Klarinet Archive - Posting 000353.txt from 2002/01

From: CassildaYhtill@-----.com
Subj: [kl] How much practice for kids?
Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2002 12:18:23 -0500

The thread on Robert's audition makes me wonder what people think is a good
practice time for a 8 yr. old beginner. He fell in love with clarinet and
talked my husband and me into getting him one for his 8th birthday last
spring. He started lessons in June after school let out. I thought he might
be too young, would lose interest and we would put the clarinet away until he
was old enough for band which they start in 5th grade here (10 year olds). I
hear all kinds of stories about kids who won't practice. Well he did the
opposite, got obsessed.

There is stress in his life right now. We had to move in with my sister
because my husband reserve unit got deployed and his salary was cut in less
than half what he made in the civillian job. It is crowded here. My son's
sister and girl cousin the same age share a room happily (they are best
friends) but he is stuffed in with two older boy cousins who think "a little
kid" in their room is a pest. Can't put him on the living room couch because
that's where I am! So he is stuck until we move.

Then our clarinet teacher, had a stroke. It was not a real bad one but she
moved down to live more near her daughters, better for her than living far
from family, but we miss her a lot. We don't have a new teacher yet because
this living with my sister thing is temporary. We will wait on a new teacher
until we can settle somewhere.

Meanwhile I am giving him his clarinet lessons. He says that my lessons are
"too easy" and he goes ahead in the books or takes my books. If my music is
missing I know where to find it. There is just no way I can slow him down by
telling him when he learns the lesson he is done for the week because when he
beat the lesson to death so much he got the whole thing memorized he will sit
there making up tunes, playing things he heard, or playing along with CDs,
forever. I don't mean he is some kind of Mozart genius, he sound like a
beginner! But maybe you would think he was a 12 yr. old not 8 yr. old.

My son hate the new school, no friends, got kids bothering and bullying
(fixing where the new kid belong in the school pecking order) and the band
class won't take him because he is too young, so I think he is using clarinet
practice to get away from it all. He got caught cutting class to practice
clarinet hiding out in the janitor shed. The janitor said he picked the lock
and my son said so too, not likely for a 8 yr. old. I think the janitor felt
sorry for him and let him in the shed then lied so as not to get fired and my
son was protecting him. When the principal called me in to talk about this,
I told my son you just can't do stuff like that. My son said, the shed has
great acoustics.

I think we got straightened out about cutting class but otherwise what do I
do? Better clarinet than drugs or something and I can't let him run around
unsupervised in this neighborhood, but he is not interested in anything else
and even ask to quit his karate class. I talk him into staying with karate
because he should stay fit to have the air for clarinet. Sneaky but it worked
and besides it is true.

I can get him to do other things reluctantly but he is practicing 6 or 7 hr.
a day even with school in session. I stop him at 9 pm. so he won't bother
people who need to sleep and every night it takes a big argument for him to
stop. On vacation time he want to do nothing but play clarinet all day. His
cousins are ready to kill him. I'm sorry if this message is too long, I don't
want to discourage a boy from working hard at something he loves but how much
is too much at that age?

Cass Hill

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