Re: sight reading, again

On 2/8/06 7:28 PM, in article RFyGf.2703$UN2.2672@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Jon
Fox" <jfox@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I don't mean to imply that it (starting reading early on) is sufficient for
being a great reader, but in my experience it is a necessary condition for
being a great reader, whatever that may mean.

That is to say, not everyone who starts early and keeps reading is a great
reader (as you point out), but I don't know one great reader who didn't.

Please allow me to offer myself as an example. I never had music lessons as
a kid, or ever. I started guitar the very common "learn some chords and
strum along" way. Over the years I developed into a blues player, and got to
where I could whip off a blues or rock solo. Approaching middle-age I became
more interested in jazz and in performing melody on the guitar. At the age
of around 50 became convinced that learning to read would be a good thing.
At the age of 52, am becoming convinced that it ain't gonna happen, baby.
The old brain just says, "Hey, stop trying to put that big thing in here.
It's full, buddy." I'll keep trying just because in the trying I end up
learning other things that I didn't expect to learn, but I've resigned
myself to wistfully watching my kids sit down at the piano or pick up a
violin, look at a page of dense squiggles, and commence to play the stuff
effortlessly.
Put your kids in music lessons early!

.

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