Klarinet Archive - Posting 000681.txt from 2003/10

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Starting a youngster
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 17:16:56 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Sutherland [mailto:dan.sutherland@-----.net]
>
> Isn't the objective that the child learn something? Ponder how your
> 4,5,6,7, year old spends their day. Now, consider whether you have the
> ability to teach that child something. let's say you have ten minutes of
> your own time to spend with the child. I doubt you could damage their
> dental or muscular structure by having them play clarinet.
>
Well, *an* objective in our interactions with our own kids *can* at times be
that the child learn something - although formal learning (involving
deliberate teaching for the purpose of producing specific learning) isn't
the only worthwhile objective in our spending time with our children.
However, the child's ability to assimilate the learning you're teaching
toward has a lot to do with determining whether or not that specific
teaching activity is worthwhile. Whether or not you'll do a 7 year old child
physical damage by trying to teach her to play the clarinet isn't really the
issue. It's more an issue of whether or not the child has any realistic
chance of success *at that particular time* because of physical or cognitive
limitations.

My point was that *most* 7 year old children (exceptions are always
possible - I haven't seen *all* the 7 year olds in the world) in my
experience (for what it's worth) are not physically able to *play* the
clarinet well enough to be worthwhile. My point continued that just because
you eventually get the 7 year old to produce some sort of sound on the
instrument in no way guarantees that she will be able to hold the instrument
up or cover the keys to produce more than a very few notes around the
clarinet's "throat" register. If that's in itself a worthwhile goal to a
parent, it needs to be respected. But the level of physical and cognitive
development needed to actually play the instrument will come with time, and
the impediments that now are real problems will recede to a degree that
aren't nearly as difficult to surmount. The bottom line is that there is a
genuine risk of frustrating a 7 year old with this kind of activity to an
extent that she will not ever want to come back to it later when she is
older and more developed physically and mentally. That's the risk you take
in trying this, not the risk that you "could damage their dental or muscular
structure by having them play clarinet."

> Or are the kids lives so rich that they can not fit ten minutes
> of clarinet
> in per day. [Every character on Spongebob will yell loudly whether they
> witness it or not.]
>
Well, these aren't the only alternatives. There are lots of age-appropriate,
worthwhile things a parent can do with his/her 7 year old child.
>
> He could be supporting the instrument with his feet. Who cares?
> He may be the only kid in his class that can play a tune on an instrument.
> Self esteem, prestige.
>
Is 7 a little early to worry about prestige? This sounds more like a push
for parental prestige (if that's indeed what comes of it - I have my
doubts).
>
>
> What is "readiness"? How do you know, if you have not put in a
> sustained effort trying?
>
Some things we just have to decide without trying them first. How do I know
I probably wouldn't survive going over Niagara Falls? The possible
consequences of failure are greater than I'm willing to risk,
notwithstanding one man's recent success.

> > Everyone in this thread has had something valuable to say, and I've
> > enjoyed reading it. thanks, everyone.
>
> Well, you may change your mind about that, now.

Why? Your belligerence won't have changed the other responses.

>
> Dan [who started his and other people's children on clarinet at
> age 5 and
> continues to teach his 9 year old and has seen no negative side to the
> practice]
>
Congratulations! Your experience obviously differs from that of many of us.
I am no more convinced by your son's case than you have been swayed by any
of the experience behind anything that has been said to the contrary.

:-)

Karl Krelove

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