Two musical instruments for a 9 year old???

[MomOfOneFunOne]

My daughter had traditional piano from the age of 4 but had a horrid teacher. She never liked it. When she had just turned 8 she desperately wanted to switch to violin and we let her. She had traditional lessons with a nice teacher/boring lessons that didn't move very fast.
I have only had traditional lessons myself.

This year we started with new teachers. My husband and daughter are taking a grp lesson together and I go to watch and be with the family. The tchr is WONDERFUL with kids (so my husband just fits right in with her!) and she uses Suzuki. We are thrilled with the lessons. The two of them have a lesson together and once/month they have a group lesson w/ all her students.

I switched to a piano tchr who uses Suzuki just so I could be in the same boat as my loved ones. My daughter has to go to my lesson with me so she's there to watch et c. We like my tchr and lesson very much.

So, my daughter comes to me to say that she wants both violin and piano. Now that she sees that piano can be fun, too, and that not all piano tchrs are ogres, she misses the piano and wants to have both lessons. She has to sit in with me during my lessons anyway and while she takes plenty to do she usually ends up paying attn to my lesson. So, she's asked if I'll do lessons with her in piano the way she and dad play the violin. I'm willing but . . .

Are there consequences for this? Bad ones, I mean. Do you have kids in more than one instrument and if so:

Do you find it better to seperate them and practice one in the morning and one in the afternoon or just do everything at once?

Do you find that it gets confusing for the student? The mother?

Did you find that listening in too many different keys messed up the ear training (that's specific to Suzuki) b/c so far all of our stuff has been in different keys?

Generally speaking, do you recommend or recommend against two instruments at one time for a 9 y/o? for her mom? Why?

I'd really appreciate any feedback on this! Thanks!

[MIch elle]

My 14yob started piano at 6yo; then did saxophone for 5th grade and clarinet grades 6-8; he dropped clarinet lessons for now but continues with piano.

My 11yob started piano at 8yo and then guitar at 9yo, and continues private lessons with both instuments now.

Many kids at my dc's music schools (2 different places) take lessons for 2 instruments.

Go for it!

[happymom]

My daughter started piano at 8 and violin at 11. In piano she was excellent and won some local competitions . Her experience on the piano was a big plus with learning the violin. She excelled on the violin as well and was always chosen to be 1st chair in the orchestras that she participated in. Today she is in college and is getting a minor in music. She has also learned organ and giutar as a young adult. Her thoughts are that training on one instrument has made learning the others much easier.
The negative part of learning multiply instruments she feels is that if she had only focused on one instrument she may have become exceptional on it, which is what you need in order to receive music scholarships, at least at the University that she is attending.
However, she loves both violin and piano so much and cannot picture her life without either one. They both have given her great opportunities, and a lot of joy.
I don't have experience with Suzuki so I'm not sure about the ear training part of your question. I also not sure about starting both at 9, but I think the fact that she is asking to do both and she is there anyway are both big pluses.

[Homemama2]

Honestly, many of the people I know that are excellent musicians play 2 or more intruments. And I think piano is always an excellant choice even if they give it up later. I play violin and violin only, so I have always struggled to read the bass cleft. With piano, they are taught all the aspects of music, and can then apply that to other instruments.

[Mama Anna]

I don't think there would be confusion between piano and violin. I've never dealt with Suzuki methods, so there might be some confusion there, but as a musician with experience in voice, piano, clarinet, and saxophone, I've always found that fingerings/reading skills are simply enhanced by learning other instruments. The only exception I can think of would be confusion over the key of an instrument for the sake of transposition and that wouldn't apply to either violin or piano.

HTH!

Mama Anna

[JennW in SoCal]

Another violinist here to say that knowing piano is an absolute plus -- there is no down side! I'm so glad I know enough piano to understand chord structure so that I can improvise harmonies or write arrangements. I wish I knew piano better to be able to play simple accompaniments without lots of practice.

