Re: NMD and a little story
Genius! Way to go Sheila!
Re: NMD and a little story
Could propose the Suzuki method combined instrument lessons including the mum?
How old is the boy/young man?
Re: NMD and a little story
Keep this story going, Sheila. Hope the healing process continues to go well.
Re: NMD and a little story
What a cool reason for a NMD!
Re: NMD and a little story
Great story Sheila! I know the back story on your grandson, that he wanted to go back to learning guitar in his down time, how is that going?
I believe in letting children “feel” my musical instruments when they are inclined, with supervision. Here, one of my sons is holding my Eastman while two of my great grandchildren are having a go:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/a...7&d=1493349648
Re: NMD and a little story
I sold my “beaters” in our downsizing about 3 years ago, but I’ll still let the younglings try out my noisemakers. I’m a little more careful with the Rigel since they’re not being made anymore, but only a little more careful. Actually, my Mandobird and a travel Uke I have are perfect for children to wail on.
Enjoy the new and worry free mandolin, and I hope your grandson heals quickly and well!
Re: NMD and a little story
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Simon DS
Could propose the Suzuki method combined instrument lessons including the mum?
How old is the boy/young man?
Our daughter-in-law and her husband (she did go on with her life after being widowed at age 24, thankfully) have no family history of music lessons. I believe suggesting she add another thing to her plate right now would not be well-advised.
Ayden, our dirt-bike crashing grandson, will be 17 in July.
Re: NMD and a little story
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Gunter
Great story Sheila! I know the back story on your grandson, that he wanted to go back to learning guitar in his down time, how is that going?
I believe in letting children “feel” my musical instruments when they are inclined, with supervision.
Guitar lessons haven't started yet, for a variety of reasons.
My Collings is the only instrument I own that I wouldn't let them explore on their own. It was worth it to me to acquire a mandolin that even my youngest grandchild could take out and sit under the apple tree and explore without me (or her mother!) worrying.
Re: NMD and a little story
Look at her, even at her young age, taking on barre chords! :mandosmiley:
Re: NMD and a little story
Always a good idea to expose young people to musical instruments and music in general. Never can tell when you might have the next Sierra Hull on your hands. :)
Re: NMD and a little story
Nice story Sheila, It's a good illustration of the caption over you avatar.
Reading it brought me a flashback of my three year old firstborn daughter (now 27) playing my mandolin on a strap like a guitar and singing.
Life is precious. RB
Re: NMD and a little story
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rob Roy
Nice story Sheila, It's a good illustration of the caption over you avatar.
Reading it brought me a flashback of my three year old firstborn daughter (now 27) playing my mandolin on a strap like a guitar and singing.
Life is precious. RB
Thank you for sharing that glimpse into a sweet moment in your family's history, RB. I have a photo somewhere of all three of my daughter's children lined up at the "family piano"--my mother and aunt learned on it, I learned on it, my sister had it for a while so her sons could learn on it, and now it is at my daughter's house for her children to learn. Anyway, my SIL had been PCSed from Guam back to CONUS, the piano was at our house, awaiting movement to their stateside duty station, and if I'm not mistaken, CJ was 9, Sawyer was 5, and Daphne was 3. They were all lined up plugging away, and I was about as happy as a Lala can be.
Re: NMD and a little story
Sheila, I'm glad your grandson is healing well. That sounds like a potentially catastrophic injury. And, congratulations on the kid-proof mandolin. I hope one to more of them take it up.
Mark, those two little girls are heartbreakers! With three chubby little hands on the job, they'll get some chords down.
Re: NMD and a little story
What a blessing you are to your family and to us Sheila! Thanks for sharing your story and your perspective. Good advice for all of us grandparents with instruments
Re: NMD and a little story
Way to go Sheila. When my kids were little I got them a uke and a baritone uke. I tuned them to an open tuning so they could simply strum and make music without having to learn chords. They were very young and I didn't want to pressure them with lessons. They are both musicians now and my daughter has performed in 7 or 9 countries, I can't remember, age.
