A 3 Year Old Inquires

[J. Mark Lane]

OK, so this morning I'm practicing, and my 36 month old daughter Clare comes in, sidles up to me, and the following exchange occurs:

Clare: What music is that, Daddy?

Me: It's Blue Grass music, Clare.

Clare: (pause) But...grass is green, Daddy.

Me: In Kentucky, the Grass is Blue.

Clare: (pause) Can we go to their house?

Me: Yes.

[grandmainger]

No need to go anywhere, the grass where you live is already blue http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[picksnbits]

At about that age, after hearing JD's words of wisdom ("country rocks, but bluegrass rules!") my daughter says, "Daddy, what are the bluegrass rules?"

[Flowerpot]

You gotta love it. This age (my twins have just turned three) is quite a hoot -- sometimes.

Your little girl sounds a lot like mine. Last night we had the bluegrass station going on the satellite TV system. When each and every song started, my daughter would ask "Who's that, Daddy?" and I would have to tell her.

"Who's that singing, Daddy?"
"That's Alan O'Bryant"
"Oh, Alan O'Biant"

"Who's that, Daddy?"
"That's Larry Cordle"
"Oh, Larry Codle"

"Who's that, Daddy"
"That's Red Allen"
then she said:
"No, that's not Red Allen, that's Bill Mo'roe, he sings real loud."

Cracked me up, anyway.


Then later, Sam Bush was singing and I had to tell her it was Sam. And I asked her who was playing mandolin, and she brightened up and said, "That's you, Daddy!"

I told her she was right, and gave her a big hug!
(Hey, Dads are supposed to be bigger than life to their 3-year-olds).

[ronlane3]

Very cute Mark. I guess you'll HAVE to schedule a trip to Kentucky now.

[arbarnhart]

Took my kids to a bluegrass show at a park where we could picnic and they started tapping their feet to the music and commented "This music's making my body move!".
http://home.nc.rr.com/abhobby/images/bando3.JPG

[sunburst]

I went to see the Johnson Mountain Boys once, playing outside for a bunch of people, mostly families, who had just been having picnic lunches, spread out on blankets on the ground.

They took the stage as only the JMB could, and I got my first look at what bluegrass can do to young children who hear it live for the first time. Many of the families had children, and all of them exploded into motion! They were running and dancing. They couldn't contain themselves.

[kvk]

Way cute.

My 3.5yo kid a few weeks ago sat down at the dinner table with his toy uke and sang the whole chorus of Dark Hollow. No prompting. Never taught it to him. He must have just picked it up from my feeble attempts at singing it and learned the words.

Brings up a topic. When is a kid old enough to start learning an instrument?

[Billiam]

Brings up a topic. #When is a kid old enough to start learning an instrument?
When he's old enough to want to...

[stevem]

Here's a story in the news today about babies developing rhythm.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/03/health/main699448.shtml

[WaywardFiddler]

Quote (kvk @ June 03 2005, 14:56)
Brings up a topic. When is a kid old enough to start learning an instrument?

When he's old enough to want to...


I'll second that. And add:

Have recordings on all the time, they will learn what they listen to. My daughter started going to group violin lessons while she was 2, using a pretend violin, in a class of mostly 3 and 4 year olds. She eventually got a real, 1/32 size violin at age 3. Now at the ripe old age of 6 she can learn a simple fiddle tune in about 3 or 4 run throughs.

The key is to keep it fun. 10 or 15 minutes of practice goes a long way when you are 3, as long as you do it every day, and keep it fun.

I know this is a mando board, but I'll put in a plug for starting kids on violin because: 1) it comes in kid sizes, 2) the action is easy, 3) it is great ear training.

-dave

[Dru Lee Parsec]

Brings up a topic. When is a kid old enough to start learning an instrument?

>When they're old enough to want to.

That's good advice. My mom use to teach piano (she was my first music teacher) and she wouldn't take students younger than 5. She thought that a child younger than that doesn't have the physical co-orditation to play and instrument yet. My current teacher doesn't take kids younger than 10. However, if they're YOUR kids and they just have a passion for music then just let them play whenever they feel they're ready.

