|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Oct 17, 2006 22:41:46 GMT
They will nver be fantastic musicians, but they can play a tune and have an appreciation of the wonderful world of music making. Guess what? That sums up most of the kids I teach. Can't be doing much wrong, can you?  |
|
|
|
Post by jod on Oct 18, 2006 9:03:10 GMT
Matti in particular is very eager to sing things he's learnt at school choir to me to see what I think. I love that approach. In the Summer he sang to a great friend of mine who is a Counter-Tenor at Wells, and teaches for Somerset County Music Service. His comment was it was great to hear a boy want to sing treble properly and not psuedo pop.
Sometimes teaching them at home involves helping with homework. Whilst I never give the answers, I try to get both my boys to think in the right way to solve the problem themselves. They get far more satisfaction that way. They know it is their work.
|
|
|
|
Post by mitch on Oct 18, 2006 12:17:09 GMT
They will nver be fantastic musicians, but they can play a tune and have an appreciation of the wonderful world of music making. Guess what? That sums up most of the kids I teach. Can't be doing much wrong, can you?  Gee...thanks Steve |
|
|
|
Post by kerioboe on Oct 18, 2006 18:45:33 GMT
A few random thoughts about attempts to teach my own children.
Younger daughter has wanted to play the piano for quite some time. She is not the easiest of children for outsiders to cope with as she is a selective mute. I was therefore somewhat reluctant to enrol her for lessons after rather disatrous experiences with other activities. My first attempts (when she was about five) to teach her anything on the piano resulted in her bursting into tears and saying "But I want to play the piano properly like you, not one note at a time like Daddy!" She has just started piano lessons with a "proper" teacher.
My elder daughter plays the cello. She expects me to sit in on her practice times (although I don't come into the lessons). Obviously I can't help with technical problems but I do know when she is playing it wrong. She complains like mad when I make suggestions about intonation and rhythm. But when I am not there (two days a week I come home very late) and her (non-instrument playing) father supervises her practice she complains to me that he is "hopeless" as he never tells her what she is doing wrong or offers advice as to how to improve.
The school failed to teach my elder daughter to read and I initially tried to remedy this at home. In the end last year (after two years of trying) I gave up, she was getting upset, I was getting frustrated and I took her to a speech therapist (in France they also do remedial reading work). Nine months later my daughter has been transformed. From a child who couldn't read she has turned into an avid reader who spends all her time reading. From being bottom of the class in French she is now one of the best pupils.
I think what I'm trying to say is that it's all part of the ambiguous relationship you have with your own children and I think it probably is easier to have an outsider teach them.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Dec 30, 2006 1:10:02 GMT
Just a little positive note, for what it's worth, on my own crew. We've had family problems in the last while, but of my three pianist sons who have gone by the wayside in the last six months, all have independently decided that practice restarts with the onset of 2007! Onward and upward! I'm so so pleased because they've all shown so much potential, and it's been hard to see them not bother.
|
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 30, 2006 15:11:25 GMT
That is excellent, D. Given how rarely a child gives up and returns later on, to have 3 from the same family do so is fabulous. |
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Dec 30, 2006 15:31:29 GMT
They never really wanted to give up; they just weren't doing anything - which amounts to the same thing, I suppose, but not really in their own minds. When one wasn't bothering the other would say, "Why should I?" Domino effect! So I'm going to send them to somebody else for a lesson a month - my own ex-teacher has offered to do this - to provide some structure. I'm not so good at this when it's my own!
|
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Dec 30, 2006 15:45:54 GMT
So I'm going to send them to somebody else for a lesson a month - my own ex-teacher has offered to do this - to provide some structure. I'm not so good at this when it's my own! I found this when I tried to teach my own son. I even find it with Heidi; because we do not have a teacher-pupil relationship it is easy to say, "Ok, don't worry about it. We can do it another time" when she does not feel like doing something. As well as our usual practise sessions on her vocal repertoire, I have taken the responsibility for her theory, sight-singing and aural. Working at these less interesting aspects of music can drift easily. Teaching Paul was most successful when I set aside a regular weekly spot for him, gave him a lesson then left him to get on with it. Would it work for you if you did the same? You would be able to use the structure provided by the monthly lesson as a basis for working with your own kids, preparing the repertoire with them and working on the technical stuff, perhaps? |
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Dec 30, 2006 15:53:52 GMT
Yes - you're quite right that it's the technical stuff that goes by the wayside. Not so much scales because that's black and white, but sight-reading and aurals are a killer!
|
|
|
|
Post by frumpybabes on Apr 27, 2007 21:01:23 GMT
I really do sympathetise!
I have taught all my kids piano or violin at some point. I managed to get the eldest to grade 5 violin and then passed him onto a fellow teacher about a year ago. We used to spend lots of the time arguing during lessons/practises, now we still argue over practise but he gets two people telling him the same thing and often gives into the advice now!!! I AM paying someone to do a job I could do.....difference is this teacher gets him more motivated. Over the year he has inspired him to play again although I'm sure it won't be long before he stops as he prefers playing his 2nd study more.
My middle son is still learning piano with me, he passed grade 6 with high honours last year and is now working towards grade 7 and has recently taken up jazz harmony on keys with another teacher. We get on great during lessons and practise, he is willing to learn and is relatively easy to teach. He has two other instrumental teachers and we all communicate so he gets alot of support from all of us. Very rare!!
The youngest has tried piano/violin but never really took off on any instrument until he chose Euphonium which he loves and is progressing really well.
They all play other instruments as well as the ones I taught them, this kinda of keeps the balance, it also gives them someone else to when they don't trust my judgement!!
At the mo, I'm struggling to keep calm about my 11yr olds imminent gr7. He's not doing enough practise and spends most of the session playing without focus. He hasn't learnt all his pieces or started SR/aural and to make matters worse he is also taking gr6 on the other instrument. You'll really laugh now!! He hasn't started his 2nd piece yet, nor chosen his 3rd piece and well what are scales. Am I mad you ask? I've tried to keep out.... his teachers don't communicate with each other but do with me. I'm not really sure if the 2nd teacher will enter him but the 1st one has! It's going to be a little stressful over the next 8 weeks I think.
Heated practise has everyone on edge in the house atm it's not very nice and now I question myself as to whether it will be worth it in the long run. He is so stroppy and no amount of bribery works now, but it's not just in music - everything is a battle. Maybe it's just hormones!
My kids have always scored high marks, which requires lots of hard work but I sometimes wish we could do it without a fight. I mean they want it but they have to battle it first, it's so frustrating because I know they can play brillantly but they like to screw it up first. Is it me or does it happen to everyone? I'm sure it does boil down to them being young boys who lack concentration when they're FOCUS they play brillantly.
|
|
