Nanny Music #33 – what’s in your mind

Tags

Arts, Education, Muscle memory, Music, Shopping, Suzuki, Suzuki method, Teacher

Recently I read an article talking about practicing on instruments, some professor said if you practice with absent mind, the longer you practice the more imprint of the mistakes in your brain, and that makes improvement impossible. No doubt. I know this right from the start and I never asked my children practice a certain amount of time. I just told them to practice the part they can’t manage yet then a few more times to ensure the right way and bring into their muscle memory. if they could practice 5 to 10 times a day, I am happy. I also told them to think of the music and play in their mind when they are in the car and can’t physically play on the instruments. Seems i am with the experts all along.

My children both play fiddle good but they have different styles even learn from same teachers. They heard different things from the same song. When my daughter thinking about long stroke bowing my son is thinking legato in the same phrase of melody. The main thing is they all HEARD the music and they are not just play notes. They play fiddle with passion and expression because they play like that in their mind before they apply it on the instrument.

Practice is to make it better, if you just remember the notes and don’t have the music ringing in your mind, you are just a robot do what you told. Anyone can play notes. soon or later. But the musicians can hear how their music touch the audience before they play. i felt annoyed when a teacher or parent told the kids to wave around when they perform, it is awkward and make them look like clowns. my daughter’s teacher said, just relax and let the music drive your body moving so the audience can feel your enthusiasm. Yes, close your eyes and your music is dancing with you. There is another pianist said when you reach the highest level your body will move less because you are playing through your heart not through your body. I think he is talking about the impulse. Why not teach the kids play from their heart from the very beginning. I heard people applause kids play with squeaky sounds because they thought they are too small to make it sound good. No, they are wrong. Suzuki method teaches kids distinguish the tiny difference between sand and beans sound like in a jar while shaking it. Even a 4 years old can recognize beautiful sounding. All they need is to use the right technique and experiment it when they play instruments.

Feel the music is the best way to practice, when you play beautifully in your mind. Your brain will teach your fingers to play like that. I don’t think my kids ever play squeaky notes even when they were 4 and play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. They are not prodigies, they just really hear and feel the music. a 10 minutes practice in your mind is better than 5 hours sawing on the instruments.

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Nanny Music #32 – What do you do

Tags

Classical music, Compact Disc, Fiddle, Lia, Music, Music education, Teacher, Violin

After the kids won the talent show, someone approach to me and asked who is their teacher. He assumed I will say the names well-known locally. Well, one of their teacher, Calvin Dyck, teaches Lia classical music is a famous musician who owned a doctor degree. But that’s not the reason I chose him for the lessons. He has a very powerful colorful style and uses a fun method to teach. And he loves fiddle music. I was amazed by the detail and expression he brought into music and surely he made a big change to the kids performance. I understands why others always want to know who is the kids’ teacher, most parents want the best for their children and if they can get the same teacher as my kids, they will give their children a jump-start.

My children might be lucky to have different teacher to help them through different stages. Their second classical teacher force them to read music instead of copy him. He also took out the tape on their violin from the previous teacher to train them get in tone by ears and it really open another chapter. Their third teacher speed up their path by introduce fun pieces. And their last teacher is like a martial art master bring them into power and style which are not on the paper. When they were 8 and 9, fiddle master Calvin Vollrath took them in his own class in the fiddle camp, a pioneer step no one else dare to do. he gave them a chance to learn in professional level at very young age.

Yes those good teachers make significant changes. Buy when my son start to teach as charity, Dr Dyck told him, he can’t just teach anyone, but only the one who want to learn. I found out later it is true. But not just about the kid but also the parents. Kai has a couple brilliant students who learn fast. We helped them get a donated violin and drove Kai to their place to teach for free. We suggested them to join the local fiddle club to get in camp free. When all sounded good, their parents kept cancelling lessons because they are busy and they never show up in the camp or club. Why they were asking help and not cooperate with the teacher?

