| Product: |
Violins |
| Date: |
16/01/01 (813 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Versatile instrument and a good one should increase in value
Disadvantages: Requires a lot of commitment and parental back-up
Let me start by saying that neither myself, nor Heather (the wife) received any musical education at all.
Born in the 1940?s, money was too scarce in our families for such 'fripperies' in the 1950?s and thank goodness those times of shortages and (for many families), real hardship are over.
We were thus not particularly ambitious for any of our three children to learn to play any musical instrument. However, we were settled in Edinburgh and our children firmly in the state school sector when our elder daughter showed 'musical aptitude' in Primary 2/3 with teaching herself to play the recorder. She had been given the instrument by an Aunt (who is a Brass Band instrument teacher) and she was 'inspired' by an older daughter of a close neighbour who was considered 'quite a good player'
Naturally, we encouraged this, by dutifully praising her first tentative warblings at home and applauding politely at later school 'events' featuring the recorder group (which she had joined).
Then, when she was in Primary 4 (for the first time in that school), the children were all tested for musical 'ability' to select just six pupils (three from Primary 4 and three from Primary 5) to be provided with violin lessons at the school.
I can?t honestly say that I was particularly thrilled at the time when our daughter was one of those selected. With several months' experience of the recorder phase having passed, I anticipated a long period of intense screechings, floods of tears (when things went wrong) and possibly a lot of potential expense in the future.
The violin lessons would be at no expense to us, and it cost what seemed a very reasonable £35 to buy a suitable (subsidised) ¾ size violin 'kit' (including bow and case), the cost of replacement strings and 'rosin' for the bow. The body of the first one of these 'Chinese violins was cracked and was re
turned to the Education Department, so that her first violin proper was 'selected' by her teacher out of a new batch of 2 dozen or so "fresh in from China" just before her first lesson.
He obviously had chosen this violin with care and we have now carefully stored it away for possible use by grandchildren.
This first teacher is a well-respected local musician/teacher and we still enjoy meeting him and listening to him (playing the harpsichord and/or violin) when he performs in Edinburgh Festival 'Fringe' events.
As we anticipated, the initial 'groanings' were terrible, but within a matter of weeks, recognisable music was emanating from this instrument e.g. ?Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? ("AWW!", as granny said) and then "The Skye Boat Song".
There was drama when the bow was broken. I have never found out why, but strongly believe that it was used in a 'sword fight' with her young brother. I soon found out that my old trusted friends, the 'Araldite' tubes (that had mended so many other childhood 'treasures'), did not mend the wood of a violin bow so that it could still be used to produce an acceptable sound from a violin. Thus, at the vast expense of £10 (YES, TEN POONDS !!!), a replacement was bought. For comparison, the last bow that we purchased cost £1,600 !! Similarly, the violin ?bridge' became fractured (and ?Araldite? did, on this occasion, effect a temporary repair) but a visit to an old music shop in East Lothian brought back 3 'rough' bridges of suitable size, one of which I was able to trim and ?mould? to a similar profile to the one that was broken with my trusty Stanley Knife.
Thus I could add the term "Luthier" to my long list of "aka" job titles.
A real 'magical moment' occurred one Thursday evening when on returning from work, I could hear music that I had never hea
rd before coming from my daughter's bedroom. It was her playing, and obviously playing badly, but within the few 'bum' notes and unsteady time-keeping, on a very basic instrument, there was an unmistakable melody that was to become one of my favourite pieces.
It was Bach?s Double Violin Concerto (first violin part) the manuscript of which, daughter had 'borrowed' from the heap of Music that Mr O (as she called him) had 'left behind' in the school until he returned the next day (to teach the Primary 5 pupils).
"But surely you can?t read music yet !", I cried ? "you?ve only been learning for 6 months!".
"Well I can read only some of it" she admitted "but it?s lovely music isn?t it ?".
A tear still comes to my (usually very cynical and curmudgeonly) eye when I think of that moment.
A Classical music CD collection was soon started. There followed so many really idyllic Sunday afternoons spent at the Queens Hall Edinburgh for Chamber Music performances, and Friday evenings at the Usher Hall enjoying the Royal Scottish Orchestra or the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under some of the great conductors (Rattle, Jaeve, Gibson, Mackerras) and with great soloists (Kennedy, Tortellier, Haendle, Ma, Sokolov, and so on), first with the one daughter and eventually with all three children.
Her younger sister was not attracted to music so much (and was not selected at the end of Primary 3) but later took up classical guitar playing in Primary 6, again with free tuition from the school.
Our son showed no interest at all as his time for assessment at the school approached. His elder sister tried to 'coach' him and I (very unkindly) told him that she had said :
"He doesn?t stand a chance - all he is interested in is Nintendo".
Seeing that he was annoyed at this presumption, I am ashamed to say that I also p
roffered a secret cash ?bribe? if he was selected.
