I’m not quite sure how it happened but it would appear that I’ve ended up in a very musical house. When I was young I learned some piano and played the classic flute as a teenage. However I never remember feeling a sense of pleasure or relaxation when playing. It felt like something I ‘should’ be doing rather than an enjoyment. Our first son didn’t really show any musical interest when he was small, in fact even learning tin whistle in school seemed to cause distress so we didn’t pursue it for him. However now as a teenager he has been teaching himself guitar over the last year and wants to know why he didn’t learn any musical instrument when he was younger! You really can’t win.
Our next son began Suzuki violin at 4 with his father. Joe had never really played any instrument growing up but has a really good musical ear. Being the parent of the Suzuki pair really awakened his interest in music and shortly after he actually began teaching himself guitar. What I find fascinating is the pleasure he gets from playing. When he’s stressed and needs to unwind he’ll play for 5 minutes and it just chills him out. (Fortunately I have knitting for that). This son has also got a good musical ear like his dad and has just moved from violin to viola. It’s his birthday this week and what he wanted was a ukelele. Pictured above is the one he picked out for himself, and he is so very, very pleased with it! He has played it so much over the last 2 days I’m not sure he can actually feel his fingertips anymore. You may notice a slightly larger instrument behind, his dad went shopping with him and somehow this pretty guitar ended up coming home….
Over the last year I’ve been submerged in music again. Due to timing issues I’ve become the Suzuki parent in the house and my youngest has also now started. He is a sweetheart but is always convinced he is right. Lets just say that this makes music practice interesting. Anyone out there doing Suzuki violin with a really, really stubborn child? Would love to hear how you manage to reduce conflicts at practice time!
I took piano and guitar as a teen but like you, I felt like it was something I was “supposed” to do. I really did enjoy the piano but my piano teacher was so impressed with my progress that she pushed me to do more too soon, I think. I would love to take up the piano again and learn the ukelele.
I’m actually thinking of getting myself a uke for Christmas since we have no space for a piano. The uke does seem to be all the rage now, doesn’t it? I just want to play “Tip Toe Through the Tulips”.
I am raising two fiddlers. We don’t do Suzuki, but we do practice every day. Things got much, much better when we switched the argumentative ones practice time from evening to morning (before school.) Apparently, the whole long day gives plenty of time for thinking up ways to disagree. :)
My sister informed me that she wanted to knit again, since she “retired” this summer. (We were skyping, as I live in the states.) I immediately thought of the unfinished sweater that I found in a box at my mom’s house. But, I decided to be supportive. Well there are beautiful designs now that you could do. A reversible cabled scarf is what she wanted. I thought there was an Irish designer that created those. (I was wrong, got you mixed up with someone else.) You should look her up. Carol Feller is her name. AH! I teach her son violin, she replied. I had heard that she knit, but I didn’t know she was really known! My eejit sister. She knows the knitterati and didn’t share! So, my kids were never good at practicing. I have a flute player who is still playing in the Indiana University Marching Band – which is a big deal here, but the musical elite in the family, (meaning Fahy’s) think it’s a bit lower class! She has fun with it anyway. I have your killybegs in my queue! Sara (SareBearKnits on ravelry)
She told me about your conversation last week, and found it very funny! It’s a very small world!