Jump to content

Menu

Uncovering a musical love in my little guy


Recommended Posts

My littlest, ds2 (almost 3), has been begging for his turn at violin for many months.  I finally gave in and made him a box violin from a macaroni box and a bow from a dowel, and started to teach him.  He loves it!  I am amazed how quickly he is getting the proper bow grip.  As in, after two days his grip was about where his sisters' were after a week or two, and his brother's was after a month or so.  He's also quite a bit younger.  I'm excited that he is so excited, and very curious whether this interest will be sustained or not.  (I treat music just like academics before normal school age--only by request of the child.) 

 

He's so tiny, but he's learning so quickly, I am thinking about getting him an actual violin for his birthday next month--but he would need a 1/32 size, which is hard to find in a decent instrument that won't be super frustrating to try to learn on.  It would probably be a lot cheaper to wait until he can fit a 1/16, and there are more decent used instruments available--which was my original plan when I made the box violin, as I figured at his age it would be a while of playing with it before he had learned all he could on the box.  (The smallest size we own from my older kids is 1/10.)  And my ds4 needs a new instrument, too, and dd6 probably will within the next half-year or so.

 

Does anyone have any advice for such a small one learning an instrument?  I have been finding ideas for lots of little games to teach violin skills online, to try to focus on keeping things light and fun.  My oldest started as an older three-year-old, and I regretted it, but that was before I had come to my current philosophy for preschoolers, and I pushed her to practice every day.  She grew more and more resistant to playing the violin, until I eventually gave up.  My middle two were 4 when they started.  With my current little guy, more than anything I just want to feed his love of music and of the instrument.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my area, it is common to see kids start learning violin at 2.5 years of age. So, it is OK to start now if he is begging for it. These kids rent a 1/32 size violin or buy them used for a good price. Suzuki is one method which might work for such an young age. Good luck.

 

e.g. of rental:

http://www.sharmusic.com/Rentals/National-Rentals/SHARWay-Standard-Violin-Outfit---1-32-size.axd#sthash.v9fuE3zS.dpbs

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We rented our first violin (1/32) from Shar, and it sounded lovely for such a tiny thing. Maybe we just got lucky with the instrument sent to us, but that little thing plus a kid friendly teacher fostered a love for violin that helps him get through his hour of practice each day now that he's older.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was at the Suzuki program, fractional violins, especially the teeny tiny ones, were regularly available for sale, just passed from child to child (until eventually something happened to break them beyond what could be reasonably repaired). It may be worth checking if you have such a program locally, even if you plan to teach your DS yourself, and see if someone has a 1/32 available. Often the cost of buying a used violin wasn't significantly different from renting for the time a child needed it, and most of the cost could be recovered when the violin was then passed on.

Edited by dmmetler
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would rent one until he stops growing so fast, but I agree with the others that he's not too young.  My oldest is also a musician and it's been apparent from early in his life. I kept thinking he would outgrow it but it's still his thing. He started on drums at 3.5 and double bass at age 5. He just switched to piano only this past fall.  He has picked them all up pretty fast, and can play songs by ear after only hearing them a couple of times. It's a really fun "talent" to watch develop.

Edited by Runningmom80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Find a luthier who allows upgrades. Our luthier puts the full price of the outgrown violin (minus new strings and bow rehair) toward the price of the new violin. Dd started on a 1/32 violin as a tiny just turned 3 year old. 

 

This book is full of ideas for games to use with little ones...Helping Parents Practice by Ed Sprunger. Dd and I made up so many different games on our own before I found out about this book but many of "our" ideas are in this book.

 

I left the violin where dd could reach it and whenever she picked it up, I stopped what I was doing and excitedly sat with her for 10-15 min of practice. We always stopped before she wanted to stop. LOL 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This post is very interesting. I have two older children who play strings. DD7 started violin at 5 and her younger brother started cello at 3.5. He's now four and is flying through Suzuki Book 1. My  third child, also a boy, is 2.5 now and desperately wants to play an instrument like his older siblings but I have been putting him off. Like all parents I'm learning as I go along to a certain degree and I have hesitated to start him because of what I know of his personality. Like the OP I am not draconian about the quality of daily practice when they're really little and though she was initially enthusiastic my DD went through a phase early on where just holding the violin and doing a few bow exercises was success. My son on the other hand is voraciously academic and has always practiced cello for long periods of time unbidden. The reason I have held off with DS2 is that his personality is much more like my daughter's and I suspect that we would have a honeymoon period of intense and productive interest followed by resistance. I have no experience letting a child quit at an early age and then coming back so I worry that we might squander the capital of that early period during a time when there was still a couple years before I felt comfortable enforcing daily practice. Somehow there's a difference between pushing five year old to pick up an instrument and doing the same with a two year old. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, all. Our situation is a bit complicated by the fact that we live very rurally, but dh is searching for a new job, and I'm hoping for somewhere with a Suzuki teacher with experience teaching littles. I'm going to get that book. I like the idea of having the violin out and stopping to practice whenever the kid wants to, but I'm a little concerned about keeping the instrument safe with a lot of energetic kids running around the house.

 

My little guy is as sick as a dog right now. Last night as he was curled up in my arms, he was sleepily begging me to do violin with him even as he was wheezing and shivering with fever chills. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My son begged for a violin at age 3. We made him wait a full year to see of his interest faded. It didn't. Now he's a 10 year old thriving with it!

The lessons are much harder to find (and afford) than the little violins. So that will be your main investment. I would say a Suzuki certified teacher is best for your situation.

Best wishes, and I hope he feels better soon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...