As I stated in the last post, my husband and I will choose an instrument for my children to start with. This choice is just based on what we think they might be suited for. Right now, we plan on having Timothy start with the cello and Emanuela start with the violin.
However, after a year or two of instruction I would like to give my children the option to stick with the instrument we picked or choose another. God has given the human race a wide variety of abilities and affinities, and I want my children to find the perfect instrument with which to praise God. To that end, and in order to increase their enjoyment in hearing music, in the year before we begin the main curriculum I intend to teach my children about different instruments. I will not try to introduce all instruments; that would be nearly impossible. We will learn the most often used instruments in an orchestra.
I want the student to be able to recognize the instrument by sight and by sound, be able to identify the parts of the instrument, and know by what mechanism the instrument produces different notes (i.e. pressing keys, plucking strings, bowing, fingering strings, striking with a mallet, etc.) I will also give them a brief background of when the instrument was developed. There are two websites that I have found particularly useful www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm, and www.nyphilkids.org/lockerroom.phtml Both of these sites have information on different instrument as well as pictures and sound clips.
I plan on introducing the following instruments, one per week: violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, piccolo, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, English Horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French Horn, saxaphone, tympani, snare, cymbals, xylophone, glockenspiel, harpsichord, piano, organ, and harp.
The remaining weeks of the year the child will have the opportunity to further investigate instruments that intrigue him. I will try to find a person who plays that instrument, books on the instrument, and music featuring that instrument. At the end of the year he can choose which instrument to play, with the knowledge that he can change his mind later, if he wants.
This freedom to choose could be abused, and it will be up to Denis and myself to discern whether a student repeatedly switching instruments is still searching for the right one, or merely avoiding the hard work of progressing beyond the beginning stage. If we believe that the student would benefit from the discipline of sticking with an instrument they don't like for awhile more we may require it.
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