This past summer Kohen would talk about musical instruments he saw on television, or heard in a song. We would often listen to Josh Groban in the car, and Kohen fell in love with the song, "You Raise Me Up." His favorite part is the violin. This blossomed into discussions about violins, and a desire to play the violin. I don't want to be a pushy parent, so I would discuss and encourage, but that was all. Well, after a month of listening to Kohen talk about learning to play the violin, we relented and arranged for lessons. The unfortunate part of living in such a rural area was finding an instrument. Kohen and I ventured to the closest music store, 30 minutes away, and had him sized for a violin. He needed an 1/8 size which they did not have in stock, but would get sent up. Two weeks later, still no violin. We found a violin shop in Duluth that had an instrument his size we could rent, and Nate was in Duluth, so it worked.
Kohen began his first lesson with some nerves, and ended with some disappointment that he couldn't just pick up his bow and play all the songs he loves.
Three lessons later, he now knows all the parts of his violin, The notes of his strings, and how to pluck. He also knows the position for his first and second fingers, and we are working on adding in the third.
It is sometimes a struggle to keep this active boy focused for a thirty minute lesson. He wants to move/eat/go to the bathroom, generally in that order! We are lucky to have found such a patient teacher that just laughs at his antics and brings him back into focus. But so far his desire has not waned, and we will continue as long as he enjoys it.
1 comment:
Brian started violin lessons at age four, too. I would encourage you to make Kohen stay with it for at least 2-3 years. We got that same encouragement from a lot of directions, for very valid reasons it seemed to me. Besides, so many adults say to us, "I USED to play ______ (fill in the blank with a musical instrument); I wish my folks had made me stick with it because I wish I could play now." Skills must be learned and practiced to become "easy," and it's a rare child who relishes the practice it takes, but it's important to teach them the value of perseverance! Anyway, that's my advice for you to take or leave. :-)
P.S. Brian STILL doesn't like to practice, but he likes to be able to play the songs he loves and agreed to play a piece at a benefit concert tonight when asked. He'll be eight in December.
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