静水盈盈

Cello Journey(V) - Smooth Drive

With all the dramas along the way, I have to say it's been a quite smooth ride. So much more pleasant than I expected.

Here are some moments captured along the "Journey". It's such a joy to watch her taking music to her heart.

 

She was 4 when she started, so she treated her cello pretty much as one of her toys. She played cello for her then-favorite doll, Selina. She got the doll from her auntie June in Seattle.

Sophie tucked her Cello for a cozy nap with her. 

Both cellos were wrapped up cozy on carpet after a rainy day out for lessons. Sophie said they caught cold and needed medicine, a tomato and some bagels.

Sophie has been enjoying playing wherever she goes:  1- in kitchen showing me what she just figured out while I was cooking; 2- on backyard patio on a pleasant weekend afternoon; 3 - on driveway when the fall sky is high and sun is still warm; 4 - on the lawn in backyard in early spring.

Once Sophie insisted playing cello for the ostrich in the Oklahoma Zoo. She wanted to bring her cello and play outside the fence. Only for that request, we kindly rejected. But for others, they're quite acceptable: 1 - outside the local Community Center while Laura's having dance lesson inside; 2 - outside the Seretean Performing Arts Center right after her cello lesson(She looked pretty serious, she's playing a sad song she just made up); 3 - in the park; 4 - in our minivan( doesn't it feel like a limo?!) 

No instrument, no problem. See how Sophie makes music on the go without her cello: 1 - in hotel on our Vancouver Trip; 2 - in car on the way back from our Houston Trip; 3 - in bed.

Cello Journey (VI) - A Few Clips

A few short clips from the early days of learning cello.

This is one of her very first videos. Just started learning cello parts and how to hold the instrument.

Two months into learning. The variation of the first song "Twinkle". I love how she nodded her head when she thought she got it right.

One of her night time practice moments. The song is called "French Folk Song". She was playing for her "Ohmu", because she thought this song sounded like a lullaby.

Power outage didn't stop Sophie from practicing cello. She actually really enjoyed playing with only the candle light. The song is called "Allegro".

Sophie sang along as she practiced her new bow strokes in our backyard. The song is called "Oh, Come Little Children". 

Cello Journey(III) - One Thing At a Time

Sophie learns fast. She listens to the songs on CD, then she can play it on her Cello. By that I mean she can make the tune right, but not necessarily the right bowing strokes. "Mom, I want to figure out the next song!" That's what she likes to say most. And she always did, at least so far when the songs are not very complicated. 

Once she insisted playing even after the shower. In her pajamas, she tried and tried the new song, but couldn't get it completely right. Even if she messed up at the last note, she would start from the very beginning. 
"Sophie, just do the wrong part. You don't have to start again." It's already very late.
"No!"
"How about we try it tomorrow?"
She ignored me, which happened quite often when she's into her playing. So almost an hour later, she figured out the whole song and played perfectly right.  

Then came the problem.

It's not fair to say she didn't try hard on the bow hold when she paid so much attention to get the notes right. Just as Sophie started to cruise along the songs in Book One, she was asked to slow down and do "Cello Stuff" right. Cello Stuff here means: loose relaxed bow hold, straight back, even shoulders, tucked cello hand thumb, curved cello fingers, raised elbow, playing in "pasta", the right place where the bow is supposed to land, and keeping "T" shape, the right angle of the bow and the string! 

I felt that's too much to ask for a 4-year-old child. I assumed everything would fall into its right place when she's ready, or when she's bigger. But Dr. Blecha was very firm and clear about her expectations, even though I didn't understand her zealous attention to details until later on. "If the child learn incorrect bowings and fingerings, it's very difficult to undo the learning."

Now looking back, I felt so grateful that she didn't gave in. We got the right instrument, the right program, the amazing teacher, all we need is the right attitude.

So we decided to handle those "Cello Stuff" one at a time. This week, let's just do loose bow hold, and next, we made sure the shoulers were even and straight, the following week, tackle the elbow... bowing, posture, finger, tone, dynamics, rhythm... one at a time. Each time, she had only one thing to take care of, and she's more relaxed and less frustrated. 

Every day we practise, every day, we take on new challenges. 

Cello Journey(II) - Bumpy Ride

The 30-minute lesson is offered twice a week, one as group, one as individual. They spent first few weeks learning the Cello's parts, clapping to different rhythms, playing by plucking rather than bowing the strings, which is called pizzicato, probably the first of many music terms I learned along the way. It was not hard. By the time they had their first Christmas recital, they got on stage and "pizzicato" two short songs. It was cute. I remember Sophie kept asking me when it was her turn to go on stage again. She couldn't have enough. She enjoyed it.

That was  7 weeks since she started. Things went real smooth until...

About 2 months into the program, Sophie started to learn a brand new bowing technique - push bow, or upbow. The bowing appeared in song No. 6 in Book One, called "Oh, Come, Little Children". Up to that point, every song started with a pull (bow), although she only leraned 5 songs before that. 

The seemingly-easy bowing became the first ever obstacle. It seemed that she had to break her life-long playing habit for it. Every muscle and every nerve had to be tuned and "rewired". She tried, then realized she did wrong; tried again, wrong again; one more try, even worse. It's not just the beginning of the song. Every sentence of the song begins with the upbow. She got the first right, then messed up the second one; She made it through the first 3, then she lost on the 4th. She didn't throw the bow, or stop. She kept on going, with tears swirling in her eyes. She was not only upset, frustrated, she was furious!

"I don't like upbow!"
"I don't like it either!" I acknowledged her feeling.
"Why does it have to be upbow?"
"It's the way this song is composed, I guess." What could I say.
"I don't like this song."
"You're very upset! Why don't we just stop here today?" I admit I had to try hard to resist the temptation to let her try even one more time. 

We didn't practice the next day, which rarely happened. I just didn't want her to associate the negative feelings, if there's any, to cello playing. I was thinking about that all along though. That's when I say, "She started. We all did". You just cannot break away from it. How could I do it to help her? Which part did I do wrong? Or when should I back down and when should I push forward? Are there any better approaches?... 

The third day, just out of blue, she said,"Mom, I want you to hear me play."
"OK! Just pick any song you'd like to do."
"Mom, guess which song I'll do first." She gave me this very mysterious grin.

She played "Oh, Come, Little Children" from beginning to the end, with every push bow perfectly right. "Mom, this is my favorite song now!" I remember that smile on her little face. The enormous joy and pride. 

You thought you knew your kids. Prepared to be amazed.