Naomi started Violin lessons over the summer. There's a notion that most public schools don't embrace and that is that when a child is ready for something, they'll do it. A year ago an hour of time spent trying to teach Naomi how to tie her shoes was fruitless and frustrating. Last week I demonstrated it twice and she walked away knowing how to tie her shoes.
Back to violin. Naomi has been taking 'music' lessons for some time, but they were introductory and more about rhythm and getting them comfortable with looking at notes, hearing tones, etc. Now, though we weren't sure until she began, Naomi is ready to play violin. She picked it up, and can even read music after only a few months--it's amazing. I expected to suffer through months, if not years of cat-fight-sounding screeches, but most of what she plays is actually pleasant. Not to say it's all on key, or that she's some sort of prodigy, I am just very pleased with her ability to enjoy it so quickly. The groundwork was laid and now she will be able to progress, not without instruction, but it's coming very naturally to her--like with the shoe-tying.
I'm not embarrassed to say that Naomi can't read. She'll be 7 in a few weeks and though at times it's been difficult not to feel like we're doing something wrong by NOT forcing it, I really feel that we're still in the foundation-laying time. Drew and I both read, we read to her constantly; her vocabulary is huge and her comprehension fantastic. When the time is right we will be ready for her readiness; but now, as always, I remind myself that late readers are often the ones who enjoy reading the most (according to
a recent article I read), and what are we trying to prove anyway? I'd rather she know how to be kind, so I'll force that learning on her instead for now...
