Getting started

October 22, 2006 at 11:42 AM

Recently I've started two very ambitious projects: homeschooling my 7-yo daughter on violin, and learning to play the viola. I like to write, and do a lot of writing for my paid job, and I like to read blogs. So, I thought, maybe blogging about these two projects would help me sustain interest over the long term and find support (or a reality check) from people engaged in similar pursuits.

Viola: I started listening to some orchestral excerpts while I was doing my workout this morning: Don Quixote, Hary Janos, Ginastera Concert Variations. I was pretty lukewarm about the first, but the last blew me away. Not that I think I could play it now, but it was amazing. Then my iPod battery died. It's less than 2 years old and the battery life sucks.

Homeschooling: I've started letting (well, making) my daughter practice without me a couple nights a week. It's out of necessity and lack of time. I think she's doing okay by herself, but she's been whining about it. She's now as old as I was when I started violin. It was such a different world then, though. My parents never would have considered having anything to do with my practice sessions. And it took me so long to get any clue at all about how to practice and be efficient with my practice time. I still struggle with that, actually. But I think giving my daughter a little space and independence is a good thing for both of us, relationship-wise, if not music-wise.

From Richard Hellinger
Posted on October 22, 2006 at 11:19 PM

I think that it is good that you are making your daughter practice alone. Or else she will rely on you practicing with her all the time. Also it is good that you practiced with her when she started/was learning, because learning to practice correctly and do it regularly is key.

My sister is learning to play the Euphonium right now (I play tuba too) and I still have to practice with her. I let her loose to practice by her self one week and it didn't turn out well. Her teacher that week commented about her practicing habits. So now I make her practice everyday while I am present. But since she has been practicing correctly there has been a major improvement.

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on October 23, 2006 at 8:36 AM

Welcome to v.com. I look forward to hearing more from you.

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on October 23, 2006 at 2:40 PM

Hi Pauline, Thanks! I enjoyed your article about music and the brain. I am a neuroscientist by profession and sometime would like to do more reading and writing like that.

From Karen Allendoerfer
Posted on October 23, 2006 at 2:42 PM

Richard, Unfortunately I think I'm in a difficult spot. She is very reliant on me to practice and it gets to be wearing. On the other hand, she definitely needs me there. I still remember many of my ineffective childhood practice sessions. In my experience, not having or understanding a goal and/or purpose for your practice, and some way to measure progress, is probably the biggest demotivator there is.

A friend of mine said that it really depends on what my goals are and what I want her to learn: do I want her to learn independence or do I want her to learn music? Ideally, of course, it's both. But it is helpful to think of them as two separate learning curves.

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