Klarinet Archive - Posting 000402.txt from 1999/04

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] 8-year old wants to play the flute
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 07:59:53 -0400

At 10:01 PM 4/6/99 EDT, SkweekyDon wrote:
>Anyway, when I taught piano I said that a kid is ready to start when he/she
>wants to start. What counts is the desire to play, not some abstract
average
>date for the introduction of musical education. But even a three-year old
>can extend a finger and hit a piano key--and gain tremendous satisfaction
>from it. Seeing him try to make a sound on a flute--and not succeed--made
me
>wonder--is it ever too early to start a woodwind? He's in second grade--I
>started piano at that age, but I didn't start playing sax until Fifth.
>
>What's the conventional wisdom?
>
IMHO, there is little point in starting a child on an instrument they are
not physically capable of handling, due to the small size of their hands
and fingers. Even if they CAN successfully operate the keys, they may have
to resort to all sorts of bad habits to do that. Piano is the perfect
solution. The student can produce correct tone right away, learns theory
and note reading (both treble and bass clef) and will, from that
background, find it easy to pick up another instrument (been there, done
that). An alternative choice would be violin, where smaller-sized
instruments are available for children so they can reach the intervals
properly.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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