The Nicholas Higgins Library at the University of Milton North

[Theresahollyinyourmind]

Welcome to our new facility, Please enjoy

I don't think he'd register tbh, Oyster. We have very different tastes and he thinks virtually everything I watch or listen to is crap so I doubt he'd investigate very far.

He bought me the audio book of Dawn French's new novel for Christmas "Cos I know you're really into audio books at the moment..."

Almost PMSL!!!

Offspring's pastimes are many are varied: ballet, tap, Brownies and a shifting assortment of musical instruments.

Tell me more about the piano, Oyster. Where does one go from there? I love the piano but I wonder whether violin or even recorder are better for beginners, in the sense of having obvious progressions to other instruments.

Age 6 is an ideal age to start the piano - I sympathise that your MiL may have unrealistic expectations, maybe you will need to keep her informed of progress.

MIL is already insisted that she is taking her every week and FIL popped in today to see how her practising is going.

She has only learnt crochets and minims in middle C FFS!

Frankly, MrsLN, what we need here is an eager grandparent or other person to persuade Offspring to do her instrument practice. According to the teacher (who would say this, I guess) she has talent but the little poppet doesn't take the thing out of its case from one lesson to the next.

Your offspring sounds like me when I had violin lessons (was about 10 I think).

FIL is a sweetheart. As for MIL, I can think of many words I would use to describe her - 'eager' isn't one of them...

I can't imagine ever being able to convince DS to play the piano, I could barely get him to go to football today and he loves that.

I learned the piano first and I also played violin and flute (and the recorder!) Piano and flute were the main instruments I learned, though piano was always my favourite and best. I also did the theory exams necessary to take more advanced exams. I feel it gave me a great grounding for the other instruments. Whenever I learned another instrument or did a class music lesson, I was always at a big advantage compared to others because I could read music and knew music theory too. Most advanced instrumentalists will learn the piano as well. I also liked that you don't need an accompanist if you are a pianist. But obviously different people find their own way.

Barry the Goblin is following me on Twitter !

Friend in New York had her daughter start the violin a couple of years back --at four!
I am sure it's great if they enjoy it.

I must admit I'm hoping to pick up a bit of piano myself.

She has bought a book home, and it is all so much more child friendly than when I 'learnt' the violin. My problem was that I couldn't be arsed to learn to read music (or practise) so needless to say my musical accomplishments are pretty much non-existent (unless you count an excellent rendition of chopsticks and a passion for karaoke as musical accomplishments!)

My mum sat next to me, my brother and my sister when we did our piano practice - every day!! I went to a boarding school age 12 and we had scheduled practice rooms/times in the evening to keep us on the straight and narrow - but it can be tough.

My cousin started the violin age 4 using the Suzuki method. Years later he performed in a stage show called Barrage - dancing and playing the violin on stage - you can see clips of it on YT.

We'll have to have an Academy trio or quartet or whatever we can muster. I'll just make the tea...

That was it, Oyster. The Suzuki method. She went to so many different classes though that the violin fell by the wayside.
NY kids seem to have every minute of their day mapped out for them.

Have just had a peek at "Something Kinda Ooh!" - very nice indeed!

There's some spectacular guy-liner going on in that vid, although my fave scene is wher Marion grabs him, snogs his face off and then pats him on the shoulder and walks away!

I certainly agree that, once one knows a bit of music theory and can read music, learning other instruments becomes easier, in the way that learning other languages gets quicker and easier (or it does if you concentrate on languages with common roots).

If we have an Academy trio with Offspring on violin and LittleMissNorth on keyboard, that would seem to leave a vacancy for a cellist. Any ideas?

LOL Flowers !

If anyone wants another little look at Messire de Gisborne, . Rockin' those leather trousers, Gizzy!

You can ignore the Barry White, if you think that is going a bit too far.

Oh, if we're having a cellist the tea-lady will ditch the cr*p mugs and PG Tips and break out her Spode and Lapsang Souchong.

I think everyone has now fainted! My computer crashed, anyway! Ker-umbs

Just had to post this little

I say, MrsLN. How utterly rooty-tooty. And thank goodness you've both come back. I thought I'd killed the thread by posting uber-raunch on two consecutive days.

I will make amends for all my rudery and lewdery by bringing to the party.

I haven't seen any of those SB ones , MrsLN, so interesting. I am lucky enough not to mind war films. That last Barry White one, I had to give up half-way through, it was getting rather too much for me Evil Flowers!