Nanny Music #27 – Balance life

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Child, Homer Simpson, Lia, Moscow, Nanny, Teacher, Television, United States

Lia told me she would like to learn gymnastic stuff, well, maybe that’s not a good idea to add it in her busy life. One thing I know about gymnastics, balance. Wonder if she can borrow this idea for her learning, or maybe she already implant the idea and using it to organize her schedule. She told me her project has been used as a example to show how a good work can be done  by her school teacher. And she is progressing well in classical music as well as fiddle. She hand out with friends and watch lots TV on the days she is free, and still get As in school, even advanced a grade in math. Um, she seems balance well in all area. That make me think, we are told to get all 5 groups of food to balance our nutrition, why not balance the activity or jobs we do? I never think practice 5 hours a day 7 days a week is good for a musician. As Homer Simpson said, “No beer, No TV make homer crazy.” I will say, all work, no leisure make everyone crazy. Even a musician need some balance in life.

Nanny Music #16- double blast

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

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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?

Nanny Music #14- An Everyday Thing

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Arts, Bowed Strings, Canada, Fiddle, Lia, Music, Nanny, Stringed

Here is what they do before bed. While try to learn a song from Calvin Vollrath (Olympic composer, Canadian fiddle master) video, arguing who got the right notes and who plays the right style, and Kai added:” I am so see Jane jams this with us.” The other day when i asked Kai to practice violin, he replied, ” I want to play Calvin’s tunes.” There is many other days, you would hear Kai or Lia called from the room they practice very excitedly, ” Hear this, I made a new song.” Wherever they saw an instrument they want to try it, no matter it’s in the store or at the green room or even in front of the festival crowd. You will hear Lia plays some classical pieces randomly when she is taking a break between the performance sets, you will see Kai banging on a guitar from friend’s house, or watch them singing in harmony during a car ride even they never get training of it. So how to keep them going? It’s an everyday thing, would be my answer.