When it comes to my son's music I have always felt that others assume I must push him. At times I have asked myself the same question as there can be a stand off when it comes to practice, or he will complain bitterly if I enrol him on a music course. However, everything I've done is because i think I know my son very well and deep down I believe he is deeply passionate about music.

Well it seems I was right. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Day 8 of our holiday in one of the most adventurous and beautiful places in the world and he was telling me how much he was missing his music. When we eventually got back to civilisation, instead of hitting the tacky arcades and bowling alleys, he turned on the recordings he had made a few months back and has been listening to Baroque for hours. No doubt the stand off will begin in a short time but it made me smile. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Hey!

Where are you?!! *has visions of S striding through the jungle with iPod playing Bach*

Eight days white water rafting in the Grand Canyon. DS was bored and now in tacky Vegas he longs to get back to his instrument. I'll be holidaying alone next year! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I would applaud his sense of taste. White water rafting and Grand Canyon = great (I'd like to do that - I've done white water rafting in the Yukon). I think I'd avoid the arcades etc in Las Vegas.

I'm with you Tenor Viol! Vegas would be absolute bottom of my tourism list, although it must be interesting to see from an educational point of view, especially for students of psychology and philosophy. It would make a good field trip and provoke much discussion.

Look on the bright side - perhaps you'll win enough to fund DS's instrument habit!!!

Vegas is a hideous place but the nearest city and airport to the GC so we had little choice. I've taken to hiding myself in the hotel room as I hate it so much. DS, on the other hand, usually loves tacky arcades! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I've noticed most sort of "west coast" trips from the UK base themselves for a while in Vegas. I suspect the hotels are cheap as they hope to extract money from you in other ways...

I suspect people watching would be fascinating....

No, terrifying springs to mind...

I've heard people say that it's an absolute bargain of a holiday if you're not interested in gambling...

If you are a non gambler the only reason to be in Vegas IMHO is if you are very partial to flashy hotels! On the other hand we have walked down and up from both rims of GC and whitewater rafted there and its one of the great sights of the world. When the crowds clear early or late and the sun is rising or setting from the rims it is like seeing eons of geology spring to life. Not sure DD would think that was a great holiday although she would like the down walk if the weather was good. She would probably want a 4 legged friend to ride but I thought they looked worse than walking - they go to the end of each hairpin bend and stick their heads over the edge to have a look before taking the turn! If you want to camp at the bottom book well in advance. I have a great picture of a squirrel sharing my picnic half way down with a vista like a painted backdrop behind us., really

There are great places around there apart from Vegas if you are prepared to drive. Phoenix is an alternative airport. Sedona, Flagstaff, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Petrified Forest ....I remember thinking that I never wanted to eat a steak again though after a couple of weeks and that people really do put horns on their utes in Arizona!

As long as parents can draw the line between giving their kids the right nudge to combat natural laziness, and forcing them with all sorts of direct and indirect pressures to do something due to the need to live vicariously through the child, then I think all will be okay in the long run.

A good way of encouraging kids to keep playing is to find repertoire they really enjoy, not just going "play Mozart it's refined" or some such other stuff.

But hey what do I know, I'm just like... a boy.

My son only plays and listens to Baroque! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

My younger daughter recently went on a music course that I enrolled her on against her will. I thought it would be good for her confidence and that she would either love it or loathe it. She only agreed to go because big sister told her how nice the bacon at breakfast was! She absolutely loved it and has been nagging almost daily to go back again next year, she has even offered to pay for it herself! (clearly has no idea of the cost (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ) She is still humming the pieces and says that they feature in her dreams too. She was a team leader for the activities, which will have been good for her too.

The grand canyon is jaw droppingly beautiful; we spent a night in Vegas on the way there, and my abiding memory is of the noise of the slot machines. Not somewhere I would choose to go, but a necessary stop on the drive to the canyon. We did a 3 week fly drive and covered long distances in the first week or so, every day, from LA out through Joshua tree park and the desert to the Canyon, and then back through Vegas, to Yosemite and Sequoia parks to San Francisco. The last week was spent slowly meandering down the coast via carmel and Hearst Castle etc. That was all pre children though, and we are considering a return visit in a couple of years time, now they are old enough to appreciate it.

I had a similar thing. I thought I was too pushy when it came to making my daughter do scales, sight reading and aural practise.

I went for a weekend break with my husband, and he got a text from her, asking him to thank me, as she'd just done some sight reading from the specimen book, a grade higher than her level, and she felt that she'd nailed it.

Xx