What Makes A Child Prodigy? - Volume 23
August 2, 2022
New session of Crescendo Kids Online begins this Tuesday, August 9!
What Makes A Child Prodigy?
This Memo includes
Feature Article: What Makes A Child Prodigy?
Practice Tip
Student Showcasing
Student Hall of Fame
Upcoming MOM events includes Fall registration for CLASSES at North Kirkland Community Center and Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline.
Parents Ask Pam - What is proper piano hand position?
Feature Article - What Makes A Child Prodigy?
What makes a piano prodigy? We have all seen those videos of cute little children playing amazingly fast, classical piano pieces. Did this child really do this on their own or do they just have extremely involved parents pushing them along?
One of my favorite child prodigy and name-sake of our school, is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He started lessons at age 3, wrote his first composition at age 5, and started performing at age 6. But while Mozart showed an early affinity toward music, he also had a lot of support from his family. His sister, Maria Anna, doted on him, helped him practice daily, and encouraged his musical creations. His father, in addition to teaching him music, also set up the performing opportunities and set Mozart on his composing career as a young child. I think it is fascinating to compare the two children, Wolfgang and Maria Anna. Both were extremely talented musicians. Both were taught by an accomplished musician and music teacher, their father. Both were given many opportunities to perform and gain notoriety. However, because of her gender, Maria Anna was not given the opportunity to perform or compose as an adult. There is much speculation about whether or not she was just as talented as or possibly more than her brother. We will never know.
Let’s look at a current child prodigy, Emily Bear. She started composing at age 3, began formal, classical piano lessons at age 4, began performing at age 5, performed for President Bush at age 6, won her first award for a composition at age 6 and had created over 350 compositions by age 8. Emily Bear is the youngest of three children from Illinois. Her parents home-schooled her and enrolled her with prestigious music educators. At age eight, she was traveling to New York City every month to attend classical music classes at Juilliard in the morning and film composition classes at NYU in the afternoon. Her mentor and personal friend is jazz artist, record producer and film composer, Quincy Jones. Clearly, Emily Bear would not be where she is today without the financial support, influence and dedication of her parents.
In both of these examples, there is a little of both. The child is interested and clearly has an affinity toward music and the parents help push it along by dedicating themselves to their child’s musical progress. You’ve heard that success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration? I would say this formula applies to child prodigies as well! The child starts with an interest in playing and some basic natural talent. But then there is a ton of hard work that goes along with it! That is where the parents come in. They encourage, motivate, set the standard and boundaries, enable and push their little child prodigy to be something amazing!
As a teacher of literally thousands of piano students, I have seen some incredibly talented, young people. Each individual’s level of proficiency varies at age 3 or 4 when I first see them. But it is the interest of the child and the dedication of the parents that determines if the child will continue beyond their first few years. In our American culture, we tend to value variety and having a well-rounded education. My “star” piano students also play sports, participate with girls and boys scouts, are active in their church and typically play more instruments than just the piano. It is the daily practice that makes them good. I’ve also seen very talented children that do not practice and therefore, do not improve their beautiful talent. I see them as hidden child prodigies. It is in them, but because they lack the 90% perspiration, no one will never know.
I ran across a video from the 80’s of concert pianist Vincent Billington playing “name that tune” with his toddler son. He would play a very short excerpt of a classical piece and his son could name the composer and title within just a few notes. So what became of this musically talented child? He studied piano all his childhood life and grew into a talented classical pianist. He would perform duets alongside his father. In his own words, “The reason I did not become a professional musician is that despite having a musical ear and ‘perfect pitch’ I was actually far more talented in Art & Design and my parents encouraged me to follow my own path, have a good education and most of all, make sure I have as secure a profession as possible but to enjoy music as a fantastic hobby.” (https://www.facebook.com/WellesleyPOPS/posts/we-couldnt-resist-this-throwback-post-from-a-bbc-program-in-1981-concert-pianist/1359155914186217/)
Student Showcasing
We love showing off our students’ progress! Join us on Facebook to see the current student showcasing.
Olivia, student of Mr. Kevin’s, sharing her piano skills.
Student Hall Of Fame
Our students are making great progress! These students have accomplished new goals this last month.
5X5 - play the piano for 5 minutes, 5 days in a week, for 5 weeks in a row - Iris H.
