I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that my kids take piano lessons. They all started around age 5, and their end-of-the-year recital is this Saturday. Everyone’s been practicing, and I think they’re gonna do well.
Not that they practiced because THEY wanted to. All year, all three have vehemently protested and resisted when it was time to practice. Every. Single. Time.
For a long time I thought I must be handling it wrong – like maybe if I could better “sell” or “explain” the value to them later in life of playing an instrument, they’d go,
“Oh! Well, that CHANGES things. Now that I finally understand, I shall practice with joy, always giving thanks for the obscene amount of money you spent on this piano.”
Yeah. I know. Now I’m satisfied with grumpy obedience.
So anyway, with the exception of Abby who LOVES piano, the kids beg every year to be allowed to quit. And Charlie and I finally agreed to let all of them choose their instrument when they enter middle school.
We’re still mean and hateful parents who insist on forcing them to make beautiful music on SOMETHING, but we’ll give them another option at age 12.
As the oldest, LC is the first beneficiary of this policy. And since he was the loudest and most-determined protester, imagine our surprise when he said he’d be willing to keep up piano if he can focus on more modern music and learn more on an electric keyboard.
DONE. I signed him up for another year before he can change his mind.
I’m still amazed that now there’s a chance that someday in an FAO Schwarz near us, it will be MY son dancing on the giant keyboard a la the movie Big. Like these guys:
Although Bach is most definitely still classical music. He’d probably be happier to play something from Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin.
(Yes, we believe that a well-rounded musical education MUST include Classic Rock.)
21 responses so far ↓
1 @ngie // Jun 19, 2009 at 6:00 am
You are great parents! I wish my parents had been as mean as you are.
They let me quit after less than a month. Ha!
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2 Jo@Mylestones // Jun 19, 2009 at 6:13 am
Love the title of this post. Grumpy obedience is better than no obedience, right? At least that’s what I tell myself. Right along with Whiny Obedience and Delayed Obedience.
3 Sandra // Jun 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
I think it is good that you make the kids take lessons….maybe one day they will win a grammy and give thanks to “mom & dad for forcing me to take lessons”
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4 Beth // Jun 19, 2009 at 7:35 am
Oh, I loved the piano. But the lessons? Sometimes I loved the songs I supposed to play. Sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I practiced what I was supposed to. But mostly I spent hours and hours just playing what I wanted to and making my own stuff up. The metronome was my nemesis. For some reason I took lessons until I was a senior in high school. What a geek. But over the course of time I learned enough theory to put some of the music majors to shame in college…so I think my mom would say it was worth it.
5 Helen // Jun 19, 2009 at 8:09 am
I would think by modern, he means something popular now, not when we were kids. If he actually means Led Zepplin, well, good for you. Enjoy the music.
Do you think the people in the video were pianists or dancers? I would have guessed dancers.
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6 Annie K // Jun 19, 2009 at 8:15 am
You know he’s gonna choose the drums. Just sayin’.
Annie K’s last blog post..What You Missed If You Didn’t Do HammerTime
7 rachel@justanotherdayinparadise // Jun 19, 2009 at 8:57 am
good for you for keeping him well-rounded. Kev would approve of the classic rock education.
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8 Wendy // Jun 19, 2009 at 9:41 am
Maybe if they took lessons on playing that floor piano they wouldn’t fight you so much… You could tell them that it’s the next version of Dance Dance Revolution.
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9 Jordan McCollum // Jun 19, 2009 at 11:53 am
I was always a reluctant practicer, but I love playing the piano now. As a teenager, I wanted to play more popular music (woot on Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin!), though I miss my classical now.
(Here from Rachelle Gardner’s blog party!)
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10 Joyce // Jun 19, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Keep being mean…they will thank you for it later.
11 Joyce // Jun 19, 2009 at 3:03 pm
That sent before I was done typing.
Adding something else now seems silly. Have a nice weekend!
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12 faemom // Jun 19, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Doesn’t all musical education?
That’s great about forcing your kids to take piano. I plan to force mine one day. Because a moment on the big piano at FAO Schwartz is worth it.
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13 Karmyn R // Jun 19, 2009 at 4:51 pm
My personal feeling is – as long as they get some basis of the Classical then let them ROCK ON…..look at Billy Crystal and Elton John. They started exactly where your kids (and mine too) started…one note at a time.
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14 Amy Warden // Jun 19, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I’m totally jealous of your musical kiddos. I come from a very musical family, and I truly hoped that I would pass those genes down to my girls. Not so much.
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15 Pam // Jun 19, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Hey Steph–I read your blog post today with special interest.
Thanks for letting me be your kids’ piano teacher… and thanks for making them practice! FYI, NOBODY really likes to practice. It’s hard work! The payoff comes when you can really PLAY the piano. Just wait till LC hears some of the big kids tomorrow! See you at the recital!
16 passions & soapboxes // Jun 20, 2009 at 12:09 am
All mine learned music and it helped to keep them out of trouble in high school. They still play and 1 of them teaches music. You never know do you.
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17 Jenn Calling Home // Jun 20, 2009 at 11:27 am
We encouraged (pushed) ours into music. One went the guitar route, the other piano (then voice and guitar). Now the oldest one (18) writes and performs her own songs and plays in a Christian rock band. And she gives guitar lessons to younger kids. The younger (16) sings in two different choirs and performs at a local jazz night in town. It looks like music will always be a part of their lives. I think it’s great that you’re steering your kids that way; just know that they may veer off the classical path and that is totally okay.
Jenn Calling Home’s last blog post..Graduation and The Leaving
18 Linda B // Jun 21, 2009 at 3:40 am
I’m a private music teacher. A few years ago I decided to start teaching beginning piano too and went out and purchased a bunch of piano methods… and then figured out why the kids all hate piano…. BOOOORRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!! Piano is a great instrument for kids to start on. I’ve found that when I let the kids pick music they love, they are happier and practice more and I can teach them concepts with that. Now I do use classic rock… the kids are much happier… and I don’t have to listen to twinkle twinkle little star. Keep them at it… they will thank you later… or need therapy… depending.
19 Heather of the EO // Jun 21, 2009 at 7:56 am
I love it that the piano teacher commented…
And BOY do I hope my boys get some musical genes (they won’t get them from me). I hope they fall in love with music and play their hearts out (on something) And I hope I get to be mean and make them practice.
Heather of the EO’s last blog post..The park, the future, and the checking in
20 the domestic fringe // Jun 22, 2009 at 3:12 pm
My daughter is taking piano lessons too. I think learning an instrument is a great thing to do when you’re a kid. I learned to play piano as a child and I still sit and play from time to time. I warn you that I sound similar to a 6 year-old, but hey, nobody ever said I had to be ‘good’ at it.
My son wants to learn the drums and I fear for what little sanity I have left.
-FringeGirl
21 katdish // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:21 am
“We’re still mean and hateful parents who insist on forcing them to make beautiful music on SOMETHING, but we’ll give them another option at age 12.” – Now see? Proves my point that sometimes you have to be mean and hateful or those littl ankle biters lose all respect for you!
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