I must admit that I brought some prejudice with me when first following the link to the article, given some of the drivel I've read in the NYT over the years, but I wasn't much into the first page before I realized how wrong my expectations were.
We've got one child who could likely pull off some Rach with just a modicum of effort (at least in my ever-so-slightly biased view), yet he is quite satisfied with his current level of playing.
His piano instructor says, "ohh -- he could do this, or he could do that!!!" and I've had to remind him that it would no longer be enjoyable for our son.
One of the mothers in the article said about her resident prodigy, “He’s not a normal child. Why should he have a normal childhood?” and I think this idea pops into my head from time to time... because it's just so tempting to see how far he can go.
But then I shake off the fantasy and concentrate on how to best provide some balance for this kid. I love listening to him play piano... but I also love listening to him play with his friends in the sandbox.
