The Naperville Suzuki School

"When my son was 3, my husband and I wanted to give him the gift of learning to play perhaps the hardest instrument: violin. After failing with a private teacher that lacked of child pedagogy, we were walking in the downtown and heard a beautiful song that a little boy was playing in his violin. We approached his parents and asked them who was his teacher. They told us that he was at the Suzuki school. We emailed them and met Patrick (the administrative director) who was more than helpful for us to understand the process. I was hesitant about working with my child for at home practice because I don’t have a musical background. Fortunately I wasn’t the only parent in this situation, and I have been learning together with my son on his path. What an amazing school! We feel part of a big lovely family. All the parents are involved in their children’s learning and the teachers and administration are amazing at their jobs, guiding us and keeping us in harmony. They truly care about their students’ growth in music and techniques. Our son has gained a musical ear, playing skills and discipline. His teacher (Ms. Emily) is not only an accomplished violinist but a great pedagogist who always looks for the best teaching strategies that match a child’s age. Every week we have a personal class and a group class. He has met children of different levels, which has made him gain perspective. We are grateful to have this opportunity. I’m glad we didn’t hesitated to try this school out."

"Our family joined the Naperville Suzuki School eight years ago, when my son was 7 and my daughter was 4. This has been an incredible musical journey for our family, and I would highly recommend you consider the Naperville Suzuki School for violin, viola or cello instruction. The instructors are outstanding, with advanced degrees and music education training and the Suzuki method. The philosophy is to teach the whole child – both in learning to play an instrument using proper technique, and also in learning valuable life lessons as well. We have been very happy with Ed Kreitman, the Director of the school, and our violin instructor, Ryan Caparella. Ryan has a flexible teaching style based on the needs of every child. He has pushed both of our children out of their comfort zones in healthy ways, but with empathy and understanding throughout every interaction. The needs of our two children could not be more different, and Ryan also developed a strong relationship with me and my husband to ensure an open dialogue about evolving needs as our kids have grown and matured. He was also very supportive as we made the decision after several years to discontinue instruction for our daughter as she pursued other interests. The school provides unique experiences for growth no matter where a child is in their musical journey. Children can take music improvisation classes early on, and as they become more experienced there are many opportunities for other unique performance experiences outside of private instruction, small group repertoire classes and orchestra. These include Allegro!!!, an elite string performance group, Cellissimo, a cello performance ensemble group and Chicago Consort, the most advanced performing ensemble. These groups even offer opportunities to travel and perform internationally. The school also offers a summer chamber music camp, a week-long experience to play alongside faculty, study chamber music repertoire, music theory, sight-reading and history. We've experienced notable improvement recently in the school's administration, communication and event coordination. Additionally, the school recently moved to a new location in North Naperville at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 1313 North Mill Street, Naperville, IL. 60563. Our son is now in high school, and we have seen him grow into a well-rounded, confident, accomplished musician, and the life skills he has developed over eight years is evident in many other areas of his life. I would highly recommend you check out the Naperville Suzuki School for your child’s music education."

"Our family joined NSS about 2 years ago. Two of my children transferred from non-Suzuki private teachers, and my youngest enrolled as a beginner. While the Suzuki method may not be the right fit for every child or parent, it has been a positive and formative transition for our entire family. I would highly recommend that you look into what NSS offers. The teachers are clearly well educated in not only music theory and performance but also in their adaptability to each child's personality and learning style. My youngest was born with low muscle tone, and I saw how his cello teacher, Alex Revoal, altered his teaching approach to a more kinesthetic one - with positive results. For my middle daughter, who is used to waiting for others to make decisions on her behalf, Alex has patiently and kindly placed the onus on her - encouraging her to take more ownership of her musical experience. For my eldest, social and easily distracted, her teacher, Ryan Caparella has an uncanny ability to balance her lesson with just enough banter while redirecting and challenging her to focus and maintain good habits. A few months ago, at the end of her lesson, she said, "When I leave my lesson, I feel tired but happy in a satisfied way." While I feel like my children's technique, ear and practice habits have vastly improved, I am more encouraged that they are learning "life lessons" and honing character. I appreciate the various opportunities that NSS offers like playing Christmas songs in long term care facilities, taking an improv class from a visiting musician, participating in a summer chamber music camp or traveling for a weekend exchange program. These options reinforce to my kids that music is a gift to be shared and enjoyed with others. I was not familiar with the Suzuki method and have come to respect the thoughtfulness in its approach - both to technique and personhood. Ryan and Alex demonstrate Suzuki's belief that every child has potential. I do not feel like the NSS community is focused on competition, awards or comparison. Rather, the faculty do a wonderful job in fostering an atmosphere of excellence - to be applied to life and not just an instrument or in comparison to another. Ryan and Alex treat a new beginner with as much interest and effort as a high level performer auditioning for a youth orchestra. When we first met their teachers, it was clear that they were wanting to assess if the Suzuki method was a good fit for my kids versus just adding another student to their studios. They were interested in what was best for the kids. As other reviews have mentioned, the program's strengths lie in its faculty and their relationships with families - not administrative management. In 2 years there have been 3 different administrators. It took a few extra emails to initially enroll our kids, but since being connected with their respective teachers, Alex and Ryan are excellent in timeliness and content, responding to my emails about questions or concerns I have. They also are humble and inviting of any constructive feedback or suggestions to improve the organizational efficiency. While NSS has produced professional musicians of high caliber, for our kids, we are so pleased to have made the switch to NSS and believe in Dr. Suzuki's belief that, "The purpose of Talent Education is to train children, not to be professional musicians but to be fine musicians and to show high ability in any other field they enter." I highly encourage you to check them out."

"My children are enrolled in Naperville Suzuki. I would gladly recommend this school to others. I grew up playing the viola through college and had the good fortune of playing in high caliber orchestras and chamber music groups with folks who went on to top tier music schools and eventually became professional musicians. I was initially apprehensive about Suzuki, as it was not how I nor most of my peers were trained. But what I've come to appreciate is the scale and scope of Naperville Suzuki far exceeds the music philosophy itself. They have an excellent chamber music programs like Cellissimo which are distinctive ensembles that provide not only fun musical outlets, but strong opportunities to learn to play as a team, to lead and be led. The strength of the chamber music opportunities creates positive momentum and motivation for other kids to get better. Teachers like Ryan Caparella are also a great asset to the school. He's not just a very good music teacher, but also a keen observer of our character. His EQ is excellent and knows when to push and when to pull back in a manner that maximizes growth and development both as a musician but as an emerging, responsible adult. If I had some constructive criticism, I would say there is room for improvement for managing the organization as it grows. The all school concerts are too long and the scheduling process is onerous, which again is a result of the schools success. The chamber camp is great, but I think could be more expansive to provide more enduring chamber opportunities that are both more traditional (e.g., string quartets, trios) and innovative (e.g., electric instruments, loopers, YouTube, etc). My own music experience was formative for me for building grit, perseverance, teamwork, risk-taking and storytelling. I'm thankful my children are getting a similar experience as well."

"The Naperville Suzuki School is a phenomenal music school. Teachers are professional and school programs are designed for kids with all levels. Mrs. Victoria Kuchta Szczepaniak is a great teacher. Kids like her very much. As a parent, I'm very happy seeing my child learning music with her and enjoying the school programs."