rzberrymom
-
Posts
418 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by rzberrymom
-
-
We also have a very talentd young pianist, and a studio Baldwin at home. Both my husband (an organist) and our piano teacher agree that our piano is no longer sufficient for our son's needs. We already have an organ in the living room that takes up one wall (at least it's not a pipe organ anymore, though! :D), so space (and funds) are limited.
The way we're dealing with it now as he prepares for our spring sonata/sonatina festival is to have him practice on different pianos whenever he can. So at church every week he works on the grands there, we'll stop by the local piano center for him to run his piece, my MIL is a piano teacher and has a grand, etc.
It helps! Maybe something like that's that's an option?
I had thought about what I'm calling my Beth March solution--putting up a sign in the neighborhood about our situation with the hope that some nice elderly person might be willing to have my kiddo come over once/week to play their grand. There's a church down the street with a grand, so I could ask them too. Do you know someone at the piano store, or did they just welcome him? Thanks for the ideas!
-
4
-
-
If you even think about buying a grand piano, please be sure to consider its size and how it will fit into your home. When we bought ours, we knew it was going into a large living room so we were sure it would fit, but we were still surprised at how much larger it looked in our house than it looked in the piano store showroom.
I would very strongly advise you to measure any piano you are considering and make a flat cardboard template of the exact size and shape so you can try it out in your room at home to see how much floor space it will take up. Don't forget to allow extra room for the bench -- and try to find a place to put the piano in a location where it will get as little sunlight as possible so the wood doesn't fade or dry out.
Grand pianos are beautiful, but they are also very large and imposing, and they can easily overwhelm a room.
One of the stores gave me one of those templates where you fold over the end to get the size you're looking at. I was kind of surprised that it fit in the corner of our living room. I thought it would be hideous, but it seemed to fit pretty decently.
-
Just knock out the walls and move it to your bedroom, everyone is doing it, really, it is the only sensible solution...
Lol!!!
-
1
-
-
When was the last time your home instrument was tuned?
When was the last time the strings/pads/etc were replaced?
I ask because I had six instruments I worked with through high school:
School piano- old, loose action, barely in tune
Practice piano- less old, very loose, always in tune
Home piano- over 100 years old, easy but not loose, not always tuned (had all internal workings replaced when I was in 6th)
Church piano 1- brand new, slightly tight, always in tune
Church piano 2- brand new, easy, always in tune (this was a baby grand)
Grandmother's piano- brand new, very tight, often sticky, always in tune
Church piano 2 was the only one that was not an upright. New piano strings can feel very different from those more broken in. I don't think it is strictly a grand versus upright issue.
It probably does need a tune (it's been way over a year). I asked the teacher about refurbishing this one, and she thought it would be better to get something new. She sent me to a tech and he had the same take on our piano.
-
told by whom . . . . .?
Two piano stores told me that. Obviously, I was skeptical and asked the teacher whether they were correct or just trying to sell me more piano. She said they were correct and that I would need to upgrade again in a year or two. But, it's been a few months of indecision for us, and we still have our little old Baldwin.
-
Yes, I think this hits the nail on the head. To try to convince me and DH, she explained that one of her slightly older students had just received a grand, the girl wanted it in her upstairs bedroom so she could practice in private, and so the parents actually cut a hole in the side of the house to get the grand in there. This is the teacher's frame of reference, so it was hard for me to make my case that maybe a grand wasn't prudent for my 10 year old.I do think some music teachers have a flair for the dramatic. LOL. Our kids are so deprived, right?
-
Why doesn't the piano teacher work with her on the grand during their lessons? What kind of upright do you own?
The teacher does work with her on the grand during the lesson. The teacher has a fairly new concert grand, we have a 40 year old Baldwin studio at home--my DD tries to compensate for the difference between those two on the fly during the lesson, my DD struggles with the transition, the teacher feels frustrated that they could be working on other things rather than struggling with something that may be solved by having a better piano. However, to me, getting a better piano meant a new upright, not a grand. It sounds like it's completely unnecessary, that I can go with my original plan, and as a bonus feel better about the spoiling thing.
-
2
-
-
We have a Yamaha upright and I remember at the time we purchased it I was interested in getting a grand. We were told that we could purchase this very nice quality upright for the same price we could purchase a really poor quality grand. We were told that both by the store sales person and our piano teacher. I don't have enough knowledge to know that the advice was completely accurate. But, I do know that my daughter played the piano all the way through college ( piano performance major) and every time we get it tuned the tuners always comment along the lines that our upright is "an excellent piano that will last you many years!"
