Reviewing

Reviewing is one of the key ingredients to a Suzuki students success! It’s one of the key components or pillars in the Suzuki method, and the benefits of reviewing are deep, and long lasting, even life long.

Review the Fundamentals

First, when a student daily reviews pieces they already know it refreshes all the muscle memory for the techniques they learned in those pieces. I have heard the Suzuki repertoire compared to a pyramid. The techniques we learn/teach in Twinkle are used in every following piece. So by reviewing we revisit each of those learning steps.

Review Pieces As Technique Etudes

Secondly, as Suzuki teachers we often use review pieces to teach new concepts, techniques, motions. Old pieces become etudes. If the student hasn’t been reviewing this makes this a mute point. A Book 3 student learns to play in 3rd position by using a piece they already know. They know how it is supposed to sound in first position and can ins it in 3rd. A student can learn how to do a brush stroke playing pieces like Twinkle Variation E, Etude (doubles) or Perpetual Motion from Book 1. Using a piece that they already know the left hand allows them to focus on right hand movements. But, if the student hasn’t been reviewing and old repertoire is rusty, then trying to remember the pitches and learn a new technique becomes really frustrating.

Review As Repertoire

Thirdly, it provides a large repertoire that the student has polished and ready. A student who a reviewing can easily and confidently play for grandparents, at a retirement center, school talent show, or any venue. Then as the student gets older, this repertoire becomes wedding reception, or gig music.

So is reviewing fun? It can be! Get creative with your review.

• • Write each piece on a card and put them all in a hat. Choose a 5 cards and play those pieces.

• • A app called Tiny Decisions let’s you put each piece in a spinning wheel. Press the button to pin the wheel. The piece the arrow stops on a the song you have to play.

• • Review Chart – Use a review chart and play the songs listed each day.

• • This idea came from a parent – The book 4 student was having trouble remembering how each of the songs went just by the title. The mom made copies of the pieces in the book and organized them by the review chart. This allowed the student snot to waste time finding the book to look at how the song began…

Here are some review charts that may help your student. Here is a review chart no matter what level they might be in. Download all 4 charts for free included in the pdf file.