These factors certainly ?concentrated? his mind and he was selected for violin tuition. Now if we had sent our children to the next nearest Primary School (slightly more 'snooty'), then they would have been offered viola lessons, rather than the violin. Those of you familiar with viola jokes will know the sighs of relief that are made, frequently!
He inherited the ¾ size violin that his sister had outgrown and I had (with no knowledge and a lot of luck) bought a second hand "100 year old" violin, case and bow for £85 for her from an advertisement in the local free newspaper.
It was a German factory-made instrument, with an honest label and generally in good condition. It was sold by an old gentleman who had given up playing because of arthritis. Six years? later (after it was used by both daughter and son), I sold it for £345 (and wish that I hadn?t, since it is this type of instrument ? very popular in the mid to late 19th century ? that is now much sought after for students).
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Oh yes, orchestras and ensembles followed, which meant a great deal of transporting of children and instruments. There were Concerts to be dutifully attended (as ?doting parents?), but I shall draw a polite veil over that part of it.
There were also music exams, those of the Associate Board of the Royal School of Music. Not all were taken - Grade 1, then Grade 3 or Grade 4, and then so on as described below.
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With all 3 of them showing an interest in music, we decided to buy a new piano, and arranged piano lessons. We were again lucky with our choice of teacher. She was a bit of a 'battleaxe', but very selective as regards who she took on and was obviously impressed that we had invested in a good new piano (a 'Marshall Rose' upright bought from a piano shop in Edinburgh that
had gone bankrupt - we bought cheaply from the Receiver).
Apart from teaching them to play the piano, she also insisted that they should be taught music theory. The piano and theory lessons were a great investment, since they could all learn the music theory together and sat the Royal School of Music Theory examinations at the same time. Grade 1 soon became Grade 5 and I can remember their collective feeling of accomplishment when they all managed to pass their Grade 5 Theory papers at the first attempt - the elder daughter with a 'distinction'. This was accomplished at the ages of 14/13/11, so that meant that they would not have this trauma at the time of other school examinations.
Without this pass, they could not progress beyond the RSM Grade 5 playing examinations. This was, in fact one of the few criticisms I have with the musical tuition in the State school system in Edinburgh. Very little was done as regards the Music Theory, so that most pupils, without the advantage of private lessons in the Theory, stopped their playing exams at Grade 5.
The attitude of the Education Authority was (perhaps rightly) that if you wanted your child to study music seriously, there was a specialist music school (Broughton Road) that you could opt for. For the Gee family, this was not an option. It would have meant significant travel problems and, arguably, also an inferior standard of education in many other subjects.
All our children went on to at least Grade 7 in at least one instrument; the eldest to Grade 8 (merit) violin and Grade 7 (merit) piano; the younger daughter to Grade 7 (merit) guitar and Grade 5 piano.
Our son, after a shakey start, went on to achieve a (rare for a pupil not attending the specialist music school) Grade 8 (Distinction) in violin, and to Grade 5 piano.
Both the violin players in the family became members of the Lothian Schools Strathspey & Reel Society Orchestra (LSSRSC, w
hich was organised by their Secondary school violin teacher) when they went on to the local Secondary (High) School and both became very enthusiastic with playing traditional Scottish music.
This orchestra took them both on a tour of Argentina in 1994 and our son also went to Canada in 1997. He also went to Paris in 1999 with the school Stathspey & Reel orchestra.
They also both performed with the LSSRSC at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1993 (a marvellous and unique experience for them both), and our elder daughter also played at the Tattoo in 1999, as a member of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra.
All 3 entered competitions at various times. This is where stress levels rise dramatically. We have 'hosted' a number of cups and shields over the years, mainly won by our son.
They were competed for and won by our son in the room where - local legend has it - the actual, famous ?Ball? was held !! - I even had my photograph taken on the famous 'stairs' (which had obvioulsy been well-cleaned since the Ball).
There was one specific way in which we encouraged them all in their efforts. Whenever they got some 'new' music (particularly for examinations or orchestral performances) I would buy a CD with that music on. It always helped them to be able to hear what it was supposed to sound like - simple and very effective.
As a result, our son developed a very good ear for music (he has, and can sing in, 'perfect pitch'). I am convinced that the reason for achieving the Grade 8 distinction was probably because he developed a good approach to the (difficult) Bartok piece which had the examiner 'ecstatic'. OK he also played the other 2 pieces well and the sight reading, but his Bartok playing - which often 'screeches' without good bowing - was really professional.
Our son had 'cleverly' melded parts of the style of Menuhin and Kennedy into his interp
retation of the piece. It is still one of his 'party pieces', but even he admits that he could not have achieved so much without my buying the only two CD's that were then available with that piece.
Conclusions.
