I took violin lessons for 7 years, and piano lessons for 16 years. Japanese mom FTW!
Did you take piano lessons growing up? And on the subject, do you think you'll have your LO take lessons?
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@mrbee: Did you like taking lessons?
I quit piano for soccer and dance, but I wish I kept it up. Hubs and his siblings all play something though and we're hoping Wombat will want to play something too.
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@themcmom: Whether or not I liked it was not a factor in taking piano/violin lessons... you are legally required to take piano lessons if you are of Asian decent. True story.
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I started piano at age three (although not Asian - but I did start with the Suzuki method) - and quit officially around age 20. I do own a piano and will force my son to take lessons starting around age 2-3. I played the violin and flute as well, but both were short lived. I think piano lessons teach children so much.
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Yep. When I was 10 I told my dad that I wanted to play the flute. So he said that if I took piano lessons for a year I could (because it would prove to him that I was comitted and I would learn to read music in the process). I did it, and then I got my flute
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@mrbee: totally agree. i was forced to take lessons for 7 years until my mom finally let me quit!
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@mrbee: Wow. Too bad I can't use "you'll go to jail if you don't play piano," on Wombat.
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wow, @mrbee - that's dedication - even if your mom forced you - 16 years???
i took the obligatory piano lessons, but my mom let me quit after a few years - can't remember how long i took it for.
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@tequiero21: I ended up competing in piano competitions.. it was a whole thing.
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I took piano lessons for 1 month and begged my mom to let me quit. Took a lot of crying but she gave in (she's not a typical Japanese mom...she couldnt stand up to my stubbornness)
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I took 12 years of violin... similar to Mr. Bee, I had no choice in the matter! Finally when I was a senior in high school, I made the "executive decision" to quit the violin, and boy were my parents MAD! But they realized by then that they couldn't force me to continue any longer. I can barely hack away at Twinkle Twinkle these days... sad. 12 years down the drain!
I also took 8 years of voice lessons, but I definitely wanted those!
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@mynoahbear: Impressed you were able to get out of piano after only a month!
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I took many, many years of violin and even taught lessons for a little while before finally officially quitting.
I will definitely have our LO take piano lessons, probably starting around 2 or 3. Its so much easier for them to soak stuff up when they are younger (we plan to start early with languages too), and I figure with piano, they will have to learn to read 2 musical clefs, so if they want to transition to a different instrument later on, perhaps they will have a leg-up since they will already be able to read music.
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I took (emphasis on this word) *keyboard* lessons. Haha. My Mom wasn't willing to add a piano to a family that she knew was MUCH less than musically inclined. I played the clarinet for one year and the violin for another (when we had to play an instrument for school. Let's just say, the instruments left the house pretty quickly after we were done with those classes...
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Ay yi yi, @mrbee. I would have gone nutso if I had been made to play an instrument that long!! What happens if the child just...isn't...very...good??
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I took piano for quite awhile, I don't remember quite how long. I never got to the competitive level though and now it's frustrating for me to play, but I definitely still can.
I was in the band in high school and college. I played flute for 12 years and mellophone for 3.
I think it's good to at least have a small background in music even if you're not that good. It takes quite awhile (years) to actually get just decent.
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@mrbee: very impressive. i bet you could make bee swoon over your playing!
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I played piano for 13 years. I was so fed up at the age of 19 that I quit one month before my last piano exam...Without telling my parents. My mother didn't speak to me for weeks. But I appreciated music lessons. My daughter WILL play an instrument - just not sure what. Maybe the cello?
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Yup, I did, probably for like 1-2 years. I was not really in to it though...my parents pushed me into the lessons, but then let me quit when I never really developed an interest in it.
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We had a piano and I always wished I knew how to play it. I never took lessons. My cousin did and she hated practicing.
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I begged my mom to let me take piano when I was 5. I'll probably teach my daughter when she's younger and if she's interested she can take lessons as she gets older. Right now I think she will since she sits in her high chair and bangs away on the piano.
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Yes I took lessons from age 9 until I was 16. I haven't played in so long now, I hope I can still remember how.
