July 2008

Teeny Tiny Violin

July 31, 2008 06:03

Well, I done it. I "bought-it-now", a 1/32 violin on ebay that wound up, with shipping, around $50. I figure it'll be worth it for entertainment value, and if my son doesn't manage to destroy it then it'll be useful for some other "mighty mite", as his pediatrician calls him.

I'll let you know how it works out! It should arrive next week, and then I'll wrap it up for my son's 2nd birthday.

2 replies | Archive link

Playing with a violin and a toddler...

July 18, 2008 08:31

Given that I simply cannot play the violin anymore without my child's direct involvement (like, him holding the bow, fingering for me, etc.), I'm seriously considering getting him a violin, or perhaps a toy. Then we can actually play together -- him on his, me on mine... well, that's wishful thinking. Mine will have to stay in the case or he'll drop his and say, "I want to play on Mama's violin!" because of course, everything that Mama uses is by definition better than the things that Alex uses.

He's going to be 2 in August. He has no conception of treating things gently (though he has learned how to pet the cats without whacking them, most of the time). Does anyone out there know how sturdy the teeny 1/16th child violins are? Can they be whacked around a bit without doing too much damage? Maybe a $20 toy that plays its own tunes (and is labeled ages 3 and up... :( ) would fill the void until he's ready to obey some directions. :)

I've read some of the posts about starting kids young, and before anyone tells me that I'm forcing the violin on my kid and will alienate him forever, I have no intention of making him do anything that he's not interested in. (I'm also not planning on giving him "lessons", per-se. It'll just be him and me, playing around for a few minutes here and there). We're teaching him two languages at home, too, for the same reason -- because learning stuff now, before he's conscious of having to make an effort to learn, will give him a head start on things later. Whether or not he plays the violin when he's four is of no consequence -- the fact that he learned how to hold it and to move fingers somewhat independently and to finger while moving a bow in a totally different direction can help him play soccer just as well. The concept that strings make different pitches depending on where you put your fingers is just huge! If he enjoys the violin and stays with it, great. I suspect he'll switch to the saxophone somewhere along the line, though!

8 replies | Archive link

More entries: August 2008 • February 2008

July 2008

Teeny Tiny Violin

Playing with a violin and a toddler...

Laurie's Books

Subscribe