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Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

thewalrus.ca

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Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#241

Post by boredemployee »

Gigachad wrote: post #98
boredemployee wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can relate a lot to what you said. I practice piano (jazz improvisation), and I have mix of love and hate with practicing. You basically spent lots of energy for little to no improvement at all lol, playing scales, arpeggios, etc. And if you stay like 1 month without practicing you waste a lot of time trying to go back where you stopped. It's like trying to go up an escalator that's going down, if you stop you come…

I gave up piano, was spending all my practice time just keeping level but not progressing. Switched to drawing art (mostly nsfw). Takes far less work imo and I don’t seem to regress in skill after taking a break. You get way more attention for low skill drawings than music too.

Yes. I noticed as well that, in my case, if I don't have a pushy teacher I make little to no progress studying alone.

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#242

Post by jcpst »

winternett wrote: post #56
jcpst wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can choose to work outside the industry. I left the industry in 2013. I saw some of that toxicity and bleak future that you described. This year I am starting to get back into a music side career, treating it like a bootstrapped startup. Using email marketing funnels to sell digital or CD, being cautious about investing into it. Haven’t proven it out yet, but I think I will enjoy trying. If anything, it’s a good…

Life as a musician is fun if you have cashflow from other sources or savings that pad you well from harsh life... It's a great way to kill time. When people cite corruption though, they're talking about the tolls on people who don't operate off of a safety net. It's important to keep the perspectives distinct. Most people don't have the luxury of being able to fail at something they work hard on, this is why I feel i…

That’s what I learned too…

Working in the music industry shattered a lot of the glamorous illusions. I also learned that from peers who were chewed up and spit out by the major label machines.

For those 7 years, I was constantly broke, and being taken advantage of by people in the industry with more leverage.

Then I met someone in the office that thought it was crazy that I had a music career before I became a programmer. But it’s the same reason they’re in the office too! It’s really hard, and even if you have that special “it” factor, it can require more runway than most people are willing to give to get there.

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#243

Post by brandall10 »

darkerside wrote: post #79
brandall10 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately I didn't touch the guitar again until picking up that mag, so it was all lost, including my nascent ability to read music.

Musical and muscle patterns that form in your mind at a young age don't disappear, they just wait for their time

We’re talking a sum total of possibly 20 hours playing as a child over the course of a couple months.

As a lefty, I recall I was still in an awkward enough phase that when shopping for an electric I couldn’t decide on getting a left or right model, they both felt equally awkward, so just continued using right. Pretty sure I wasn’t able to barre chord. Things ramped up quickly once I started with the 2nd instructor.

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#244

Post by flycaliguy »

jpmoral wrote: post #182
flycaliguy wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ukulele is even quicker, kid sized and you can hang it on your wall for art when you’ve moved on.

Low floor, high ceiling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9YLOlUa7ro

This is my favourite ukulele ceiling

https://youtu.be/D5V4mtZ-0qg

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#247

Post by CPLX »

RHSman2 wrote: post #212
CPLX wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also you have to play with other people. I'm a lifelong musician and former professional musician, and I was always in bands, both school and rock bands with friends, right from when I started playing. I think that's just crucial, I never would have stuck with it just sweating it out in the basement. You aren't a musician if you aren't playing with other people and in front of audiences.

That is bullshit that you’ve told your ego. An audience of one aka the person making music/sounds is just fine.

The context of the story here is kids and music, we’re not talking about people who no longer really bother with worrying about an audience we are talking about kids.

I think kids should play music that reaches other people or they aren’t likely to actually become musicians.

Not sure how controversial that actually is, I’m mostly just making a tree falling in the forest argument.

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#248

Post by mrozbarry »

As a boy, my parents had me doing royal conservatory piano. The thing is that I really enjoyed piano, but I didn't want to have to do recitals or exams. Once I was old enough to really say no, I quit lessons. I still play, but it's mostly chording. I have always been pretty good at playing by ear, and even when I was in lessons, I did better mimicking the teacher than I did sight-reading.

I still play a bit of piano, but I'm no-where near as good as when I was practicing regularly when I was young. I've also picked up guitar a bit, but I'm just chording there, too.

That said, I play to have fun, to entertain my son, or just to belt out a fun tune.

Re: Kids and music lessons: why do many promising players quit early?

#250

Post by RHSman2 »

CPLX wrote: post #247
RHSman2 wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is bullshit that you’ve told your ego. An audience of one aka the person making music/sounds is just fine.

The context of the story here is kids and music, we’re not talking about people who no longer really bother with worrying about an audience we are talking about kids. I think kids should play music that reaches other people or they aren’t likely to actually become musicians. Not sure how controversial that actually is, I’m mostly just making a tree falling in the forest argument.

I’m not saying that isn’t true but it isn’t the only part of being a musician. I think you are suggesting it is.
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