Flashback Friday – lessons & recitals

There are so many fun things to participate on Fridays.  In the past, I’ve put them all together in one post – but this week, I’m breaking them up for extra fun!

Here is the topic for this week’s Flashback Friday (to visit the host blog, click on the button):

If you have a child in your life, your calendar for April and May is probably quickly filling up with end-of-year activities - performances, recitals, etc. Did you take lessons as a child? Piano or another instrument? Gymnastics or dance? Other types of lessons? Were they weekly? How much were you required to practice between lessons? Did you participate in recitals? If so, do any of them stand out in your memory? Did they foster a love or a hate for that activity? Did you want to take lessons in a certain thing that you never got to? And if you have kids now, how did your experiences with taking lessons like these impact the activities you had/have them do?

I started taking dance lessons when I was in kindergarten and took them for 5 years.  I remember wanting to quit after 4 years, but sticking it out for that 5th year so I’d get the 5-year trophy.  LOL  I believe that trophy is in my keepsake box now.  Though dancing wasn’t really my thing, I must have enjoyed it enough to give it a try with Ashley.  She took for 1 year and participated in 1 recital. 

I took piano lessons, off and on, from the time I was in 3rd grade, right on up through college.  It wasn’t until I was in 6th grade that we actually found a teacher that TAUGHT ME.  She was great!  I went to a school that was very musically oriented and was able to use my piano abilities in spring concerts, etc.  I didn’t mind accompanying, but I DESPISED recitals! I don’t know why, but I always got very nervous – almost to the point of sickness.

Ashley started taking piano lessons with my same teacher, but the distance was too great.  She moved on to taking from my sister-in-law, then a lady who was local to us.  When Gracie decided to take lessons, we found another teacher in the area, who has been GREAT!  Ashley switched and took lessons from her for a few years as well. 

For Ashley, the interest wasn’t as great as it seems to be for Gracie.  She loves her piano lessons!  She has a recital coming up soon and she doesn’t seem to get the least bit nervous.  Last year, I played a duet with her and I was (of course) my same old nervous self. :)

Ashley has moved on to the guitar.  We  tried one lesson from a local man, but she wasn’t impressed.  She felt he moved to fast for her.  We have a guitar program on cd-rom that we both tried to use for awhile.  I found it very helpful and it gave Ashley a great starting-point.  She has since moved on to teach herself  to play the guitar and is doing quite well with it.  She even leads the praise time at youth group.

Last fall, Gracie came to me with words I had been hoping to hear for several years - “Mom, I think I want to try violin lessons”!  So, last October, she started violin lessons with the teacher that her piano teacher’s children take from. She LOVES it and is really doing well with it.  Her teacher often runs contests for the kids – they earn points for practicing time, memorizing, answering theory-related questions, etc.  She loves the competitiveness of the contests. 

I’ll be anxious to see where Ian’s interests lie and what kinds of boy-related lessons we may get into in the future.