A Switch of Instrument?

Oh, I hope not! hahaha.

After another week of missed lesson, Renee was beginning to feel bored with practicing the theme of Twinkle2 Little Star(the last part of this song - total 5 parts), she learnt a new song today - 'Lightly Row'.

This song requires one to change notes abit faster, so that gives co-ordination(of fingering the notes with her left hand and bowing with the right hand) a higher challenge and either it's because of her 'perfectionist'(as per Ms Mok) nature/fear of mistakes/incapability to do it, she displayed unwillingness to try again after the first round. We hoax-ed, we coax-ed and it got to a point that I scolded her abit and told her that perhaps she should stop learning. Ms Mok must have sensed my frustrations(since I'm the one who's coaching her on the playing all these while) and here's our conversation:

Ms Mok : "Is she like that when practicing at home?"

Me : "Ya, sometimes when she's lazy and usually need more coaxing when it's the beginning of a new song that's difficult for her"

Ms Mok : "If you're still keen in letting her go on with music and if you want an easier way, maybe you can consider letting her take up piano lessons instead. It's alot easier since there's no need for her to 'create' the tune and also need not have do a longer or shorter note, faster, slower... It's already there, A here, B there, blah blah, she just have to know where they are..."

Me : (turning to Renee) "would you like to learn piano?"

Renee : *shaking her head*(whilst looking at Ms Mok playing the keys on the piano)

Ms Mok : "Actually, she's talented and she can do it if she wants. Kids at this age usually need pushing. I have quite a number of students whose parents pushed them pretty hard. Besides, they have tanthrums, sometimes it gets better when they are around higher primary school level. She picks up very fast and I have students whom are older than her and they took a longer time than her to grasp but she really needs to pick up her confidence to perform and also to try"

Ms Mok has also suggested a change of lessons' timing as Renee seems to be grouchy at times(yes, especially if she happened to have slept late at 11pm and woke up at 9am+ that day). So, for someone who likes to keep the weekends off for the kid, I'd have to work this out...

I'm not sure if Renee's able to take up yet another instrument but her daddy strongly believe that she could. However, I'm not up to it, to learn another with her nor am I going to go through 2 with her!!! Anyhow, when the time comes when they have to play the piano with both hands, it will still take some coaxing again I guess. Anyway, it's either she learns to play the violin or the piano... Maybe I should let her take up a couple lessons to see if she likes it?(can we really tell from that couple of lessons I wouldn't bet on it either, haiz....).

Meantime, I have to try and find a way to help her curb her fear of performing infront of others and with that subdued, it might help to build up her fear of making mistakes so she'd be more willing to 'try' infront of the teacher.

After the lesson, we went over to Compass Point to get some stuffs and when we got home after our dinner, she was surprisingly willing to go with her practice. However, she fussed when I corrected her and cried when I scolded her for throwing tanthrums, so I talked to her :

Me : "why you cry?"

Renee : "because it's difficult, and you stop me'

Me : "I stopped you so you can listen to my humming and get your long/short bowing right, you're playing too fast, there's no need to play so fast"

Renee : "but I can't..."

Me : "don't always say you can't when you havn't even try. When you first started on your twinkle2 song, you also found it difficult right? Remember variation B? It was more difficult for you then 'cos you even have to do the 'up bow' for the first time right? But look at how well you're playing it now. You can do it, just have to practice"

Renee : "....."

Me : "why you didn't want to try and play when we were at Ms Mok's place?"

Renee : "because I'm afraid that I make mistakes"

Me : (awwww)..... "darling, you don't have to be afraid, everyone makes mistake. Mommy doesn't know how to play, that's why we let you go to Ms Mok there, for her to teach you. I can only guide you on your practices. Ms Mok can tell you the correct and proper way to do it when or if you don't do it correctly. It's ok to do it wrong especially when you're new to it, just have to keep trying"

Renee : *Cry more*

Me : "........."

Anyway, after abit of coaxing, prep-talk and sayang-ing(she claimed that that's the only way to make her stop crying...), she did the first 2 lines of the song after 3-4 rounds of playing! See! Haiz.... I'm going to vomit blood soon....