I have never regretted NOT pushing for a grand.
This is good to know! I'll go back and look at the Yamaha U3 instead.
-
1. The Chopin Waltz for a 10 year old is standard and not extraordinary. Don't let the piano teacher mislead you.
2. A grand piano is not spoiling nor is it necessary yet, but the piano teacher does have a point about playing a grand piano vs and upright. The action is different so the quality of sound has greater depth.
3." My DD can't practice many of the things the teacher is asking her to do, and the teacher says it's because she's not on a grand. " A suspect statement and would have me questioning the quality of piano teacher.
4. Me-4 kids have played piano. 2 of the kids played piano for 10 years or until they were 15. These two quit and move onto more portable instruments. 1 quit after 5 years, and 1 is still playing. She is 11. We have 1 grand piano and 1 upright. The grand we found through a church member. The upright we bought used. Grands can be affordable. Look around.
Does your child want to compete?
Does your child do any kind of music exam?
I've tried my very best to be clear that my DD isn't extraordinary. I did think it was important to know what level songs she's working on, since that helps with knowing whether action is important at this point.
Her teacher does want her to compete. She is working on the waltz for her first competition in April.
She takes the syllabus exams every year.
-
1
-
-
I agree with others that a good instrument for a talented and dedicated child is not "spoiling." But I do think your teacher is asking FAR too much.
My dd is a very talented violin player (I stop short of prodigy) and she is outplaying her current instrument by a long shot. We know it, she knows it, and her teacher knows it. We simply cannot afford to upgrade right now and still pay for lessons. Dd's teacher understands this and is perfectly happy to work with what we have until another solution can be found....which might be a very long time. I would be extremely upset if dd's teacher tried pulling the sort of drama yours is.
Am I the only one who first thought "where in the world would be PUT a grand?!?!"
I definitely think the teacher would understand if we couldn't afford it. She knows we could afford it if we chose to, and the fact that we aren't getting something good based on a reason other than affordability is frustrating her.
I have a small house, but there is room in my living room. I have been less worried about the space than I am about setting a weird precedent for a little kid.
-
1
-
-
eta: just a question. does the teacher come to your house for lessons? or do you go there?
how different is the keyboard your dd plays on vs the teachers and is she having trouble adjusting to the difference? (either of those could be the real problem.)
This is exactly the problem. We go to her house, she has a relatively new concert grand, my DD practices on a 40 year old Baldwin studio at our house, my DD can't adjust on the fly very well, teacher gets frustrated that this is slowing down my DD's progress, etc.
-
There are a million reasons not to get a grand piano. Spoiling would never occur to me.
I may be overthinking it. I needed a reality check.
-
2
-
-
Huh? This makes no sense to me. Parents often spend large amounts of money on their children when their children are involved in sports or music study.
Spending something like $13k (in addition to an expensive teacher) just feels different to us. I take her to all kinds of activities, but never anything as expensive as this.
-
1
-
-
The bolted must be emphasized. There are so many wonderful used instruments, but bring along an experienced teacher if you cannot bring a tech. Do NOT purchase used without expert assistance. There are more clunkers than screaming deals, and many overpriced pieces of junk. A tech will be of great assistance in figuring out which is which :)
I've only been looking at the 3 established shops in our area because Craigslist has felt so fraught with the kind of thing you describe.
-
A quality instrument is such a joy to play, and in some ways it does make certain technique and repertoire differences. But nothing so earth shattering that your daughter shouldn't be studying at a high level if she cannot access a $70,000 instrument.
Definitely not a $70k instrument--it was $13k, but that still feels extravagant to us.
-
Unless she is a true prodigy, then probably I would say no to the grand piano. It wouldn't spoil her, but I really doubt it is necessary.
She's definitely not a prodigy.
-
And if you have a small house, I think it's reasonable to ask just how big of a "grand piano" you are talking about here. They do take up quite a bit of space.
It might be cheaper to rent studio time somewhere for her to practice once a week on a real "grand".
Our house is 1200 sq. ft. for the four of us, and the grand we looked at was a 5'3" Yamaha. Pretty small, but it had a beautiful sound to me, and my DD liked the action. But, I don't play, and going on the recommendation of a 10 year old isn't ideal. lol
I like the idea of trying to find a studio for her to practice at once or twice a week.
-
2
-
-
I don't know.......
All of the practice pianos for music majors at the university I attended were uprights.
