If your dc play or played more than 2 instruments, could you talk to me please?

Dd plays 3 instruments. Also does a very demanding sport plus other activities.

We have eased up on the music exams so that she is only doing grade exams on one instrument. The other two she plays for pleasure. She is in the school orchestra, a school band, and has her own band.

I have let her set her own pace and she knows she can choose to have a rest from an activity if she needs to. She is doing GCSE music, and TBH, her instruments are a form of relaxation for her. Maybe let your dd have a go, but make it a condition that if she finds it too much, she has a break for a while.

My Year 8 DD does violin, viola and guitar, all at Grade 5 and above. On a weekly basis she has lessons for all the above plus she has quartet/orchestra at school and externally on Saturday mornings.

For non music fun she goes to an athletics club twice a week plus does netball after school.

She goes to a very academic school so plenty of homework. So its not as if GCSE is going to add any additional time pressures in a few years time.

So, it is do-able :-)

The fact that your extra instrument is the viola makes the decision easier since it only requires a minor adjustment in technique if one already plays the violin. So it's not like there is a great learning curve.

ZZZenAgain.

I'm not sure yet about GCSE's. If she wants to go to school to take them its up to her, or we'll carry on with H.ed. Its a long time off yet and they can change their minds. If she is still determined for a career in music I can't see why more than 3 or 4 would be necessary for conservatoire entry. The exams in music and dance that she will have taken by the time of college entry will cover 3/4 of the required UCAS points.

Hi.
I have only just found this but FWIW my dd 8 plays 4 instruments and also dances (5 classes) now I know this is not the answer for many but we gave up school to allow her to practice and she does this throughout the morning. She is very single minded and knows she wants to be a musician and dancing is her hobby. She was so shattered last year and missed alot of school through performances, competitions and rehearsals that she decided it was what she wanted to do. It is very time consuming and costly as you will probably know already. I just thought I'd share the other end of the spectrum. She is loving it now and is coming on in leaps and bounds, we don't have to say no to anything musical now and she can join as many ensembles as she likes. If she was still in school it wouldn't have been possible to keep the 4 instruments to be honest.

How about putting it to your child like this:

Once she proves she is a really strong swimmer then you would have no hesitation in trading the cost and time of the swimming lessons for a trial run of viola lessons.

Given the instrument i'd agree with giving it a go informally. If she likes it and ends up wanting to take it further, there may be more opportunity to get into good amateur groups, or progress professionally on viola, as there are fewer players.

Otherwise I'd say think ahead to GCSE years when she will need more time for school work and may need to drop something else. Maybe she has a few years now to establish a grounding she can draw upon later but be careful about her not being able to see the wood for the trees and making short-term choices with long term effects e.g. I think keeping up an orchestral instrument is an investment in social opportunities as an adult that piano generally does not offer.

I am a viola player. Still play violin, but took up the viola when I was about grade 5 violin. I can still play both. They are so similar. I fell in love with my violin teachers viola & after buying a cheap one did alternate lessons with him on both. You shouldn't need a seperate teacher at this stage & they each help the other. It's a bit like professional recorder players in that once you know the fingerings for one it is easy to switch to another size. I picked up the new clef in about 2 weeks & the opportunities are vast. I really wouldn't see them as completely different from each other.

Super selective Grammar School. She is very focussed but she does stuff she enjoys doing. If she didn't enjoy it and if it was a chore, or if her schoolwork slipped, we'd make a change.

DD1 (14) - at a very high performing SS GS - has lessons on 3 instruments, also singing lessons (she is pretty serious about her singing) plus she tinkers (to some purpose - performance level) on several other related instruments and the guitar. And she does theatre group too (minaky for the singing but also for the stage confidence). She wants to do music at conservatoire/Uni. You'd think she was under quite a bit of academic pressure at her school - they do GCSEs in Y10 - but she seems to be fine. Her problem is that her weakest instrument is the piano and she needs that so she can't give up. Otherwise I think she might happily stop piano lessons - she can play well enough for her current purposes (she can accompany herself singing (although she prefers the guitar anyway) and she can compose). But she knows if she didn't have the lessons she'd let it slip and get rusty (as I did, for the same reasons - had to do piano for O level music despite already having 3 grade 8s in wind instruments, was forced to carry on in the 6th form because of A level despite deciding not to go to music college, got up to grade 6/7 standard, never touched a piano again between leaving school and having kids at which point I realised I'd been somewhat foolish).

The thing about music is - if it's hard work, once you are a certain age, stop doing it. If you don't enjoy it once you're a teenager then give up. You can always pick it up again later if you want. If you love it, properly, it's not hard work. And the kids find the time. They just watch fewer episodes of friends or do less emailing/face booking/whatever.

I played piano and flute, played in school orchestra (my school was a specialist music school, with a hot house "music course" so this was a big deal) and sang in the choir. I was desperate to play a third instrument (clarinet) or at least give up piano in its favour. Had to stick with piano for O level music (I am that old), so agreed with teachers and parents I'd wait til 6th form. Did all three, plus choir plus 4 A levels. Was nightmare, very intense, and ad a 16 yo in Lobdon i was able to get myself to all lessons, rehersals etc independently. I dropped piano and one of A levels after about a term and a half.

It becomes really difficult to fit in appropriate practice time at a high level. My son practices for about 2 hours on the bassoon and 40 mins on piano each day. He never fits in his singing practice and when he played double bass it was a nightmare.

The main issue is that she will progress very quickly on her second string instrument and then she will need to put in a lot of practice to maintain a high standard. If proficient on two instruments she could pick up virtually any instrument in 3-5 years time and be grade 8 within a year so it is pointless.

Yes - DD1(15) has lessons in 3, tinkers with 2 more and sings.
Wants to do music at university. Has been advised that when the time comes, will be best to specialise - 2 instruments at the most.

Spends all day Saturday in term time at music school which includes her 1st instrument lessons, ensembles, musicianship etc. School individual lessons on 2nd instrument, private piano lessons.
Choir one night after school, orchestra another and an outside ensemble a third.
Also has to fit in English tuition and DofE, but not especially sporty.

Thought it would slow down as she becomes more of a typical teen, but that doesn't look like happening any time soon.
Latest request is to learn the harp, but I've put my foot down there.

I am a professional violinist / violist. Many violinists also play viola, and most (not all) violists start as violinists. Playing viola gets you more and better opportunities, as there are fewer skilful violists than violinists around. If she is this quick and clever, she can pick up the clef and get a feel for viola without even having lessons. I would let her try it with a bit of help from her violin teacher, (or maybe with just a few lessons from the new teacher); perhaps she can play viola in a group of some sort. This is how many people start on viola. If she LOVES it after a few projects, she could get more serious. Most people will end up being more drawn to either violin or viola, as the viola has a richer, more mellow sound, and the violin is more virtuosic and quick to respond. It will be much easier for her to pick up viola than any other instrument.

Is it the Viola that she wants to play? - I know lots of children who play Violin and Viola plus one other - that seems standard - not sure if it is as hard as 3 completely 'different' instruments as I am most certianly not an expert!!