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Re: Conservatory after 40?

Author: kdennyclarinet
Date: 2004-06-11 16:41

I started learning the clarinet late myself... but not that late. I was in choir all through middle school and high school and did not really find my "voice" until I began learning the clarinet during the end of my 10th grade year. I went on to major in music ed in my undergrad and performance in my masters... on my way to DMA auditions this fall. Nothing can stop you if you really want it badly enough.

One book that I read that was inspiring to me was "Never Too Late" by John Holt. It's a sort of autobiography on his trials and struggles with learning an instrument and how he finally settled on the cello and experienced great success. You may have heard his name before as associated with his books about how children learn. Being a teacher, that is how I came across this book. The back of the book has a quote from Yo Yo Ma:

"Very often when I travel adults come to me and longingly say they want to play a musical instrument but are now too old. I always, and with great delight, refer them to John Holt's book 'Never Too Late'. The beauty of Holt's book is that he himself set his own standards for music making. The reason for playing music is not to compare yourself to anyone but to bring forth what is inside of you."

I highly recommend this book! It is a Merloyd Lawrence Book published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co, Inc.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201567636/qid=1086971939/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-9727566-0708053?v=glance&s=books

This is long... it's available at Amazon.com.

All the best!

K. Denny

BME, MM, DMA

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