Suzuki and Orff are both designed for children, with an emphasis on playing by ear. So for adult learners who might be starting their first instrument in their thirties, forties, fifties or sixties, extrapolating aspects of each is going to take some adaptation.
The Suzuki method is modeled after a child’s innate ability to learn their native language, the “mother-tongue”. Believing that the easiest way to learn is by ear and that talent is not born - that musical ability can be developed in anyone.
Suzuki relies on lots of listening, repetition and imitation of a structured common repertoire. Students learn by ear at first. Sheet music is not brought in until later, similar to how as a child you learned to speak before you learned to read.
Pieces are introduced in a logically progressive order, chosen because each new piece introduces a specific skill while reinforcing an old one. Suzuki is taught with specific instrument proficiency in mind. Commonly used instruments are violin, piano, or flute.
Orff, while also ear-based, is more about creativity, improvisation, collaboration and participation. Musical creativity is encouraged as the ultimate goal with the knowledge that making music should be an inclusive, playful and fun experience. Students learn by doing, acting as co-creators in the learning process rather than passive recipients of information. It’s not about being told or shown, it’s about being actively involved in the music making - making it your own without worrying about theory.
Students engage in an ensemble setting, working together to develop their sense of timing and harmony. The basic elements of music, like form, rhythm, texture, harmony and melody aren't learned the traditional way, but through experience.
Common Orff instruments include xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. Some are just pentatonic or diatonic, while some might be fully chromatic. These relatively simple instruments allow students to focus on creativity, improvisation and musicality rather than technical complexity. Instruments are seen as tools for exploration and expression, not ends in themselves.
So what can we learn from these two somewhat opposing processes?
Adults can benefit from the methodical structure inherent in Suzuki - the clear, logical progression of pieces. However, Suzuki is really just a choice of repertoire. You could just as easily use Irish trad tunes set up in a gradual progression: polkas > slides > jigs > reels > hornpipes > slip-jigs might be one way. Gradually working up in difficulty and introducing ornamentation along the way. Adding pieces based on what techniques each new piece teaches or reinforces.
The Suzuki method is well suited to single-line melody, which makes fiddle tunes and Irish traditional music a logical choice. When you play Irish traditional music, you can also find camaraderie in this common repertoire, bonding over a shared experience and knowing that music is not a competition. That is in line with the Suzuki philosophy.
Whereas the Orff approach may inspire you to see what kinds of melodies you can come up with on your own, and to have fun while learning and not be worried about making mistakes. Maybe you get into melodic variation, exploring a hundred variations of a tune. Or maybe you experiment with different ways to play a rhythm.
Or maybe you simply internalize the various rhythms by adding movement and singing to your practice, using onomatopoeia mnemonics such as “buy the band a beer” for hop jigs, “I saw three ships a sailing in” for slides, “humpty-dumpty” for hornpipes, and “pineapple apricot” for jigs.
Orff's emphasis on improvisation and participation will definitely come into play when you are at a session or a jam. A major benefit of playing with others is your sense of timing and rhythm will improve, and you can react in real time to what's going on around you rather than being locked into rote memorization or what's written on a page.
I hope that does it!
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