The piano majors got some time on the grand in the department chair's office, but until prepping for senior recitals no one had massive amounts of time with the performance grand.
Unless you are a performing professional I am not sure why you would have to have a grand.
(Said the passable pianist with a piano minor. :) )
Thanks--this really helps!
-
1
-
-
I don't think it would spoil a child but the reasons for getting one don't make much sense to me.
My understanding is that the reason is the action of an upright being lesser to a grand. Tone can be comparable, but action is no comparison. The teacher kept asking her to practice trills or things that have to do with touch, and my DD can't do it on our upright. I went to get a better upright and kept being told that I would only get another year or two out of a better upright before I would regret all those moving costs and not just upgrading to a grand in the first place.
But, I have no idea what I'm doing. I just try to keep up at this point! lol
-
I need your wisdom! My DD is 10, and her piano teacher says that it's time for her to have a grand piano. My DD can't practice many of the things the teacher is asking her to do, and the teacher says it's because she's not on a grand. She says my DD can try to compensate but that it isn't fair to a student if it's not necessary to put them through that. She even went so far as to tell me that it wasn't really worth paying the extra money for lessons with her (this teacher is double the price of her old teacher) if we aren't going to commit to a grand sometime soon.
We could cut back on things and find a way to afford it, but it hasn't felt right to me and DH. It feels so extravagant for such a young child to have such an expensive piece of equipment. I guess I am very worried about the message it would send her to spend that kind of money on her. I guess I could see spending that kind of money when she's 13 or 14, but it feels like the wrong thing to do with a young kid. How the heck would I keep her grounded if I spend that kind of money on her?
To be fair, she has shown tremendous dedication and has practiced piano for 60-90 minutes almost every day for about 2 1/2 years. She's working on a Chopin waltz that is level 7 or 8 (the one in B minor--I think it's his easiest). I'm not worried about her dedication or seriousness about piano. She loves it and this is her life.
Are DH and I worried about nothing? Or is there something to our worry? We don't live an extravagant lifestyle (1 tiny car, small house, clothes from thrift stores), so this is new territory for us. Any wisdom?
-
I would say that German math pretty much parallels what is done in Singapore Math (Primary Mathmatics).
Totally agree with this. I got to take a look at the 3rd and 4th grade math books being used in Thuringen, and I was surprised at how similar it was to Singapore! These are the books they're using: http://www.amazon.de/Mathetiger-Schuljahr-Schülerbuch-CD-ROM-Internetplattform/dp/3619353603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399839590&sr=8-2&keywords=mathetiger+3
-
He's doing better than my DD was doing after a year, and she practices a ton. Those are definitely not lessons wasted!!
-
I have never read her book and only skimmed multiple articles that have been linked, but honestly, to suggest that only pushing very, very hard from 8-12/13 is the only way to produce self-motivated, self-regulating, high work ethic teens is simply her reality and not a universal one.
She was arguing that this is a Chinese parenting approach, which obviously differs *tremendously* from the mainstream American approach.
-
Getting to the position of being accorded *the choice* of whether to go to medical school or become a social worker is the real substance of the problem that Amy Chua addresses. And again, I don't agree with everything she says, I'm not a total Tiger Mother (but please don't consult my kids about this!), but a student who enters high school without drive, self-discipline, very good work ethic, is pretty unlikely to find him or herself in the position of having the choice of medical school. It does happen, but rarely. I don't honestly think that being rich is what Amy Chua is talking about. It's having choices. If you graduate in the middle of your high school class, you have already eliminated many, many choices for yourself. If you choose to devote your young adulthood to pleasures instead of work, you will have eliminated many choices for yourself.
I've only read her first book, but this is what I took away from her work.
I saw an interview with her where she talked about how people often find her idea of pushing very very hard from age 8 to age 12 or 13 to be offensive, but what she finds offensive/abusive is the current American mainstream way of continuing to coddle/baby kids all the way through high school and into the college application process. She claimed that she was quite hands-off once her kids got to high school, that her work had mostly been done, that a child's work ethic and drive needs to be in place by age 13 or there isn't a whole lot we can do. It really made me think about these precious young years.
Am I right to worry that a grand piano would spoil a kid?
in The Chat Board
Posted
Can I ask which upright it is that you use and that has been a good fit for you? After reading all these replies, we went out and tried the Yamaha U3 this afternoon, and it didn't really sound a whole lot better than our little Baldwin studio. I'll probably get flamed for that, but I just didn't feel the U3 love at all. So, now I'm trying to figure out what else could be a good option.