My three kids go in all directions music wise- one started out playing fiddle tunes on the guitar when about 10 - he's 16 and thats not what he plays any more - it sounds more like what they were playing when I was 16 ( 1973?) My youngest started on fiddle. Right now they are not into ITM and I'm not into pushing. BUT I have in mind that if and when they get interested they will be DONE with their 7 years of listening, and they will have the music in their head- so I play music when they are captive ( like in the car when they leave the cd's at home). This works I know- I've heard them humming tunes and one time my son said, " Mom, enough polkas already " ( see- he knows a polka when he hears one) - small advances. When I wanted them to get them into music (before ITM ) I used to have a "watch one musical comedy each summer" rule- and now my oldest buys videos for himself.
The question is - any success stories on getting kids interested, and specifically ideas from teens/parents of teens on what music to play that might someday light a fire?
I'm feeling devious- but I actually already told them my plan . Its just that thing that moms do, I think.
Jennifer
Take them to Ireland where they can see kids their own ages and younger playing tunes. Take them to a fleadh or Willie Clancy Week. That's sure to light quite a fire!
Heh, my 14 yearold son plays rock guitar, but he likes Irish trad too--to listen, only. Mostly Lunasa (he thinks Donogh Hennessy *rocks*) and Solas. So it's the guitar work that draws him in, and the bass doesn't hurt--more familiar to his ears than the pure drop (though he's heard plenty of that too).
I'm waiting to see if he asks me to explain all these passing chords and the different rhythms, but so far the only requests I get are to help him figure out Blink 182 riffs. Fine by me.
My parents did absolutely nothing to try to get me interested in ITM. It was just one of those thing that I picked up on my own. They listen to classical music and that's about it, and so that's what I listened to for about my first 13 years. I think that if they had pushed ITM on me, I would not like it as much.
I think that Cara has got the perfect idea. Show them that its not just adults playing ITM, but kids love it too. I was so excited that I almost jumped out of my pants when I found about the Cottars. Just think: people my age in a band like that! Awesome! You could show them the Cottars and Celtic Spring: http://www.miramusic.net/cottars/http://www.celticspringband.com/ And then there are also a couple of young bands on the session. Kelly(seisflutes) has a great sounding teen ITM band, and then there's always me. I have some pictures on my profile of my band if you want to see them. And then show them what Danu has done. They have to love Danu! (who doesn't?) Also, they aren't exactly a young band, but Lunasa plays such lively, driving music; I'm sure that would set a fire going.
Anyway, good luck with getting them interested, I hope all this helps.
No worries - the more they are learning from other kinds of music, the better. If they are to get into ITM, they will at some point anyhoo. But learning other kinds of stuff helps to develop your own personal style and gives deeper understanding in music (yes, how sad to admit, there ARE areas of music not covered by ITM). The most important thing is motivation - everyone should play what... what was that word.. "rocks" them the most.
Hi Jenthur, my two boys - 6 and 8 - only wanted to learn the fiddle after seeing a 9 year old lad at out local festival. They have always liked the music but did not know up till then that it was possible to do it as a child. The school has music tuition and there are pupils that play at assembly etc - but the music they play is not very inspiring. So it was only by seeing children of their age playing that prompted them to want to do it to, so Cara's advice is absolutely sound.
Captive kids - me too! I play tunes while they are in the bath - a tip I read here, can't remember the thread, ( zina?!) and quietly while they are doing their homework. We also have a tune before story time at night.
I know that alot of what I have said does not apply to your kids - I would not be happy with my parents playing me tunes when I was 16 and in the bath!! but can only agree with your wish to guide your children to trad music and not to push them away.
A common theme that seems to pop up in biogs is that folk have initially been turned away from music by bad learning experience's as children - certainly the case for me, I loathed piano for 8 years and only came back to music when someone lent me a fiddle 25 years later. Is it perhaps just a case of showing them what is possible, and encouraging them if they want to have a go?
Jennifer -- You might also want to contact Mary Wood (Celtic Spring) and ask her how she got her kids into ITM. She has six and they all love it. You can get her email from their website: http://celticspringband.com Just tell her I sent you and I'm sure she'll have lots of advice for you. She is very freindly and always loves to encourage people into ITM.
