Hello everyone!

I was just wondering how many of you have a musical background and whether this has helped you with your music education. My parents, though they don't play instruments, listen to lots of classical music and support me in my flute playing. However, they don't understand the technical difficulties and often ask "Could you play that?" when listening to CDs!
Charlotte

QUOTE (july @ Feb 16 2005, 09:19 PM)

My parents, though they don't play instruments, listen to lots of classical music and support me in my flute playing. However, they don't understand the technical difficulties and often ask "Could you play that?" when listening to CDs!

Yeah, I get that all the time too. My mum started the guitar when I did, but I was better than her so she gave up

No, no-one's musical at all in my family. I'm just one of a kind

my normal family arent musical, but my step family are a bit

my mum even said to me the other day, if i could play this thing i was listening too. i said ' mum thats Rachmaniov's 2ns pno concerto' and she went yeah so try it! i couldnt stop laughin!

My mum, dad and brother all used to play instruments but don't any more. They are very supportive though, and they have always helped me through my musical journey

my dad used to sing (well he calls it singing, i call it howling ) a bit and play a little bit of guitar but that's it.

My dad plays the French horn professionally, and teaches as well. All of his side of the family are musicians, and some of my mother's side of the family are musical too, so it's not really surprising that I should be, and it's good because I get lots of support from them for what I'm doing.

M6y mum plays the piano (about grade 5 ish) but not very much. In some ways its udeful because she can help me to work out rhythms but in other ways it's annoying because she knows exactly when I make mistakes on my clarinet beacuse she can always tell how a melody i going to follow.

I have a sob story I am afraid. My father plays the Organ and my Mum the Piano. Both play for hobby only, my husband used to play Saxophone and Clarinet, but was kind of forced to by non musical parents, so he now resents music. However none of them are supportive of my Saxophone playing.

My husband tolerates my practice, as he knows how important it is to me, and although he agrees I have improved, he plays his computer with his headphones on, when I practice. I have been trying to practice my singing (with the radio etc), to help a bit with aural work, and I know I can not sing in any sense of the word, but being begged by my husband to shut up, really does not help the confidence levels.

I recently got my sax overhauled and purchased a new mouthpiece, so my sax sounds really smooth now. I took it to my parents and played my exam pieces to get the practice of playing to other people. When I had finished I asked if they thought I sounded better from when I took up playing a year ago. The response was “Well not being musical I can’t really tell”. Go figure?????

They also mentioned that “It’s a bit loud isn’t it”.

Sarah

My mum used to play the piano when I was little, which was what first got me into it. She got up to Grade 5 I think.

She shows interest in my singing and playing now, and I keep encouraging her to get another piano. But having not played for many many years she doesn't feel confident about going back to it.

My dad never found his musical side. But he used to enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

I really encourage my kids with their music, and they are used to hearing me play and sing around the house (hence the usual chorus of "Shut up Mum, we can't hear the telly.") Also my husband has taken up the guitar as a result of my encouraging him. Neither of his parents have ever shown any musical inclination, and he regrets that he didn't have the opportunity to learn an instrument as a child.

But it's never to late to start - is it?



Amber
x

My mum doesn't play an instrument, (actually no one in my mum or dad's side play and instrument...I don't know where I got it from )

My mum is still really supportive but sometimes she'll say, "can you play that?" And it's like grade 8 material professional playing lol

QUOTE (cecilia @ Feb 17 2005, 05:13 PM)

My dad plays the French horn professionally, and teaches as well. All of his side of the family are musicians, and some of my mother's side of the family are musical too, so it's not really surprising that I should be, and it's good because I get lots of support from them for what I'm doing.

Cecilia, who is your dad? Is he a famous horn player? In Britain or somewhere else?

My parents aren't musical although my dad was a choir boy pre- voice breaking and can kind of sing now (he's a baritone, so he gets all confused as to where his "notes" are during hymns in church!!)

My parents didn't have the opportunity to learn any instruments when they were young so they gave me and my older sister every chance to learn if we wanted to. Supportive parents are great for lifts/ money for music courses and lessons etc.

My parents are not musical. But, my grandma was and 3 of my cousins(female) are (does that count?)

My mum and sister have the potential to be musical but don't do anything with it. I wish they would sometimes as I often have no-one to play ensemble with.

No not musically tantaled at all although my mum did wanted to play it .

They do make me play it alot though .. i kind of don't listen to them * runs off *

Viohazard's parents:
I play flute badly (I used to be able to play about Grade 6-7 repertoire, but as Viohazard points out, what does that mean when I can only play it badly ), and my husband used to sing with the local missionary's choir UNTIL the day when the cookies ran out before he got one. End of musical career. He later taught himself a few chords on folk guitar, but I think he secretly preferred the singing. He denies it, but he and Viohazard fight over the mike at karaoke...

My parents:
My father whistled anything and everything, including any classical pieces he heard my sister or I playing, listened to the radio a lot, and loved songs from musicals, which he would immediately turn into crazy parodies. My mother liked silence, turned the radio off, sent us to our rooms to practice, and although she had learned the piano as a girl, never played or sang herself. For some reason, she then took to going to classical concerts in later life.

my parents aren't musical at all, but they are very supportive of my piano and stuff.

QUOTE (Hulk @ Feb 18 2005, 03:23 AM)

My mum doesn't play an instrument, (actually no one in my mum or dad's side play and instrument...I don't know where I got it from )

Me too. My parents are supportive. Especially my dad.

Dad is learning to play the flute and mum has a good singing voice.

My mum studied french and tenor horn at the Birmingham school of music, and is a qualified brass teacher, although she chooses to be a cook! My gran is into Gilbert and Sullivan! hehe. My Dad is not musical at all, but he did try and i think still is, to learn the guitar!

My mum plays piano, organ and flute, all to about Grade 4/5ish standard, and she used to sing with the Trondheim Cathedral Choir, but she gave up soon after I was born.
My dad is a self-taught guitarist and likes to think that he can sing!

My great grandfather was musical. My grandad says he composed "a few things, and he played, piano, flute, clarinet" (and something else that slips my mind, I'll ask him when I see him next...). And my nan enjoys playing her keyboard...
Thats about it... Oh, and my dad attempted to play a bugle when he was in the boys brigade...

I do have a very musical family but non of them play professionally. My Mum is playing Grades 3/4 pieces in her spare time, my dad plays the guitar very well and is also good on the piano and my brother has lessons so he is doing well too.

no1 in my family play nethin.... its just me!! my parents r realli supportive tho which is nice i guess!!