From Spark to Flame: Nurturing Musical Talent

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The minute you open the studio door and make eye contact with the eager I child on the front steps, you are hooked. There is something about this child that captures your attention. This child has potential talent. You know even before you have heard a note of music. Seasoned teachers have this intuitive feeling and can sense the energy and enthusiasm of these youngsters. They may be quiet and shy, yet their eyes give them away. You are eager to check out your “hunch.” After a few minutes of musical tasks in the studio, with parents sizing up the teacher-pupil possibilities, you realize you were correct. So let’s get started! Anyone who has taken music lessons remembers that very first lesson, when books are slick and new and every maneuver learned on the instrument is an adventure. The talented youngster literally takes off full speed ahead in this adventure. The journey can be exciting and rewarding, if the match of teacher and student “clicks.” In previous chapters we have described the importance of training in the lives of young, talented children, but we have not examined how this training nurtures talent. In this chapter I attempt to answer some important questions concerning training and talent development. What must we know about musical learning to match training with student reasoning abilities at different ages? Where do we begin? How can we keep a talented student comfortably challenged in the studio or classroom? This chapter will answer some of the basic questions regarding musical learning, beginning private instruction, the private studio, suitable curriculum for the young talented student, and creative opportunities that will nurture a young musician. When last we left our creative preschooler, lots of imaginative singing was taking place, with a growing sense of tonality to the “real” songs in the culture. By the age of four, the entire song is imitated. At five or six, a young singer has emerged who is comfortably learning new songs by rote. The next few years are critical in the development of musical talent. Understanding the cognitive and musical development of children at this age will help gauge musical expectations.