I also heard a friend said her son got MVP but she can’t let him be in the baseball game that summer because they HAVE TO go to their share-time cabin for vacation. What? Anything special happened to my kids maybe the only chance to make a change to their life, what are those parents thinking?

It bothers me when I see kids stand like statures in a fiddle group while others perform because they only know a few songs. The first time my children join the local fiddle club they are just beginners in playing violin. I didn’t let them sit there to watch other’s play. I told them picking up their little violins and follow others’ fingers. in a half year they are winning in contest, getting paid gigs and even recorded with the club in the CD. Do you dare to let your kids try?

To find a good teacher is important but more important is your input for your children. When you complain your kids don’t practice enough, please play some music to let them fall in love with it. When you envy with other kids play better, maybe work with the music teacher a little close, not just drop the kids off for lessons and take off. My daughter heard a Beethoven piece played in the movie, she said it’s so beautiful, I want to play it. So I searched all night on-line to find the sheet music. Do you ever do that? When you kids want to play something harder than the level they are learning, do you encourage them or say you can’t do it? Do you ever let your kids holding a pretend violin to mimic the musician? Do you play music for your kids since they still in the womb? So don’t blame the kids or teacher, check how much did you do.

 

Nanny Music #31-Recycle orchestra and music teachers

Tags

Arts, Asia, Education, lesson, Music, Music education, Music lesson, Teacher

One of Dryden, Ontario’s Landfill’s. This one is located in Barclay. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Because of our own financial problem, I encourage my children to help other kids when they can. since they start to perform at very young age, they have being the volunteer entertainers of Child Run,an annual fundraising event for BC Children Hospital. Now they established a charity program to teach kids from low-income family for free. We always know how hard it is to pay for music lessons and buy instruments as we experienced it ourselves.

Just saw a trail of a documentary film called Landfill Harmonic, a couple of music professors and a luthier is help the poorest kids who live in a landfill city make instruments from trash and teach them to play. They took those amazing sounding young musicians on tour in Europe with their instruments made from garbage. One of the orchestra kids’ father said they make a living by resell the trash, surviving day by day. They don’t have money to buy any instrument or pay music lesson. And his daughter said she can’t live without music. I cried when I heard the outstanding music they played. My guitar teacher who is the best in Asia want to teach me for free too when I was young. I asked him why, he said, because you really want to learn. Unfortunately I couldn’t continue the lessons because of some family issue.

a few days ago a music teacher send me an article written by a music parent who is an economist talking about why music teacher should charge the missing lesson without give out make up lesson. He compare music lesson with swimming lesson, he said, you can’t ask for make up lesson for swimming or university class so you shouldn’t ask make-up music lesson if your kid is sick. he forget one thing swimming lessons and university classes are group lessons if you missed one you can ask your friend, or the instructor to give you a tip or assignment within short time. But music lessons are set for individual, private lessons. Music skill take time to progress and very detail learning in person there is nothing a friend or assignment can catch it up like a make-up lesson will do. Plus in a group lesson the instructor already spend his time with other students, of course it’s not fair for him to spend extra time with single student. But for private music lesson, the teacher won’t need to do anything if the student is not there, so make-up lesson is just move the same amount of time he spend on teaching to different spot. He doesn’t lose anything.

what a contrast, the music professors teaching for free to change lives, and a rich parent want the teacher enjoy his free time when his kid missed a lesson. My family struggle financially, even my kids have some talent and they need a good teacher I can’t afford to pay a lesson not taught. I think the professor in the movie know that and he won’t ask for money from the landfill orchestra. Music teachers need the tuition for living, but get paid even their student is sick or can’t make it to the lesson, umm. I know I want my children to be the music teachers who give to make a change.

