Brendan's music

[celticdragonfly]

We have a player piano. Some years ago I got a child's basic music book, I forget who gave it to me. (Mom bkseiver gave me several later, but I think this singleton one came from someone else.) It has been sitting on the piano since we moved in. Brendan's often played around on the piano, just making noise, which is generally fine with me, if he's gentle with it, not too loud, and no babies are sleeping.

Well, recently he's been going through that book by himself. Apparently he's teaching himself to read music. Friday I heard him go up to the piano and start playing the melody line for "Mary had a little lamb". I was thrilled. Today it was "When The Saints Come Marching In". Wow.

Karl's comment: "We don't have a piano. We have a forte."

I wish I had a good way to get him (and soon Maggie) actual music lessons. We've got Maggie in Gymboree music alternate Fridays, for a test period of 6 classes, but that's NOT music lessons, it's noisemakers with some music in the background, ack. I talked to someone at FJUUC last night, who told me about suzuki music lessons down by Hulen/SW Fort Worth, but that's violin - we HAVE the piano and the harp, so I'd like to stick with those. And if I find somewhere he can go for piano lessons, I have to worry a) can we afford it, b) can they work with an autistic kid, and c) WHAT on earth do I do with the other two kids while I'm taking him to lessons? Agh. I'd like to find a teacher that could come HERE and teach the kids on our piano, but I know we can't afford that. I'm told the pianist at FJUUC does inhome lessons, but for $50/hour that's out of our reach.

Comments

Musician?

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Marvelous that Brendan has a musical outlet! He could learn a lot just playing by ear. Or do you want him to learn proper fingering before he learns it "wrong" and then has to unlearn it?

Re: Musician?

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Well, I want him to learn proper musicianship - not just fingering, but learning to use both hands together, to read music better, to understand keys and such - all the stuff I did not learn as a child, and now post-harp lessons (ah, I so hope I can get more in the future!) am just starting to learn. I think music can unlock a lot for this kid. If I can just find a way to make it happen.

Re: Musician?

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Does he have the application to at least -start- with a regular piano lessons book? I remember my cousins' little red book had fingering exercises.

Re: Musician?

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Whoops, I got distracted and never got back to this. Had meant to...

Possibly he does. I did just find the stash of piano books Mom left with us. I have been feeling VERY down about some of the massive problems we've been having with Brendan recently, that have been mounting recently - and we're now looking at it and wondering if he's having bad reactions to a new med he was put on last month. So we've taken him off it, and I'm going to have to wait until it's out of his system and we see how he does before I can honestly hope to evaluate him on anything right now. But I can at least let him try.

[marymont.livejournal.com]

Put notes up at the colleges. TCU has a lot of students who might be up to the challenge, and probably the other colleges as well. I have a young friend who is a student at UNT who is mildly disabled herself (either MD or CP--it affects her walk) and therefore knows a bit about the challenges of being "not in the norm" who could be interested--shall I ask her? Or open the yellow pages and start calling if you want someone with more credentials (who would therefore charge more).

As to your question (c), you take Brendan to class, then leave with the other two for the next half hour. You would not necessarily (or appropriately) be in the lesson with Brendan. If Brendan is ready for the discipline of piano lessons at all, he is ready for you to be out of the building for 1/2 hour.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Well, with his autism, he might need the help, unless the teacher is specifically used to dealing with autistic kids. If I wait until he can act like a typical kid, he will never do anything. Also, being out with the two babies is not easy.