200 children,Symphony Orchestra of India,NCPA,violinists
200 city children aged four to seven, will raise their bows to perform the opening act before the Symphony Orchestra of India kicks off at NCPA on Monday evening
Yuka Honda played her first note on the violin when she was just two-and-a-half years old in Toto town, Japan. While most toddlers were busy fiddling with dollies, Honda was playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her junior-sized violin. 
The Suzuki method was developed in Japan in the 1940s to
help young children learn discipline through playing the violin
Today, the 30 year-old in association with the National Centre for Performing Arts teaches the Suzuki method of music to a class full of four-year olds. How do you teach a complex instrument to a child struggling to sit still? "The method is built on the principle of teaching children to have fun while learning. We start with nursery rhymes, and short one-on-one sessions that are great ways to hold their attention," says Honda, who has lived in Mumbai since 2006.
Here's how it works: Each child is measured, and a violin is made to fit, so that it measures 1/4th or 1/2 of them. "We use coloured stickers on the finger board to differentiate notes in an entertaining manner. But it's not easy," admits Honda.
And Mumbai's parents have been eager at the idea of the possibility of their toddlers being the next musical maestros, paying Rs 1,000 a month for four classes. "Between the age of four and seven, children tend to intuitively pick up the skill without thinking too much," says Dr Cavas Bilimoria, 69, administrator for the NCPA-Suzuki outreach programme that was kickstarted in 2009.u00a0
And as he speaks, 200-odd kids rehearsing for Monday's performance, play to the Mera joota hai Japani tune.
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AT: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, February 14, 5 pm.
CALL: 66223737 for tickets
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