I don't think I could ever say "No" to a kid who wants to play music. Regarless of their age.

[WaywardFiddler]

She thought that a child younger than that doesn't have the physical co-orditation to play and instrument yet.

There will be some things a small child can't do. Part of the magic of the Suzuki Method is that the material is written with the expectation that very young children will be playing it, and the motor skill issues are taken into account. Suzuki teacher training also emphasizes methods for small children. Teaching the wee ones is different from teaching older kids and adults, it is worth finding a teacher with experience with the little ones. In our violin studio, a 5 year old is a late starter, and a 6 year old puts the teacher into a panic to get going fast!

[harmonist34]

How bout this young bluegrass fan!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/harmonist02/LittleFan2.jpg

Andy

[mandodebbie]

I was playing a Bluegrass mandolin midi file (probably Alabama Jubille) from the alltabs site and my nephew Samuel(7) started to jump up and down and dance. He said, "Wouldn't it be great if you could play that fast, Aunt Debbie?" I agreed, but then he must have picked up my look of intimidation - as I have been just learning for about a year - and quickly added, "But you have to remember that that's a professional computer playing that mandolin music." http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[TonyP]

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif good one Debbie...
When my son was about 18mo his favorite album was the old EmmyLou Harris album "Roses in the Snow". He used to sit and sing along with the whole album. One day he was at the day care and the local highschool marching band was going by. All the kids and the sitters went outside to watch/listen. The sitter noticed Chuck wasn't there and kinda panicked. She ran back inside and there was Chuck still playing with a toy. She asked him why he didn't go outside and listen to the band. He didn't even miss a beat, "not boo-gass" was all he said.

[csstanley]

This is GOOD.

I'm cooking spaghetti last night and my son was in the kitchen with me. He's the same age as yours J. Mark.

I go into Jacob's Ladder singing the first verse, Halelujah to Jesus who died on the tree..... And here comes my son chiming right in with me finishing out the last words. TOO RAISE UP THIS LADDER OF MERCY FOR ME.

And to beat all, he was half way in tune.

We've taught him some songs that are easy to learn. "I'm Workin On a Building," in which he has his own version 'workin on a Dog House.' http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

We've taught him Zacchaeus, this Little Light of Mine, he know's some Monroe songs like I Hear a Voice Calling, Were You There and a few others.

IT's AWESOME. I hope it sticks. Now for the bad part, he has a hankerin for a b#%jo.

Pray that its just a phase. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[LilCreekster]

These stories made me grin from ear to ear!!! Thanks for brightening my morning http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif And that article was good stuff! I'd like to do more reading about babies and music, I am sooo looking forward to raising my little one with music (gives me something fun to think about whilst trying NOT to think about how sick I am of my 24/7 morning sickness hahaha)

Did any of you play music for your babies before they were born? I try to play music on and off all day, I read the baby can hear now! (which is trippy) haha.

And definately motivation to play more ;)

[csstanley]

I played before they came and for the last one that came along, I layed in the Labor and Delivery Room.

The nurses were walking by just to hear me play on that 'strange looking' guitar. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

We strongly believe in the influence of music in these formative years.

[John Flynn]

Last Summer my band played at a small neighborhood street fair. Right as we started into "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss," as if on cue, a cute little blond girl, about 3 or 4, who had red sno-cone juice all over her t-shirt, came up right in front of us and started dancing to the music. She kept going for the whole tune and then left. It was a great memory.

[swampstomper]

I played Kenny Baker and Ralph Stanley to my daughter as she was getting her first meal -- the idea being to equate mountain music with mother's milk. Too early to tell if it worked --- she's only 21 now and claims she hates bluegrass, but I catch her listening to Harmonious Wail's version of Minor Swing (some nice mando work there). In those early days I played a lot of Stanley Bros. gospel on the guitar just to relax. When she was about 3 or so she would ask for "Water So Deep" (= Harbour of Love ... remember, "oh the water's so deep, in the river of Jordon...")