I may just be losing my mind...

[Reya]

Gifted kids who start piano early don't level out during childhood. Ever. However, many kids who are put in violin do level out because they're not gifted.

 

Or they never practice. Or they hate it and refuse to work.

 

I think some gifted kids very much can appear to "level out" in reading AT SOME POINT if they hate reading or won't do it, but that's way after a 3rd grade reading level. There's just too much text around us for them not to progress, if that makes sense. It's still unlikely that they EVER ""level out" anywhere but way above an average adult because that kind of precocity usually indicates interest as well as ability!

[Storm Bay]

Or they never practice. Or they hate it and refuse to work.

 

!

 

 

Yes, this was me. I had a friend who worked far harder than I, so was a level ahead of me, who used to say how much she wished she had my talent. So there was a definite leveling here with my friends (who were all quite good--I didn't realize until years later that most kids didn't progress as quickly as we did).

 

I never worked hard at my music and this was very hard on my teachers, especially the one at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I hadn't practised all summer and still got one of the best teachers there. But I hated spending hours and hours at the piano. So I quite half way through the year because I'd also auditioned for a theatre program and that was much more fun.

 

I tried piano again for a few years as an adult when it was hard to make enough hours, but found that even though I had a much better work ethic, I don't like spending all those hours at the keyboard. Plus, there was one piece I worked on that gave me tendonitis. I do enjoy teaching young children piano, and am a teacher by nature, but I cannot stand teaching kids whose parents don't make them practise. Mine refused to pay for my lessons unless I practised; I just never practised enough or with enough focus (too busy thinking about boys...)

 

Now voice was fun, and had I known that with training I have a huge voice, I might have pursued that. But when I was a kid we all assumed I didn't (I'm not a natural singer.) By the time I found out I didn't have the money and I'd already given up theatre for "real" life.

 

However, there are other things I've grown into, such as philosophy and other areas, that I no longer mind so much that I threw that away.

[Reya]

I had a lot of raw talent for violin and none for reading music (dyslexia....), so the result was that I lost interest and was a very mediocre player.

[Mama Lynx]

Cindy,

 

I read, at 2. Honest. Seriously.

 

None of my children did. My brother did not. But I did.

[Karenciavo]

Hey Beans. My youngest read at 2. At first I thought he was memorizing words, but no. He can read just about any word now (French words throw him), but he will sometimes put the accent in the wrong spot. Anyway, this is not an indication that you are losing your mind, however... ;)

[Storm Bay]

I had a lot of raw talent for violin and none for reading music (dyslexia....), so the result was that I lost interest and was a very mediocre player.

 

 

Too bad no one thought to encourage you to learn to play by ear. I know that it's frowned upon--I used to frown on it as well--but I think for people with dyslexia it ought to be encourage more. Depending on the nature of the dyslexia. Actually, I think students should learn both most of the time, and that many students who have very good ears who are not dyslexic need a lot of extra work learning to read music unless reading music comes easily to them.

[greta_elisif]

Does anybody else have an early reader who is making such slow progress?

 

Now I think her progress is speeding up. :) I showed her the McGuffey Readers online because I thought she wanted reading lessons, so she got really excited about them and started asking for reading lessons. We tried one of the first readers, and she went so fast, it was too easy for her. With one of the second ones, she slowed down just a little bit. With one of the third ones, she slowed down to a normal pace for a beginner and began to come across regularly, every few sentences for each, words she hadn’t seen before and had to sound out and sometimes have me define them. I want to teach her how to use the dictionary though. I started using the college dictionary at 5, and a few days ago, she looked up “wood” in the unabridged dictionary because she was trying to find out what its color is called. (So cute!) So we’ve been going through both the New 3rd Reader and the Eclectic 3rd reader (for plenty of practice) in parallel, reaching pages 35 and 34, respectively, since about the beginning of summer. I just did some research (posted in a different thread), and determined this is 4th-grade level reading. I’m guessing she will likely end up needing at least 6th-grade reading for kindergarten (What I needed and never got :mad:—matter for a different post.) I have to say I’m extremely proud of her!

[zaichiki]

I had a lot of raw talent for violin and none for reading music (dyslexia....), so the result was that I lost interest and was a very mediocre player.

 

Oh, Reya, that post makes it sound like dyslexia can be the "breaker" for kids who have talent with an instrument. When I read your posts I don't get the sense that you have severe dyslexia.

 

My daughter also has dyslexia, and yet she can read music. At 7, she plays in an orchestra with kids mostly 9 -13 (there are two other 7/8 year olds) and she is not mediocre. It is hard work for her, but she is very motivated, as she LOVES playing her viola.

 

Could it have been the way you were taught to play the violin? My daughter was taught to play by ear first, and began learning to read music two years later. Perhaps your interest and motivation were squashed because learning to read music as a PRIORITY took all the fun away from playing the instrument?

[Laura]

My friend had one read at three and one did not read until 10 she says now you cannot tell which started early BUT she said there were some racy comments on cards in the grocery store which her three/four yo was asking her about. She said that sometimes it was better if she could not read certain words. :) However, I am sure you will enjoy this time. Good news