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She started in the third grade, but her playing didn't really take off until she moved to a new school for high school. This school is very, very into music - both voice and chamber orchestra - and her playing has improved by leaps and bounds in the last four years (she's a senior now.)

Just to show how good these kids are, they play Handel's Messiah (Part I) every Christmas from the original score. No cuts, no dumbing down. They give 3-4 concerts a year from an extensive repertoire of Baroque, Romantic, and modern music. The soloists are all headed for conservatories, including Juilliard.

I'm sure it's the good influence of all those serious musicians, but I'm amazed at how good she's become. She won't be a career musician, she doesn't have either the exceptional talent or the drive for that, but she will always be a good competent amateur who enjoys music.

She won't be a career musician, she doesn't have either the exceptional talent or the drive for that, but she will always be a good competent amateur who enjoys music.

And isn't that the real goal? At 10, Tonto Junior shows real promise, and as I said on the previous thread on this topic, we're already looking at upgrading our piano. He's on his first week of learning to play the guitar at home, and has expressed some interest in a violin. Still, the percentage of young people who will translate their ability to a professional career is small.

I don't believe he has the passion required to become exceptionally good, and that's OK. He has too many other interests, and he's not going to dedicate more than an hour or so a day to practice.

My hope for him is that he'll mature in his abilities, and with that, will come an increase in his enjoyment of music.

Besides that, with his future careers as a Professional Golfer, Brain Surgeon, and Constitutional Scholar, who much time will he have to dedicate to a fourth professional pursuit?

Wow, very good with not dumbing down Handel's Messiah. Just this year our school has decided to divide the band into the better and no so good players. I was hoping it would show in the Christmas concert, but sadly, no. No wonder my All Region (!) flutist is bored.

She started out on my old college flute but a friend let us have their daughter's very nice one for a song (they'd just bought it for her senior year but she promptly dropped out of band two weeks later - $2800). Even without all the bells and whistles on the new one, I'm partial to my old flute's sound but that's just me. Ah, but it does a parent proud when their teen asks them to join in while they play. :)