Kumon, Suzuki and Einstein

Mr. Kumon and Mr. Suzuki, two Japanese men have suddenly come into my attention in the past few months. As you might already know that Kioni is enrolled in Kumon Reading for three months now and is making good progress. We heard only good things about the Suzuki method also, and since there are Suzuki piano and violin teachers right in Cebu, we are considering, if Kioni is interested, enrolling her in piano or violin lessons. OK, we are not crazy parents who try to push Kioni to her limit. She has shown lots of interests in music and is crazy about 'playing' the piano. In the Suzuki method, they usually start the kids at around age 3 to 4. OK, who are these guys and why are their impacts?

Toru Kumon 公文 公 (March 26, 1914 - July 25, 1995) was a Japanese mathematics educator. The Kumon method is one of the largest math and languagetutoring systems in the world. There are over 3 million children studying under the Kumon Method in over 44 different countries. The Kumon Method of Learning was innovated in 1954 by an experienced teacher in Japan - Mr. Toru Kumon. It is tailored to suit each individual's needs and abilities by giving Kumon kids the freedom to progress by stages at their own pace. Kumon kids have been proven to acquire more self-motivation, confidence and improvement in their study habits with greater concentration power.

Shin'ichi Suzuki 鈴木鎮一 (October 17, 1898 - January 26, 1998) was the creator of the Suzuki method of teaching music. The Suzuki Method is based on the principle that all children possess ability and that this ability can be developed and enhanced through a nurturing environment. All children learn to speak their own language with relative ease and if the same natural learning process is applied in teaching other skills, these can be acquired as successfully. Suzuki referred to the process as the Mother Tongue Method and to the whole sysltem of pedagogy as Talent Education (才能教育).

What do these two Japaese men had to do with Albert Einstein (14 March, 1879 - 18 April 1955)? It turns out, Mr. Kumon and Mr. Suzuki were good friends, and Mr. Suzuki had spent several years under the guardianship of Albert Einstein while he was studying violin with Karl Klingler in Germany. Albert Einstein was quite a musician himself (see him played the violin below). He once said, "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.... I get most joy in life out of music." Isn't that interesting.