Every Student Is on Their Own Musical Journey
Millie performing Gavotte and graduating from Suzuki Violin Book 1, accompanied by Maja Petrovic
October 4 marked the opening of the 2026–27 Sunday Recital Series! I noticed that several students performed the same piece, yet each was at a different place on their musical journey. I wondered whether the students noticed that others were playing the same music, and if so, how they felt. Did they feel competitive, less accomplished, or perhaps more advanced? What was going through their minds?
It’s important to remember that everyone is on their own journey. Our culture offers countless opportunities for comparison, and it is human nature to measure ourselves against others. What we often forget, however, is that everyone arrives at a performance with a different set of experiences.
One difference between performers might be the age at which they began lessons. If one student began at age five and another at age ten, but both have studied for two years, would they sound the same? In all likelihood, yes, but not necessarily. Time spent with the instrument is an important factor in musical development, and so are practice habits, attention, prior experiences, and the support students receive along the way. Rather than comparing one student with another, let's focus on the progress each student is making on their own musical journey.
Another difference between performers playing the same piece might be their musical environment at home. In a household with several musicians, music may naturally be heard and enjoyed more frequently simply because more people are practicing under the same roof. In other households, creating that kind of immersive musical environment may take a little more intention. Don't despair! Spend a few minutes creating playlists of music on streaming services or other platforms. Listening to music together is a simple way to bring more music into everyday life.
Finally, every performance of the same piece sounds different because each performer brings a unique personality, perspective, and set of experiences to the music. I'm often asked whether it gets boring to teach the same pieces from the Suzuki repertoire over and over again. My answer is always a resounding, “NO!” Each student is an individual, with unique strengths, challenges, and lessons to learn. Even when two students play the same piece, their musical journeys—and what they bring to the music—are never identical.
Our job is to help every student reach their potential while nurturing the whole person. This is at the heart of Dr. Suzuki's vision of developing “good citizens” through music education.
As you listen to your student and others perform, celebrate the music each one brings to the world. Talk about this with your student when they are comparing themselves to others. There is no need to be ahead of someone else or to measure your progress against theirs. The goal is to keep learning, keep listening, keep sharing, and keep growing—one minute, one practice session, and one musical milestone at a time.