Fran started in April (i think) and in total has had 12 lessons now (i think) as that 6 months has included the summer holidays. She’s taught herself this, this week, which feels like a great thing to me, because i very quickly turned into a “do the bare minimum to suffice” type of music player and never did anything for fun like this. I’m really proud of her. It certainly isn’t perfect, but then she has probably only played it 15 times or so and some of it is the first time she has used certain notes.
She’s doing so well, the concentration is lovely to see.
Very good, well done Fran 🙂
Thats was really good. Well done Fran and keep up the good work!
I have to say as a fellow ‘cellist that I believe that to be very good playing for that little amount of time and that she looks so darn beautiful doing it that I had a little tear!
fab, well done fran!
wow, well done indeed!
That was great. Well done, Fran!
That was really fab and I LOVE the concentration look on her face, it’s just so cute!
Ah, that was really lovely. Lovely to see her working so hard at it out of her own choice. I wish my budding cellist would let us even teach her one single note, but no, she insists she is going to do it ‘her way’ which means not learning anything at all.
I’ve kind of taken a leaf out of Sarah’s book really and just been pretty firm about it; Granny pays for the cello and we pay for lessons and either she practices and accepts help and guidance or it has to go back and the lessons cease. We’re kind of the same about gym etc too because while we want them to really enjoy the things they do, there isn’t the time or money for people to dabble but not put effort into it. Must admit it sounds harsh now i write it out, but it isn’t a “be brilliant or lose it” attitude, just a “make the most of the opportunity or lose it” one.
Fortunately, although i think she knows that in the back of her head well enough, she really does like it and so getting her to practise is rarely a problem.
I think the “normals” routine we’ve always had really helps, they all just accept it as being something they must do. But while i insist on them doing the stuff Rose has set them, anything they do for fun or together is their own affair and i don’t interfere with that, or insist on it, at all.
Our regime sounds really harsh when I write it down, too (I suspect that’s because it is!). And we’re frequently at the stage with Joe where I can’t even say ‘make the most of it or lose it’, as he would rather lose it than work at it – it’s become more of a case of ‘we’ve come this far, you’re not stopping now!’ But it pays off – when we changed piano teacher recently to the girl who teaches Anna cello she said ‘well I’m not really taking pupils on but I’ll take on your kids because I know it’ll be worth it because I know they’ll practise’.
And when they start doing things for fun together it is very rewarding. Although Steve and I wish we could shut Anna up sometimes, especially since she has discovered that she can download chords to all her favourite songs and improvise (and sing) along to them 🙄 But it’s like when they’ve just learned to read and you don’t ever want to tell them to put a book down!
Fran is doing great with her Cello playing. WELL DONE all for the encouragement and patience.
Giggle at Sarah.
Poor Maddy was in tears today because she can’t quite bear to do the things R wants her to do – i feel so bad for her because she get so upset when she isn’t perfect at it.
I’m consoling myself with the fact that i’ve not yet been tempted to take up any of their instruments and start competing with them!
I thought she played very well.
Long may her enthusiasm continue.
A lovely video – the concentration and knowing she has set her own goal there make it very special.
Great Stuff Fran – she is very good already 🙂 Decent tone, good timing and obviously enjoying it – that’s the battle mostly won then!! 🙂