Inspiration for teachers and parents from the life’s work of Sharron Beamer

Dr Suzuki believed that “Where love is deep, much can be accomplished”. Observing Sharron Beamer teach for the first time, with my one-year-old daughter on my lap, I could see that first and foremost, Sharron nurtured with love - the care and dedication to each pupil was clearly evident.

Having learnt the violin herself for the first time in her mid-30s, Sharron has a different perspective on playing and teaching music from those of us who started at a young age. Sharron has deliberately considered every aspect of building technique, tried out her ideas on hundreds of children over the past 40 years, and has a formidable amount of experience behind her. She also studied with Dr. Suzuki himself in Matsumoto from October 1987 to May 1988, and became good friends with Dr and Mrs Suzuki.

For many years other teachers had been asking Sharron to document her imaginative and carefully thought-out games and ideas, and this has now come to fruition. The aim of this film is to bring Sharron's ideas, games and tricks for teaching the pre-Twinkle stage and Suzuki violin book 1 to a wide audience, and document her well-tested ideas for future generations of teachers and pupils. A clear step-by-step progression is shown, demonstrating how to take a child from a total beginner to a fluent player. A separate “problem solving” section shows ways to counteract common technical issues that can occur. 

Sharron's talent is in encouraging the children to build technique correctly and precisely, and in making the process enjoyable for both child and teacher – the delight and engagement is clearly visible in the videos.

Please visit www.beamerviolin.com to watch sample videos, and purchase full access.