The Suzuki School offers programs to develop sound academic and social skills, as well as creative talents and abilities, in each child while addressing a wide range of learning styles through individual, small group and large group instruction, depending on the subject matter and the unique needs of each child. The structured Academic Program consists of three primary curricula:

The Academic Program
The Cultural Program
Enrichment Program
The Parent Program

Individual Instruction
Each child is individually assessed, and realistic goals are established for skill advancement.
A cornerstone of the Suzuki approach is that each child progresses at his or her own pace.

Development Skill Building
This is a step-by-step procedure for taking each child to higher levels of physical, social and
intellectual competency.

Continual Evaluation
Suzuki's process assures that program goals are being met and that student progress is
carefully monitored. Twice each year we test the children using a variety of testing tools and
review the results with the parents.

  
The Cultural Program is designed to take the child beyond that which is expected in a basic education program. The most important aspect of the cultural program is international exposure. This part of the program is intended to meet the critical need for better communication and understanding in the world today. It is incorporated into the Suzuki program through classroom instruction and enrichment activities which introduce the cultures, lifestyles and traditions of other peoples: core elements of the Suzuki social studies curriculum. During its long history, the Suzuki School has attracted a highly diverse student body representing a wide cross section of families from various cultural backgrounds. This atmosphere provides each child with the opportunity to experience and explore differing perspectives. The child learns to appreciate differences which he or she will encounter in future academic and social environments. The Suzuki staff of teachers and administrators embraces diversity as a way of teaching children to appreciate themselves and respect others.

The Enrichment Program has been developed to provide the children with a variety of life enriching experiences including:

• Creative Arts
  This program offers enrichment in Art, Movement/Dance, Physical Education and Dramatics.
  
• Foreign Language
  We believe that exposure to foreign language at a young age is important for both cognitive
  development, and also in preparation for being an active participant in a world that is increasingly interdependent. The school offers French and Spanish instruction twice per week throughout the year.
  
• Field trips and special visitors through out the year expose the children to theaters, galleries, museums, puppetry arts, the countryside, and many other cultural experiences.

The Suzuki Music Program complements the academic and cultural components of the school. Dr. Suzuki's philosophy and approach to teaching was based on his work with very young children in
teaching violin. The program encourages an interest and provides a foundation in music by teaching
our young students rhythm, performance, singing, musical terminology, and instrument playing by
teaching five disciplines:

• Rhythm: Learning to react in a structured manner - keeping a beat, recognizing and repeating rhythmic patterns.
  
• Rhythmic: Relating gestures and motions to music.
  
• Singing: A child's own voice is his or her best musical instrument - although children rarely
  develop a singing voice before the age of five or six, we work to help each child develop his
  or her ability to vocally duplicate sounds, and to find his or her own voice.
  
• Musical terminology: Recognizing and understanding such concepts as high and low, loud
  and soft, or fast and slow.
  
• Instrument playing: Reproducing instrument rhythms used in beginning Suzuki-method piano and violin lessons.

The Parent Program connects the teaching efforts of home and school. The program operates in
conjunction with the academic program and includes:

• A series of workshops designed to orient parents to the Suzuki Philosophy and teamwork approach to education. These workshops provide parents with practical child development information to be utilized at home, and offer parents guidance in effective behavior management skills and techniques.
  
• Parent newsletters
  
• Social activities
  
• Bi-annual parent conferences
  
• Parent Volunteer Association.