Nanny Music #30 – I want that gold

Tags

aladdin, Arts, Bowed Strings, Cello, competition, Jasmine, Lia, Music, Stringed, Violin

Even I just tell her to do her best, this was what Lia told me before the classical violin competition. Turn out she got two gold medals, a bursary and one trophy proves she is the best in the division and the other one to show she had the best quality of performance in the whole competition. And she got invited to the Honours Concert and a chance to compete in the provincial competition. It all start with a ridiculous competition which let cellist compete with violinist judged by an adjudicator knows nothing about cello. No matter how good the cellist is the violin music always sounds harder and more appealing. Lia played cello that time and lost to a violin player who seems not handle the music piece well. She didn’t gave up, and determine to do better in violin competition after that.

The mind power drive her to reach far, not only winning. When she played you can see how the determination pull her whole strength and concentration into the music. You can also see her close her eyes to put her whole mind in the beautiful world of music.

Same mind power get her the first trumpet position in school honor band and the academic honor roll and lead actress in biennial musical play. The perfection she try to reach is much more meaningful to her than all the honors she got. after she got all A’s on the report card she still work very hard on the test. I asked, don’t you get an A on that subject already. She replied,”I want to be better.” Yes, her thirst for perfection is always pushing her forward.

Nanny Music #26 – learn to be a leader

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Arts, conductor, Fiddle, Jam session, Kai, leader, Lia, Music, practice fiddle club, Sight reading, Stringed, Teacher, teaching leader, Violin

Kai joined one of the fiddle club practice without Lia, the club president asked him to lead some tunes. Count in, arrange the pick up, show other member how to play when they are not familiar with the arrangement. Even play harmony for most of the tunes. And there is a moment let my heart skipped a little. She asked Kai to record a tune so others can take it home and learn. The song is not very hard but Kai never heard it before, all he have is the sheet music he get a few minutes before the request. He played perfectly with vibrato just by sight-reading right after the request, the recording is once through. And when he plays harmony by request he make it up on spot too. Hmm, the only other fiddlers who done it before are either teachers or being play like mature player for a long time. Kai is only 14. And no, he is not genius, he learned how to do it from jam session in the fiddle camp, his fiddle buddies.

Sometime, experience come from trying, like Kai learned composition from the camp workshop, and figure things out when he have brain storm jamming with friends., even just doodling around. And you will never know when or where any request will pop out. Like in the club, he need to be a teacher, leader and conductor or composer. I am happy he took the challenge with an ease and enjoyed it too. The main hing is that he is ready, and all the effort worth it.

Nanny music #24 – Sacrifice a little earlier, gain a lot later

Tags

Art, Cello, Classical music, competition, Fiddle, Karate, Lia, Music, Saskatchewan, winning

 

.Playing 4 instruments ( violin, cello, piano trumpet), clogging, karate, it sounds a lot to a kid. But Lia seems manage well. She won first in every fiddle contests from BC to Saskatchewan; got 100% on every tests in school, even got a lead role in her school biannual play. and a music award from jazz band. She is working on getting her brown and black belt in Karate. And she is still have to do some chore in the house.

All these achievements come with a price, she can’t go play with friends as much as she wanted to. Even occasionally she got to hangout with friends and even a sleep over, she know she have to practice every day as a commitment for her future. and the time management skill she got from her busy life is priceless too. She don’t have a “tiger mom” asked her to skip all school activity and family chore to concentrate on main school subjects. She don’t have strict musician parents only allowed classical music or one specific instrument. But all her learning somehow help each instruments and sports. Such as her strength on her fingers from cello playing and symphony practice helped her playing twin fiddle with her brother and winning fiddle contests; the karate discipline taught her working hard in school; and the dance lessons give her the feel of the beat for music.

Is it too much for her age, maybe. But Chinese said “bitter first, sweet later”, ” bear what others won’t, and you’ll gain what others can’t” simply it just “if one won’t work hard when one still young, one will be pathetic when one is old.” The sacrifice of her free time now is already paying off and her future will be limitless if she don’t give up trying.

