I love to teach, and I love my kids, so you can just imagine how I feel about teaching my kids. Last night brought yet another small joy of that sort. My six-and-a-half-year-old daughter, A.J. ("Jade" to almost everyone else), has to hang up her newly-cleaned clothes each Sunday night. She doesn't like to work alone, however, so I usually join her to play my guitar and keep her company. We've made a custom of singing folk songs, sometimes making up silly lyrics.
Last night I made a comment about a chord that got her interested in the distinction between major and minor keys. I played sample scales of both types, as well as some pairs of major and minor chords. She listened carefully with her head cocked to one side, and then exclaimed, "Ah, I get it!" I felt very grateful that I'd been able to give her that small gift of understanding.
Monday, December 06, 2004
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2 comments:
There truly is nothing quite like that sense of joy one gets upon finally understanding a certain concept or problem.
That half a year is important when you're that age. That was a sweet post! I took piano lessons as a kid but never really got the hang of it or wanted to practice (I always talked my piano teacher into playing Lizst for me to kill time). The guitar is one of my favorite instrument. I love the Spanish classical guitarists like Andre Segovia. Someday, Jade will probably serenade her dear old dad with the folk songs that he taught her.
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