Comments on: Purpose for Music? http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:22:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lara DeHaven http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-1143 Lara DeHaven Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:42:30 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-1143 Jennifer, My son is still playing the violin. We changed teachers. He was very inspired for months and then he began the "I want to quit" mode. I finally told him that if he is that miserable, he can. He decided not to quit! I purchased the Lord of the Rings sheet music for violin. He is teaching himself that music for fun. His teacher doesn't even know that he has it. I hope this answer helps. Lara Jennifer,
My son is still playing the violin. We changed teachers. He was very inspired for months and then he began the “I want to quit” mode. I finally told him that if he is that miserable, he can. He decided not to quit! I purchased the Lord of the Rings sheet music for violin. He is teaching himself that music for fun. His teacher doesn’t even know that he has it. I hope this answer helps.
Lara

]]> By: Jennifer Godshalk http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-1139 Jennifer Godshalk Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:57:50 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-1139 Hi, I just found your website. We are a homeschooling family and our 14-yr-old son has been playing violin from age 6 until now with Suzuki. He also is wanting to take a break, at least for this summer. I wanted to check with you to see what you did and how did it work out. I notice these posts were dated back in 2009. Thank you for your help. I don't know what to do at this point. P.S. He also plays the guitar and wants to get on the worship team at church, so he is playing music, just not his violin unless forced to. Hi, I just found your website. We are a homeschooling family and our 14-yr-old son has been playing violin from age 6 until now with Suzuki. He also is wanting to take a break, at least for this summer. I wanted to check with you to see what you did and how did it work out. I notice these posts were dated back in 2009. Thank you for your help. I don’t know what to do at this point. P.S. He also plays the guitar and wants to get on the worship team at church, so he is playing music, just not his violin unless forced to.

]]> By: Lara DeHaven http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-465 Lara DeHaven Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:28:55 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-465 Yes, I love the fact that he loves it again. And yes, he did the Suzuki Method for 6 years, which is a great method to begin with. I would not do it differently with any of my other children. Clayton just got tired of having to memorize his pieces and he was getting into three page long pieces. Now he is really focusing on reading music fluently and playing a variety of pieces from five different books. Change has been good for him. Yes, I love the fact that he loves it again. And yes, he did the Suzuki Method for 6 years, which is a great method to begin with. I would not do it differently with any of my other children. Clayton just got tired of having to memorize his pieces and he was getting into three page long pieces. Now he is really focusing on reading music fluently and playing a variety of pieces from five different books. Change has been good for him.

]]> By: Sally http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-463 Sally Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:36:18 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-463 Lara, Having the right teacher makes all the difference, doesn't it? Were you previously doing Suzuki lessons? That is what we started with, but after the first six months we went to a very out-of-the-box teacher. She was perfect for my kids, especially for the very creative one! It was such a blessing while it lasted. Rejoicing with you. It's a relief to have him continuing, isn't it? :o) Sally Lara,
Having the right teacher makes all the difference, doesn’t it? Were you previously doing Suzuki lessons? That is what we started with, but after the first six months we went to a very out-of-the-box teacher. She was perfect for my kids, especially for the very creative one! It was such a blessing while it lasted. Rejoicing with you. It’s a relief to have him continuing, isn’t it? :o )
Sally

]]> By: Lara DeHaven http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-462 Lara DeHaven Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:23:59 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-462 Sally, Thank you so much for sharing your daughter's story. It does make me feel better. My son has finally found a teacher that he likes. She teaches with a different method which has brought back some interest. He thinks violin is fun again. Yeah!!! Lara Sally,
Thank you so much for sharing your daughter’s story. It does make me feel better. My son has finally found a teacher that he likes. She teaches with a different method which has brought back some interest. He thinks violin is fun again. Yeah!!!
Lara

]]> By: Sally http://www.texashomesteader.com/2009/10/05/purpose-for-music/comment-page-1/#comment-461 Sally Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:53:39 +0000 http://www.texashomesteader.com/?p=776#comment-461 We have very similar kids. My classical-loving daughter, now just turned 15, also begged for a violin for <i>many</i> years before we finally agreed to rent one on trial. The two of them, child and instrument, became one. We went halves with her on her own instrument. After only two years of lessons off and on, and three different teachers, she was at the point where continuing would mean hard work. It was at this same time that her current teacher, the best one ever(!), moved out of the area. And there went my daughter's motivation. She wanted to quit. We allowed her to stop the lessons (conveniently for her there were no other instructors in our rural area) but asked her to play each day for at least 15 minutes. At first it was dullsville for her, but after a while she began to teach herself with www.violinmasterclass.com and other sites. Having the responsibility for her own music education brought her interest back. :o) We found tons of "new" sheet music at http://hemingways-studio-dowloads.blogspot.com, and she played along with orchestral recordings. The Lord brought into her life some great motivating opportunities to continue. Now she plays for church twice a week and entertains the elderly folk at our local nursing home twice a month, plays weekly in a little chamber group, and has three beginner students. When she quit lessons I was concerned that her talent would be wasted, but I also prayed the Lord would be glorified however it turned out. (Maybe he was protecting her from loving her instrument more than she loved him. ??) That was our number one goal in her musical pursuits. Now looking back, I am thankful she took a break and assumed the responsibility for her own musical education. While we still don't have access to a teacher, my daughter knows that she needs more professional instruction. But there is time. For now she does what she can, and she loves it. Sorry I took so much space here; of course every story doesn't turn out like this one, but I wanted to encourage you not to worry about letting your son take a break. (If someone had said the same thing to me when my daughter wanted to quit I would have worried anyway.) :o) Email me if you want to compare notes. See my profile at my blog for the address. Sally We have very similar kids. My classical-loving daughter, now just turned 15, also begged for a violin for many years before we finally agreed to rent one on trial. The two of them, child and instrument, became one. We went halves with her on her own instrument. After only two years of lessons off and on, and three different teachers, she was at the point where continuing would mean hard work. It was at this same time that her current teacher, the best one ever(!), moved out of the area. And there went my daughter’s motivation. She wanted to quit.

We allowed her to stop the lessons (conveniently for her there were no other instructors in our rural area) but asked her to play each day for at least 15 minutes. At first it was dullsville for her, but after a while she began to teach herself with http://www.violinmasterclass.com and other sites. Having the responsibility for her own music education brought her interest back. :o ) We found tons of “new” sheet music at http://hemingways-studio-dowloads.blogspot.com, and she played along with orchestral recordings. The Lord brought into her life some great motivating opportunities to continue. Now she plays for church twice a week and entertains the elderly folk at our local nursing home twice a month, plays weekly in a little chamber group, and has three beginner students.

When she quit lessons I was concerned that her talent would be wasted, but I also prayed the Lord would be glorified however it turned out. (Maybe he was protecting her from loving her instrument more than she loved him. ??) That was our number one goal in her musical pursuits. Now looking back, I am thankful she took a break and assumed the responsibility for her own musical education. While we still don’t have access to a teacher, my daughter knows that she needs more professional instruction. But there is time. For now she does what she can, and she loves it.

Sorry I took so much space here; of course every story doesn’t turn out like this one, but I wanted to encourage you not to worry about letting your son take a break. (If someone had said the same thing to me when my daughter wanted to quit I would have worried anyway.) :o ) Email me if you want to compare notes. See my profile at my blog for the address.
Sally

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