 

Nanny Music #21-Just Do It

Tags

camp, chance, classical, donation, Fiddle, Music, vibrato, Violin

Lia enjoys to play violin

Here is what Lia’s new classical violin teacher comment on her playing when she’s 12. Lia has a beautiful vibrato. Many would give their right arm for such vibrato. No one knows actually she learn how to do vibrato in a little workshop at fiddle camp the summer when she turn 6. Back then, her classical teacher refused to teach little kids vibrato, even other kids in same level already try it out. One of the violin teacher told me, it will take years to develop the skill. I believes what Mr Suzuki said, everyone can learn music and it’s never too young to start. So when I saw the worksop on the list of the program I encourage her to join. All I hope is she could grasp a slim concept of the technique.There was a lady walked toward me excitedly after the workshop and told me in disbelieve, “She got it. She is only 6 and she got it.” Over these years, her technique developed nicely. And her new teachers were willing to help her to polish it at younger age. But without that specific workshop, she won’t have the chance to learn it early and has the longer time to polish. So When you have the chance grab it

P. S. Please help us. http://www.gofundme.com/9meds our violins have cracks but they are not worth to fix. Please help us get a couple better violins. Spread the words to get sponsors for us

Nanny Music #20 – learning through teaching

Tags

Education, fiddle teacher, Music, Music education, Music theory, Sheet music, Teacher

Image via Wikipedia

Kai got his first fiddle student, a 6 years old little girl who have no music training at all. She is like a blank canvas ready to be painted. Her colourful life depends on Kai’s teaching. Will she like music as much as her first music teacher? Will her music approach go even farther? The sky is unlimited. And Kai definitely will learn how to deal with a mini musician to be, to bring her interest with his violin and bow like a magic wand. Sure the little blank paper will make Kai think and learn to not just be a better player but also a better teacher.

Nanny Music # 19 – Believe in yourself

Tags

Arts, Fiddle, grand master competition, Lia, Music, National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest, Stringed, Violin

There are times judges in the contest don’t like Kai and Lia music style, or give other young fiddler more points because of her smile. But when they join the contest that has best fiddlers from the whole country and best judges who are in the hall of fame. you know it’s the real test. This summer they went through one of this kind of fiddle contest. Kai was the youngest in his category and there are some fiddlers in the same group who are almost winning every contest and were invited to compete in Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Competition. We were not keeping any extra hope or giving up, just wish him do his best. After a year of practice and analyzed the songs, there is not much they can do in a couple of nights except listen to the original recording one more time and double check every equipments. The result, both Kai and Lia won first in all categories they joined.
Despite how good they played, we found that because they were not nervous and able to perform at their best. They were not over pride of themselves, nor intimidated by the other fiddlers. And there you go, they proved what they really can do. Never take one lost too serious is the key to get them going. And always review after contests give them content to improve. Nothing is impossible.

Nanny Music #16- double blast

Tags

Art, Arts, Au pair, Cello, Childcare, Daniel Lapp, Family, Fiddle, Lia, Music, Nanny, Stringed, Violin

Image via Wikipedia

Lia‘s teacher email us an exciting email said, “Lia is really starting to blossom on the cello! She looks like a little pro, which means she is starting to sound like a little pro.” And there is a famous fiddler Daniel Lapp comment on her score sheet in a fiddle contest with one word, ‘Wow!’ Sometime people think she should concentrate learning one instrument, but why? If she can handle both violin and cello and do both in the pro level, why not continue both. quit anyone will be a lost for her. There is time we need to be forced to make choice but do you really want to if you don’t need to?

Even violin and cello are quite different in playing method, the two instruments have some similarities. And Lia is not just manage the differences well, she is also able to take advantage from each instrument to make both sound better. While playing cello make her fingers stronger to play on violin, the lilt style she got from fiddling make her cello playing really stand out. So have double skills isn’t a bad thing, is it?