Not sure about teenagers (need a few years yet to find out about that with my children) but I don't believe you can "push" anything. Just being around music (all sorts of music) creates the feeling that music is something they can "do" - something as natural as speaking. My three year old enjoys singing "The Yew Tree" (our band recorded this one recently and the rough mix is in the car CD player), and it really is quite an odd experience hearing a child singing those words! My eldest (6 years old) has got a real interest in writing (sort of) poetry and loves descriptive words. She asked me to set one of her efforts to music the other day and she's thrilled with this miniature song. I've never "pushed" them into playing anything, however. I really don't think you can do that - they have to want to play. I think the best you can do is set the stage and let them explore and find things for themselves.
I have to second Will re Solas and Lunasa - bass lines & percussion make them seem less foreign to a kid raised on American pop music. My daughter (who plays fiddle) has gradually been broadening her playlist to include Altan & Dervish & Bothy 1975, and she even included a cut from Waiting for a Call in her last compilation CD (it's the George IV track, with the bodhran). But mostly, she only listens to solo fiddle to learn tunes.
Truth be told, though, the real lure that moved her from a lukewarm dabbler to a rabid enthusiast, was her discovery of of kids her age, and of young adults, who were playing the music. We're fortunate to live in a town (Boston) that has a large community of young players, but she's also made connections at festivals and fiddle camps.
Can't speak from direct experience of raising kids meself here, but just an observation which (I think) is contrasted to some of the above:
We've had a number of teens-and-younger pass through our learning session and pub session. Currently, I'm thinking of two teens who are regulars.
One's a tune-hound, one's a "learn just a few tunes but arrange them in perfect pure-drop settings" type. One loves the pub session and the crack that goes with it, the other likes the session but is really a solo player. The solo player, who comes from a background of youth symphony (actually, they both share that) and Scottish fiddling, has pinned back the ears of both Randal Bays and James Kelly. In fact, we have a standing rhetorical question wherein, after this young man has just played another beautiful John Doherty or Joe Ryan setting, someone will ask "OK, who died 17 years ago"? The pub session player, who's from a very conservative Baptist background, nevertheless has wonderful parents who have facilitated her in attending the learning session, the pub session, and eventually ZoukFest. This is a bright young woman who's sussed out that just because a lot of people at sessions engage in behaviors that she's been taught to avoid (booze, weed, drinking, casual sex), she needn't avoid the sessions themselves. This reinforced by parents who recognize that a kid who's that engrossed in a creative, non-self-destructive activity should be encouraged, not interrogated.
In my limited observation, our young players are attracted by the social dynamic. Certainly that's one of the reasons we love having them at the session: with an age range of 4 (youngest step-dancer) through teen, young adult, cranky adult, and oldster, it's one of the only community activities I know that cuts across age groups. Very inspiring, and ultimately moving, to have the opportunity to create positive energy in a young person's life.
If someone had introduced Irish music to me when I was 13, my head would have exploded (in a good way). I'm luck I encountered it at 16, anyway.
Get them listening to as much different trad music as you can.
Promise them a workshop or two if they stick at it.
Hopefully that will encourage them to practise on their own.
I first met Kane O'Rourke in a pub in Greenwich, when he was 14 (needless to say he wasn't drinking!), and he played some lovely whistle even then. It wasn't for maybe another year till I heard him play fiddle - and he was a class player even at 15. Now he is superb, one of the best around. His main playing partner, Christian Vaughan-Spruce zoomed through his piano grades at an unnaturally young age, but wasn't till a bit later that he switched to traditional music.
We've occasionally had other talented kids come along to our sessions. One is a wee lad called Freddie (don't know his surname, but his fiddle playing is Mercurial). Another was last week a young lad (13) who played synth with pan pipes voice (YUECHH), but when he left that and picked up the piano box his playing was exquisite. It will be interesting to see how they develop in years to come. Closer to home, my girl (12) is on grade 2 piano, and has recently been getting violin (as opposed to fiddle!) lessons at school. As yet, she hasn't expressed much interest in traditional music, and I have to hold back my enthusiasm lest it be misinterpreted as "pushing", which, with Young Madame, would be counterproductive.
A subject very near and dear to my heart, as I have two teens living under my roof -- well, when they're not off gallivanting with friends and acquaintances, that is.
My wife and I exposed them to folk music, trad and contemporary, all through their childhood, whether by taking them to festivals and concerts or just bringing out our instruments every so often. I'm also a morris dancer, so bringing them along to my team's performances also helped nurture their awareness of traditional music. In fact, my older girl, who's 16, joined a kids' morris team when she was 9 and has been at it ever since.
