Founder of Katie Suzuki Music
About Katie
I live near Motueka, New Zealand, with my husband and two children. In addition to music I enjoy crafts, gardening and homeschooling our children.
My story
I learnt piano the traditional way from about age 7. The Suzuki method was available for violin where I lived, but not for piano.
When I was about 11, I wanted to start violin lessons, but there were no places available through the free system at my school, so I took a place in their viola class instead. This was not a great choice, because I was a fairly small 11-year-old and the full-size viola was a real stretch for my fingers!
I enjoyed playing in orchestras. However, it didn't escape my notice that the violas rarely got a tune and usually had the "um-pah" accompaniment part. I was rather jealous of the soaring tunes the first violins got to play, so I transferred to violin.
Becoming a Suzuki teacher
I started teaching in my mid-teens. A family friend asked if I would teach their child, so I did. That was the start of my realisation that I was a teacher at heart! I taught traditionally at this stage because I didn't know any other way.
By the time I was about 20, we had a family friend who happened to be a Suzuki teacher. This friend said to me one day:
"Katie, you so enjoy working with the little children, I think you might enjoy being a Suzuki teacher."
This hadn't occurred to me, but after a little research I soon realised it would be a great idea.
Why I love the Suzuki method
From my first teacher training course I have been passionate about the Suzuki method. It makes so much sense to teach music as a language. I'm also a very logical and organised person, so I really appreciate how well thought-out the syllabus is. Knowing how to play music is quite a different skill from being able to teach it, so I value the thorough grounding and support the Suzuki institute gives its teachers.
Once I discovered the Suzuki method, there was no going back. I taught some traditional students alongside my Suzuki students for a while, but I enjoyed the Suzuki method so much more. As my traditional students moved on or converted to Suzuki, I became solely a Suzuki teacher, and have been ever since.