4 ms·

> What does being "behind" even mean? In my case as a guitar teacher, I see two patterns: - Students with less support at home or natural feeling for guitar a

> What does being "behind" even mean? In my case as a guitar teacher, I see two patterns: - Students with less support at home or natural feeling for guitar are about a year behind where they would normally be after four years of studying. - My most motivated, talented and best supported students are on schedule or slightly ahead.

jeffbee 4y ago
Thanks for mentioning music. It baffles me that anyone would be blind to the idea that children could be "behind" when so much of childhood development involves muscle strength and dexterity that must be practiced. This goes for many musical instruments as well as the voice, all athletics, penmanship, verbal articulation, and so much more.
- lapcat 4y ago
  Is this actually a problem for music though? Who are the future professional musicians? "My most motivated, talented and best supported students are on schedule or slightly ahead." So it's not clear that we're losing any potential virtuosos here. If a generation of amateur musicians end up being a little less proficient in music, that's unfortunate, but hardly worth panicking, I think. I personally started playing guitar, and tennis, too late in life to become a professional. This had nothing to do with the pandemic. But I can still enjoy them as an amateur.
  - jeffbee 4y ago
    I'm not really thinking of the health of the professional music class here, I'm thinking of the mental and social well-being of a generation of people who may never be even moderately proficient at music.
    - lapcat 4y ago
      The guitar teacher said some students are "about a year behind where they would normally be after four years of studying". That seems a lot less extreme than "never be even moderately proficient at music".
      - whateveracct 4y ago
        This sort of extrapolation has been very common re: children and school and the pandemic. "Who will think of the children??" come to life
  - v-erne 4y ago
    >> I personally started playing guitar, and tennis, too late in life to become a professional. I would argue that literally no one needs professional guitar and tennis players, those are at most the "nice to have". As humans we like to have nice things, even pretend that we have to have them otherwise our life is meaningless. Don't get me wrong I love music, but deep in my mind some intuition lingers, that its vanity to claim that it is necessary, when there are people in china working 996 culture to produce our unnecessary mostly plastic stuff.
    - lapcat 4y ago
      > I would argue that literally no one needs professional guitar and tennis players I would argue that I need professional guitar players, and my life would be drabber without Steve Vai in it.
    - Agamus 4y ago
      I would argue with Nietzsche that, "life without music is a mistake".
  - giantg2 4y ago
    "Who are the future professional musicians?" By the looks of things, it's the ones that take off the most clothes and do the most scandalous things. But maybe I'm just turning into a grumpy old man.

jeffbee 4y ago

Thanks for mentioning music. It baffles me that anyone would be blind to the idea that children could be "behind" when so much of childhood development involves muscle strength and dexterity that must be practiced. This goes for many musical instruments as well as the voice, all athletics, penmanship, verbal articulation, and so much more.

lapcat 4y ago
Is this actually a problem for music though? Who are the future professional musicians? "My most motivated, talented and best supported students are on schedule or slightly ahead." So it's not clear that we're losing any potential virtuosos here. If a generation of amateur musicians end up being a little less proficient in music, that's unfortunate, but hardly worth panicking, I think. I personally started playing guitar, and tennis, too late in life to become a professional. This had nothing to do with the pandemic. But I can still enjoy them as an amateur.
- jeffbee 4y ago
  I'm not really thinking of the health of the professional music class here, I'm thinking of the mental and social well-being of a generation of people who may never be even moderately proficient at music.
  - lapcat 4y ago
    The guitar teacher said some students are "about a year behind where they would normally be after four years of studying". That seems a lot less extreme than "never be even moderately proficient at music".
    - whateveracct 4y ago
      This sort of extrapolation has been very common re: children and school and the pandemic. "Who will think of the children??" come to life
- v-erne 4y ago
  >> I personally started playing guitar, and tennis, too late in life to become a professional. I would argue that literally no one needs professional guitar and tennis players, those are at most the "nice to have". As humans we like to have nice things, even pretend that we have to have them otherwise our life is meaningless. Don't get me wrong I love music, but deep in my mind some intuition lingers, that its vanity to claim that it is necessary, when there are people in china working 996 culture to produce our unnecessary mostly plastic stuff.
  - lapcat 4y ago
    > I would argue that literally no one needs professional guitar and tennis players I would argue that I need professional guitar players, and my life would be drabber without Steve Vai in it.
  - Agamus 4y ago
    I would argue with Nietzsche that, "life without music is a mistake".
- giantg2 4y ago
  "Who are the future professional musicians?" By the looks of things, it's the ones that take off the most clothes and do the most scandalous things. But maybe I'm just turning into a grumpy old man.