Still, neither of them seemed particularly inclined to take a real interest in music, i.e., _playing_ it instead of just being a passive listener. But that's changed in recent years: Older daughter began monkeying around with my wife's guitar and has assembled a small repertoire of songs by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Liz Phair and Dar Williams, to name a few; younger daughter, meanwhile, focused on developing a singing voice instead of just merely aping the Britneys and Beyonces.
So what does this have to do with ITM? Well, point is, my wife and I may have gently nudged but never pushed either one of our kids toward that genre. But now, our older girl is actually beginning to develop a certain awareness, even appreciation for trad folk. The key: In our area, there are a ton of contra dances and other such dance/musical activities for families, and so she has made a lot of friends and acquaintances her age who have steered her toward different kinds of performers. Hey, just being out on a dance floor has enabled her to hear some terrific fiddlers, accordionists, pianists, etc., and some great tunes. Every now and then, she recognizes a jig or reel I'm playing because she's heard it at a dance.
I guess I try not to get overly excited or make a big deal of it if I discover my kid(s) is/are interested in a performer or band I like. I might just leave a CD or LP by their side and say, "I heard you listening to them the other day, so thought you might like this..."
You don't necessarily lead them _all_ the way to the water, but perhaps point in the general direction of the stream.
(Have to share some more thoughts/experiences on teens and ITM)
As I mentioned in my earlier reply, our area is rife with dance and music activities that incorporate a number of folk traditions. So I notice that a lot of the kids in our circle who play an instrument are apt to have a broad repertoire: Irish, Scottish, contra dance, French-Canadien, English country dance tunes, even some from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. Most likely, they'll focus on developing their prowess in one or two of these traditions, but they really do seem to like the variety. (Which is fine with me -- there's this one friend of my older daughter who has a store of Bulgarian tunes I'd love to try learning or accompanying)
Another thing which is important to the teen musicians is that they have opportunities to play or perform as peers with adult musicians -- rather than being trotted out as cute entertainment. Most of the regular sessions accept them as "one of the gang," and try not to make them feel self-conscious ("Oh, and now, everyone, Colleen here is going to try a reel! COME ONE COLLEEN!").
A few months ago, I got a call from a 16-yr-old fiddler who is a friend of my daughter, asking me if I'd like to join her and another adult in playing tunes at an open house-type event. It was all pretty informal and casual -- we did get together once to rehearse before the event -- but she definitely took a leadership role in suggesting which tunes we might play and how they could be grouped into sets. I truly think this made the experience all the more enjoyable for her; she felt that the other adult musician and I valued her opinion and judgement, which after all we did.
Love them because THATS what moms do.
Encourage them, and give opportunities.
But don't make them do it if they don't want to - if you make them do it, and they rebel against that, you can build a life of pain.
You CAN make kids mow the grass or tidy their rooms, cos thats basic life skills, but you can't dictate what art forms they must or must not like.
Look back over threads here and see how many people here were MADE to play classical, but got out cos they didn't like it. It's not necessarily that the classical was bad, its being MADE to do it.
What I have outlined is the way I have done it. My two are now 18 and 20. The lad, 18, is a keen ITM sessionist. The girl, 20, is becoming a competent jazz pianist and songwriter whilst doing a degree in Music. She doesn't play much in the way of ITM, but she loves what she does and is making her life in it - so that's me happy.
The gentle guiding method is the way to go for sure. Their dad is into soccer- and they play even if they don't want to- let that be the pushing mistake here. I have remember how often I am captive when they play THEIR music- the youngest listens to rappers - I listen with her sometimes and try not to make faces.
I wish we had all the dances etc around - mostly Country music around here ( which they also don't like)
I'll have to dig through my CD's - I've got some of these but will check out all the new ones . THanks all, Jennifer
Teenagers and ITM
Teenagers and ITM
My three kids go in all directions music wise- one started out playing fiddle tunes on the guitar when about 10 - he's 16 and thats not what he plays any more - it sounds more like what they were playing when I was 16 ( 1973?) My youngest started on fiddle. Right now they are not into ITM and I'm not into pushing. BUT I have in mind that if and when they get interested they will be DONE with their 7 years of listening, and they will have the music in their head- so I play music when they are captive ( like in the car when they leave the cd's at home). This works I know- I've heard them humming tunes and one time my son said, " Mom, enough polkas already " ( see- he knows a polka when he hears one) - small advances. When I wanted them to get them into music (before ITM ) I used to have a "watch one musical comedy each summer" rule- and now my oldest buys videos for himself.
