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Hack&Lube · 12-10-2007, 02:42 PM

The problem I find is that a lot of parents blindly throw their students into mechanical lessons without STIMULATING them at home with music. Young children need to be stimulated with a large amount of music to really inspire them with a passion for music or even an appreciation for it. As the typical Chinese kid, I started Piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I quit when I was 9 out of sheer exhaustion and a total lack of interest in music because all it was to me was stupid notes on a page and hitting keys mechanically under abusive and uninspiring old piano teachers.

A large part of this was that my parents were pretty conservative and had absolutely no music at home, I wasn't exposed to anything musically that really inspired me or gave me that sense of what music really was all about. I never developed an appreciation for music until I hit University (I didn't even listen to popular music or the radio at home before) and now dreadfully regret it because now it's bascially my favorite thing in life...I find myself listening to absolutely everything and really hearing the individual instruments and the people playing them. If I do play piano or guitar today, it's all largely just improvisation or whatever I discover or self teach myself. Lately I've found myself reading about music theory and music history with a real hunger trying to get a grasp of how to actually make music...mostly visual modes and scales on the piano keyboard and guitar fretboard and yet I can't even read actual sheet music anymore.

If I could go back to when I was 10, I would change everything and be a musician today instead of who knows what.

So in the vein of all the other people in this thread, if I ever have a poor kid, he'll be made to learn 2 extra languages (one asian language + one romance language should cover the important parts of the world) and then the piano and the guitar. I'll also be playing all sorts of music around in the house. Music also helps kids with math because it stimulates similar parts of the brain...and when they grow up, it'll help them with the opposite sex (haha).

12-10-2007, 02:42 PM	#12
Hack&Lube Atomic Nerd Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Calgary Exp:	The problem I find is that a lot of parents blindly throw their students into mechanical lessons without STIMULATING them at home with music. Young children need to be stimulated with a large amount of music to really inspire them with a passion for music or even an appreciation for it. As the typical Chinese kid, I started Piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I quit when I was 9 out of sheer exhaustion and a total lack of interest in music because all it was to me was stupid notes on a page and hitting keys mechanically under abusive and uninspiring old piano teachers. A large part of this was that my parents were pretty conservative and had absolutely no music at home, I wasn't exposed to anything musically that really inspired me or gave me that sense of what music really was all about. I never developed an appreciation for music until I hit University (I didn't even listen to popular music or the radio at home before) and now dreadfully regret it because now it's bascially my favorite thing in life...I find myself listening to absolutely everything and really hearing the individual instruments and the people playing them. If I do play piano or guitar today, it's all largely just improvisation or whatever I discover or self teach myself. Lately I've found myself reading about music theory and music history with a real hunger trying to get a grasp of how to actually make music...mostly visual modes and scales on the piano keyboard and guitar fretboard and yet I can't even read actual sheet music anymore. If I could go back to when I was 10, I would change everything and be a musician today instead of who knows what. So in the vein of all the other people in this thread, if I ever have a poor kid, he'll be made to learn 2 extra languages (one asian language + one romance language should cover the important parts of the world) and then the piano and the guitar. I'll also be playing all sorts of music around in the house. Music also helps kids with math because it stimulates similar parts of the brain...and when they grow up, it'll help them with the opposite sex (haha). Last edited by Hack&Lube; 12-10-2007 at 02:56 PM.