Unfortunately, it takes more than practice.

Post #374,236 by Andrew Grygus 4/26/13 12:35:20 AM Reply	Unfortunately, it takes more than practice. It takes a real feeling for the music and where you're going with it. There are no instructions for that. Parents who push their kids that way are like the Renaissance parents who cut their kid's balls off on the chance he'd become a famous (and very wealthy) castrato. Very, very few succeeded. Yes, the kids who practice so much can win competitions. At that age, kids aren't expected to be "Musicians" (capital "M"), they're judged on technique. Contrast Yuja Wang with young Chinese pianist Lang Lang. He's a sensation on technique, but has a deficient feel for the music, and gets little respect among the cognoscente. As one put it, "He plays a lot of notes". Yuja Wang is very much respected for her interpretation and understanding of the music. A less severe case is Medori - a famous child prodigy on the violin, but had a difficult time transitioning to being a mature musician. She got steamrolled by Sara Chang. Her more recent recordings are much better, but she lost momentum and now spends most of her time teaching at USC.
Post #374,238 by malraux 4/26/13 10:31:25 AM Reply	Exactly. These kids will be pushed to become technically accomplished at something they don't have the soul for. My son has the real feeling; he's just lacking the extreme practice hours necessary. He recently did a competition just to see what it was like, one that was actually based as much on musical ability as technique. The other kids were all Asian, with tiger moms in tow, playing 5 minute long pieces with "too many notes". One ~9yo had to be cut off by the judges at 10 minutes. My son was in there for a grand total of 2 minutes, but he was also the only one enjoying himself and not looking like he was about to sick up from the pressure and anxiety. :-) Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #374,245 by drook 4/26/13 1:34:48 PM 4/26/13 1:35:13 PM Reply	So how'd he do? The answer to which, by the way, I expect to say more about the judges than about the kids. -- Drew Edited by drook April 26, 2013, 01:35:13 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #374,250 by malraux 4/26/13 2:57:04 PM Reply	Didn't place, and wasn't expected to Technical skills count for a lot at this age, as Andrew mentioned, and you have to reach a certain bar to be considered for the musicality. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #374,251 by Another Scott 4/26/13 3:10:26 PM Reply	Probably a blessing in disguise. If things come too easy for too long, it can be crushing when the inevitable failure hits. (Peaking too soon can be a life-long curse.) This way he got to see what is necessary for him to win if he decides he wants to continue to compete, and he can decide on his own whether it's worth it. Cheers, Scott. (Who had lots of lessons about failure as a kid. ;-)
Post #374,252 by malraux 4/26/13 3:20:05 PM Reply	Precisely That's why his teacher suggested he enter the competition. However, my 9yo has very little issue with failure. He shrugs it off and runs back in for more whether he won or lost. He's already making plans for next year's competition. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #374,264 by crazy 4/27/13 6:02:27 AM Reply	Good choice If I followed my sister and stayed in ballet I'd be in a wheelchair right now. Sure, I'd have about 10 years of bony toys and glory, but I'd have flamed out big.
Post #374,265 by drook 4/27/13 8:45:08 AM Reply	Mental image of Crazy in a tutu -- Drew
Post #374,268 by boxley 4/27/13 12:24:38 PM Reply	too early, my first thought was mumu, could see that then realized that a tutu was not a mumu, not sure I would want to see that Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 58 years. meep
Post #374,296 by crazy 4/28/13 5:03:58 AM Reply	Sorry Standard uniform was white t-shirt, black tights, and ballet slippers. When performing, would wear "period" costume, such as 1800s russian for the Nutcracker.
Post #374,253 by Andrew Grygus 4/26/13 4:25:52 PM Reply	Tiger Moms While it is still Politically Incorrect to admit such things in intellectural or political circles, there is probably some deep racial difference in kid's acceptance and reaction to Tiger Momism. An example of such things: Back in the late Hippie Days, a lot of young Whites were trying to become Indians. Both Indian and Asian babies accepted the cradle board. White babies simply would not, no matter how hard their parents tried to be Indians. White babies would struggle and scream their heads off until released from the bindings. This point was noted by both Whites and Indians, and recorded in writings of the time. This is probably unfindable on the Internet, since the Internet is almost totally blind to stuff going on before 1984 - but I was there.
Post #374,256 by Ashton 4/26/13 7:16:21 PM Reply	Well.. The Maharishi (Mahesh Yogi) did visit LB er, L and I appointed Self his escort: the guy had a BS (at least..) in physics! As we walked under the (injector) Linac, I asked how he thought these physics machines fit-into 'things'.. Don't recall his answer/either inscrutable or ... unmemorable in any case. At end of tour, he gave me a red rose (evoking awwws/or Ah!s {{couldn't tell}} from his cortege of young students of the esoteric Arts. But at least these experimenting-yout were Alive, then: alive-enough to see how disgusting was the entire Vietnam matter, from the bogus gunboat episode invented by LBJ.. until 4-26-2013. They and I marched, in addition to other agitations. Now NOBODY ..much does more than natter about the dismantling of civil and other liberties / the criminal bankers and yada. Lotta stuff has flowed down the river since that Inflection Point [mid-1968] when the RFK assassination left us all to the tender mercies of RMN. Who, asssuredly never heard of.. Æschylus, upon encountering RFK's monumental impromptu comments at a gathering: on the evening of MLK's assassination ... ... The Negative Slope of Murica's "prospects" remains on-track [-], apparently asymptotic to -[1/0] if probability is linked to any facts since. :-/ Tiger Momism also harks back to Momism http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Philip_Wylie ..If anyone still recalls Wylie, in the TMI Age. I was apprised of his treatise(s) during post-HS summer, spent in Lewiston, ID (right across river from Clarkston [!] WA) Wylie was triple-distilled vitriolic. Loved It. Introduced by a then-thoroughly disenchanted /but laudably educated demi-manager in a local store. (was pleased to notice that My mother shared none of these character defects--as in {{whew..}} Momism.. it ain't Gone Away.
Post #374,269 by Andrew Grygus 4/27/13 1:27:37 PM Reply	Competitions One lucky guy, don't remember his name, got eliminated from the final round of a piano competition, and it made his career. Martha Argerich, always in demand for these things, was one of the judges. When this guy was eliminated, Martha got up, told the judges they didn't know what they were doing and she wanted no part of this sham - and walked out. After this, everybody wanted to hear this guy. When anyone makes the statement, "You can't have it all", I reply, "Clearly you don't know about Martha Argerich".
Post #374,276 by Ashton 4/27/13 4:13:43 PM Reply	Love.It.. the power of Words over BS of any stripe. Law above fear, justice above law, mercy above justice, love above all.
Post #374,281 by malraux 4/27/13 5:06:06 PM Reply	Excellent Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #374,288 by Another Scott 4/27/13 8:11:08 PM Reply	Wikipedia knows all. :-) Ivo Pogoreli is the guy. http://en.wikipedia....87#Musical_career Neat story. Thanks. Cheers, Scott.

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