John Kendall’s 1959 Trip to Japan

John Kendall and Dr. Shinichi Suzuki in 1962

Read John Kendall's observations and report:

Talent Education: The Violin Teaching Methods of Mr. Shinichi Suzuki, based on his trip to Japan, June 24 to August 7, 1959.

John Kendall’s Ideas for Teaching Violin

Kendall Logo

A Selection of Pedagogical Points from Corelli to 2000
Original notes by John Kendall, 1991

Note: John Kendall was the first American string teacher to observe and study the Suzuki Method in Japan. The following are excerpts from the original text accompanying these videos.

The ISA gratefully acknowledges Ithaca Talent Education and its founder Sanford Reuning for making these videos available for posting on the ISA website. All rights reserved by the ISA, April 2021.

Preface

These videos were filmed in 1992 in the upstairs attic of the old String House at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville… We all recognize that violin teaching ideas reach back through history to Arcangelo Corelli, or even before… The medium of video, however, may provide a way of encapsulating, preserving and clarifying certain actions and the unfolding of process.

Overview

The focus of these videos is on simplicity, clarity, informality, even improvisation… They are not intended to be a complete curriculum or a method, and they do not tell when the teacher should implement the ideas. These practical ideas are presented as one workable teaching alternative and should stimulate experiment rather than codify or finalize ideas… [T]he intent is to deal with broad applications and principles rather than rules… [I]t should be understood that in every instance, the technique must be a means to better musicianship, without which all efforts would be sterile… [F]or problem solving, we may separate the technical from the expressive, but it is never to be completely isolated and should not remain apart for long.

Dr. Suzuki and John Kendall in Japan

Tape 1 -- Running time approximately 1:45



Part I General Pedagogical Points

  1. Train the Big Muscles First
  2. Calisthenics for Violinists
  3. Body Movements
  4. Working with a Child Physically and Psychologically
  5. Basic Practice Steps
  6. Reducing a Passage to Teach Rhythm and Bowing

Part II The Right Hand

  1. Three Families of Bow Strokes
  2. Straight Bow -- the Elusive Necessity
  3. String Crossings
  4. Driving the Left Hand with the Bow
  5. Chords
  6. Four Approaches to Bowing

Tape 2 -- Running time approximately 1:30



Part III The Left Hand

  1. "Simplifying the Task"
  2. The "Beethoven" Exercise
  3. The "Dotzauer" Exercise
  4. The Walking Fifth Exercise
  5. Fingerings: Independent, Block, Anchor, Prepared
  6. Five Steps to Velocity
  7. Shifting Exercise
  8. Practicing Scale Shifts
  9. "Business" Shifting
  10. Expressive Shifting: Vocal, Old Finger, New Finger, Mixed
  11. Establishing the Octave Frame and Strengthening the Fourth Finger
  12. The "Galaxian" Exercise
  13. Vibrato
  14. Double Stops - Thirds