I apply the Suzuki Method to Visual Art by viewing art as a discipline that can be both understood as a language, and learned as children learn their native language.

As with Suzuki Music instruction, modeling art learning on native language learning involves:

• Daily practice and exposure to art,
• Learning in a supportive community of peers and parents,
• Repetition and layering of skills,
• The belief that everyone has the ‘talent’ to become a proficient, creative artist.

Structuring the discipline of art as a language means:

• Learning the words and structures of this language:
  • Elements of art
  • Elements of design
  • Mediums and techniques
  •  Exposure to diverse art dialects (realism to abstraction)
• Learning to understand the language of art:
  • Visual sensitivity to the feeling of form, gesture, color etc.,
  • Intellectual sensitivity to metaphor,
  • Exposure to diverse artists and styles.
• Learning to speak the language of art. Projects/exercises that build
  • Realistic rendering skills,
  • Abstraction of visual elements,
  • Expression through the application of elements of art and design,
  • Project planning and problem solving.