These reviews by Fred Koch appeared in the September, 2006 issue of "Chicago Parent Magazine." Reviewed in this
column:
|
| Q: I have a 7-year-old who is fairly new to music,
having taken one group session of piano lessons and now private half-hour
piano lessons. She wants to take violin at school this fall because a
good friend is taking it, but she is really enjoying piano and her teacher
says she is doing very well. Would it be OK to have her learn to play
both instruments as long as she has time to practice, or should she just
stick with one? A: I believe that if we listen intently to our children, we will know the right course to take. I am also a firm believer in supporting kids when they show any interest in pursuing music-for whatever reason. Anything that ignites the motivation to play music is a good thing. Will it last? Who knows, but again, I am of the mind to seize the opportunity and support her interest to play the violin. Is it too much to have a child study piano and violin? Not at all, especially if you have wonderful, child-centered teachers who make learning a joyful and meaningful experience. Good music teachers find ways to make natural connections between the piano and violin. Simple things, such as learning to play the melody of a piano piece on the violin-once the student can move between strings and has basic bow technique or transferring scales and exercises learned on the violin to the piano. You will find that her study of the piano only enhances and supports her study of the violin. So yes, I think it would it be great to have her take both instruments as long as she has time to practice. The key is the teacher. There will be ups and downs as you tackle the issue of practice, but this is to be expected, and it is completely normal for kids to go through hot and cold spells. The important thing here is to ride them out and start to understand when to use rewards and when to help your child realize the benefits of learning to play an instrument. This is a great opportunity to once again tell everyone about the book Raising Musical Kids-A Guide for Parents, by Robert A. Cutietta (Oxford University Press, 2001). There is no shortage of how-to-help-your-children-with-music books out there for parents. I have seen many of them, but this is still my favorite and I highly recommend it for parents who have questions about raising musical kids. Fred's CD pick of the month BEETHOVEN'S WIG 3 - MANY MORE SING ALONG SYMPHONIES, by Richard Perlmutter, Rounder Records, www.beethovenswig.com; ages 5-10. Richard Perlmutter has done it again. "Beethoven's Wig 3" is a feast for the ears. If you are not familiar with this wildly successful, Grammy-nominated CD series (and now, book, too), the basic concept is that Perlmutter adds lyrics to familiar orchestral masterpieces. The zaniness started on the first CD with "Beethoven's wig is very big" sung to the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. As a parent and music educator, I am impressed by the specific purpose behind "Beethoven's Wig 3." The 16 musical pieces were chosen because they feature particular instruments as soloists, in small groups or part of the full orchestra. The lyrics are often hilarious and designed to support and enhance the music. For instance, this CD starts out with Bizet's "Toreador Song" from "Carmen" with the lyrics "Please keep your bull outside the china shop/no bulls allowed/that's where they stop." And "Elephant" from "Carnival of the Animals," which spotlights the bass, is turned into the song "A Manly Man" with a crooning '50s doo-wop vocal arrangement. The CD is filled with great music, including a lesser-known Beethoven piece written expressly for the mandolin along with well-known classics such as the William Tell Overture (Rossini), "Dance of the Reed Flutes" from "The Nutcracker Suite" (Tchaikovsky) and Tocata and Fugue in D minor (Bach) just to name a few. As with all of the Beethoven's Wig CDs, interesting historical background information is included in the CD booklet for each piece. And following the 16 vocal tracks are the 16 orchestral pieces as instrumental-only versions. Be sure to go to the Web site, www.beethovenswig.com, to hear clips of the tracks and to find out more about the earlier releases. Go Back to Top Fred Koch lives in Lake Bluff with his wife and son and is an award-winning music educator, children's musician and producer. His Web site, www.BestChildrensMusic.com, helps parents, teachers and librarians select quality children's music. The Web site also includes an archive of all Koch's past reviews published in Chicago Parent. Please e-mail notes and comments to fred@bestchildrensmusic.com.
|