“To make a resolution and act accordingly is to live with hope. Confronted with a high mountain, you cannot reach the summit in one stride, but must climb step by step to approach your goal. There may be difficulties and hardships, but not disappointment or despair if you follow the path steadily. Do not hurry. This is a fundamental rule. If you hurry and collapse or tumble down, nothing is achieved. Do not rest in your efforts; this is another fundamental rule. Without stopping, without haste, carefully taking a step at a time forward will surely get you there. To commit yourself to untiring patience and strong endurance, what we call kan – intuition or sixth sense – is an absolute necessity in education. Without it, Dr Hakushi Yukawa wouldn’t have discovered his mestron theory. At least, so I believe.” – S. Suzuki
The Suzuki Association of South Africa was founded in 2000 with the aim of making music education available to all children. More than sixty years ago, Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki realized the implications of the fact that children the world over learn to speak their native language with ease. He began to apply the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music, and called his method the mother-tongue approach. The ideas of parent responsibility, loving encouragement and constant repetition, are some of the special features of the Suzuki Method (TM).
Through his teaching, Dr. Suzuki showed teachers and parents everywhere how children could develop under caring instruction. He also believed that hearing and playing great music helped children become good people with beautiful, peaceful hearts. Dr. Suzuki hoped that these children would help bring peace and understanding to the world. Dr Suzuki believed that musical ability is not an inborn talent, but an ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.
The Suzuki Association of South Africa is a registered NPO, supporting community projects and conducting teacher training and workshops throughout the country. It also hosts an annual prestigious concert where children and teachers can share their music with the community. Suzuki teachers teach music in schools, private studios, townships, and orphanages throughout the country.
SASA maintains close ties with Suzuki teachers abroad and is a proud member of the European Suzuki Association.
