"DON'T LEARN THE PIANO..."
Sir,-I don’t know if you print letters from girls of 12, but I have just read the article "Don’t Learn the Piano Till You're 21," and I think it’s silly. If people took that advice there would be no good music to listen to, because most people have to earn their living by then and have not time to study to. be professional musicians, and would be almost middle-aged before they were good enough for concert playing. And there wouldn’t be any senior teachers, as only one in thousands would get a degree after starting at 21, specially if they had to earn their living at the same time. The younger you start the better. I have just passed my fifth year exam. with distinction and hope to be through all of them and get a degree before I’m 21. Mr. von Sturmer must have been an unfortunate child to loathe Shakespeare (I like to read him aloud) and find music meaningless. I don’t think age makes any difference to music, but parents and teachers do. Unmusical children should not be made to practise, but most children only dislike practice because their parents. don’t understand it and can’t help them to. I love practising and so do a few of my friends. That is because our parents help us with our practice, take us to the best concerts-Solomon and Lili Kraus lately-and teach us how to listen and understand good music on the radio. No child could help liking Peter and the Wolf, and I don’t suppose many of my age know that you can dance a lively jig to music by Bach and shout with laughter over Shostakovich’s "Age of Gold" polka, and several things by Haydn. And I am not nearly so priggish as this sounds, I’m not popular with the teachers at Grammar, and if someone would suggest putting off school till 21, I might agree! But I just think-
PRACTICE
CAN BE FUN
(Auckland).
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19460927.2.14.2
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 379, 27 September 1946, Page 5
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332"DON'T LEARN THE PIANO..." New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 379, 27 September 1946, Page 5
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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