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@mrbee: haha "you are legally required to take piano lessons if you are of Asian decent".... I can contest to this! I was in for 10 years of piano lessons!
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@enjollah: Well played, ten years is the legal minimum.
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I took lessons for about 5 years. I never liked it much though because my brother was naturally much better at it and that made me mad! I do intend to put my children in piano lessons early. Hubs isn't super on board because his parents didn't have them play any instruments but I didn't really give an option on the matter.
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Luckily, I did not have to take piano lessons.
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Duh, I am Asian.
My mom let me quit after 7 years, though, as she saw I hated it so much and it was getting pointless to pay for the lessons. I won't force my daughter into playing piano specifically. I'll see what she is interested in.
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No, but I did take ballet lessons for 11 years. My goal as to get to pointe, so while ballet wasn't a love affair for me, I enjoyed it for the most part and really miss it now.
I wish my parents had made me take actual musical lessons, I missed the boat on that one- I tried to take up the trumpet in high school, but was way too far behind to read music well and was so awful I'm guessing a little tone deaf too.
Our kids will definitely have to take some type of musical lesson at younger ages, then they can switch to another activity/instrument when they find their passion.
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@lemondrop: Dance was my big thing too! Ballet, jazz and modern. And then I broke my foot right before I was supposed to go on pointe! I quit because I didn't want to wait to get my ankle strength back once my foot healed. I regret it all the time.
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I've always wanted to take piano lesson but never had the time. I definitely want my children to learn.
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I did. I hated practicing so I was pretty bad. But I grew up to play the tuba in middle and high school, and hubby played sax throughout college.
So I'm hoping she plays some instrument... I'd love for it to be a baritone sax, as a good compromise between our instruments.
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I took piano lessons for a good 10 years. I never really liked it and I forgot everything I learned. -.- i feel bad for wasting my parents' hard earned money..
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No, but I really wanted to! But the money wasn't available.
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I took piano lessons for three years and then quit. My brother is the musical prodigy. He ended up taking piano lessons for one year longer and then taught himself the rest... he also learned how to play drums, guitar, bass, etc. all on his own.
DH and my plan is to throw the kids into all sorts of different lessons, sports, activities, and then let them decide the 2 or 3 things they like most and want to focus on. I'd rather them focus on a few then be a jack of all trades with no real skill!
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Not piano but violin. I quit when I was 17. I would love to take piano lessons now...and just might
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I took piano lessons for about 10 years and I'm so glad that I did. Along the way I've also picked up the flute, guitar, ukulele and a little banjo.
I do plan to put my child in piano lessons and I hope they love it like I do, but if they absolutely hate it I suppose there's no need for me to waste my money. If they are interested in instruments other than piano of course I would be completely open to that as well, although I think piano knowledge provides a very good foundation for learning other instruments.
Or, perhaps they won't be interested in music at all. I hope they are though.
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I have a Japanese mom, too, and yes, I played the piano. Not as long as Mr. Bee, however but a for about 7 years. Mom finally gave up when she realized I had no interest in it whatsoever.... hated practicing! Still remember the basic scales and notes, though
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I wanted to so bad as a kid. But living way out where I grew up it was not really an option and there was nothing or no one near by. I did not play any inst. just choir. DH on the other hand played a few dif inst. Our children WILL. The previous owners of our house left a piano for us because they could not take it with them (sad story about the piano and what it meant to this lady). DH can play some, and talked to her about how he wants to teach his DD, so she left it for us being happy her paino would "live on" in another family.
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@mrbee: bahahahaha! Seriously, I'm sitting at my desk trying not to laugh to loud so that my fellow cubedwellers don't think I'm crazy.
I played for 10ish years and I did the competitions too, and let me tell you, the young men of Asian decent ALWAYS kicked my @$$ in those competitions. I was a terrible music reader, but have a great ear, so I could learn a peice by hearing it better than by reading the music.
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I didn't! Looking back, I so wish I had! We even had a beautiful piano in our formal living room
I would love for my DD to play!
I would love for my DD to play!
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