Book excerpt: A comprehensive coverage of what the Suzuki approach embodies, this book should be considered a requirement in the home of every piano teacher and student. Eight of the 14 chapters lay the foundation for understanding Suzuki's Mother Tongue Approach, its procedures and its benefits. The authors have given their ideas of what it takes to be a Suzuki teacher, how to structure an effective lesson, what to cover in those first lessons and how to do it. Using more than 400 musical examples, the teaching points and the interpretation of the seven volumes of music are presented. In addition, some alternate fingerings are suggested and places where the Suzuki edition departs from the original edition are noted.