The question is - any success stories on getting kids interested, and specifically ideas from teens/parents of teens on what music to play that might someday light a fire?
I'm feeling devious- but I actually already told them my plan . Its just that thing that moms do, I think.
Jennifer
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by Jenthur
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Take them to Ireland where they can see kids their own ages and younger playing tunes. Take them to a fleadh or Willie Clancy Week. That's sure to light quite a fire!
cara
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by carafiddle
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Heh, my 14 yearold son plays rock guitar, but he likes Irish trad too--to listen, only. Mostly Lunasa (he thinks Donogh Hennessy *rocks*) and Solas. So it's the guitar work that draws him in, and the bass doesn't hurt--more familiar to his ears than the pure drop (though he's heard plenty of that too).
I'm waiting to see if he asks me to explain all these passing chords and the different rhythms, but so far the only requests I get are to help him figure out Blink 182 riffs. Fine by me.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by Will CPT
Re: Teenagers and ITM
My parents did absolutely nothing to try to get me interested in ITM. It was just one of those thing that I picked up on my own. They listen to classical music and that's about it, and so that's what I listened to for about my first 13 years. I think that if they had pushed ITM on me, I would not like it as much.
I think that Cara has got the perfect idea. Show them that its not just adults playing ITM, but kids love it too. I was so excited that I almost jumped out of my pants when I found about the Cottars. Just think: people my age in a band like that! Awesome! You could show them the Cottars and Celtic Spring: http://www.miramusic.net/cottars/ http://www.celticspringband.com/ And then there are also a couple of young bands on the session. Kelly(seisflutes) has a great sounding teen ITM band, and then there's always me.
I have some pictures on my profile of my band if you want to see them. And then show them what Danu has done. They have to love Danu! (who doesn't?) Also, they aren't exactly a young band, but Lunasa plays such lively, driving music; I'm sure that would set a fire going.
Anyway, good luck with getting them interested, I hope all this helps.
-Max
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by Max Becher
Re: Teenagers and ITM
What he said. : )
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by seisflutes
Re: Teenagers and ITM
No worries - the more they are learning from other kinds of music, the better. If they are to get into ITM, they will at some point anyhoo. But learning other kinds of stuff helps to develop your own personal style and gives deeper understanding in music (yes, how sad to admit, there ARE areas of music not covered by ITM). The most important thing is motivation - everyone should play what... what was that word.. "rocks" them the most.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by EastPole
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Hi Jenthur, my two boys - 6 and 8 - only wanted to learn the fiddle after seeing a 9 year old lad at out local festival. They have always liked the music but did not know up till then that it was possible to do it as a child. The school has music tuition and there are pupils that play at assembly etc - but the music they play is not very inspiring. So it was only by seeing children of their age playing that prompted them to want to do it to, so Cara's advice is absolutely sound.
Captive kids - me too! I play tunes while they are in the bath - a tip I read here, can't remember the thread, ( zina?!) and quietly while they are doing their homework. We also have a tune before story time at night.
I know that alot of what I have said does not apply to your kids - I would not be happy with my parents playing me tunes when I was 16 and in the bath!! but can only agree with your wish to guide your children to trad music and not to push them away.
A common theme that seems to pop up in biogs is that folk have initially been turned away from music by bad learning experience's as children - certainly the case for me, I loathed piano for 8 years and only came back to music when someone lent me a fiddle 25 years later. Is it perhaps just a case of showing them what is possible, and encouraging them if they want to have a go?
Good luck
Steve.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by clunk999
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Jennifer -- You might also want to contact Mary Wood (Celtic Spring) and ask her how she got her kids into ITM. She has six and they all love it. You can get her email from their website: http://celticspringband.com Just tell her I sent you and I'm sure she'll have lots of advice for you. She is very freindly and always loves to encourage people into ITM.
