Re: [Harp-L] Following footsteps

[Cara Cooke <cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Joe is right.  It is best that he chose the instrument on his own.  He may
only study it for a while and then move on, but he may come back to it
again later.  That is how we learn, especially as children.  We are sponges
with constantly changing interests.

One of the things that I have tried to do is to encourage children in a
similar manner to the Suzuki teachers.  Teach basics, and encourage
exploration.  I usually try to start them on learning by ear, and reading
music, too, so that they get a more well-rounded experience and can
eventually continue to learn on their own -- even after their lives have
moved on to sports and more complicated math and science subjects.
Hopefully, their study will also encourage their interest in the physics of
the instrument and of music, aiding in their academic interests.  Music is
always a helpful subject, but it is not always recognized for its
contributions.  When the child sees what he is doing in the science he is
studying, it helps.

As to basics, I do not always start with bends.  I start with deliberately
getting single notes or multiple notes and working the scale and learning
tunes that will help with learning and understanding the scale and its
arrangements of notes.  (I have also been guilty of following a Suzuki
program book so that my student could participate with a local Suzuki
teacher who was on-board with my program.)  Bends come along in time, but I
try very hard to help them find ways to play the instrument by identifying
useful patterns of notes that may lead them to find a tune they want to
play (a hunt-and-peck version of playing in positions).  It takes time to
develop bends, so I will start them with the ideas and let them play with
them on their own -- usually suggesting the use of a tuner with a
microphone and chromatic scale that also has an on-board metronome, so that
the student can also practice getting the bend to the proper pitch and will
have a tool to help him learn to keep time.  (They are not usually
particularly expensive, but they are very useful tools to enhance their
learning.)

A lot depends on how old the child is, but all of these techniques worked
relatively well with a motivate 8 year old.  Some Suzuki teachers will
start kids as young as 4, but they do have to be motivated.  I have to
admit that the student made more progress once he was closer to 10 years
old, but he had the tools he needed.  He simply needed the work to keep
focused until he was a bit more mature.  You will have to judge the 7 year
old to see if he is ready for serious study (and fun) or if he is still
just looking for things to try -- which can be a useful way to encourage
him while he is still not particularly serious.

Challenge him to play music that he is interested in or to even find parts
of it that he can play.  My 8 year old once requested help in learning how
to play one of the flute tunes from his Zelda (magic flute) video game.  We
had to play the game far enough in to where the tune played so that I could
learn the tune and help him learn it.  It made for an interestingly odd
lesson, but the exercise encouraged him to try all this on his own.  Not
all of his experiments were successful, but even those helped him learn to
really listen to the music.

I hope this information helps you work with the young fellow.

Cara

On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 12:36 AM, Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> On Aug 8, 2012, at 11:20 AM, Degregorio, Jeffery wrote:
>
> > While on vacation north of Houston Texas, my son decided to get a
> harmonica
>
> Ok, first flag...it was your SON whom decided to get a harmonica...and not
> YOU. This is a good sign. I am totally against programs that PUT harmonicas
> in the hands of youngsters. I have always felt that THEY are the ones whom
> should have WANTED to take up the instrument. And not be prodded, goaded,
> coaxed, cajoled, even suggested or hinted to do such. It should be THEIR
> voluntary overt action. A TRUE decision.
>
> > (I have been playing for a few years now).  He's only 7 but can blow and
> draw chords and we encourage him along.  What's the best way to keep his
> interest and when should some type of "formal" training begin?
>
> Watch him for 5 months. If he is still interested, get him someone who
> knows what they're talking about to help (not PUSH) him.
>
> >  Basically, what's the best way to teach young children?
>
> Patience.
>
> >  I suppose if he gets started now, by the time he's 12, can he be a
> "superstar"???
>
> Let's not DO that. Let's not make it a time machine oriented project.
> Let's let the progress be at the level that the PLAYER is comfortable with.
>
> >  Any tips, suggestions, ideas to add, and stories would be great.  I
> have seen a video of an 8-10 year old girl playing on stage in public about
> a month or two ago that someone on Harp-L shared, but not sure what it was.
>  She must have got started somehow.
>
> Let's not dwell on ages. People progress at different levels and speeds.
> Let a natural course of this river flow on it's own.
>
> > Thanks,
> > Jeff
>
> Here's my (brief version) story. I started out on chromatic first. It was
> 1956 and I was 12 1/2. By 15 I was playing in a cafe in the park on the
> Naples It. waterfront. At 16 I was playing at a cafe in the Austerlitz
> train station Paris. By 17 I turned professional. Local 802 N.Y. My parents
> wouldn't sign for me to drive. I left home, became a hobo for 10 months,
> became a navy seebee, worked construction, started a family, life got in
> the way and I didn't play much for 30 more years. Sure, I would surface
> every now and then and appear somewhere but I never pushed it. Point? I WAS
> a professional at 17 but I couldn't get to my job offers. So I quit. If
> this boy shows promise, don't toss Belgian blocks into the rails of his
> career train..... :)
>
> smokey-joe
>