Early musical development

[unvarnish]

Listening to E in the bathroom singing Lookin' Out My Back Door at top volume while finishing morning ablutions, and noticing all of a sudden that she can carry a tune now.  She's always been passionate about music of any kind -- making up songs by the yard, strumming on her ukelele, banging on drums or (often rather interestingly) on the piano,

Comments

[sidheag]

sighead, forsooth... What does her kindergarten offer, and what does she have to say about it? C started piano at 5 (rising 6), his second year of school, and that was right for him, I feel, but E'sMMV. I tend to think that a little too late is less risk than a little too early. Personally I feel strongly that there's no point (and considerable disrespect to the teacher) in having individual lessons if you're not going to practise at least semi-regularly, and hence no point (and considerable disrespect...) in paying for lessons if you're not going to require your child to etc., but I know people feel differently about that.

[sidheag]

ps the "his second year at school" part is important, as well as the age - at the point when he'd just started school, I wouldn't have wanted to be dealing with practice as well.

[unvarnish]

> sighead, forsooth...

Eek -- sorry.

> What does her kindergarten offer, and what does she have to say about it?

Not completely sure about the first -- there's some kind of music program, but it can't be as sustained as what she's getting now. As for the second, she hasn't yet been consulted; trying to get a slightly clearer idea of the choices first.

[mybonnykate]

She's five? I think an hour a day of fun group singing is perfect! Perfect. I would have added formal instrument study when my oldest was seven -- when she was old enough to beg to learn something -- if we could have, but she's taking to it with enthusiasm now at ten.

There are some fun productions of operas like the Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, and the Ring cycle (if you do screen time in your family) that she may enjoy at this age, too. Flute is fantastic for little ones!

[unvarnish]

Yes, an hour a day of just plain singing and banging on instruments together would be perfect, but I think at her kindergarten the organized music program is going to be much less than that. There are music schools around town that offer pretty good group classes for little ones, but there's the problem of shlepping over there, etc.

Magic Flute is a GREAT idea! Do you have favorite productions (of any of these)? For Magic Flute I'm trying to remember if it was the Zeffirelli that I loved as a child -- I think so. It was the one that begins with a long shot of the faces of the audience during the overture...