................... Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I have a child who was quite good at piano, and enjoyed it well enough. She does not / did not like to perform and dislikes being a ham or on stage in general. We were having problems with our teacher (she was/is overbooked and very scattered, which can be frustrating for the student but overall it wasn't horrible.). I took her out when we moved (approx 25 minutes away.) Now I've heard that this teacher (who is also a friend of mine) is scaling back so I think she will be a better teacher. I'm Interested in trying again but my dd really Isnt interested. I've looked for other teachers but they are all easily twice as much $. My dd is 8 and has shown nO talent in anything else. She didn't like dance and wasn't good at it, she likes gymnastics but there's not much oomph to succeed. I'll be surprised if she can do a cartwheel after a year. She is very intelligent and is doing great with homeschooling, including picking up Spanish very fast. She is a type C personality and I fear that her lack of interest in piano has more to dO with her aversion to hard work than anything else. Would you try to get her back into it (knowing its an hour and a half commitment plus $65 per month plus gas $$ and my time commitment making sure she practices) or would it be better to just let the whole thing go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna A. Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Maybe something more hands-on and less physical is her forte? How about books and story writing? Maybe she prefers to spend time in the kitchen, showing her creativity in that venue rather than a more "public" activity? Did she do piano for at least two years? If so, and she's decided she doesn't want to do it anymore, then that may be it. After two years is when they start playing "real" music (like going from phonics to reading chapter books), so we've always had a rule that our girls must take piano for at least two years. Then they can stop if they so choose. So far I've had one who continued and loves it, and the other who chose something else after the second year of piano. The one who continued piano is the one who stopped dance after a year and a half, but has been chomping at the bit to get back into the water again! (She enjoys swimming.) And the one who quit piano is the one who chose to dance and will go all the way with that. She was also an outstanding gymnast, learning that skill just as naturally and quickly as she has dance. They wanted her for competition at age 6, but we said no for various reasons... one being that dd's heart just wasn't in it. She was obviously very good at it and had fun, but didn't seem to care one way or another about all the hoop-la that could potentially go along with it. Dd #3 hasn't started piano yet, so we don't know yet about her long term choices. This MAY be the child who ends up not taking formal lessons at all. She's quite content just having Big Sister teach her here at home, while taking dance classes and participating in all of that. She's good at (and enjoys) some other quirky things, too... science, magic tricks, acting, swimming.... My point is, it's not a terrible thing if she doesn't love piano. ;) One thing I've learned with my girls is that being good at something doesn't mean they LOVE it. Or at least not enough to keep up formal lessons and daily practice. (And quite frankly, if that's the case, then I'd rather not spend the money on it, tyvm!) I bet your dd's talents (and love for whatever) just lie elsewhere. :) And she's only 8... it may still be a little while before you know where to focus most of her (and your) time and energy as far as formal lessons are concerned. (Case in point: My dh is very good with plumbing, but he has no desire to be a plumber. :lol: ) Bottom line: Let the piano go, Mom. There will be other things that your dd's good at and actually WANTS to do... making it much more worth YOUR efforts. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haupia Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I took piano for years. I am not big into performing, but I enjoy playing. I don't Mind playing as an accompanist though. in college, it was a requirement to play in front of music students. I didn't enjoy it, but I am great full for what it taught me as an adult. if she loves to play, and is good at it, I would just let her learn, and maybe ask if she wants to perform later. I am a perfectionist at the piano, and I didn't want people to hear me screw up. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thanks Donna. I'm so glad you weighed in since you "know" my kids and me. Honestly, it's hard to let something like that go. !! But you are right. I definitely need to let it go. (FWIW yes she took it for two years and was playing real songs from musicals, Christmas songs, etc.) She absolutely loves her new gymnastics class though- after I wrote the above post, she was asking when her next class is- and is practicing what she learned (it's so adorable seeing kids get jazzed about something.) . And I guess...considering that we do work our kids pretty hard academically, it's ok for her to just go have fun, even if she's not gifted in this area. She may suddenly blossom, or she may eventually find something else she likes better. She's great in the kitchen so I should do more of that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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