Music vs. Sports

[Sam_2.0]

Nov 21, 2013 8:48:32 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Nov 21, 2013 6:45:58 GMT -5 milee said:

For the ones that show correlation between music and math, perhaps people who have a natural predisposition towards math also have the same predisposition to musical concepts?  There's no evidence that the music skills increased math skills so for all we know, people that have certain innate traits simply exceed naturally at both those pursuits.

I'm not sure I buy this one, either.

At college, there ARE always a few music/engineer majors. Math has always been a tougher subject for me (but I always was better/stronger in the sciences than math..) I did have some music geek friends in HS that did just fine with calculus, and some that only took the bare minimum of math classes because it was a bit of a chore.e

I do have some students that won't be music majors in college but have excelled very nicely in music, (and could be music majors if there was more time for practice.) They are also in rocket club, science club, history club, and take chemistry as freshman. IOW, these kids are simply high achievers, period. Doesn't matter what they do. I've also spoken to them about getting burned out before they hit college. (And, so have their moms, for that matter.)

I can barely play the radio, but majored in math in college because it was fun and not because I intended to do anything with it beyond that point. Now I work in high-level customer service/executive assist and do nothing with math*. DH, otoh, majored in musical theater emphasizing in sound design and now he's a stock broker. LOL!

*meaning high-level math. I can do spreadsheet math with the best of 'em.

[swamp]

DH, otoh, majored in musical theater emphasizing in sound design and now he's a stock broker. LOL!

No, according to YM, that's not possible!!!!

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2013 11:07:08 GMT -5 swamp said:

DH, otoh, majored in musical theater emphasizing in sound design and now he's a stock broker. LOL!

No, according to YM, that's not possible!!!!

What... there have been gay stock brokers before.

[swamp]

Nov 21, 2013 11:08:08 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Nov 21, 2013 11:07:08 GMT -5 swamp said:

No, according to YM, that's not possible!!!!

What... there have been gay stock brokers before.

Yes!!! Imagine that!

[giramomma]

Nov 21, 2013 11:01:41 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

This is one reason why I am leaning towards home schooling. So many schools are cutting out music, arts, and physical activities. Our kids are going to start piano lessons at 6 and continue until at least 16 (this is what DH's family did and apparently it's not negotiable with him). And they have to find one organized physical activity to participate in as well (soccer, baseball, ballet, swimming, gymnastics, etc) - this was my requirement. We will address the "what ifs" as they come along, but this is the plan for now. Hopefully DD will start dance classes soon. We need to get her potty trained first.

The lack of recess/physical activities was another reason we went to private school. Kids in 1-3 grade get 3 recesses every day. They also get art in grades 1-8, Spanish starting in kindergarten, gym twice a week, computers, etc. There's general music, and band. That's kinda the only bummer for me as a strings teacher. (Actually our teachers are really awesome. Last year in 3rd grade, the teacher had those balance balls in class and encouraged the kids to be on the balance balls when they were reading or doing writing assignments.)

In my city, I wish the would cut the strings program for once and for all. They start teaching too late (5th grade), and one teacher is expected to teach 4 instruments at the same time. Guess how well that works? In one of the elementary schools, the strings teacher has no idea, really, now to teach strings, as their main instrument is a band instrument.

I've been teaching now for almost 20 years. When I first started, a kid could get fairly far just with the school program.

Now, if you want to progress, you pretty much have to take private lessons. I keep my rates lower than the average in my city because I don't want only the upper middle class and wealthy to have access to music.

I also have kids that aren't playing super top notch, but are getting bored in school orchestra and are dropping out, electing to just take lessons privately.

[Deleted]

In our homeschool group by the time they are 14/15 a few of the older kids are teaching piano lessons as well as taking them. 

Son is doing Guitar now, Daughter horseback riding.. Interests change. 

[mtman]

Tell him to stick to sports.....No one in the band gets to nail the cheerleaders.

[Abby Normal]

I don't see the correlation between music and math, but I a relationship to multitasking.  I played for many, many years and it drives people in my office nuts that I can be typing an email and carrying on a conversation at the same time.

Both music and sports have benefits and to me the bigger objective is to get them involved in something they enjoy.  And there is no reason they can't do both.

My son has no interest in playing an instrument.  But we do expose him to a variety of music.  

[Green Eyed Lady]

I did both.  I still do both.   You don't have to play professional level sports to continue with them well into your adulthood.  I've seen kids that couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time start attending a practice for a sport and just blossom.  Both are important.  Although, I suspect I'll be able to play the piano a lot longer than I will be able to slide into 3rd head first.

