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Lisbet
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 4:32pm | IP Logged
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I hope this isn't a silly question...
My 8 (almost 9!) year old has been playing guitar for almost a year now. We take him for lessons to a shop in our neighborhood that is Christian owned and operated. We LOVE the owners and the atmosphere of this shop. His instructor is a 30 something law student with a bachlors in music and a masters in classical guitar. He is in a cover band that plays various venues around the city. He is pretty good with Gabe, and they have hit it off very well.
Gabe is my wild child - in a good way. He likes things loud and crazy, including his music. He cranks his amp and 'wails' on his guitar often!  We allow him to listen to Christian rock, and some classic rock. His instructor has been trying to work with our Christian rock preference and they have been working their way through Gabe's favorite band, The Newsboys.
Well, today his instructor asked me how I felt about him learning some classic rock songs from the likes of Led Zepplin, AC/DC, and Aerosmith. He said that 'licks' from these songs would be easy to teach him and such...
My concern is of course the lyrics, to which his instructor replied "they would be over his head and he probably won't even pay attention." (they listen to the songs they play.) I think Scott (instructor) is more comfortable teaching the music he knows and trying to teach songs he is not familiar with is tiring him. (understandably!)
I said I would think about it and get back to him.
What to you all think? I'm just not sure I'm real comfortable with it, but on the same token, I know it would be alot of fun for him.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 5:01pm | IP Logged
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I would think that there are many classic rock songs he could learn that would not be problematic. And of course many that would be. Can you ask the instructor to keep it G rated? I think AC/DC would probably be out altogether, but I can think of a few Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin songs that would be fine. I think a good compromise would be for you to allow some classic rock, but with the caveat that the instructor consider the age of the child (quite young) and make sure what he is teaching is appropriate. And if he has any question about it to run it by you first.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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folklaur
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 5:07pm | IP Logged
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Hhhhmmm....
Funny thing is, I often say something to my dh about the lyrics this or that song, and he is like, "Really? I just listen to the music..." and I think, "Impossible! How could you just hear the music and not the words?!?" But, I can hand him lyrics of a song I KNOW he must know, and he won't recognize it.
Could girls pay more attention to the words than boys do?
AC/DC...there are some good guitar sections, but they would probably be the most offensive.
Gabe is 8, right? I highly doubt I would let my 8yo listen to either AC/DC or Aerosmith. And I probably wouldn't willingly let my 18yo listen to AC/DC .
Led Zep....maybe....depending on the song.
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Maryan
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 5:09pm | IP Logged
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Lisa - At first when I read your post, I was thinking the same thing as Theresa -- maybe pick one song from that genre.
However, after I thought that... I remembered that this isn't just approving a song for a one time lesson...Gabe will be practicing these songs over and over again. As we are "educated by our intimacies," you may want to find the particular suggested songs online and see if you want him to be familiar with them or not. Just a thought.
(FYI - I taught at a Catholic high school for years and had to "approve" the music for dances, etc. at the school. Classic rock wasn't approved because it wasn't danceable, but many parents had issues anyway with the style of music in addition to the lyrics because it sounded violent, etc.)
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
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wifemommy
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| Posted: Jan 23 2008 at 8:53pm | IP Logged
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This may sound silly but can't he just learn the music without the words. It will teach him the fingering and beat without the words. The best part of some of those songs is the guitar solo's anyway. Annie
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asplendidtime
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 6:47am | IP Logged
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Well, the next problem is that if he just learns the music, at some point he'll know it well, and likely want to know the words. Or come across them on radio or something. I think it opens a whole new world that is best not visited, "until he's as strong as Daniel".
There are wonderful Christian bands of that genre, my dh was raised in a Christian home where they were not allowed to listen to non-Christian music. He was never acquainted with a lot of filth that was popular in the 1980s and early 90s. Those songs don't mean anything to him, but he did enjoy lots of Christian bands, and chooses music very carefully that way.
I would, if it was me, make them stick to Christian stuff only. 
