Shinichi Suzuki (1888-1998), a violinist, educator, and philosopher, based his approach on the belief that musical ability is not an inborn talent but rather an ability that can be developed. His philosophy and the method he developed have reached thousands of teachers and students around the world. 

Suzuki, who studied the violin in both Japan and Germany in the 1920s, became very interested in teaching young people how to play the violin. Since all children learn to speak their native language, he modeled his teaching approach on the way children learn to speak and called his method the "mother-tongue" approach or "talent education."

Although his work was interrupted by the Second World War, Suzuki resumed his education of children once the war ended. His Talent Education effort grew as children amazed listeners with their abilities and as other teachers studied with him and spread his method throughout Japan. Although started as a violin method, his Talent Education approach was expanded by others to include piano, viola, cello, flute, and harp. 

The Suzuki method was first introduced to the U.S. in the late 1950s and the movement soon flourished in America also. Today there are hundreds of Talent Education associations throughout the USA.

Suzuki's methods have touched the lives of thousands of students, parents, and teachers in over forty countries. His death in 1998 was mourned around the world. 

Allegro Music Online is convinced the Suzuki Method is an outstanding way of introducing young children to the world of music in a most natural way. 

We are delighted to offer a full line of Suzuki materials for immediate delivery - and always at a 20% discount! We carry the books, cassettes, and CDs used in the various Suzuki Schools and a wide assortment of supplementary reading materials to acquaint newcomers to the philosophy underlying this amazing approach to talent education.