[greeniis10]

Thyme, I hope your son gets to do what he wants to do AND what is best for him.  (We all know at that age they don't always make the best decisions without some parental input.)  I'm not criticizing your DH but I hope he's careful about how much he pushes his love for sports onto your son.  Even if your son is a gifted athlete, trying to please a parent instead of just having fun can cause issues down the road.

For me, music vs. sports is NOT an either/or.  It is AND.  All of my kids did both, voluntarily.  Both boys played guitar, drums, marching band, jazz bands, rock bands, wrestled, and played football. DSD sang in the choir, did plays, played softball and volleyball.  The more experiences kids can have the better! 

[Chocolate Lover]

I lean more towards music than I do sports because I love music and I learned an instrument myself. My dad is a musician and my oldest plays the same instrument. They play in the same big band group together and my son and his friend (who dad recruited because they were good and also reliable) are the youngest by a large margin. There are some in their 30s and 40s but the majority are 60s and up. Even my dad's HS band director is in the group.

My DD didn't want to join the band when it was available this year and I had to resist pushing for her to do it. She'll find her own thing if I let her be, it doesn't have to be music. I keep telling myself that anyway 

[milee]

Nov 21, 2013 11:01:41 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Our kids are going to start piano lessons at 6 and continue until at least 16 (this is what DH's family did and apparently it's not negotiable with him).

If you end up with a kid for whom piano is not his/her thing, let's hope that DH is going to be the one in charge of making him/her practice, then. 

FWIW, anything I've ever mentioned as "definite" or "non-negotiable" regarding my kids future has ended up as a thing that God/Karma/the Universe has used to teach me a lesson.  Just sayin'. 

[Chocolate Lover]

Nov 21, 2013 15:30:21 GMT -5 milee said:

Nov 21, 2013 11:01:41 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Our kids are going to start piano lessons at 6 and continue until at least 16 (this is what DH's family did and apparently it's not negotiable with him).

If you end up with a kid for whom piano is not his/her thing, let's hope that DH is going to be the one in charge of making him/her practice, then. 

FWIW, anything I've ever mentioned as "definite" or "non-negotiable" regarding my kids future has ended up as a thing that God/Karma/the Universe has used to teach me a lesson.  Just sayin'. 

My grandmother taught piano, I still can't play. Guess how miserable I was until they final let me quit? 

[milee]

Exactly my point, Chocolate Cheesecake. 

[Chocolate Lover]

I can only imagine how miserable I must have made the adults before they finally gave up. IDK why they thought I'd suddenly turn cooperative child when I never seem to have been  

[thyme4change]

Nov 21, 2013 11:48:14 GMT -5 mtman said:

Tell him to stick to sports.....No one in the band gets to nail the cheerleaders.

No cheerleaders at the performing arts school, so unlikely to nail one.

[bookkeeper]

You can sing and play an instrument your whole life.  How many middle age people do you know who play football or soccer on a regular basis.  My husband came from a very athletic family.  One sports season to the next, my DH even played college football. 

He only had to listen to how much his knees hurt when it came time for our children to choose which activities to participate in.  He supported them in anything they wanted to try.

If it cost money, however, the child had to be motivated enough to practice/participate on his own without being scolded by Mom and
Dad.

We had the one-two rule at our house when it came to school work and activities.  You were allowed to do one sport/activity if you could keep your grades at an acceptable level.  When you could manage school and one activity successfully, you were allowed to have the second activity.  We maxed at two activities per child at any one time.  We found our children did not have enough down time if they were busy with more than two extracurricular activities. 

[swamp]

Nov 21, 2013 16:06:00 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

You can sing and play an instrument your whole life.  How many middle age people do you know who play football or soccer on a regular basis.  My husband came from a very athletic family.  One sports season to the next, my DH even played college football. 

He only had to listen to how much his knees hurt when it came time for our children to choose which activities to participate in.  He supported them in anything they wanted to try.

If it cost money, however, the child had to be motivated enough to practice/participate on his own without being scolded by Mom and
Dad.

We had the one-two rule at our house when it came to school work and activities.  You were allowed to do one sport/activity if you could keep your grades at an acceptable level.  When you could manage school and one activity successfully, you were allowed to have the second activity.  We maxed at two activities per child at any one time.  We found our children did not have enough down time if they were busy with more than two extracurricular activities. 

I would play softball and soccer if I didn't have kids. But alas, I feel like I should spend time with my kids instead of doing my own thing.

