We spent part of Wednesday afternoon getting Beanie hooked up with violin lessons!
Local University offers a music education degree program and, as part of their studies, students in the major offer instrument lessons to youngsters from the community. Both Beanie and Punkin’ Pie came home with fliers advertising the lessons, and Beanie got really excited about the prospect of being able to learn the violin. It was because of this excitement that I picked her up from boot camp Wednesday afternoon and drove her to the informational meeting in University Town.
We met with the director of the program (who happens to know the girls’ grandparents) and met some of the college students who will be her teachers for the coming semester. Beanie was fitted for a violin (amazingly, she’s NOT in the smallest size the rental company brought - but it was close…) and shown how to hold it properly. I’ve gotta tell you, she looks pretty darned cute with the thing (and the GINORMOUS boy who tuned her violin looked pretty darned ridiculous with that itty-bitty violin under his chin!).
Strangely, Punkin’ Pie is being REALLY resistant to Beanie’s taking up this instrument. She’s spent the last several days, since the flier came home, trying to actively discourage her sister from considering the violin as an instrument. I haven’t quite figured out what the hostility is about, but I suspect that it has to do with Punkin’ Pie wanting Beanie to do the same or similar things that she does. Beanie’s being different scares Punkin’ a little, I think - my guess is that she’s worried she’ll be left behind. It’s not an unreasonable fear, but it’s one we’re trying to get Punkin’ to release - she really ought to spend her energy encouraging her sister…
Anyway, we’re pretty excited about our musical babies. I’m hoping that Beanie likes the violin and keeps up with it - it’ll be fun to have little flute/violin duets when the girls start getting good…
I am SUPER excited for the Bean. This is awesome and I think she’ll have fun. When I was 3 or so my parents got me a quarter size violin, the very smallest one. I didn’t keep up with it.
I send COPIOUS condolences to you who will have to listen to the early stages of violin education. It’s a rough row to hoe, but with a good harvest at the end.
Thanks. Really, though, Punkin’s earliest flute lessons weren’t all THAT hard to listen to. The violin has much more potential for harsh-and-grating, though. It’ll be worth it, I think.
At least it’s not the trombone….
I played violin for years. My hands are so small I never grew into a full-size, I used 3/4 size all my life. And yeah, those early practices - I think my parents sent me outside.
Our eldest has her heart set on learning the violin. I found lessons locally that start in January, so we’ll see how it goes. She also wants to learn to play the bagpipes, but local lessons are harder to come by (phew!). I’m planning to invest in a set of discreet earplugs (the kind that you can’t see, that don’t completely block out the noise). Of course, they don’t make earplugs for the cat, poor thing.
Go Beanie! We can’t wait to hear her play.
Hey! I used to play the trombone! And I tell ya, having heard early violin and early trombone I suspect there will be days you’ll pray for trombone, but it’ll come out OK in the end.