-Max
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by Max Becher
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Not sure about teenagers (need a few years yet to find out about that with my children) but I don't believe you can "push" anything. Just being around music (all sorts of music) creates the feeling that music is something they can "do" - something as natural as speaking. My three year old enjoys singing "The Yew Tree" (our band recorded this one recently and the rough mix is in the car CD player), and it really is quite an odd experience hearing a child singing those words! My eldest (6 years old) has got a real interest in writing (sort of) poetry and loves descriptive words. She asked me to set one of her efforts to music the other day and she's thrilled with this miniature song. I've never "pushed" them into playing anything, however. I really don't think you can do that - they have to want to play. I think the best you can do is set the stage and let them explore and find things for themselves.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by Mark Harmer
Re: Teenagers and ITM
I have to second Will re Solas and Lunasa - bass lines & percussion make them seem less foreign to a kid raised on American pop music. My daughter (who plays fiddle) has gradually been broadening her playlist to include Altan & Dervish & Bothy 1975, and she even included a cut from Waiting for a Call in her last compilation CD (it's the George IV track, with the bodhran). But mostly, she only listens to solo fiddle to learn tunes.
Truth be told, though, the real lure that moved her from a lukewarm dabbler to a rabid enthusiast, was her discovery of of kids her age, and of young adults, who were playing the music. We're fortunate to live in a town (Boston) that has a large community of young players, but she's also made connections at festivals and fiddle camps.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by pm
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Can't speak from direct experience of raising kids meself here, but just an observation which (I think) is contrasted to some of the above:
We've had a number of teens-and-younger pass through our learning session and pub session. Currently, I'm thinking of two teens who are regulars.
One's a tune-hound, one's a "learn just a few tunes but arrange them in perfect pure-drop settings" type. One loves the pub session and the crack that goes with it, the other likes the session but is really a solo player. The solo player, who comes from a background of youth symphony (actually, they both share that) and Scottish fiddling, has pinned back the ears of both Randal Bays and James Kelly. In fact, we have a standing rhetorical question wherein, after this young man has just played another beautiful John Doherty or Joe Ryan setting, someone will ask "OK, who died 17 years ago"? The pub session player, who's from a very conservative Baptist background, nevertheless has wonderful parents who have facilitated her in attending the learning session, the pub session, and eventually ZoukFest. This is a bright young woman who's sussed out that just because a lot of people at sessions engage in behaviors that she's been taught to avoid (booze, weed, drinking, casual sex), she needn't avoid the sessions themselves. This reinforced by parents who recognize that a kid who's that engrossed in a creative, non-self-destructive activity should be encouraged, not interrogated.
In my limited observation, our young players are attracted by the social dynamic. Certainly that's one of the reasons we love having them at the session: with an age range of 4 (youngest step-dancer) through teen, young adult, cranky adult, and oldster, it's one of the only community activities I know that cuts across age groups. Very inspiring, and ultimately moving, to have the opportunity to create positive energy in a young person's life.
If someone had introduced Irish music to me when I was 13, my head would have exploded (in a good way). I'm luck I encountered it at 16, anyway.
chris smith
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by coyotebanjo
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Get them listening to as much different trad music as you can.
Promise them a workshop or two if they stick at it.
Hopefully that will encourage them to practise on their own.
# Posted on December 2nd 2003 by geoffwright
Re: Teenagers and ITM
I first met Kane O'Rourke in a pub in Greenwich, when he was 14 (needless to say he wasn't drinking!), and he played some lovely whistle even then. It wasn't for maybe another year till I heard him play fiddle - and he was a class player even at 15. Now he is superb, one of the best around. His main playing partner, Christian Vaughan-Spruce zoomed through his piano grades at an unnaturally young age, but wasn't till a bit later that he switched to traditional music.
We've occasionally had other talented kids come along to our sessions. One is a wee lad called Freddie (don't know his surname, but his fiddle playing is Mercurial). Another was last week a young lad (13) who played synth with pan pipes voice (YUECHH), but when he left that and picked up the piano box his playing was exquisite. It will be interesting to see how they develop in years to come. Closer to home, my girl (12) is on grade 2 piano, and has recently been getting violin (as opposed to fiddle!) lessons at school. As yet, she hasn't expressed much interest in traditional music, and I have to hold back my enthusiasm lest it be misinterpreted as "pushing", which, with Young Madame, would be counterproductive.
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Teenagers and ITM
A subject very near and dear to my heart, as I have two teens living under my roof -- well, when they're not off gallivanting with friends and acquaintances, that is.
