Newsgroups: misc.kids

I got many good replies to my query about early music training, and I've 
appended some to the end of this message.  Thanks folks!  Most everyone 
who mailed me thought that early music training is worth a try.  

After talking more with Emily, we discovered that she seems more
interested in piano than violin.  I don't know if this is because
Dad plays violin and Mom plays piano (sort of :-), and Emily is
really in a phase where she wants to be exactly like me (little
does she know.... :-).  So we'll see how things go with piano
lessons.

Thanks again for sharing the net.wisdom.

Jane Marcus
jane@apollo.hp.com
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You sound undecided.  I don't have a success story for you, but
would like to suggest:
  
   1)  Your daughter has expressed an interest - why not 
       encourage it?

   2)  Make sure she knows how long this will last (a month,
       a semester, a year - when can she quit if she doesn't
       like it?)

   3)  Go for it - and allow her to stop at an agreed-upon-
       beforehand time (which may mean that you insist she
       complete a month, a semester, a year) if she wants.  

I think following through on a commitment is important and
she might change her mind during that period.  My office-mate's 
daughter wanted to quit dance lessons in February last year 
(the child was 6, the commitment was through April).  By the 
time April arrived, the child was adamant to continue.  My
own daughter had to wait to begin piano lessons (her teacher
would not take students until they were 8 years old).  Kristy
was told she could quit at the end of any semester and that
she had to practice to continue taking lessons.  She took 
lessons until she had no more time for them in her
schedule (last year when she turned 14).  Let your daughter
(with guidelines) lead you on this.  Good luck!

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Here is a success story for you.  My uncle played guitar for years.
On the scene comes my cousin ( a very bit surprise).  Brian turns
4.  He is with my uncle in the music store and see a little violin.
Asks can he have it.  They explain that it is not a guitar and he
still wants it.  They rent one.  Six months latter he is the youngest
member ever ( by 5 years) in the local youth ochestra.  Today at
16 he is a musical maniac.  He gives guitar lessons to 15 students
a week, can play anything he hears.  I was trying to play a song
(Everything you do  Brian Adams) on the piano.  I didn't have my
music with me and could not remember a few notes.  He came over
said try again.  Watched the notes I was playing, saw me get stuck 
and then told me what note came next.  I realize this is a very talented
young man who will definately make big bucks in music. (He is writing
now also) but the point is he showed an interest and they allowed him
to explore it without any pressure.  I strongly believe
that musical talents should be encouraged.

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I guess I'd ask whether your child enjoys music in general, and how she
reacts to the idea of learning the violin.  I'm a musician (guitar, violin,
piano) and our daughter (at 5) has always enjoyed music: listening to an
entire album at a sitting, learning songs after only a couple listenings,
enjoys different styles, makes up songs...not that she's going to be anybodies
prodigy, in my opinion, but there's no question she has a good ear for
music and enjoys it.  And I asked her if she'd like to play violin, many
times and in different ways, and she's been consistently interested.  So
she's just started recently.

The physical aspects of violin are pretty awkward at first, and Annie was
initially frustrated, but I told her, "Holding the bow, holding the violin,
and the fingers...those are all just things that you have to practice and
they are hard for EVERYBODY at first, but after a while they are easy.  The
most important thing is your EARS.  You have great EARS for music, and that's
something God gave you, and not everybody has that."  And her frustration has
abated.

My daughter's doing Suzuki method - to be honest, since it hit the US
some 25 years ago, it's pretty much taken over, I haven't seen a kids class
that WASN'T Suzuki in a long time.  Make that "ever."  

Annie's 5 and pretty tall for her age, and I think her violin is a 1/4 size.
We were blessed in that my brother-in-law did Suzuki as a young 'un and so
the violin was still stuck away in the attic somewhere.  (New bow hair and
other repair set me back about $85, though.)  And I'd have to think it's
helpful to have an appropriately sized instrument: I remember how painful
it was for me trying to switch from violin to viola in college.  Of course,
you're faced with the prospect of buying a series of instruments; but you
can trade them in or re-sell them.  I've been told that here in Lincoln the
string teachers make a concerted effort to "recycle" the small-sized cellos
used by their students, putting people in contact with each other as their
needs change, because with cellos you're talking some really serious dollars.
Our local music stores are also willing to rent-to-own at favorable and
flexible terms, letting you bail out if you want or letting you apply all
of your rental payments towards the purchase price.  While Annie's teacher
did insist on my getting good horsehair put on the bow - it makes a LOT
of difference in getting a good sound out of the box - I suspect most teachers
would be willing to tolerate less-than-superlative instruments in the
early going, with these sub-sized violins.

