ukulele lesson

[Ktllc]

V had his second ukulele lesson yesterday and that is AMAZING the effect it has on him: he was in such a good mood afterwards. Very enjoyable during the whole evening and was actually able to get unstuck without a fuss (at night, there are always some stuff he gets stuck on, very predictable but still don't know what to do about it...). It is only a 15 min lesson for now but it somewhat has the same effect as 2 hours of private tutoring.
To top it of, the teacher was very impressed with his focus, dexterity and the way V felt the instrument (naturally knew when he was off or right on). Yep, I am a very proud Momma!
When V gets overwhelmed and down right abnoctious, maybe I could make him practice his ukulele? Afterall, that is a small enough instrument that can be hauled anywhere.
I find this "discovery" very interesting and encouraging.

 

[confuzzled]

"music soothes the savage beast"

(or, more accurately: "Music has Charms to soothe a savage Breast"
The phrase was coined by the Playwright/Poet William Congreve, in The mourning bride, 1697)


so you are probably on to something there.... :-D

 

[myeverything04]

So encouraged that you found something that works! I always heard music is great but after hearing your story I may look into it for my difficult child. Thanks so much for sharing

 

[Malika]

Hey, that's great, Kttlc! Funnily enough, only yesterday I was talking about ukuleles (or, rather, a friend was telling me about her friend's son who loves to play the ukulele)... This could be the way of the future?

 

[Ktllc]

I don't want to get my hopes to high but it sure is very encouraging. Since emotions and expressing thoughts are so hard for him, music might indeed be a good alternative. He needs to find his language and maybe that's what the ukulele will be for him.
Interesting enough, he did not have the same experience with the piano or sports. He wanted to try the piano because Partner plays it and, honestly, it was a disaster. Sports, he enjoy, but really has no impact on his behavior.

 

[buddy]

Do you have any music therapists around you? Q did that for years and I loved it...they worked on attention, following directions, and of course it stimulates other parts of the brain etc. It was not super expensive and really was well worth it. I think it really helped him language wise too.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Piano is an extremely difficult instrument to play - because it is polyphonic, it requires using each hand independent of the other... With other melodic instruments (the classical orchestra and band instruments), both hands work together to produce ONE sound. Even uke/guitar only produce one "set" of sounds - not two.

Music, if you have it in you at ALL, is a wonderful tool to have. Its a great way to burn off frustration, excitement and all sorts of other emotions... safely. And it lasts a lifetime.

 

[susiestar]

This is awesome!! You are totally on the right track to think of having him practice when he gets upset/stuck/frustrated. Not only is it providing something sensory that his brain finds soothing, music is awesome for helping a child develop the parts of the brain that deal with math, logic, etc.... When you find something that produces that good feeling in your child, find a way to use it to help them.

Music never worked that way for Wiz but audiobooks did. We would have him listen to specific ones when he got upset or frustrated and it really helped him move past it. We had HUGE struggles with some of his teachers because they thought that letting him take a "time out" or break and listen to an audiobook was giving him a reward for misbehaving. What they didn't realize was that it worked to "reset" his brain and frustration tolerance. I hope that V has teachers that will allow him to use music to soothe himself.

 

[Ktllc]

I was trying to remember our evening yesterday. When he came from school, he was not the most pleasant. Then he asked to practice his Ukulele and dinner went really well. Then all 3 kids were playing together and became increasingly loud (they were playing really good together, just loud). They would not listen to my asking them to not make so much noise. I was trying to wtach the news... When I shouted "Now that is enough, go play downstairs", they did but V was harder to deal with for the rest of the evening. The Ukulele has a good affect on him but it will also quickly disapear if I don't stay real quite myself.
As far as music therapy: nothing in my little town, that's why I picked the teacher he has. I explained what I am looking for for V and seemed to be very opened to it. He is young, full of enthousiasme and real patient.
In my little rural area, I will highly likely not find "skilled" professional, but might be able to surround myself with genuinely good people who might take the time to understand and adapt.
So far: an excellent tutor, music teacher, behavior counselor. And the Occupational Therapist (OT) who starts coming to our house today (she seemed very skilled).
Wow: we have a plan in action.

 

[buddy]

Wow you really pulled together a great team! So wonderful for you and for difficult child!!!!