r2i forum

Thought I'd write about what we choose.

We got piano lessons for my 51/2 yr old. its 30 mins once a week and the instructor comes to our home.
My son had no prior music lessons but he seems to be loving it.
I am so shocked coz I thought I will have to remind him to practise daily and one more thing for mommy to nag about. But he just plays by himself.... few times a day.....
We have the piano in his room so he has easy access and just enjoys it.
Infact he wants to do more than his teacher teaches and he's so into it. He gets involved in whatever he does....doesn't matter if it comes naturally to him or no.
But this has surprised me more than anything. They have they first recital in front on a audience in June. Thanks for all your suggestions

One way is to start learning your self. In my case I always wanted to learn Tabla so when my daughter was really small , I used to put her in my lap and practice tabla, now she is only 3 and she tries to speak complex taals and kayda, which are really cute in her language. At 3 the fingers and motor skills are not strong enough to actually learn playing the instrument but they get the knowledge anyway.
One day we were in car and there was some western song on radio and suddenly there was tabla beats in it, and she started shouting from her car seat papa - "tabla", its Tabla

Thought this would be a good thread to gather some thoughts from parents:

1. What should a parent do if child wants to stop learning a musical instrument or vocal music after putting in a good deal of time (and $$) into it?

2. What do we tell a child who asks "Why am I learning this instrument?" or "Why do I go for Carnatic vocal class?"

3. Why do we parents drive kids to such classes and make them practice at home? Do the kids get much joy out of it? Do they ever just play for the joy of it?

4. At what point is a child "done" with learning a particular musical instrument? Swim can stop at swim team levell, Karate stops at the black belt. : ) What would be a logical stop point for a musical instrument (for a child who is not a musical prodigy but plays reasonably well).

My pre-teen, who's been learning the piano for 4-5 years now, wants to stop. Says she is done. She has taken part in 3-5 recitals and written some of the music theory exams. Daily practice now takes close to 45 minutes. It has been her only extra curricular activity for the past year. Middle school will mean more homework. It also does not have band BTW ue to budget cuts. She wants to try other stuff like writing, sewing (Sigh!).

Any thoughts on the topic most appreciated.

modus_vivendi;303739Thought this would be a good thread to gather some thoughts from parents:

1. What should a parent do if child wants to stop learning a musical instrument or vocal music after putting in a good deal of time (and $$) into it?

2. What do we tell a child who asks "Why am I learning this instrument?" or "Why do I go for Carnatic vocal class?"

3. Why do we parents drive kids to such classes and make them practice at home? Do the kids get much joy out of it? Do they ever just play for the joy of it?

4. At what point is a child "done" with learning a musical instrument? Swim stops at the highest level, Karate stops at the black belt. : ) What would be a logical stop point for a musical instrument (for a child who is not a musical prodigy but plays reasonably well).

My pre-teen, who's been learning the piano for 4-5 years now, wants to stop. Says she is done. She has taken part in 3-5 recitals and written some of the music theory exams. Daily practice now takes close to 45 minutes. It has been her only extra curricular activity for the past year. Middle school will mean more homework. It also does not have band BTW ue to budget cuts. She wants to try other stuff like writing, sewing (Sigh!).

Any thoughts on the topic most appreciated.

MV - Try a different instructor. I had to go through a similar phase with my older one with her violin.
Her other teacher(an old lady, very traditional and kind of strict) was good but they somehow did not have the connection. We did not want to force her, so we just stopped it since she was not really enjoying. After taking a break for about 8 months, we did find one instructor who is a young guy, who comes home and just loves music. Some of his enthusiasm did rub off on her. She has been learning with him for the past several months and it has been going good so far.

About what is the next logical step, maybe audition for the local symphony orchestra. It would be a good accomplishment to go on the resume, I guess. I found this for California.The California Youth Symphony Orchestra

What's with girls and sewing, maybe nurturing instincts kicking in? My daughter is also showing lot of interest in it this year. She wants to have her birthday party at Jo-Ann's this year.:-)

MV,

My personal view on this subject is - if the child is really talented and if the child has spent substantial time then I would prefer to bring it to a logical end point (even if child is unwilling to currently). I don't know about piano but for carnatic music there are exams like junior/senior levels. At a future point even if they want to continue it would be easier to continue.

I think having good hobbies early would definitely benefit in adulthood in a way or other. I personally want to pursue some of my hobbies which might not have meant a great deal at that point, but which I cherish now.

Good Luck! Hope the young lady continues! :)

One of the coveted certifications for Piano is offered by the Trinity School of music, London. The certifications range from Level 1 through Level 8, with the degree of difficulty increasing as you move up through each Level. Unlike written exams, these Levels test the performance; the student gets to select his/her piece from a wide range of repertoire and will be assessed based on the performance and skill. Many years ago, a friend of mine who got certified in all the Levels told me that not only does the certification look good on the resume (when applying for undergrad admissions) but also brings a nice closure to the activity, for all non-music majors.

The school has contacts in the U.S. who guide students seeking this certification. From personal experience, I can say that the whole process is very exciting in the sense that the pieces are so varied and exciting to play, they get the attention of aspirants across all age-groups.

modus_vivendi;303739
4. What would be a logical stop point for a musical instrument (for a child who is not a musical prodigy but plays reasonably well).

For child's piano lessons do you have to buy the piano? How much does it cost and does it take lot of space ?
For lack of space I am thinking of guitar lessons for my son instead of piano.

punjabi;304987For child's piano lessons do you have to buy the piano? How much does it cost and does it take lot of space ?
For lack of space I am thinking of guitar lessons for my son instead of piano.

To start off, a 76 or 88 key keyboard does the job, which range in cost from $120 to $140 and higher too. Casio or Yamaha are what folks often buy.
After a few months, it is better to move to a piano. Some rent it, some buy it. The piano can be digital or acoustic.
Some teachers will only teach students who have an acoustic piano. Piano costs can range from $500 (good deal on craigslist or often piano teacher will know someone selling) to $1500 or higher.

Even a compact digital piano will take up a good amount of space, about 51-58 inches long x 15 inches wide. Then some space for the stool to sit on. It is like having a big size crib or a twin size bed. One wall of the room goes for it. In addition, it is not advisable to keep it next to a window.

(Just noticed you are in Cheltenham :-)

rimjhim;303814MV,

My personal view on this subject is - if the child is really talented and if the child has spent substantial time then I would prefer to bring it to a logical end point (even if child is unwilling to currently). I don't know about piano but for carnatic music there are exams like junior/senior levels. At a future point even if they want to continue it would be easier to continue.

RJ, do you know if Carnatic music vocal exams are conducted in US? I remember reading that your spouse is a music teacher, hence my assumption that you might know. I'd appreciate your (and others) input on this.
Thanks,
que is not only for RJ, but any registered member of this forum. sigh!

anwesha;308294RJ, do you know if Carnatic music vocal exams are conducted in US? I remember reading that your spouse is a music teacher, hence my assumption that you might know. I'd appreciate your (and others) input on this.
Thanks,
que is not only for RJ, but any registered member of this forum. sigh!

You might want to pose your question here, may be someone will be able to help

http://www.cmana.org/index.htm

http://sanjaysub.blogspot.com