A:Students sing solfège, play the keyboard, sing songs with lyrics, move to music, play rhythm and keyboard ensembles and participate in music appreciation activities.
They develop diverse musical skills without prematurely focusing on one instrument or style.

A:The group lessons are fun and motivating, following an outstanding curriculum that helps the children develop a strong musical ear and expressive musical performance skills. Group lessons also offer ensemble, composition and keyboard harmony activities, which complement private piano lessons as the children grow. Yamaha children have the opportunity to work towards exams and are consistently good achievers due to their strong musical foundations.

A:Students of all ages learn better in groups because:

• Peer Influence: In a group there is peer motivation such that a student will want to perform well in front of and with his/her peers. The experience of performing in front of a friendly audience on a regular and frequent basis will give the student confidence and a feeling of accomplishment.
  
• Comprehensive learning: Group lessons are a very effective way to achieve comprehensive musical training. In a group a student can sing with others and perform in various kinds of ensembles.
  
• It takes the pressure off: In a group, pressure is not constantly on one individual. As a result, music skills can be nurtured in a relaxed and friendly environment conducive to learning

A:The use of the keyboard as a learning tool is one characteristic of the Yamaha Music Education System. Keyboards offer the following advantages:

• Pitch Accuracy: When a key is pressed, it produces the correct sound
  
• All Musical Elements: Students can play melody, rhythm, and harmony on one instrument
  
• Visible and touchable: On a keyboard, notes are easy to find and play
  
• Range: Sounds in all ranges (high and low) are easy to produce

A:As children are involved in a variety of activities in the lesson, it is possible that each child may develop some skills faster than others. While one child may sing well, another may have good rhythmic sense. Instructors have been trained to deal with the individual differences of children in a group lesson, and can facilitate children’s development in learning from one another’s strengths. Classes are designed in such a way that each child can realise his or her potential in appreciation for an understanding of music.

A:The Yamaha curriculum and the Suzuki Method both began in post World War II Japan. They share some core concepts, such as teaching music like a language (introducing music in a manner similar to native language acquisition, or 'mother tongue approach'), timely education (training at a young age) and a belief that all children can learn.
Some general differences include:

A:Yamaha: emphasis on an immersion into the musical community through group classes, ensembles, parents, teachers, friends and concerts.
Suzuki: while the musical community is valued, the emphasis is on the individual lesson.

A:Yamaha: systematic and comprehensive training model includes singing, ear training, movement and music appreciation. In the beginning, the keyboard is a tool to confirm a broad range of musical abilities. While private lessons are an important part of the curriculum, they are added later when the student is more physically and mentally mature.
Suzuki: students acquire fundamental musical skills. However, there is an early emphasis is on specific instrument technique (violin, etc); during the lessons, time and effort is spent on holding the instrument, bowing, and producing a sound.