If I could have extracted, bottled and sold that initial enthusiasm which shone out of our elder daughter when ?murdering? Bach?s Double Violin Concerto as a soloist, I would now be a very rich man. That is the first time that I was able to see the value of music in education.
Another abiding memory is the look on our son's face (at 10 years' old) after his first performance at a large venue (The Town Hall, Falkirk) with the Strathspey & Reel Orchestra, when he then asked if he could possibly have a kilt (since he was one of the very players few without one).
Instrument lessons required self discipline to practice whilst their friends were playing computer games (or, perhaps watching ?Neighbours?!); orchestras involved them in team work and again a measure of commitment, particularly when they became the 'Leader' of an orchestra or an ensemble; and school concerts allowed them to show teachers that, whilst they might have "no time" for modern studies homework, they did have some special skills and could show commitment.
Music examinations tackled early gave them all good practice for revision techniques that came in useful at Scottish Standard Grade and Highers examinations.
On reflection, considering the current employment and university situation with our children, I am thankful that we did not live nearer to the specialist music school in Edinburgh. There is no doubt that they would have been 'encouraged' to enrol there, and we would have been unlikely to have been able to resist the pressure. In spite of the complaints to the contrary that might come from certain corners of the Dooyoo establishment, I am happy that this did not occur.
I
would argue that qualifications in accountancy, biotechnology and mechanical engineering are so much more useful than degrees in music - the most likely result being a career in teaching. A good teacher requires a certain temperament which neither Heather nor I have, and I do not feel that our children possess this gift.
As it is, two of them enjoy their music - meeting people through their interest and giving them a real 'outside interest' to put on their CV's.
Current situation
So where does that leave us now ? Well, (thankfully) neither daughter ever wanted to take up music as a career.
Our son has made no secret that he would love to make his career in music, but certainly not as a teacher. He was very interested in studying traditional Scottish Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, but the syllabus there is very much pointed towards teaching as a career, with a compulsory course in the Gaelic language.
He realises (reluctantly) that he would be unlikely to make a very good living as a professional fiddler but, fortuntaely he was also (almost as) enthusiastic about mechanical engineering and is now in his 4th year of an Honours B.Eng course.
He does say that he may consider moving to the USA when he graduates, and perhaps try his luck as a professional full time musician there (with his engineering degree and training to fall back on).
Our elder daughter still plays her violin regularly for pleasure and is a regular playing member of both The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and another traditional Scottish Orchestra called ?The Keltic Fiddlers?.
Over the past year or so, she has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, and the Waterfront Hall in Belfast with these orchestras.
She still loves classical music and we still attend occasional concerts together.
Our younger daughter, unfortunately, now does not bother very much with her
guitar. Whilst at Oxford, she did sing with the college choir, but now that she is working, any musical involvement has taken a back seat. However, she has just started playing her guitar again, and is considering taking further lessons.
Our son currently performs most weeks with a choice of 3 groups. In effect, he is now a semi-professional musician, and earns enough from this to avoid having to do bar work or supermarket shelf stacking to provide enough money to run his car and keep him topped up with beer when he is not driving.
One of the Groups, which he leads - 'Celtica' - a folk-rock group, managed to get into the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Finals in December 2001. They did not win the final - another Edinburgh traditional group did - but they are still together and getting bookings.
So has it all been worthwhile ? Well, the piano is now rarely played, although we keep it tuned, ?just in case?. Our expenditure on instruments is difficult to calculate since we have sold three violins at a profit but we now possess 5 violins and 2 electric fiddles which with bows and cases are insured for over £8,000. We now have two guitars that cost about £1,200 in total. Cost of ?hardware? we have probably laid out (net) must be approaching £10,000, but if the instruments were sold then the piano, guitars, violins and bows would probably fetch almost that amount back.
Our son 'treated himself' to a very nice 80 year old violin at a cost in excess of £2,000 from his own savings (but valued independently at £3,000). However, in 10 years' time it will no doubt be worth more, as long as he takes care of it. This purchase may allow me to sell one or possibly two of the violins we already own, and recover some of that capital.
We must also include the cost of piano lessons for 3 years and the transport to and from orchestra rehearsals.
Well, in total musical education for our 3 children ha
s certainly cost us less overall than it would have cost to take them to a decent resort in Spain for 2 weeks for just one summer.
Well, so has it been all worthwhile ?
Has it, heck !!! Definitely, Oh what a bargain !!! If you ever get the chance with your children - grab it with both hands.
Post script
In the Times Magazine on 25 January 2003, there was a very cynical piece, in effect against getting your child to take violin lessons, on account of the costs and the family anguish. Yes, I would agree with that ... it is the child who has to WANT to do it ... - all a parent can do is guide their children and put their hand into the pocket when necessary. I am soooo pleased that we were (partly by accident) in JUST the right place (with the children at the right school in Edinburgh) at JUST the right time.
Sooo much pleasure.
© Sidneygee 2001/2003
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