Resources
The following links given here are in response to the many requests we get for the teaching materials we have developed for use in our program. Some of these are free here on this site, and some are publications that can be ordered through a link provided to a distributor.
Resources for Parents & Teachers
6. Music Symbols Checklist
This link is a list of all of the musical symbols (pictures of symbols included) that the student will encounter in Suzuki Guitar Book 1. The symbols are listed by their order of presentation in the book. This list can be placed in the student's materials and included as part of the students' requirement to “graduate” from a particular piece (the student must be able to name all of the symbols presented in the book up through that piece).
7. Mystery Songs – A First Reader for the Guitar
Copies of this book can be ordered from Young Musicians Inc. at https://www.young-musicians.com.
8. Music Theory Studies for the Guitar
This book is a collection of teaching materials and worksheets that are useful for teachers of students of all ages, from the young beginner to the collegiate studio level. The link given here offers just the contents of the book so that you can see how it is organized. Copies of the entire book can be ordered from Young Musicians Inc. at https://www.young-musicians.com.
Resources for Teachers
The two links 8 and 9 given directly below are several pages from the Music Theory Studies for the Guitar book mentioned above. Teachers are welcome to download, copy, and use these two pages with their students. I have made these available at no cost because they teach several fundamental skills that I believe all classical guitar teachers should be giving their students.
11a. Student Practice Binders (Article by William Kossler)
This is an article I wrote for the SAA Journal in 2016 that describes in detail the binder system I use to organize student work. It has evolved a bit since then but is basically the same as represented here. A quicker look can be obtained from the video below.
11b. Student Practice Binders (Short Video by William Kossler)
This video was made in response to a friend who wanted me to offer a short explanation of the binders I use to organize students’ work for them. Watch the video by clicking the link below or go to YouTube and search for "Suzuki Lesson Organizational Binder".
12. Harmonic Analysis of Your Repertoire
This publication is a continuation of the skills presented in the Music Theory Studies for the Guitar described above. These tried and tested lessons give students more advanced music theory skills - skills that enable students to do harmonic analysis of their repertoire if the teacher is interested in taking students that far. The link given here offers just the contents of the book so that you can see how it is organized. The book is available from Young Musicians Inc. at https://www.young-musicians.com.
13a. Another Approach to Right-Hand Fingerings for Suzuki Book 1
There has been much discussion in the international Suzuki Guitar community lately concerning our desire to minimize the habit of students crossing strings by “dragging” the fingers, as well as trying to establish the firm habit of right-hand finger alternation and a general improved “finger awareness”. The current revised Suzuki Guitar Book 1 pursues these goals by using an approach that minimizes “inverted” string crossing through the insertion of numerous “retake” fingerings. This document describes in detail what my research reveals to me to be a simpler alternative approach to achieving these goals, an approach that does not require numerous retakes, is easier for the teacher, parent, and student to implement, and I believe more closely follows Dr. Suzuki’s Violin Book 1 pedagogy.
13b. Otro Acercamiento a las Digitaciones de la Mano Derecha para Suzuki Book I
Recientemente se ha debatido mucho en la comunidad internacional de guitarras Suzuki sobre nuestro deseo de minimizar el hábito de que los estudiantes crucen las cuerdas "arrastrando" los dedos, así como tratar de establecer el hábito firme de la alternancia del dedo derecho y una mejora general "conciencia de los dedos". La versión revisada actual de Suzuki Guitar Book 1 persigue estos objetivos mediante el uso de un enfoque que minimiza el cruce de cuerdas "invertidas" a través de la inserción de numerosas digitaciones "retomadas". Este documento describe en detalle lo que mi investigación me revela como un enfoque alternativo más simple para lograr estos objetivos, un enfoque que no requiere numerosas repeticiones, es más fácil de implementar para el maestro, los padres y el alumno, y creo que lo sigue más de cerca. La pedagogía del libro 1 del violín del Dr. Suzuki.
14. SAA Journal Article
Don’t Let the Dragons Get You Down or How I Made My Peace With The Issue of String Crossing by William Kossler.
I first wrote about my research that brought me to the practice of starting students on our foundational repertoire with the M finger in 2011, published in an article for the SAA Journal by the title above. Here is a PDF of the article.
Resources for Students & Teachers