It doesn't matter when or how your dd practices as everything will reinforce what she does on both instruments. The more she is exposed to all kinds of music, not just playing it but listening to it, the more she will internalize the structure of music, and the more she will of course love making music! If she does want to eventually major in music, then yeah, she should focus on one or the other in her teen years, but it doesn't mean giving up one for the other.

The only downside I can see is to your pocketbook!!

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Thanks, guys! Not only what I needed to hear but what I wanted to hear, as well!

We're going for it!

[Julesnpebbles@suddenlink.]

My 9 yr old has been learning 2 instruments for over 2 years and it's been wonderful for him! At first we had problems getting enough practice in - he was dragging his feet. Even now, he doesn't like practicing violin that much but he has learned to play both side by side and you can really see the benefits of setting piano as a foundation and then adding violin or vice versa.

Ethan has to practice about 1.5 - 2 hours a day. He splits it up so that it's not too much. I have to go!

[In The Great White North]

Dd(11) plays the violin (3 years) and the trumpet (1 year). She started violin when she was in the Waldorf school and everybody had to. Not terribly enthusiastic but she keeps going.

The trumpet she started last year when a home-school band formed. She loves it and has been known to practice several times a day, play music we found (not just what was assigned). And the trumpet was a flea market find!!

At the Waldorf school, all children start recorder in first and violin in second. Many have piano at home also. It works out OK. (Well, some couldn't care less, but for those who do, it works.

[Kinsa]

I don't have an ounce of experience with the Suzuki method, but I can speak from my own experience as a child. By the time I was 9yo I was taking two instruments (piano and cello). When I was 12yo, I took up a third instrument (viola). When I was 15yo, I took up a fourth (violin). I went on in college to minor in music. :D

Definitely no down side to it, IMO. However, I did stay within one "family" of instruments. I don't know how I would have done if I had decided to take up the trombone, clarinet, drums, and violin. :lol:

[LisaK in VA]

I played 2 instruments (piano and flute) primarilly from 3rd grade through high school. As Jr. & high school student, I also found the time to learn the clarinet, oboe, bassoon, piccolo and percussion -- of course I thought I was going to be a music education major and wanted to start working on my additional instruments :D

I would say there won't be any problems with it -- other than possibly the extra practice time.

[Testimony]

I just wanted to tell you that my sons both play the piano and violin. They play the violin via the Suzuki method. What a fabulous method! I love it!!! I took traditional violin. I can't say enough about Suzuki.

My sons are learning piano traditional style. I love this piano teacher too. She is so loving and kind. She is an elderly woman. She always gives them chocolate treats and calls them "dears." :smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:
My boys fight to see who goes first with her.

Oh! My boys are 8 and 10 years old. The younger one started two years ago and my older one started a year ago. It is nice to hear them playing Minuet and Gavotte.

Blessing to you on your homeschooling journey!

Sincerely,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Sarah CB]

My 9 yr old has been learning 2 instruments for over 2 years and it's been wonderful for him! At first we had problems getting enough practice in - he was dragging his feet. Even now, he doesn't like practicing violin that much but he has learned to play both side by side and you can really see the benefits of setting piano as a foundation and then adding violin or vice versa.

Ethan has to practice about 1.5 - 2 hours a day. He splits it up so that it's not too much. I have to go!


This would be my major concern. Not just for the child, but also for the parent. Do you have other children (OP)? I have two boys who play Suzuki violin so my time commitment is 2 hours per day to participate in their practices - I spend an hour with each boy. The thought of adding in another instrument makes me want to faint. My third boy starts violin at the end of the summer and he's little - so 15 minute practices at the most to begin with - but even that makes me nervous. It's a lot of violin time.

My recommendation would be to give her a couple of years of violin before adding in piano and then really evaluate whether she's motivated enough to dedicate the amount of time it takes to do it.

[In The Great White North]

[QUOTEI have two boys who play Suzuki violin so my time commitment is 2 hours per day to participate in their practices - I spend an hour with each boy.[/QUOTE]

:eek: I couldn't imagine having dc practice an hour a day at 6 and 8.

At 11 and 14, dd's practice about a half hour per instrument.