As an experienced musician myself, I searched for the perfect music teacher for my own budding…read moreyoung musicians. I am beyond thrilled with the Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas. This school has phenomenal teachers, fabulous group music classes, and unparallelled theory and composition training. All their students study individually with instructors as well as in ensemble settings, and all take separate theory classes. They perform at least 4 times per year, which is great practice! It's a wonderful music community, one I only experienced when I got to college! I wish they had had a school like this when I was a child! We are not planning for our children to be professional musicians (and indeed I am not, either), but I appreciate that my children are in an environment that maximizes their potential. My children play piano, and it has always been fun, move-at-your-own-pace, and encouraging. My little ones are pretty sensitive, so negative pressure or stress would really turn them off--but they love this place and all their teachers, and happily skip into the building each week! The classes and the practice are definitely a time commitment, but the kids love it, and we are committed to making music an integral part of their lives. There is excellent instruction for all levels, from pre-schoolers and young children (like mine) through high school. Some of their recent graduates have gone on to study music at Juilliard and the Eastman School of Music.

I have had two children enrolled for several years and I have found that this school is…read moreextraordinary. It is an excellent experience for children, from 18 months to 18 years, and the music education is incomparable. Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas offers music lessons to children and their families. The instruments taught are violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, harp and organ. The teachers are committed, caring and extremely well trained. The school's history is long and its core mission has remained unchanged since it was first founded over 45 years ago. For the youngest students, SMID has the "Kodomo" class that is very good and unique. Imagine a circle of two-year-olds and their parents being led in song and rhythmic play by a teacher who has decades of music pedagogy experience, then add another equally knowledgeable and talented musician accompanying those children on a grand piano. This excellent class is affordable and meets on Saturday mornings. Instrument lessons are available for children age 3 and up. In addition to a weekly private lesson, there is a weekly group class and a theory class. Children, working a little each day with their parents, progress quickly and can do very impressive things musically. It is not unusual for children as young as 5 or 6 to be proficient music readers. The students love their teachers. It is possible, and not uncommon, for a student to have the same teacher for several years at a time. This long, caring relationship between teacher, student AND the parent, has a way of propelling children to do great things. Children are taught as individuals and the program is paced to each child's needs and abilities. Despite what other posters might have said, this school is the opposite of competitive! There are many special-needs children who are in the program, learning and growing. The spirit of non-competitiveness is actually intrinsic to the method; it was baked-in by Shinichi Suzuki himself and is carefully maintained at the school through ongoing parent and student education. I believe that the eduction my children are receiving at SMID will give a number of skills that will help them throughout their lives. They will probably not be professional musicians, but that is not the goal. The real goals for my children include learning that disciplined practice (work) can bring exciting and valuable skills, that effective collaboration with others is possible and rewarding, and that music can be beautiful and fun. Though a great value in my opinion, this is not the cheapest or easiest of music programs. There are other places where parents can simply drop off their children for instrument lessons and not have to be bothered with anything other that listening to the occasional practice. However, for those families who wish to do something more than "check the box" of getting music lessons for their kid, to instead actively pursue the rewards that a quality music education can give, this is the very best place for them.