J&JMom Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Today I get to tell our piano teacher of 6 months, whom we love, that two of us need to drop the class. My oldest, who admittedly isn't the biggest fan yet has the most talent of all of us, has too much school work this year in 7th with AoPS and Spanish, which we as a family decided were too important to modify. He is behind 2 projects in Art - his favorite subject - due to the workload. Dropping piano would add 2 hours to our homeschool week from lesson time recovered and 20-30 minutes daily practice - time for him to finish his art on time and not have AoPS "homework". We also don't want to alter our field trip and Scout activities to accommodate lessons and practice. Tonight, our lesson day, we need to pack for our Scout camping trip tomorrow after school (2 hr travel and set up before dark) and planning a trip to the State Fair next Thursday. We already missed last week due to illness. I am too tired after a school day to sit at the piano for the hour I need to in order, to progress, and feel I am just going through the motions. My youngest will continue as he loves it and his teacher. It doesn't interfere with his schoolwork at this time. I am just sad to have this conversation with her in a few hours because she is a lovely lady who I can call a friend. I hope she takes the news better than me :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Hugs. I dropped piano in junior high and then was able to take lessons for another two years in high school. Another girl I know took music lessons each summer during high school. She was able to make some progress but couldn't handle it year round. When I took piano in high school, I appreciated it much more than when I was in junior high. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Maybe step back on the lessons, say once every 2 weeks to a month for you and the elder child? That way you have more time to practice each piece, without having to do it every single day. Or you can practice 15 minutes in the morning instead of an hour in the evening. I depends on how much value you place in playing. Sometimes you just have a busy season. Will you have more time for it after Christmas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Piano was the thing that had to go for us this year too. Sigh. I hear you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I drop formal piano lessons at the end of 10th grade. However that didn't save me any time since I was still playing my piano daily for fun. It did reduce the stress level by a lot since I played what I like on the spur of the moment rather than ABRSM exam pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I have thought about dropping it, seeing it take up lots of time and money, but those thoughts quickly flee when I hear my kiddos practicing and getting better. Everyone is different though. I am glad you have reduced the stress in your life. Any kind of lessons are not worth it, if it doesn't fit in the family flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I quit at 14. Took it up again at 19 because I wanted too and loved it, and consequently gained a lot more skill quickly (and some of that was possibly due to maturity). I hope you both get to okay again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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