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Hi Ya'll!!

Mite started piano lessons with a private instructor, considered the "best" in our state. The instructor also knows Mite through a children's choir that he directs.

Mite is very gifted in music. This was first noticed by us when he sang the Barney Song at the age of 8 months and by a year was singing several songs.

Then in kindergarten his teacher noticed his ability in voice and recommended joining the choir he is in now. We put it off, due to my personal illness, and the choir location being 20 miles from our home, fo 2 years, but finally joined last spring. He quickly accelerated through 3 levels of performance and made it to the advanced choir. He sounds like an angel and has been asked twice this year to solo in church! (proud, beaming Momma!!)

His music teacher at school told me, just after Mite had joined the choir, that Mite had an incredible "ear". When she would teach the kids a song, she would often play a little bit of that song at the beginning of the next class to see if the kids would recognize it (ie play a few notes from middle of the song). She said Mite would raise his hand within 4-5 notes and say something like, "Well, that is definitely the pattern in SONG that you taught us last time, but it is also the same pattern in "song X, song Y, song A" and also if you just play DAH DAH DAH instead of DAH DAH DEE, it is also a pattern in "Song P".

So, the kid's a little freak in music.

Fast forward to the new piano lessons with the director/piano instructor. The instructor has been told about Mite's neuromotor disability and how it affects his hands. So, I was dismayed when after the second lesson the instructor sent home practice that had skipped to about the middle of the book! Mite can look at the music and sing it. He can name all the notes, rests and can click it out with his tongue, rhythm-wise. But, this stuff not only includes playing with both hands at once, but also with 2 notes at a time on opposite and on same hands!!!! It isn't difficult stuff, really. I can play it even though I don't know how to play piano, but for Mite, with his poor confused little hands, with dirty fingernails, it's just not going to happen. I could see MAYBE sending home one of these pieces to work on, but he sent home 5, plus about 7 pages of theory (which were a breeze for Mite).

Mite is frustrated beyond belief. The director doesn't get that Mite can get the music intellectually, but his hands just aren't there. Frankly, I don't think the director believes Mite has a disability. He seems to get all red and makes comments like "all boys struggle with these things" and the like.

Mite wants to take piano lessons. Mite knows it will be difficult. There are well known pianists who have dyspraxia and have said that using music actually helped them with their hands; so, he should have the option to try, imo.

Any suggestions?

Can you try a different teacher?
Can you get the OT to work with him on his current material?
Can you get an article from the OT for the teacher?
Can you get the OT to reccomend a teacher?
Can you teach him yourself?
Can you email thoes well known pianists who have dyspraxia and have them send an email to the teacher?

LOL - Good Luck - I hope I hit the right question in all of that.
I wish I was as good at the follow through as I am at idea generation!
Cousin Trin

Or can you just order the guy around (your are paying for these lessons, correct?) and tell him:
You may assign 7 pages of theory, but only one page of music. or

you must start from earlier in the book and work up slowly.

or -
Is this the first week? If so, perhaps the teacher needs to see what Mite can do or not do?

I would call the teacher on the phone and discribe EXACTLY what you are observing during practice sessions, tears, whatever and all. It may not matter that the teacher understands the diagnosis - It may just be that he needs to understand Mite.

If he is the best in the state, he gives the orders not his clients. Yes?

Maybe you could settle for another excellent instructor.

If this were Mite's only challenging situation, then I might advise to see what happens in the next month or two. It sounds like he has enough to deal with right now at school. You may not want to add anxiety to his life.

Diana

My thinking goes along Diana's. The best teacher in the state might not be the best teacher for your son Willa, maybe not at this point. My kids went through several teachers, the one that they are taking from now is supposed to be "superior" (if not the best in state than for sure in the best 2) but she is also extremely strict and sets very high expectations for all her students, no matter what age and how advanced.
Talk to this teacher, maybe he will have suggestions?
Ania

Yeah! My feeling is it isn't going to be a good fit. I'm worried, though, that changing instructors might interfere with his progress with the choir, which is the one place he excels right now.

I could kick myself for signing him up for the piano with the guy. I felt, since they have such good rapport in the choir, that it would be the same for the piano. But the guy, who is nice, just doesn't get it and seems inflexible and unapproachable.

Nonetheless, I'll try to approach him, or at least get DH, with his lovely British accent, to approach him and see if that has an affect.

We'll seeeeeeee.

Willa Gayle, dear,
How can the guy be "nice" "inflexible and unapproachable" all at the same time?

How many lessons has Mite had?
Do you sit in earshot?
How does Mite feel about all this?

BTW - I wish I had one of thoes "do-over" gadgets myself. There are a few moments I would do quite differently. But guess what? If I had, the whole situation would have changed, so I wouldn't know how everything turned out. And knowing me, I would never get on with living, I'd just be fiddling with the timestream over and over. So how about insead I give you three "You tried your best, I forgive you that it got messed up" Cards? And you can give me three of same, ok?

Silly Me,
Trin

He's odd, that's how!!! chuckle. Really he is nice, but just seems stuck in his ways.

2 lessons. Parent's aren't allowed to sit in. I'm going to try to change that this week. I am **very** unobtrusive when I observe, but I do feel I need to hear what Director is teaching Mite so I can help Mite practice. Mite likes Director a lot and Mite really really wants to learn to play the piano.

Me too on the do-over gadget. If I were Hiro in Heroes, I'd forget about saving the future and just go fix the past!!! chuckle.

I do feel in a bit of a pickle here because I don't want to jeopardize the choir relationship between Director and Mite.

update...
last night was another piano lesson. Mite struggled a bit with playing with both hands. The instructor divided the lesson into segments then merged them to two hands.

MITE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEEHAW!!!

So, I'll keep my mouth shut now. Maybe the guy knows what he's doing!!!

chuckle

Yippee!!!
Go Mite!

Well, we have been burned so often in the past, we can get overprotective..
t