Shaughn Dowd, Educator

Educator

Shaughn Dowd is one of the premier flute instructors in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area with over twenty years of experience teaching private lessons and group classes to both children and adults. She specializes in the tradition of the French Flute School and is a certified Suzuki instructor which allows her to offer a modified Suzuki method incorporating features of both. Ms. Dowd maintains memberships with the National Flute Association (NFA), the Washington Flute Society (FSW), the Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA), the Northern Virginia Music Teacher’s Association (NVMTA), the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and the Suzuki Association of the Greater Washington Area (SAGWA).

“We always thank you for your great and passionate teaching.”

Anny An

Parent

Every Child Can Learn...About the Suzuki Method

More than 50 years ago, Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki applied the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music and called his method the “mother-tongue” approach. The Suzuki Method remains an internationally known and respected method of teaching young children to play a musical instrument.

Core Principles and Special Features of the Suzuki Method:

Patient and Nurturing Environment
Early Beginning (but it is never too late!)
Parent Participation
Listening
Small Steps, Repetition and Review
Graded (set) Repertoire

Modified Suzuki

Modified Suzuki includes the focus of learning to read music and understanding musical structure at an early stage of instruction.

Many young students are introduced to playing an instrument during elementary school and have a need to be musically literate in order to participate in their school bands. The core concepts of the Suzuki Method (such as creating a patient and nurturing environment), remain intact but the Modified Suzuki method has the added feature of learning to read music from the beginning.

“Children can play very well. We must try to make them splendid in mind and heart also.”