We had a musical instrument tasting thru our library this spring outside. I donated a few instruments as well as repairing all the donated instruments. Kids or adults could come and play any instrument. It was a great day. The instruments can also be checked out of the library so you can try and instrument before you buy one to make sure it's what you want to play before you buy it. Some of the kids said it the most fun day ever. I'd say that was a success.
Re: NMD and a little story
That’s a really cool story & memory, pops
Re: NMD and a little story
I love it! My mother still plays the same upright that she learned to play on & that all three kids either played on or accompanied by. Music opens hearts & minds and changes the fate of nations. Good on you for sharing, both with us & the next generation!
Each day is indeed a gift! That's why we call it the present ;)
Re: NMD and a little story
Thanks for sharing and sharing. That's wonderful. Heal well!
Jamie
Re: NMD and a little story
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pops1
We had a musical instrument tasting thru our library this spring outside. I donated a few instruments as well as repairing all the donated instruments. Kids or adults could come and play any instrument. It was a great day. The instruments can also be checked out of the library so you can try and instrument before you buy one to make sure it's what you want to play before you buy it. Some of the kids said it the most fun day ever. I'd say that was a success.
My daughter is a librarian in a very rural place. I will share this story with her.
I think more community and family music is something we need right now (and always).
Re: NMD and a little story
There are few things that make me happier than getting to play for someone who appreciates my strumming, whether young or old. It's amazing how even really young kids can be entranced by music, particularly new sound from an instrument the haven't heard before.
Re: NMD and a little story
I hesitated before I wrote this post, but I sure am glad I did. I'm really enjoying all the posts about your experiences with kids and music and wonderful programs at libraries and all the other great stuff that's being posted here. Thanks, everyone, for sharing your treasures.
Quick update on Ayden: He's still some weeks away from weight bearing, but the staples closing his surgical incision have been removed, so he's more comfortable. Did I ever mention that he also fractured his sternum? I thank God that young man wears good head and face protection, and that he didn't suffer a spinal cord injury.
Re: NMD and a little story
Sheila, thanks for the update. Glad recovery is going well.
I don't have a story, other than to say every chance I get I encourage parents to introduce their children to music - and at an early age. Wish my parents had done that.
Re: NMD and a little story
Update: Ayden is essentially all healed up, busy digging in to his senior year in high school. I offer heartfelt thanks to all of you who offered prayer and good thoughts following his accident.
In August, we gathered in the hometown (San Diego) to celebrate our son-in-law's retirement from military service. Their youngest, my daughter's mini-me Daphne, was enthralled with the "family mandolin," as we referred to the one I got for the kids to explore. So when her 9th birthday rolled around a few weeks ago, we sent her a ukulele beginner's pack, along with a book written for kids. She and I were video chatting a few days later, and I asked her if she wanted to learn to play it, or if she would like to return it and pick out something different. "I want to learn to play it," she said, "but I don't know how to use this one thing. Hold on." She came back with the instrument and related paraphenalia and pulled out the tuner.
To make a long story short, an hour later, she had tuned her new ukulele, made notes in her lesson book about which way to turn the tuning buttons on the bass side and the treble side to correct sharp and flat strings (and she was using those correct terms, "sharp" and "flat"), and knew the names of all the parts of her ukulele. I asked her if she would like for us to go through the rest of the book together. She said, "Fridays or Sundays?" I said, "Fridays." And I ordered myself a copy of the book we had sent her.
Last Friday, at precisely 2:50 pm, I got a text from her: "Ukulele lesson in 10 minutes." So I guess it's a thing.
Re: NMD and a little story
So wait, do you have a ukulele, too? I don't see it on your list :)
I would think you would need one now.
(That's a cool story, BTW. What a great way to bond with your granddaughter across the miles !)