Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Q for parents of artists

She is actually about to start two weeks of summer art camp. She's excited, so we'll see. I find that art things for kids often are frenetic in their desire to introduce as many "cool" techniques and glitzy materials as possible, with little emphasis on any other aspects of art. DD has expressed frustration with this. I'd like to put her in something better but just haven't found the time or the right person. It's harder to locate someone for a child who has this gift (versus a child with a gift for music or athletics).

CCN, my daughter also is drawn to musical composition. We don't have a piano, but whenever she is someplace with one she sits with it and makes up tunes. She wants to take piano, but when we discuss it, she says she wants to learn how to write music, not really how to play piano. I don't know what to think about this and have gone back and forth on lessons for this reason. She doesn't actually seem to be musically gifted, per se. (She also makes up songs, despite having a pretty mediocre singing voice. She writes, too. Basically, if it is creative, she does it.) It may just be another outlet for her intense creative drive. I hope your daughter takes it up again. FWIW, my older brother went through something like what you describe and continues a second muscial career as a composer/musician even now in addition to his "day job." he quit piano lessons in his teens after having gotten the technical basis he needed.