March 21, 2008

Little Do They Know...

The Lessons...
The Practicing...
The Nagging...
The Lost Play Time...

The Better Grades...
The Stronger Connections in their Brains...
The Ability to Play anything they Hear (I hope)...
The Woo-ing of the opposite sex (or their parents)...

12 comments:

amanda said...

If only we knew then what we know now. I so wished I stuck with piano. The nagging will pay off.

kami @ nobiggie.net said...

Tally looks so cute in that pic!

I wish we would have taken piano. Maybe we can learn alongside our kids. :)

Lisa Cannon said...

I want to take lessons with my kids, too. We just need to get a piano! Cute picture!!!

Debbie said...

I hated lessons so much that I didn't have my kids take them and it is a BIG regret in my life.

Unknown said...

i wish i hadn't quit taking when i was little, that's for sure!

julib said...

Do you really think all kids need to take piano to be all those things you said?? I have been avoiding this music stuff, but maybe it is time for me to bite the bullet. You've inspired me!

Suzie said...

truth spoken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

carly k said...

totally wish I could still play... Don't give in like my mom did.

The Dows - Party of Five said...

We tried acoustic guitar a few years back (both Meg & I). It should've been so great. I imagined so many "kumbaya" moments, us strumming and everyone singing along. It lasted 6 months & nobody has brought up music lessons since (fine by me) & I can't play a single song. I know it's so great for kids & I feel guilty about not doing it too. But, in the end our lack of ability and desire made the decision for us. For those that hang in there - I salute you!

Anonymous said...

I am not sure where I stand on this one. I regret not sticking to piano lessons but I have also heard you should make it available to them but if they really don't want to keep it up, you should let them quit. So it is a tough one.

Unknown said...

Ah, piano lessons. We have a few years before we put Ella at the keys, and we need the time to build up more goodwill with our neighbors ...

Elizabeth Dunford said...

Hey Becky,

Always fun to hear from you. Here are my two bits that you requested (more like 100 bits)...
Our 6 month experience with the Suzuki method has been brilliant. Stewart is a passive mode learner (prefers to watch/listen before jumping in) so it has been the right fit for his learning style. Piano has already helped him 'jump in more' and feel free to make mistakes as part of the learning process. Learning a song by listening is the method that the Suzuki technique uses initially before learning to read notes. I think the ear training emphasized by Suzuki is priceless and my experience is that traditional piano pedagogy lacks this. My initial hesitancy with Suzuki was that because of the emphasis on playing by ear, note reading skills suffer down the road. But my understanding is that the Suzuki program in recent years has addressed this problem and introduces note reading earlier on. Nonetheless, I can help integrate note reading at home. We'll see long term how it plays out and perhaps 2-3 years down the road, we will transition to traditional but for now I am loving the program. After six months, Stewart knows the routine and usually has no objection to practicing. I practice with him and this is also really important at this age. You'll get to know your child's limits and be ready to finish a practice session when they have had it.

Of course finding a teaching who loves music and instills that upon her students is also so important.

I would recommend talking to Liz Diamond in the neighborhood because I think she is a Suzuki guru. Also talk to people who hate Suzuki so you can make an informed decision on what's best for your cuties.

Good luck!