In 1977, Jeanne Luedke started Suzuki Music School in South Britain. The Suzuki School of Music follows the Suzuki philosophy, which is that “every child can learn when given the right environment, encouragement, and consistent support … Parent involvement is an essential part of the Suzuki method — parents attend lessons, support daily practice at home, and create a positive and encouraging learning environment.”

A few years after Luedke started Suzuki Music School of Newtown, Helen Malyszka and her husband were looking for a music program for their son Paul.

“My husband and I went for parent orientation,” Helen explained. “We were looking for a music school for Paul. We enrolled him, we enrolled him in the pre-class that evening in 1983 and we never looked back.” Despite the philosophy being new to her, she admitted she was “immediately drawn” to Luedke’s approach to music education.

Another draw for Helen was that parent involvement. She liked that it was not a program where parents dropped their children off, and instead created an “encouraging environment and allowing the child to learn through listening, repetition, and a great deal of love and patience.”

Helen was already an involved parent, but in 1985, she learned that the teacher for the pre-class was moving. Luedke asked Helen if she wanted to teach the class.

“She said she would teach me everything she knew,” Helen said, “And she did.”

In 1987, Luedke asked Andy Lafreniere and Helen if they would like to purchase the school. Helen and Lafreniere purchased the school and ran it together for over 30 years. Then, Paul went to University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music to obtain his master’s degree. He began teaching piano in 2002 and started to take a bigger role in the business’ operations.

Helen’s twin sister, Trish Keil, also began teaching music at Suzuki Music School of Newtown. Keil got involved as a baby and preschool music teacher because, as she said, when Paul played, “the whole family showed up.” Keil taught at several other places in town before she joined her sister at Suzuki.

Lafreniere met Luedke in 1982. He studied with her for about six or seven years, “absorbing the philosophy.” Lafreniere helped develop Suzuki guitar method books and has taught at several Suzuki institutes.

Now, the music school still stands down in Sandy Hook Village after moving locations a few times. In 1985, the school first moved to Newtown at 182 South Main Street, where Black Swan is today. Then, it moved again to 160 South Main Street (where The Ranch Pub is now) in 1988. The current location, 111 Church Hill Road, has housed the school since 1992. The school is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

Recently, New Insights Boutique and Spiritual Wellness Center moved to the front building, and Suzuki Music School of Newtown now occupies the entire back building. There have been a few studios added to the building, and now there is a wonderful space on the first floor to host small recitals for the students. There are 12 teachers at Suzuki Music School of Newtown, specializing in piano and stringed instruments.

The Philosophy

The Suzuki philosophy is inspired by the way children naturally learn.

“The analogy of language, where children learn to speak before they learn to read or write,” Lafreniere said. “This is what we try to do here.”

Children start off in pre-Suzuki or baby music classes where they play games and start to train their ears to listen for pitches, notes, and tones. The games help teach students basic music theory that can then be expanded on when the child is ready to move into music classes. This year, there were about ten students that moved from the pre-Suzuki classes into actual music classes.

Helen, Paul, Lafreniere, and Keil all stressed that the child moves at their own pace and by doing so, the instructors help develop “the whole child through music.”

“It’s more than just music,” Paul said. Through his first-hand experience as a student at the school, he said, “You’re bonding with your parent … in a different way than you would really in anything else. There’s a lot of development of discipline with the practice, and … the respect for your teacher and your parent.”

Lafreniere joked that when the child “looks up, the lesson is over.” He referred to building focus and stamina in the child for a full 30-minute lesson. Sometimes, however, new students can only practice, or sit, for 10-15 minutes. At that point, the teacher will shift gears and work with the parent.

“Our ultimate goal isn’t to produce, you know, concert musicians, although we have done that,” Paul said. “That’s not our purpose. Our purpose is to provide the service of, through music education, developing that relationship with the child.”

Keil chimed in that it also helps with memory skills because the students will learn five- or six-page pieces and commit them to memory. “Later on, when they’re playing, and they’re playing big pieces and the … parents have stuck it with them, you just feel it’s something meaningful [that] happened here. It’s something to witness.”

Reflecting on their almost 50 years of business, Paul expressed his gratitude for Luedke: “It’s really special … At the time, obviously, I’m just a young little kid going through the program, but seeing the benefits of it and then deciding to pursue it … Really, looking back at … Jeanne, the founder, and studying with her for that many years, and really what she did for me and my mom was just a lot.”

“She helped me raise Paul,” Helen shared.

Paul admitted the school has not “really changed much,” and Luedke’s teachings are still being passed on to the new generations.

“We’re doing a good thing for the world,” Keil said. “We’re producing beautiful human beings through music.”

Suzuki Music School of Newtown has rolling enrollment. For more information about the school, call 203-426-3939 or visit newtownsuzuki.com.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.