Getting to know you question #2

[alison]

I love Joshua Bell. So amazingly good and not flashy at all. Just him and his violin.

[scrub-jay]

I love Joshua Bell. So amazingly good and not flashy at all. Just him and his violin.

I can't get the YouTube link at work, but google the social experiment that he did in a D.C. subway platform. He played for 45 minutes or so and most people failed to stop and listen (except for a few children and one woman who'd seen him play in concert a few days prior). I think he made $30 or so in his case. :O

We love him at our house... dd would've been able to recognize him on sight.

ETA: Sadly, her daycare teachers had no idea who he was, thought he was a TV character they hadn't heard of... *sigh* (I had to also explain who Yo-Yo Ma was because they kept trying to give dd an actual yo-yo and she was getting really frustrated)

[Curegirl]

Julia, Mom taught piano and she was so nice to her other students but so mean with me! That's what I got for living with my teacher...think it was her way of getting back at me for all the annoying things I did like leaving my socks all around the house

[Urowife]

I started piano at age 5, and took lessons until high school. And then I started back up again in college. I also played violin and switched to cello in middle school. I played in the orchestra all through high school. I started playing oboe my senior year of high school and played in college also. I played English Horn in college when there were parts. I LOVE the English Horn. I have also sung in choirs since middle school. I sang in a show choir in high school, and then in a chamber choir in college. Then, when I lived in Madison, I sang with the Madison Symphony chorus for 2.5 years.

We have a digital piano, which I try to play when I have time. I would highly recommend getting a digital piano because you can play with headphones on and not disturb others.

Oh, also, I dabble in guitar.

I'm trying to foster interest in piano in my DD right now and hope to start lessons in a couple years when she is 5.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I lived with 3 music majors one year (2 voice, 1 voice/piano). I would get so frustrated when the piano major would play with headphones. The thud of the keys was so annoying! I finally told her that I enjoyed her playing, and listening to her was much prettier than listening to the keys being depressed

[McPants]

The only instrument I can play is the guitar and I am very poor at it, however I used to sing in rock bands during my high school and college days. I've always loved music.

[Urowife]

Greyhounds - that's funny! I never thought of it that way. I was thinking more about how I can play after the kids go to bed without fear of waking them up! I also found it nice when I lived in an apartment because I could bang away and not disturb my neighbors. But, it is probably really annoying just to hear the thud of the keys

[pfefferminze]

I'm a real music hound, but sadly I don't play any instruments...unless learning to play the recorder in 4th grade with everyone else counts. ;] I love to 'play' my phone, like someone else said here.
I wouldn't mind learning something weird to play, like the spoons! No one would be expecting THAT!

[Meenah]

Turntable, 8-track, cassette, CD, ipod!!!

[peggyfromwastate]

My mom is a musician-- bachelor in clarinet and was a music teacher. She's always played in orchestras and community bands, church choir. She's an oboist now but can play guitars, piano, sax, etc.

Lots of musical pressure growing up. Me-- I played piano until about 5th grade when I bombed a recital. I hated piano. They let me quit finally. I wanted to play soccer, but they wouldn't take me to practices so...

Anyway, in 5th grade I started clarinet lessons. And it was fun-- I did clarinet through junior high and in 9th grade I played tenor sax in the jazz band also. High school you couldn't do sports and band at the same time, so I chose sports.

I don't play anymore but I'm able to read music and help ds with his clarinet playing. Dd16 played clarinet, quit in middle school. Dd11 plays trombone (yay!) and really seems to like it. Ds11 plays clarinet and is good at it but he's lazy and wants to quit.

Anyway. This is the first year where we are doing private lessons for the twins on trombone and clarinet and it's killer-- too expensive-- but they were behind everyone in intermediate band so I wanted them to have a chance to make advanced band next year (they go to disneyland for some concert or something). We shall see...

[diggitydot]

Private lessons can REALLY accelerate skill sets.

[peggyfromwastate]

They have helped immensely dd.

I was surprised by how far behind they were in reading music-- they each had school "instrumental music" one day a week for 2 years. But apparently it really was inadequate compared to what the kids had here!! Anyway they are in the small minority now of kids in the current program who have private lessons. So hopefully they are gaining skills-- I know nothing about trombone so that's why I wanted lessons really. Ds11 is "along for the ride" so to speak, but he's benefiting too.

[Ladybug]

(I had to also explain who Yo-Yo Ma was because they kept trying to give dd an actual yo-yo and she was getting really frustrated)

That is awesome.

[DCJenn]

I took piano lessons for a while but was horrible. NOT bad, horrible. I think it's related to my math problems, to be honest. I can't "read" the music- I can figure it out like I had to do in geometry. Symbols are Symbols after all.

The night we brought the dude home from Russia, we were all spun up and he hadn't slept in 24+ hours. The guy next door started practicing on his piano and that baby was OUT. So, we always played those classical music cds in his room. He loves music and it's hilarious to hear Mozart blasting out of his CD player in his room. (he's also a metal head, loves the blues and jazz, and loves Annie Lennox.

He started piano in kindergarten and does very well. In fact, when he's stressed (or ignoring me) I can see him moving his fingers- he's playing his music in his head.

So, why the piano? I have an acquaintance here who is Second Violin for the SA Symphony and I was telling her that the dude is always conducting and asking about how music is constructed. Even though she's a professional violinist and her kids all play something different, she suggested the piano. The current conductor for the Symphony is also a classical pianist which is kind of interesting.

If he's not in jail, I can see him being a professional musician of some sort. Lego technician seems too lofty of a goal!

J.

[Thirteen]

DH plays the guitar. He has been dabbling with his Strat after DS goes to sleep. He plugs it into a POD, plugs in headphones, and works chords. It's kinda hot...