Teacher and Student Behavior in Suzuki String Lessons: Results from the International Research Symposium on Talent Education

Abstract

The investigation described in this report documents the types of behavior that take place in the studios of nationally and/or regionally acclaimed string teachers whose instruction is based on the principles of Shinichi Suzuki. The specific focus of the investigation was the time allocated to different aspects of teacher, student, and parent behavior as teachers and students worked to improve students' playing of repertoire in the context of individual lessons. The study also examined the relationships among various student characteristics and the lesson behavior observed. Each of 29 string teachers was observed teaching two or three different students across three consecutive lessons—a total of 246 lessons. A unique aspect of the investigation was the enlistment of 13 expert string pedagogues who were trained to evaluate videotaped instruction using systematic observation procedures designed specifically for this project. The observation procedures were designed to address specific research questions that had been identified at the International Suzuki Institute Research Symposium (Aber, 1990).

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