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Dawnie
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 12:39pm | IP Logged
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I want to play the piano and sing more with my children. The thing that has kept me from doing it on a regular basis for years and years has been that there is almost always a little person who wants to sit beside me or in my lap banging on the piano while I'm trying to play it. 
To those of you who are musicians, how do you deal with this??? I'd love to be able to play more just for my own enjoyment, but it's so frustrating to be constantly stopping and removing little hands from the keyboard!
Dawn
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CandaceC
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 1:12pm | IP Logged
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Dawn, do you have any kiddie instruments they could play while you are playing? Yes, to an extent, the loud rhythm sticks and triangles are annoying, but it's better than banging on the piano?! This is what we do in our home and it seems to work out.
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SusanJ
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Dh plays well and I can muddle through stuff. We mostly just let the kids play up on the high end along with us if they want to. We do keep other instruments near the piano but it doesn't help--they want to do what we're doing. The piano is much easier to deal with than his guitar or my flute. Those are pretty much unplayable these days because the kids can't do it, too, and have a fit the whole time!
We don't allow "banging", though. We show them how to play more gently and they get it after a few days.
Susan
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 9:35pm | IP Logged
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Dawnie wrote:
| ... but it's so frustrating to be constantly stopping and removing little hands from the keyboard! |
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Now I play neither much nor well, but when I do, this is exactly what I do. I stop, remove hands (occasionally giving a sharp slap) and remind them that it is my turn to play the piano. It is frustrating, and it is important to train them, imo. It is an extention of the sharing skill.
Mine are mostly trained now except for James so I can sit down fairly fearlessly when the mood strikes. 
Good luck!
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Lisbet
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 5:38am | IP Logged
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Dawn, I don't play, but I have 5 kids that do. One thing to keep in mind with the little ones is that as they get older and begin to play on their own, and you add more littles to the mix, it is essential to teach the little ones not to bang while anyone is playing. As frustrating as it is for you when you are playing for enjoyment, it will be even more frustrating for a bigger child that is required to practice daily. We only allow one set of fingers on the keyboard at a time, unless it is a duet of course. And the littles can only play if they are seated and someone older is watching them.
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Dawnie
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 8:44am | IP Logged
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Thank you for the suggestions, everyone. I think I've just given up on training too soon instead of sticking with it, regardless of the frustration and number of interruptions.
I'm also going to try to have sing-along time when dh is home so that he can help with the littles. :)
Thanks again, everyone!
Dawn
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Music and Little Children
