Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 2001/01
From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Community bands and clarinets
Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 20:13:59 -0500
At 04:09 PM 1/2/2001 +0000, Michel Chee wrote:
>So given all of this, how does everyone suggest introducing young children
>(or any children) to a musical instrument. How do you keep their interest?
>I am a trained pianist (ok, I took lessons as a kid) and I want to pass
>the music making onto my kids. They are taking recorder in school and one
>is taking violin. The schools don't teach squat!! They're not even
>taught how to tune the instrument. OK, enough ranting. How do you keep a
>child's interest. Is technique really that important? (i.e. scales
>etc). I'd really like to develop their ear and their appreciation of
>music. Any suggestions?
Personally, I think that for strings and guitar, tuning the instrument
should be lesson ONE. Not teaching that would be like not teaching a child
how to put the reed on the mouthpiece. Technique is most definitely
important, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The playing of
actual songs and other pieces must be introduced as early as possible and
continued throughout, and is in most methods. "Musicality" should be
encouraged to the maximum extent, but will probably not develop as rapidly
as technique, unless the student just plain "gets it." For that to happen,
I would suggest maximum LISTENING experience. Encourage listening to
recordings, going to concerts, etc. Once the child begins to UNDERSTAND
the language from hearing it a lot, before long he/she will learn to SPEAK it.
Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265
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