There's not much opportunity for kids to share tips with each other on how to solve some of the common problems they all face. Nathan's book has been named a Fall 2000 Parents' Choice Approved non-fiction book by the highly selective Parents' Choice Foundation, a group founded in 1978 to help parents choose materials for their children. She gives equal billing to real-life experiences from teenage musicians in youth orchestras and other prestigious programs around the country. In fact, some of her celebrity interviewees, like cartoonist Gary Larson or NBA star David Robinson, are spare time musicians known for talents other than music. This can give kids encouragement to keep playing even if they realize they're not destined to become the next Yo-Yo Ma.
All musicians deal with many of the same dilemmas.
Strategies that pros and older teens have hit upon after years of effort can also work quite well with a young beginner.