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Stephanie_Q
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
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I don't think this is a silly question at all. Music really does affect us profoundly. I'm still trying to purge my brain of all the se-ually explicit lyrics and angry music I listened to (on the radio) in high school.
If you're really concerned that you don't burden the instructor by asking him to teach your son songs that he isn't familiar with...ask him for a tape of the songs he IS comfortable with and see if you approve of them. However, I'd strongly consider the long-term effects - along the lines of what Rebecca wrote. If your son likes a particular song - perhaps he asks for more music by the same artist, wants to buy the album - and ends up with other songs that you don't approve of. Sounds like opening a can of worms...
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Lara Sauer
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 1:45pm | IP Logged
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My first thought is that you should listen to your heart.
If you are leaning toward allowing the teacher to pursue these lessons, I think my compromise might be this. Since it is the music that the teacher wants him to play, and not the "lyrics," and since it seems that he wants your son to be able to hear the music so that it might be easier for him to learn to play it, then I would ask the teacher to record himself playing the pieces so that he could learn the guitar part without the influence of either the lyrics or a reference to the types of bands that are playing the songs.
My oldest son is 15 years old and is very musically inclined. He can hear a song on the radio and play it on the piano. He is slowly teaching himself guitar (slowly because we don't have a guitar in the house, so he can only play one when he goes to his friends!  ). He really actually doesn't listen to the lyrics, because his mind is so absorbed in the music. However, I do try and be very careful what I put before him. I think 9 years old is too young for that type of music.
I will pray for you and your family, but I think if you general inclination is to say no, then I think you should stick with that. You can't take an image out of his head once it is there. I think St. Therese once said something to the effect that her sisters never allowed her to read or hear anything that might have eroded her purity...oh to be so blest!
Peace.
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LLMom
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| Posted: Jan 28 2008 at 6:50am | IP Logged
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I always try to remember, who do I want my dc role models to be? It certainly isn't rock stars! Kids get hooked to this stuff so easily. We really strive to help our children learn to appreciate beautiful music. Most children can learn and accept if you say, "In our family, we listen to beautiful music (that would include beautiful, uplifting words if it had them) and X music does not fit that ideal." Our children have grown up knowing that in our family we don't listen to rock music and have just as easily accepted it as they have that they will dress modestly.
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Lisa
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Jan 28 2008 at 7:51am | IP Logged
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Lisa,
As a 30-year veteran of playing the guitar, and as a former guitar instructor, I'm sure you're right. It takes forever to figure out the leads in just one song. The instructor probably knows dozens and dozens of songs, just not the ones your son listens to.
A law student, guitar teacher and musician-type probably doesn't have ten extra hours per week to learn new songs for just one student. It sounds as though he's been trying, though, which is excellent. Perhaps he's just hit a scheduling wall and needs to ease up on something.
Before rejecting his request out of hand, perhaps you could consider Theresa's idea (individual songs, approved by you) or the idea proposed by several ladies, to learn the music without lyrics.
Your other alternative may be finding a different guitar teacher, if time constraints really are the motivation for this request. Perhaps you could ask the instructor to explain why he proposed this?
I quit teaching guitar because it was not worth the frustration of preparing for classes and then seeing the results of students' lack of practice. The most time consuming part of prep was - you guessed it - figuring out chords for the songs they wanted to learn.
I'm not trying to second-guess you or the instructor. I think you can find a good compromise if you discuss the issue with him. I would hate to see you lose a good teacher, especially if the other teachers in town aren't able to teach a Christian-only repertoire.
Just my two cents.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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amyable
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| Posted: Jan 28 2008 at 8:03am | IP Logged
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I don't know if this will help,but:
Any time I have that craving to listen to my old favorites, I think of the exeriment a high school student did, where after exposing mice to hard rock for many hous a day, all the mice killed each other. 
That being said, I know there are classic rock songs that are much softer and probably lyrically appropriate, but they might not satisfy your son's wild side!
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Amy
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Appropriate Music
