Author: mrn
Date: 2009-04-21 03:06
I have a question for you psychologists and music teachers out there. It's not about clarinet playing, per se, but it could easily be a clarinet question, so that's why I'm posting it here.
My 6-year-old daughter takes violin lessons. Her teacher says she's doing very well in most respects, especially for her age, as it takes her very little effort to learn the music.
HOWEVER....There are a couple of problems with the way she addresses the instrument relating to the way she holds her left wrist and the way she holds the bow (the violin-equivalent of embouchure and hand position if you will). Her teacher says that what she's doing will cause her bigger problems later on (they already make it harder for her to play with good intonation). The teacher thinks she could be playing much further along in the book but is hesitant to move on before we fix these little problems.
The real problem is that my daughter's very stubborn about not fixing these problems. Her teacher and I keep telling her not to collapse her wrist and to hold her bow correctly, but she doesn't see any reason why she should change what she's doing. We tell her and tell her, and she just ignores us.
Funny thing is that the teacher says that this is a problem she's seen with several of her students, and it seems to be the quicker learners that have this issue. This seems to be key to understanding this problem--it's a psychological challenge, not specifically an issue with violin technique.
We're all frustrated (teacher, my daughter, and me) because we'd all like to move on to more advanced stuff (she's clearly capable of pushing ahead at a more rapid pace, and I think she knows it, too), but at the same time if we don't fix these problems now they're going to come back to haunt us in short order--we don't want her practicing everything the wrong way.
Any of you guys (and gals) dealt with this sort of issue with your students (especially elementary school age)? What can the teacher and/or I do to help my daughter get over this hurdle? Her teacher and I are nonplussed! Help!
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The Clarinet BBoard
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