A 14-year-old’s violinist’s MOTHER reminisces about her Kindermusik experience

I’m so pleased about the timing of this set of interviews with Kindermusick graduate Kelsey Gilles and her mother, Nancy.  I attempted to interview them by phone months ago, but due to their busy schedules, we put it off until our family gathering this summer.  Since I posted the first half of this interview last week, I’ve gotten to hear Kelsey play her violin with the Shaumberg Youth Orchestra at Orchestra Hall in downtown Chicago. 

 These talented young musicians performed a complex set of pieces by late 18th century composers including Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Strauss.  Kelsey endured a 2 1/2 hour rehearsal and a 2 1/2 hour concert that day and still emerged from the concert hall smiling.  Pretty amazing for a young teenager! The pictures posted were taken that evening.

Donna:  How did you end up taking Kelsey to Kindermusik classes?
Nancy:  At 3, Kelsey clearly had musical ablilty.  She wanted to play the violin like her sister, but the teacher didn’t want to start her until she was 5 years old.  She recommended Kindermusik.  I had heard of it but didn’t really know anything about it.

D:  What was your first impression of Kindermusik?
N:  The environment was very attractive:  happy noise, friendly faces, a bright room. 

D:  Tell me about your experience in the classes from a mom’s point of view.
N:  They used instruments as Kelsey explained before. There was a lot of variety of activites in the class and they played games at the end.  The kids were never bored.  We came away energized and inspired.  It was a good mother-daughter shared experience.  I also enjoyed getting to know new moms.

D:  Any other thoughts about your Kindermusik experience?
N:  Kelsey was the youngest of our 3 kids and we homeschool, so not only did we have the hour of class, but Kelsey enjoyed having her own homework as well. Her instructor encouraged us to go to the library to check out music CD’s each week.  She liked  having that activity as part of her “school.”

D:  How did Kindermusik help prepare Kelsey for her violin lessons?
N:  Kindermusik links eye and ear.  Some Suzuki violin lessons are only about listening.  For Kelsey, Kindermusik introduced notes AND listening.  The classes also helped me see the Kelsey was serious about music.  Her special ability with the rhythm activities stood out.  The Kindermusic instructors afirmed her gift and gave good guidance.  Because Kelsey already knew she wanted to play the violin, they encouraged her in that direction.

D:  What is your musical backgroud?
N:  I played the flute through High School and still play duets with my children on occasion.  I would enjoy playing the violin too!

D:  Any final thoughts?
N:  Our Kindermusik instructor’s goal was to empower the moms to get music into the home.  I loved that and it really worked for us.

-posted by Donna Mershon Detweiler who plans to implement checking out music CD’s from the library on a weekly basis along with books.