[Phoenix84]

I did neither, and turned out okay by most standards.

I don't think it really matters one way or the other.  I doubt doing ballet or not will make or break him going pro.  Likewise, I doubt doing music will make him a child prodigy in math.  Personally, I'd let him choose what he wants to do.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2013 16:08:52 GMT -5 swamp said:

Nov 21, 2013 16:06:00 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

You can sing and play an instrument your whole life.  How many middle age people do you know who play football or soccer on a regular basis.  My husband came from a very athletic family.  One sports season to the next, my DH even played college football. 

He only had to listen to how much his knees hurt when it came time for our children to choose which activities to participate in.  He supported them in anything they wanted to try.

If it cost money, however, the child had to be motivated enough to practice/participate on his own without being scolded by Mom and
Dad.

We had the one-two rule at our house when it came to school work and activities.  You were allowed to do one sport/activity if you could keep your grades at an acceptable level.  When you could manage school and one activity successfully, you were allowed to have the second activity.  We maxed at two activities per child at any one time.  We found our children did not have enough down time if they were busy with more than two extracurricular activities. 

I would play softball and soccer if I didn't have kids. But alas, I feel like I should spend time with my kids instead of doing my own thing.

Your kids would probably rather have you do your own thing. 

[cael]

I'm a violinist, started when I was really small and still play. I've recently gotten back to doing it regularly and have remembered how much I enjoy it. Now that I'm an adult and I'm choosing to play, it makes it fun for me, vs. when I was younger and was put on the spot and made to perform solo a lot. I was really good but had a fair bit of performance anxiety, which I think no one ever noticed and I hid really well. I was expected to be perfect every time so it gave me kind of a complex, which I'm working through getting over now.

Anyway, yeah, music is something you can do/enjoy forever and do as much or as little as you want. I wasn't really given any opportunity or encouragement to do sports, but wish I had been. I think both are important to encourage kids to do.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2013 16:27:03 GMT -5 cael said:

 I was really good but had a fair bit of performance anxiety, which I think no one ever noticed and I hid really well. I was expected to be perfect every time so it gave me kind of a complex, which I'm working through getting over now.

Sounds like it was very helpful for the therapist that you now have to hire.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2013 16:32:09 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Nov 21, 2013 16:27:03 GMT -5 cael said:

 I was really good but had a fair bit of performance anxiety, which I think no one ever noticed and I hid really well. I was expected to be perfect every time so it gave me kind of a complex, which I'm working through getting over now.

Sounds like it was very helpful for the therapist that you now have to hire.

We all have some form of anxiety only difference is in degree.

[thyme4change]

Nov 21, 2013 16:11:14 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

I did neither, and turned out okay by most standards.

I don't think it really matters one way or the other.  I doubt doing ballet or not will make or break him going pro.  Likewise, I doubt doing music will make him a child prodigy in math.  Personally, I'd let him choose what he wants to do.

[thyme4change]

Nov 21, 2013 16:11:14 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

I did neither, and turned out okay by most standards.

I don't think it really matters one way or the other.  I doubt doing ballet or not will make or break him going pro.  Likewise, I doubt doing music will make him a child prodigy in math.  Personally, I'd let him choose what he wants to do.

The problem is that my Dh told him repeatedly that ballet was the answer, and as sons tend to do, my kid believed him. Now he is saying that he should do ballet so he can play soccer better. My husband worked him to be anti-musical instrument.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Band nerds are weird anyway.  Your husband did you a favor.

[Shooby]

  I think exposing your kids to a variety of activities is great.  However, I think there is a big problem in overloading kids and overscheduling.  They need free time and down time and time to unwind and just be kids and not constant practices, schedules, games , concerts, etc.

[thyme4change]

Nov 21, 2013 17:44:24 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Band nerds are weird anyway.  Your husband did you a favor.

I'm a band nerd. I guess I just have to accept that my husband gets to create a child in his image and they will have common interests their whole life, and I will just be the 5th wheel who washes the dishes while they obsess about the logos of local teams.

[thyme4change]

Soccer players are in way, way better shape than baseball players. That obese batter just pisses me off. If you are going to be paid multiple millions of dollars to be a professional for a major league sport at least look like you are capable of walking around the block without passing out. That dude looks like the before shots for Biggest Loser.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Even big baseball players can still move pretty well.  You ever seen them leg out a single?  They run faster than most guys.  Not like Olympic sprinters or anything, but they can still move when they need too.  Some football players on the other hand.  Some of those guys are all brawn with no speed whatsoever.