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OCTOBER 29,|2015 | The Jewish MAY 14, 2020 The Jewish HomeHome
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THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME MAY 21, 2020
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A Budding Beethoven? Your child doesn’t have to be Mozart – writing symphonies at age four – in order to play music for a hobby or even to become an accomplished musician. Many accomplished and well-known musicians didn’t even start playing music until their teenage years. But, says professional keyboard player Tzvi Lampert, “an ideal age to start is between 7 and 10, depending on the kid’s level of interest and level of talent.”
Lampert, who is a keyboard player, band leader, and music teacher at Brandeis School, explains that music is a way of thinking, so the younger one is when they start, the easier it is for them to get into it, similar to young people learning a new language. There are obviously many different musical instruments that one can learn. Ask any child which instrument they want to play, though, and most will instantly respond: drums! Hmm…add that to the quar-
antine mix and now things are really becoming combustible. The truth is that it’s not just the effect that drums would have on your sanity that should eliminate drums from your list of possibilities. There’s another reason as well. “The joke that all musicians tell,” says Lampert, “is: what do you call the guy who hangs out with musicians? The drummer.” He is quick to add that there are many drummers that are very musical, but the really great drummers also play other in-
struments. Drums shouldn’t be the first instrument one plays if the goal is to be a well-rounded musician, he explains. Rabbi Yitzy Ross, who leads a family band consisting of himself along with seven of his sons ka”h (his youngest, age 5, is in the process of learning keyboard), is not opposed to looking at a child’s personality to determine which instrument is suited for him. In fact, during our discussion, when asked about that, in the process of think-
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
amed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once quipped, “The most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school.” In order to help you bring out your child’s latent talents, we spoke with local professional artists – musicians, photographers, artists, and chefs – to help you bring these skills to the fore. Hopefully their advice and tips will resonate with you and help get your child on the road towards an enjoyable hobby.
