a consistent time and place to listen each day, listening becomes basically automatic. In addition to keeping the logistics consistent, knowing how all of the questions below shape your listening routine can make a huge difference in sticking to it:

Why do we listen?

The Suzuki method is based on the principle that children can learn to play music in a similar way to how they learn to speak their native language. This immersion method of learning works when students are in a musical environment as regularly as possible—i.e. when they hear and engage with music consistently, (just as they heard language consistently while they learned to speak). For students currently in lessons, this means listening to the Suzuki recording of their current book at least once a day. (If they are within two pieces of the end of their current book, start mixing in the beginning of the next book).

I can't overemphasize how important listening to high quality recordings is to the music learning process (or how much setting up a listening routine now will help your child thrive musically even when they play non-Suzuki repertoire). Listening goes far beyond the early stages of music learning: even professional classical musicians, myself included, consider listening to their current repertoire essential.

Who presses play?

If students are younger than high school age, I put parents in charge of making sure the recording gets played each day. Even if you are less involved with your child's practice routine than you once were, this is a great way to keep supporting your child's progress!

What do you listen to?

Your child's current Suzuki book recording at least once a day. (And if you want to see some truly fast results, start listening to it multiple times a day. Or listen to their current piece 10 times a day!) You are always welcome to expand your listening—I love talking about listening ideas outside of Suzuki rep—but the Suzuki recording should be listened to with total regularity.

When do you listen?

Some ideas: before school, driving to and from school, during homework or reading time, background for play time, in the background during a meal, right before or after practicing, at bedtime (make sure you switch up where you start the CD so that kids hear more than just the first few songs before they go to sleep!). I know a family who found a way to make the Suzuki recording the background music of a video game their child was playing....the options are numerous if you get creative!

Where do you listen?

Ideally have digital recordings (or CDs) available in multiple locations. I suggest, at minimum, having recordings accessible in the car + wherever you practice at home. Put the recordings on your child's listening device, if they have one, as well as on your own phone or other preferred listening device.

Recordings for all of the violin and viola Suzuki books can be found on Apple Music. You can also purchase copies of the Suzuki books packaged with a CD of the recording.

Listening as a problem solver and motivator:

Is your child sick, on vacation, or having a no-practice day for any other reason? listen to your recording (maybe a few times!) :) :)

Is your child feeling stuck on their current piece? try listening to that piece intensely (5-10 times a day) for a week; nothing makes a piece easier than knowing deeply how it sounds (this is seriously a more foundational step than anything you do with the instrument in hand!!!)

Is your child excited about their next piece? listen to that piece at the end of each practice session—they will already have a huge leg up when their teacher gives them the go ahead to start learning the notes

Is your child feeling uninspired? try listening to the recording for one book past their current Suzuki book (or several books down the road) and/or watching videos of professional performers on YouTube