Daughter wants to stop learning piano

[watmekiasu]

Funz:

That said, your kid must have some interest in music lah. If not, her time and your money will be better spent in things that is of interest to her.

Exactly! As parents, we try to expose our children to as many activities as possible including learning music. It is not an essential skill like reading, writing and Tamarind, may I add, swimming. Learning music is an enrichment. It is an activity that should be enjoyed. If interest is lost, it is not too late to take it up again at a later stage when interest returns.

My dd too, lost interest in learning the violin for a while, so I stopped her lessons. When her interest returned more than 6 months later, she appreciated the music much more than previously. Some changes were made to the way she practiced - practice on her own with minimal interferance from mummy, short practices 3 - 4 tmes a week. Practice time is no more a pain for both parent and child.

[Emelyn]

My 2 cents’ worth…


I don’t think there is anything to "regret" about if you don’t learn piano at a young age.

2 examples…

My nephew did his JMC when he was 4yo. but didn’t finish the 2 years. My SIL didn’t press him to learn since he has no interests. When he was Sec 3, he decided that he wants to take up piano. He did. And did very well in his exams…and my SIL NEVER had to remind him to practise. Also, he picked up Er Hu during the same time too.

My SIL just started learning piano at the age of 35.

I believe that if the kids have no interests in the classes, then don’t force them. Otherwise, u will be v frustrated with her/him for not practising, and he/she will be frustrated with you for always nagging…

Regards

[schellen]

red_ryder:

I'm in a chicken & egg situation. Some people have also told me that I need to get a proper piano to sustain interest. I bought one of those $300 Casio keyboards at home, and my daughter practices on that.

My DD has been learning piano for more than a year already. We only have a keyboard for her to practise on at home. She has not lost interest even when DH is very strict with her during practices. So I believe that sometimes, it may be the person and not the equipment.

[corneyAmber]

schellen:

red_ryder:

I'm in a chicken & egg situation. Some people have also told me that I need to get a proper piano to sustain interest. I bought one of those $300 Casio keyboards at home, and my daughter practices on that.

My DD has been learning piano for more than a year already. We only have a keyboard for her to practise on at home. She has not lost interest even when DH is very strict with her during practices. So I believe that sometimes, it may be the person and not the equipment.

It is never the equipment, always the person. Lang Lang started in modest way with a cheap piano but his aspirations took him far.

[metz]

ks2me:

It is never the equipment, always the person. Lang Lang started in modest way with a cheap piano but his aspirations took him far.

He did start with a cheap piano. But I read in his http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Thousand-Miles-My-Story/dp/0385524579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256818507&sr=1-1 that his father was the driving force when Lang Lang was just a young child.

[corneyAmber]

chamonix:

ks2me:

It is never the equipment, always the person. Lang Lang started in modest way with a cheap piano but his aspirations took him far.

He did start with a cheap piano. But I read in his http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Thousand-Miles-My-Story/dp/0385524579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256818507&sr=1-1 that his father was the driving force when Lang Lang was just a young child.

Yup no doubt he was because Lang Lang could not see the vision then and certainly to fulfill his parents'(both musicians) unrealised dreams. So was Mozart's and Beethovan's dads but it was not the daddies who became famous and well-known.

Nevertheless, it is still people, never equipment. No doubt they were the driving force but I don't think they forced-fit their boys to learn music, their boys had demonstrated special talent.

[watmekiasu]

ks2me:

[


Yup no doubt he was because Lang Lang could not see the vision then and certainly to fulfill his parents'(both musicians) unrealised dreams. So was Mozart's and Beethovan's dads but it was not the daddies who became famous and well-known.

Nevertheless, it is still people, never equipment. No doubt they were the driving force but I don't think they forced-fit their boys to learn music, their boys had demonstrated special talent.

No doubt Mozart and Beethovan had special talents but there were in fact forced by their dads, with huge negative consequences. Mozart's health suffered deeply as he was forced to travel all over Austria to perform, he was not close to his ambitious father and never lived up to his father's expectations. Beethovan's father was an alcoholic and physically abused him and his siblings. He was sometimes dragged out of bed to practice music till the early hours of the morning. His father wanted his son to be another Mozart. The physical abuse he suffered under the hands of his father may had been a contributing factor to his loss of hearing later in life.

[watmekiasu]

ks2me:

[


Yup no doubt he was because Lang Lang could not see the vision then and certainly to fulfill his parents'(both musicians) unrealised dreams. So was Mozart's and Beethovan's dads but it was not the daddies who became famous and well-known.

I find these words \"to fulfill his parents unrealised dream\" chlling. Apart from Mozart and Beethovan, I've personally met 2 young men whose relationship with their parent totally broke down because of this unrealised dream. One of them is my friend's husband. He despices his mother - all because he can never forgive her for years of mental and physical abuse when he was learning the piano. The other person was this young man that I met, helping out with a music prog. at the Esplanade He said he suffered through years of classical piano lessons and the day he passed his Diploma - handed the cert to his parents and told them he would never touch the piano again.

[corneyAmber]

watmekiasu:

ks2me:

[


Yup no doubt he was because Lang Lang could not see the vision then and certainly to fulfill his parents'(both musicians) unrealised dreams. So was Mozart's and Beethovan's dads but it was not the daddies who became famous and well-known.

Nevertheless, it is still people, never equipment. No doubt they were the driving force but I don't think they forced-fit their boys to learn music, their boys had demonstrated special talent.

No doubt Mozart and Beethovan had special talents but there were in fact forced by their dads, with huge negative consequences. Mozart's health suffered deeply as he was forced to travel all over Austria to perform, he was not close to his ambitious father and never lived up to his father's expectations. Beethovan's father was an alcoholic and physically abused him and his siblings. He was sometimes dragged out of bed to practice music till the early hours of the morning. His father wanted his son to be another Mozart. The physical abuse he suffered under the hands of his father may had been a contributing factor to his loss of hearing later in life.

You are probably right but the kids had talent so it was not force-fit talent, just that their methods were probably not acceptable. For apprenticeship in those days, I am sure they suffered worse, so the dads probably using apprenticeship training style. For Mozart, playing music was earning a living, his dad had to travel around earning a living and he lugged Mozart along, so it was like a not-much-of-a-choice thing. If we want to pick negative learning points, both dads left something bad for their kids. For Mozart was fear at the mention of his dad and for Beethovan was the repeated slaps which caused his loss of hearing in his 30s. Who says geniuses no need to work hard? Mozart and Beethovan had also paid the price for being so outstanding in their times.

[daisyt]

schellen:

red_ryder:

I'm in a chicken & egg situation. Some people have also told me that I need to get a proper piano to sustain interest. I bought one of those $300 Casio keyboards at home, and my daughter practices on that.

My DD has been learning piano for more than a year already. We only have a keyboard for her to practise on at home. She has not lost interest even when DH is very strict with her during practices. So I believe that sometimes, it may be the person and not the equipment.

I just with to clarify a bit for my case. As my girl was in the higher grade at that time of losing interest, so I believe equipment can be one of her reasons. She could not play out the feelings she want.