Parenting Harpists

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Over the years, I’ve seen many mother-daughter harpist pairs. I don’t think I’ve seen any father-son pairs. But I know some daughters who give up or won’t play after being taught by their mothers. Others do have careers, but how did their mothers affect their careers, their learning? My view is, if you are a harpist and want one of your children to study, take them to a teacher, don’t do it yourself. My father wisely mostly refused to be my piano teacher. It does depend on what kind of relationship you have, and also if you are home-schooling your children.

[evolene_t]

I absolutely agree. Although they are not music teachers, both my parents are teachers/professors and it has never gone well. There has to be a separation between the parent who raises you and the teachers who want to make you (academically or musically) better.
My mother gave private lessons to a number of my brother’s friends and it always went well, but add one of us children in there and it was a complete mess.

Interestingly, it is the same with relationships : my partner is a martial arts teacher but I simply cannot study in one of his classes, however brief.

The most successful musicians I know did have parents that were into music themselves, but they didn’t play the same instrument. I know of an organ-maker with a violinist son, or a violin teacher with a harpist kid, and the child is thus encouraged to play music but there is no mix-up.

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