My Little Experiment

Exactly a month ago, Sienna's dad chose a movement from a modern symphony as the background music for her birthday DVD presentation. I rolled the music and images together and brought it home for testing. As we all viewed or pre-viewed it, we decided the music, very beautiful and tear-drawing, was a bit too sentimental for the slide show. So I used a happier piece instead.

Yesterday inside the car, Dad started playing that same 3rd movement from the symphony. Sienna told us that this was the same music from the slide show of her photos. Both of us were in the state of disbelief! I am talking about a piece of music (with no lyric) that she heard a couple of times a month ago and remembered it when it's being played again! What's more interesting? When the 3rd movement was finished and moved on to the 4th movement, almost seamlessly, she asked to stop playing along as she wanted the 3rd movement to be played again...

I had a chat this morning with my friend Yiga, the Piano Teacher Extraordinary, concerning my observations of Sienna's music sensitivity. These are my thoughts or ours in exchange. We are not in a rush to send her for piano lessons. One of the most important things in teaching an instrument is teaching how to listen to it. If I help her sharpen up her ability to listen to the music, she would be quite a few steps ahead when she starts her real lessons. Her interest and motivation in learning and practicing will be greatly enhanced. She will not be practicing for anyone else, but to better satisfy or fulfill her senses, which is the essence of music. Being a half deaf in music, I have been doing this from the beginning of the time. I am not a mom who talks anyway even her kid doesn't understand. But I would play music to her and bring to her attention, sometimes non-verbally, the different layers of a music piece. I would ask questions about the piece like one would ask about a THING. I make music one of her cuddling objects when she goes to bed. I am making music something TANGIBLE for her. I trust my good sense in what is good and what is not. And I let myself be led by her inborn sensitivity. We usually end up on the same page.

Like last night, she asked to have this 3rd Movement play when she goes to sleep. I had to say "no". Most likely when the 6-minute music ends, she will still be awake. She would ask me to go in and replay. That had happened so many times before with other music. So I promised today, I will bring back a continuing playing CD with that piece. You see, that piece of music is like a thing, say, hot chocolate or something that I promise. I believe this is the way to get music in her life. It's part of my anti-princess campaign that she doesn't know that I am staging. Music will become part of her life's necessity, something that she can rely on as a source of self-enjoyment. She would be willing to make efforts to fulfill herself, effortlessly in a way.