I'm so excited for the piano teacher I have Soph and E-Man with this year. She seems a perfect fit for our family. And, instead of having them both take a lesson every week, she lets me rotate them (so, they each have a lesson every other week). I think it's great for them to have that extra week to practice and not feel so much pressure while they are so young.
She has also been awesome about working with E-Man. I think I would have gone bonkers if she had insisted he start at the beginning of the book. Instead, she looked at what he already knew and he finished the first book in two lessons -- hooray! Now, he and Soph are working in the same book (she is about halfway through the second book and has been taking lessons for a year-and-a-half -- in other words, that's what is normal). I'm a little nervous because it is looking like he may pass her in the not too distant future.
I mean, Soph is a great piano player too. But, she just wants to practice her lesson. No more, no less. And, sometimes she needs an extra lesson to work on the same stuff. E-Man, on the other hand, wants to play everything in the book every day. It's like the music is in him and he has to get it out.
My kids are so competitive. I think Soph will freak out if/when they are playing the same pieces (they actually already do play the same pieces -- after Soph practices, E-Man sits down and plays her songs by ear). I hope it doesn't deter her from continuing. But, if we have to find a different instrument for her, that's okay.
I'm getting better and better at telling everyone who chimes in to tell me that I shouldn't have started E-Man in piano lessons so young, "Thanks for your opinion. I really don't care what you think." My only regret is that I didn't start him eight months ago. And, if he gets burned out, and we have to take a break, and he only knows the same things at age ten as if we'd started him at eight, as he will because we started him at five, then, gee . . . ummm . . . I really don't care. But, what if we start him at five and it turns out that he LOVES it and continues forward and plays beautiful concertos at age ten? Well, then, that's fine too. I do love how people who don't even know your kids know what is best for them.
This is great practice for the future just in case I ever decide to homeschool my kids. I'll be ready when people tell me how I'm ruining them socially. Just like stay-at-home-moms outside of Utah get flak for "ruining their kids socially" by not putting them in daycare. Sound absurd? "You are ruining your kids socially by giving them extra love and one on one time." "Thank you for your opinion. I really don't care what you think."
On the subject of homeschool. I continue to love many aspects, and I continue to feel overwhelmed at the reality of all the effort. For now, I am grateful that both Soph and E-Man LOVE school and have the best teachers I could ever ask for. So, for now, we continue. And, this mom gets a nice break every day to just be with two little ones (AiAi plus his little friend Izzy) instead of everyone all at once. It's been a wonderful back-to-school time of year!
2 comments:
That was just beautiful and I agree with everything you wrote. You have much wisdom as a mother. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, I say the earlier the better when it comes to piano. Steph and I started playing when we were 3 years old...granted it was Suzuki, so we learned to play by ear at first, but we also learned all the other important music theory stuff that we understood later on. I'm happy to hear that E-man is doing so well. He's probably a natural.
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