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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

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

31 replies

ZZZenAgain · 07/09/2012 11:04

Atm my dd plays violin and piano. She practises a great deal and is involved in two orchestras, both of which are also, I feel, quite demanding in level so these pieces also require practice time. Now she has asked if she could try a third instrument which she would want to play alongside the other two. It is also a string instrument. I feel this is unrealistic in terms of time and effort on her part and I don't really see how we could fit in it very well. She also plays tennis, swims and has another sport on Saturday mornings. I would not like her to drop sport for a third instrument really. I think a balance is a good thing.

Does anyone have dc who play more than 2 intruments, if so, could you tell me how it works out for you/your dc?

She is 11

OP posts:
Original poster
ZZZenAgain · 07/09/2012 12:16

I think in terms of fitting the lesson in, it could work easily enough. The teacher I found teaches at the place where one of her orchestras takes place so possibly that could work out conveniently. He also does not live far from us, so the actual lesson, should he have time, would not be a huge problem. I have not yet spoken to him about it, he may not take her on. I suppose I am really concerned at this stage about two things:

  1. Fitting in the practice. Dd is not a dc who simply practises a bit each day but she practises for hours every day. That means that a lot of time goes on that already. Another instrument if she were to take it as seriously as violin I find hard to imagine.
  2. Being another string instrument, it seems too close to the violin to make real sense to me. If it were a different type of instrument I could understand it.

It is not that the scheduling or time-tabling would adversally affect family life in our case really. I have spoken to her violin teacher who says she will pick up this third instrument very easily in his opinion, probably because it is another string instrument so some transferable knowledge. The piano teacher says she has so much music in her head that she it would not matter at all if she started to learn a third instrument. I am just not sure yet.

Thanks everyone for insight/advice. I appreciate it. I am not musical so I never really know what to do with dd's music. She does know some dc who play 3 or 4 instruments from an orchestra she is in but I don't know them or their families.

I am off now but will have a look at the thread later on tonight.

OP posts:
kitkat1967 · 07/09/2012 11:49

Oboe, recorder (descant & treble) and piano,

She took a bit of a break on the recorder last term as she really wanted to get to grade 5 on the Oboe (for orachestra qualification!!) and we thought she may give it up but over the summer holidays she got back into it so who knows.

And of course she has grade 5 theory to take this term......

Left to her own devices she would play loads of instruments - she seems to be able to pick up most things and get started (excpet the flute!!) but I have put my foot down now!! Over the last year she has suggested the trombone, double bass and saxaphone!!

On the plus side her 3 are a 'good' combination actually - oboe and recorder is a recognised combination and piano is generally useful.

Hedgehoginhotpants · 07/09/2012 11:49

Being a good parent is also being able to say, No.

I have a musician same age who is in five orchestras/ ensembles (and messes about on two other instruments without lessons.)

I would not even go down the route of finding out about another teacher or entertaining that it might happen. She is clearly very talented. You are very clearly a very committed and caring parent. However just because she wants it to happen doesn't mean you have to re-engineer your family life / timetable and make it work.

Having some slack time in her schedule is perfectly normal and healthy and adding a third instrument will upset the balance and more importantly that of the family unit.

Adam Smith and the Theory of Marginal Utilty and all that ...

Original poster
ZZZenAgain · 07/09/2012 11:27

what other instruments does your dd play kitkat?

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Original poster
ZZZenAgain · 07/09/2012 11:24

yes I can see it would be difficult. My dd loves music and thrives on it so I don't doubt the value of it. I do try to support it but I don't think it should completely take over. As you say with other activities, all the travelling back and forth to lessons and orchestras and so on , it is time-consuming. Possibly she could do it now but soon she will need to put more effort into school with exams in mind, well not exactly soon but it is not too far ahead.

I have found a teacher who I think would be very good, if he has time, she could try it but I think something somewhere would have to give.

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kitkat1967 · 07/09/2012 11:18

Yes - DD plays 3 (just 12) and it is a constant nightmare. It has happened by accident as she asked to try the piano and then if she liked it she would give up 1 of the others - of course she loves it but has asked to keep both the other 2 as well.

Only 1 is an orchestra instrument though - so 1 wind band and 1 orchestra to play in but 3 x lessons a week and 3 practices every night is really hard on top of homework. She is not planning to make a career out of music and does lots of other things so it's a major juggling act. On the other hand at just 12 she is grade 5 in 2 different instruments (been playing 2.5 and 3.5 yrs respecively) and turning out to be a lovely pianist so it is clearly working out at some level.