My wife and I exposed them to folk music, trad and contemporary, all through their childhood, whether by taking them to festivals and concerts or just bringing out our instruments every so often. I'm also a morris dancer, so bringing them along to my team's performances also helped nurture their awareness of traditional music. In fact, my older girl, who's 16, joined a kids' morris team when she was 9 and has been at it ever since.
Still, neither of them seemed particularly inclined to take a real interest in music, i.e., _playing_ it instead of just being a passive listener. But that's changed in recent years: Older daughter began monkeying around with my wife's guitar and has assembled a small repertoire of songs by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Liz Phair and Dar Williams, to name a few; younger daughter, meanwhile, focused on developing a singing voice instead of just merely aping the Britneys and Beyonces.
So what does this have to do with ITM? Well, point is, my wife and I may have gently nudged but never pushed either one of our kids toward that genre. But now, our older girl is actually beginning to develop a certain awareness, even appreciation for trad folk. The key: In our area, there are a ton of contra dances and other such dance/musical activities for families, and so she has made a lot of friends and acquaintances her age who have steered her toward different kinds of performers. Hey, just being out on a dance floor has enabled her to hear some terrific fiddlers, accordionists, pianists, etc., and some great tunes. Every now and then, she recognizes a jig or reel I'm playing because she's heard it at a dance.
I guess I try not to get overly excited or make a big deal of it if I discover my kid(s) is/are interested in a performer or band I like. I might just leave a CD or LP by their side and say, "I heard you listening to them the other day, so thought you might like this..."
You don't necessarily lead them _all_ the way to the water, but perhaps point in the general direction of the stream.
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by sts
(Have to share some more thoughts/experiences on teens and ITM)
As I mentioned in my earlier reply, our area is rife with dance and music activities that incorporate a number of folk traditions. So I notice that a lot of the kids in our circle who play an instrument are apt to have a broad repertoire: Irish, Scottish, contra dance, French-Canadien, English country dance tunes, even some from Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. Most likely, they'll focus on developing their prowess in one or two of these traditions, but they really do seem to like the variety. (Which is fine with me -- there's this one friend of my older daughter who has a store of Bulgarian tunes I'd love to try learning or accompanying)
Another thing which is important to the teen musicians is that they have opportunities to play or perform as peers with adult musicians -- rather than being trotted out as cute entertainment. Most of the regular sessions accept them as "one of the gang," and try not to make them feel self-conscious ("Oh, and now, everyone, Colleen here is going to try a reel! COME ONE COLLEEN!").
A few months ago, I got a call from a 16-yr-old fiddler who is a friend of my daughter, asking me if I'd like to join her and another adult in playing tunes at an open house-type event. It was all pretty informal and casual -- we did get together once to rehearse before the event -- but she definitely took a leadership role in suggesting which tunes we might play and how they could be grouped into sets. I truly think this made the experience all the more enjoyable for her; she felt that the other adult musician and I valued her opinion and judgement, which after all we did.
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by sts
Re: Teenagers and ITM
Jen
Love them because THATS what moms do.
Encourage them, and give opportunities.
But don't make them do it if they don't want to - if you make them do it, and they rebel against that, you can build a life of pain.
You CAN make kids mow the grass or tidy their rooms, cos thats basic life skills, but you can't dictate what art forms they must or must not like.
Look back over threads here and see how many people here were MADE to play classical, but got out cos they didn't like it. It's not necessarily that the classical was bad, its being MADE to do it.
What I have outlined is the way I have done it. My two are now 18 and 20. The lad, 18, is a keen ITM sessionist. The girl, 20, is becoming a competent jazz pianist and songwriter whilst doing a degree in Music. She doesn't play much in the way of ITM, but she loves what she does and is making her life in it - so that's me happy.
Just love them and guide them, but don't push.
cheers
Dave
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by showaddydadito
Re: Teenagers and ITM
i reckon the best way is to introduce them 2 bands like lunasa or flook and def take them 2 willie week thats wat won me over!!
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by Hook
Re: Teenagers and ITM
The gentle guiding method is the way to go for sure. Their dad is into soccer- and they play even if they don't want to- let that be the pushing mistake here. I have remember how often I am captive when they play THEIR music- the youngest listens to rappers - I listen with her sometimes and try not to make faces.
I wish we had all the dances etc around - mostly Country music around here ( which they also don't like)
I'll have to dig through my CD's - I've got some of these but will check out all the new ones . THanks all, Jennifer
# Posted on December 3rd 2003 by Jenthur