Book Review: Nurtured by Love a New Approach to Education by Shinichi Suzuki

"Talent is not inherited or inborn but trained and educated.  Genius is an honorific name given to those who are brought up and trained to high ability."

Nurtured by Love is part biography and part education philosophy.  It tells of how Suzuki developed his education philosophy from his birth in Japan, growing up in his father's violin factory, teaching himself to play the violin at 17 years of age, studying the violin in Berlin for 8 years and being mentored by great men such as Einstein and finally returning to Japan to begin his own teaching career and stumbling upon his method of teaching little children to play the violin.  He believes all children are born with music ability just as they are born with the ability to learn their native language. Children should learn everything, including music, in the same way-naturally, step by step.

The goal of the Suzuki's Talent Education method is to prepare children to be noble men and women who have good and loving hearts.  He states, "A true artist is a person with beautiful and fine feelings, thoughts and actions." 

"Talent is no accident of birth.
In today's society a good many people seem to have the idea that if one is born without talent, there is nothing one can do about it, and they simply resign themselves to what they consider to be their fate.  Consequently they go through life without living it to the full or ever knowing life's true joy.  That is man's greatest tragedy."

Learning a musical instrument is hard work and requires discipline and time.  But everyone can learn and develop their musical potential.  Suzuki believed everyone learns at a different pace and one child might need to practice 5,000 times before he can play a certain piece.  The next child might need to practice 15,000 times before he can play the same piece.  But all children can learn and achieve.

One thing that is evident reading Nurtured by Love is that Suzuki had a great love for children and his love inspired children to grow and be the best they could be.  As parents and teachers, we can inspire our children to grow and reach their potential by believing in them, encouraging them and loving them.