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**teridbruse** · 08-13-2008, 06:09 PM

I don't have any particular understanding of brain development, so I can't comment one way or another on the pros and cons of starting early or late. I do know my own personal observations have shown the issue to be pretty complex. For instance a bass player friend of mine was once strongly discouraged (by his teacher, who plays bass in a symphony orchestra) of entertaining notions of a symphonic career because he was "starting too late" in addressing that repertoire. Symphony bass-player-guy insisted that you needed to be playing this kind of stuff from an early age (as he had) to stand a chance of mastering it to the level needed to have a shot at an orchestra job. Now on the one hand, my friend was a damn good bass player, just a newbie in the classical style. On the other, I've had players on the level on Alan Matheson tell me they felt at a disadvantage when auditioning for orchestra jobs by not having spent a lifetime with the repertoire. Still, in this case I can't help thinking that the real obstacle to getting an orchestra job is that there ain't any. The standard advice is "wait till somebody dies." And Symphony-bass-guy really had zero contemporary experience in job hunting, having gotten his gig 30 years ago straight out of Julliard.

Some of the most difficult students I've had have been adults, but I think this has less to do with brain development than with ego. Adults, particularly adults who are very successful and skilled in other areas, sometimes resent having to do "baby" work on the instrument and yet it is absolutely necessary for beginners (of any age) to approach the process with the open-ness and enthusiasm of a child. Some adults have trouble with this and are constantly looking for short-cuts and ways to get to 'the good stuff' ie. more sophisticated, less embarrassingly beginnerish levels of playing. Many professional players, myself among them, also fall prey to this mindset.

On the other hand, I currently have a 58 year old student, a prof in Tulane's bioengineering faculty, who's making rapid progress. He does everything I tell him to do and approaches the process with the same thoroughness and work ethic he brings to his research.

So, yeah. There's the child prodogies, and there's the Ollie Gannons (late bloomers). Who knows?

08-13-2008, 06:09 PM	#11
teridbruse Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 415 Senior Member	I don't have any particular understanding of brain development, so I can't comment one way or another on the pros and cons of starting early or late. I do know my own personal observations have shown the issue to be pretty complex. For instance a bass player friend of mine was once strongly discouraged (by his teacher, who plays bass in a symphony orchestra) of entertaining notions of a symphonic career because he was "starting too late" in addressing that repertoire. Symphony bass-player-guy insisted that you needed to be playing this kind of stuff from an early age (as he had) to stand a chance of mastering it to the level needed to have a shot at an orchestra job. Now on the one hand, my friend was a damn good bass player, just a newbie in the classical style. On the other, I've had players on the level on Alan Matheson tell me they felt at a disadvantage when auditioning for orchestra jobs by not having spent a lifetime with the repertoire. Still, in this case I can't help thinking that the real obstacle to getting an orchestra job is that there ain't any. The standard advice is "wait till somebody dies." And Symphony-bass-guy really had zero contemporary experience in job hunting, having gotten his gig 30 years ago straight out of Julliard. Some of the most difficult students I've had have been adults, but I think this has less to do with brain development than with ego. Adults, particularly adults who are very successful and skilled in other areas, sometimes resent having to do "baby" work on the instrument and yet it is absolutely necessary for beginners (of any age) to approach the process with the open-ness and enthusiasm of a child. Some adults have trouble with this and are constantly looking for short-cuts and ways to get to 'the good stuff' ie. more sophisticated, less embarrassingly beginnerish levels of playing. Many professional players, myself among them, also fall prey to this mindset. On the other hand, I currently have a 58 year old student, a prof in Tulane's bioengineering faculty, who's making rapid progress. He does everything I tell him to do and approaches the process with the same thoroughness and work ethic he brings to his research. So, yeah. There's the child prodogies, and there's the Ollie Gannons (late bloomers). Who knows?
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