Dr Suzuki’s philosophy of teaching involves getting children to begin as young as possible – ideally before they are five years old – and teaching them pieces from memory which they play repeatedly. Dr Suzuki travelled to Germany in the 1920s where he claims he came under the guardianship of Einstein, who was a keen amateur violinist. It is claimed Dr Suzuki, who died at the age of 99 in 1998, studied with Karl Klingler, one of the leading violinists and teachers of the era. From those heady origins, Dr Suzuki went on to formulate his own teaching method that has been followed by children everywhere. Now his critics are claiming that he made up his back story.