| p>I think (and write) about the harmonica A LOT | | | | Rather, I decided instead I'd immerse my kinds in |
| but what I've been thinking about lately is broader: | | | | handmade music by giving off a good, daily dose |
| How important playing an instrument, any | | | | of sound from my only real instrument, the |
| instrument, is to inspiring music appreciation in | | | | harmonica. And believe me, what I produce isn't |
| young children. Personally, I started to play | | | | always a beautiful sound. I know I'm not the |
| harmonica when I was a kid. Further, my whole | | | | greatest harmonica player in the world; and even |
| life has been a perpetual process of picking up | | | | if I was, I know as well as anyone that too much |
| and putting the thing down. Lo' these many years | | | | of a good thing... |
| later, I now have my own children. Even more, | | | | Upshot: My kids now play. And, I think, it's not |
| they are both budding musicians--a fact I'm | | | | because anyone ever told them to (neither parent |
| extremely grateful for. Call me immodest, but, I | | | | ever did). Rather, they play because they both |
| take a little bit of credit for inspiring their "playing." | | | | got to a point somewhere along the line when |
| Here's why... | | | | they each said, "I want to play piano," and "I want |
| When my children were four or five, my | | | | to play violin." The decision was all theirs, occurring |
| harmonica life was in one of its "off" periods. That | | | | against a backdrop of actual, authentic, handmade |
| was understandable, I think, because we'd been | | | | musical sound ("recorded" sound is not a |
| busy raising twins (still are); and believe me, that | | | | substitute for what I'm talking about here). |
| can take up the better part of the day. Still, I | | | | In sum, it's extremely important for young |
| very much knew I wanted them to play an | | | | parents who want their children to become |
| instrument someday and that I wanted music to | | | | musical, to themselves try to derive pleasure on |
| become an organic part of their lives. But how to | | | | their own from "playing" a musical instrument (it's |
| lead them? | | | | no mistake that it's called "playing" music). Set an |
| Eventually, I made a conscious decision that I now | | | | example and keep the "practice!" speech to an |
| see was driven by a single desire: Whatever I did | | | | absolute minimum. Trust me on this one, folks, |
| as a father, I did NOT want to preach, "practice, | | | | take steps to make music a fun, playful part of |
| practice, practice" at them. I find that kind of daily | | | | your life and it won't turn into something that's |
| berating (especially if it comes from someone | | | | like "work" (a fact which your kids may someday |
| who doesn't themselves even play an instrument) | | | | thank you for). |
| counter-productive. | | | | |