1. SUZUKI IMMERSION LISTENING–Large amounts of low-volume background listening (3+ hours per day) to the Suzuki Book Level that the child is currently learning.

2. DAILY RECORDING PLAY ALONG–Daily play-along attempts with some or all of the pieces from their current Suzuki Book recording. Turn the volume up high or use headphones so they can hear the music over the sound of their own instrument. Doesn’t need to be perfect!—just play along and grab the notes that you can! (Even better, find YouTube videos of their pieces at a slower playback speed that works best for them. If you can’t find a slower video, YouTube even has a slow-down feature! Also, you can get a free or inexpensive app that slows music down on your phone.) The key here is to play along daily with someone who plays well.

3. SUZUKI TRIANGLE–Non-forced, parent-led, child-centered, Daily Joyful Practice Attempts. Suzuki is about cultivating a Parent-Child-Teacher practice relationship which is close-working, kind/loving/compassionate, and most importantly: willingness-based (not coercive). Once the child’s practice has grown to become independent, efficient, and regular, you become the cheerleader (usually after several years of practicing together).

**If it feels too hard to get the technology for music playback working, don’t go it alone!—your child’s teacher can help with choosing the right technology and with how it works, so ask them for help.

***Practice time can become intense for families that aren’t used to daily practice. To keep practice healthy, please refer to our “Top 10 Tools for Parents” article.