Take inventory of your child's interest in music in general and ask her
some questions, and don't sweat it...it's not like her future as a musician
hinges on getting lessons at the _earliest possible moment._  I don't think
grinding _anything_ into a kid at a real early age is very profitable.  If
they don't enjoy it, what's the point?  It can be a little tough to call,
though, when they get tired or frustrated: my folks insisted I keep doing
violin (started at 7) even though I wasn't too stoked on it, and it was the
same situation: they saw me respond to music at a very early age and figured
they had an obligation to keep me in it.  Well, that's fine, but I really
enjoyed piano and guitar a lot more than the violin, and in fact these are
where I have the best ability today at age 35, though I can still play 
violin if I practice a lot.  I think it's legitimate to let a kid change
instruments if they are bummed on one of them after giving it a fair shake.

Hope everyone has fun with the music lessons...
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My son is somewhat musically inclined.  He has been taking piano
lessons from a private teacher for over a year - he's six now.
We bought him a digital piano (not one of those over-loaded keyboard
things) for Christmas when he was 4 and started lessons that April
around his 5th birthday, at the time when he seemed quite interested.

Since then we have gone back and forth with the lessons and practicing.
Some months he has really been into it.  Some months it's murder
to get him to sit down at the keyboard.  We have discussed the
possibility of giving it up - but then can't bring ourselves to
do it, so we diligently renew our patience and wait.  It has always 
come back (his interest, that is) and we have been rewarded.  He's
not the most talented 6 year old pianist, but he is very good and
his teacher thinks he has a natural talent, even went so far as
to say he has perfect pitch - lucky him!

He always seems to have music going around in his head.  I really
wanted him to have a channel for it, and this does seem to work.
Recently we 'inherited' a real piano from his aunt (her parents
died and she already had one so she gave him her parents' piano)
and this has renewed his interest.  He plays a lot now - not just
when we ask him.  At his daycare they put on a talent show and
he played four or five songs for his 'act'.  It was quite cute!

I hope he keeps it up, but who knows.  We try not to 'push' him
too much, but I do want him to practice so there are times when
we insist.  Maybe we'll have him do a concert for friends or some
such (quite casually) and he will get excited about that.  Everyone,
of course, admires his skills since he is so young, and that helps
too.

Good luck - I think most adults I have heard from are sad that
their parents didn't keep them at it (for those that quit) and
those that are still at it are happy to have such a talent.  For
me it was never really an option, so I love just having that
kind of music around the house now.

I have no big plans for my son - I just want him to be able to
use and enjoy his talents.  If it turns into something more -
well, all the better for him.

===============================================================

You can never tell if she'll like it until you try.
I am the oldest of 5 kids who were all taught to play stringed instruments with
varying degrees of success.
I played in a professional orchestra for years until I ran out of time and
inclination. My next brother atill plays jazz fiddle in LA. Next sister played
the double bass in the same orchestra as me. Next sister is doing performance
violin and a Phd in mathematics in Wisconsin- she was miles the best performer
and started with suzuki lessons at age 4. My last brother learnt the violin and
hated it. He now plays guitar and loves it.

|i wanted my daughter to play violin as we had such fun as a family playing and
singing together. She started suzuki lessons but didnt enjoy it. Then we went
to the UK were we couldnt afford music lessons. When we returned to NZ she was
8 yrs old. Still she didnt want to learn violin but has started the french
horn.
She loves it and is very good although has only been going for a year.

It was worth trying a different instrument.

dont forget though, whatever she decides to play requires a lot of input from
parents. Very few kids ahve the drive to do it themselvres. We were all made to
practise and Im very thankful we were. I was never very good but good enough to
have lots of fun with people my own age. And its the fun that counts.

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I started my daughter at 4.5 Suzuki piano.
So far, it has been a success and she is 5.5.  So she has been doing it
for 1 year.  I attribute the success 99% to her teacher.  Each time we
go to class, we always come out much rejunvenated and refreshed.  She
is creative, full of praise, great communicator.  She takes 30 minutes
lessons weekly.  She has been chosen to play at talent show and herself 
wanted to increase class time to 45 minutes.  If you can find an excellent
TALENTED teacher, any method of learning music will be a success.

I found the teacher through the Suzuki Music Association in New York.
The teacher is not JUST Suzuki.  She is also into Orff and classical
reading.  She combines the best of each method and presents the materials
to the child in the most lively and creative way.  She will start my 
daughter on reading this coming year.

As I have experienced myself, any activity to a child will be fun as long
as the instructor knows how to present it in a fun manner.