Met an Individual Challenge Given By The Teacher - Played with practice app 3 days in first week - August M, Siya P, Chloe L, Aurora G, Maximus H, Shane G, Stella S, Adora L, Cadence T, Eleanor Y, Harvey X, Janice L, Jasper S, Quincy T, Benjamin T, Evangeline K, Samuel S, and Xiaoyan W.
100-Day - played the piano for 100 consecutive days - Iris H and Nathan H.
Finished their current piano book - Iris H. and David S.
Advanced to the next Music level - Daenarys A, Ishwin S, Jaya K, Olivia V, Amy F, and Lucas A,
Practice Tip
Don’t just practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t play it wrong! Perfect practice makes perfect!
Upcoming MOM Events
Want to see all upcoming events? Check out our calendar. It includes when the next Crescendo Kids class begins, school closure dates, piano parties, and recital dates.
FREE Online Piano Party! Students share their own music as well as participate in musical games, creating music and learning some music history. Each party is a little different with a theme and a special guest instrument. Come, meet our piano teachers, play some music, and have fun! All ages and musical levels are welcome. Parties are available to non-students, former students as well as current students. Click the link to sign up. Piano Party Sign Up
Saturday, September 10, at 11:00 am
Parent Information Meetings - Have questions about our online piano class program? Want a tour of our practicing app? Click the link to schedule your meeting with Miss Pam. Parent Info Meeting
Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Tuesdays or Thursdays at North Kirkland Community Center visit kirklandparks.net
Fall registration begins August 24, at 7:00 am
Tuesdays: September 20 - December 13
Thursdays: September 15 - December 15
Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Mondays at Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline visit shorelinewa.gov/registernow
Fall registration begins August 23, at 8:00 am for Shoreline residents,
August 25, at 8:00 am for Lake Forest Park residents and
August 26, at 8:00 am for everyone else.
Mondays: September 19 - December 12
30 - Minute Private Online Piano Lessons - Did you know that many of our teachers also teach privately? Now you can continue your child’s musical education, or your own, with Move Over Mozart. Click here for more information. Private Lessons
New Crescendo Kids Online begins Tuesday, August 9. Our piano classes are fun and easy to do! Perfect for beginning students ages 3 1/2 to 12 years old. Students are put into one of 4 classes depending on their age and musical ability.
Crescendo Kids Online Sign Up
Pre-Reading - Ages 3 - 5 years, or students not yet reading,
We use a color-coded method for the students to match their five fingers to five keys on the piano. New songs using only those 5 notes are given each week.
Primary - Ages 5 -7 years or older and brand new to music,
This group is for the very basics of piano playing. Students learn to play simple rhythms, correct hand position, and the names of the white keys on the piano.
Beginning Elementary - Ages 7-12 years or younger and reading notes,
This is for students just starting to read notes on the staff. Students are taught how the staff relates to the piano and how to translate the notes to making music. Also, having the students memorize a few key notes on the staff will help greatly with their ability to read music.
Advanced Elementary - Ages 7 - 12 years with previous piano lessons
This group already reads notes on the staff and can immediately identify many of the notes by name. They will learn more advanced technique and music theory beyond the initial basics of learning to play.
Parents Ask Pam
Have a question for Miss Pam? You can email, text message, or message on Facebook your questions. She will respond immediately to you, and your question might be featured in future newsletters.
Q: What is proper piano hand position?
A: This is such a great question! It is also something pianists continue to perfect every time they practice. So if your child doesn’t get it the first time, no worries! A proper hand position has to be practiced just like everything else. The simple answer, “curved fingers, on their tips, with a relaxed hand.“ For fingers to move easily on the keyboard, only the fingers playing will be touching the keys. The rest of the fingers hover slightly above the keys. We want to promote a relaxed hand with no tension. But when you are focused on playing the correct note, correct rhythm, correct finger and so on, sometimes the fingers just get all tensed up. Take your time and do your best. Even the best of us catch ourselves tensing up when playing the piano. As long as your child is improving, we take it as a win.
Your Comments And Questions
We want to hear from you! What questions do you have? What do you like best about this memo? How do you support your child’s musical talents? Please leave your questions and comments below or email Pam directly at misspam@moveovermozart.net