Suggestions For Six Year Old

[cabbie]

Hi
I'm new to the site and I am looking for some help.
My six year old son is somewhat of a piano prodigy.
He has been taking lessons since three, can read music fluently, and on his own, enjoys playing two or more hours per day.  He takes lessons twice a week.
His current repitoire includes:
Grieg op12 Lyrical Pieces
Loeschorn op65 Etudes
Bach Small Preludes and Fugues
We would like to enter him in some local orchestral young performer competitions.
Any suggestion for piano solos with orchestra that a talented six year old could handle?
Thank you so much

cabbie

[musicsdarkangel]

Haydn's D major is always a choice.

[gruffalo]

enter local competitions. get a good teacher (even if it means paying lots). get advice from as many musicians and meet loads of people at the competitions. competitions is the main thing you can do. and enter him for the higher age groups. thats what i used to do, until i got a bad teacher who didnt really enter me for competitions (and my parents never really understood what raising a pianist is about, i am not blaming them).

make sure he learns a wide range of composers. send him to saturday music school aswell and enquire about it. thats where you meet people.

what ever you do, even if you have to force him (sometimes even great musicians had to be forced when they get to age 11-13) make sure he continues to do music. but also let him have a bit of freedom and keep him well educated.

hope this helps.

[JCarey]

what ever you do, even if you have to force him (sometimes even great musicians had to be forced when they get to age 11-13) make sure he continues to do music. but also let him have a bit of freedom and keep him well educated.

I disagree 100%. DO NOT DO THAT! I REPEAT: DO NOT DO THAT! That isn't fair if it ends up "not being his thing," and he will never enjoy it for the sake of the music if he is put in that position. True prodigies will continue by their own free will, and the last thing they need is their parents breathing down their necks and forcing them to practice, which will just turn them off in the longrun.

As for concerti, I would recommend one of the early Mozart concerti.

[cabbie]

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR INPUT SO FAR.
I was afraid that this might trigger some debate about how much a parent should push a gifted child or prodigy.  My son truly seems to love the piano.  Whereas most children will say: "I want to go home and watch TV", my son will say "I want to go home and play the piano".  My wife and I are both musical people.  I play timpani/percussion in a fairly competent community orchestra.  Our 8 year old daughter is heavily involved in theater and dance.  So he has been exposed to all types of music since birth.
We never have to "get him to practice."  He performs at recitals at his music school frequently and loves to perform publicly.
Why is that if a child plays soccer 5 days a week, nobody ever says that his/her parents are pushing him/her too much?
Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions and I welcome more
cabbie

[cabbie]

Also:
The Haydn won't work because he can't reach an octave cleanly.
thanks
cabbie

[pianistimo]

sometimes just finding music they like and want to play is a search by buying loads of music.  but, now they have cd sheet music.  you buy a cd and can print out a load.  he can try what he likes.  and, if he really likes something - just write some instrumental stuff for a quartet to go along (or hire a composer)

sounds like you already have two players since you and your wife play.  families that play music together stay together (just thought of that  )

try www.cdsheetmusic.com  and try cd16

these are mostly kids stuff and the amy beach summer dreams op 47 (for four hands) could be modified and might sounds cool.

also, cd10 (has debussy's petite suites - all pieces four hands)

[pianistimo]

just thought of something. 

if he has trouble reading the clefs of duet music - rewrite it or computer generate it with the clef signs as they naturally would be down an octave.  you can even add more notes from the secondo part to complete the sounds if you want to just play as a threesome and skip the other two parts.

what i have always found is that there is a terrible difficulty of getting all the players together to practice.  whereas with your own family - he'll get lots of practice and you won't have to be driving around  (although with a name like cabbie - it must not bother you).

ps what would be really swell is to have your daughter join in and dance while you all play. 

[leahcim]

Why is that if a child plays soccer 5 days a week, nobody ever says that his/her parents are pushing him/her too much?

They probably do. Although I don't think it was anything you said that triggered the comments.

Pushy isn't so much the problem anyway imo from the pov of developing a skill. I think most of the pushy stuff is where the push is towards celebrity and fame rather than necessarily pushing someone to be good at playing the piano, maths or acting, or whatever else.

e.g [although you aren't suggesting doing this] There's a certain "freak show" element to those young kids you see playing piano on TV. That's nothing to do with how much they are or aren't pushed into the playing aspect. Largely, from the audience perspective, their playing is secondary to the fact they are a particular age.

But since you brought it up, can I ask why a competition? I've no experience of competition personally, [nor of playing the piano at a young age for that matter], but from everything I've read here about competitions, what they are like, why folk do them and so on, I'd be more inclined to look at something where folk play music together, rather than against each other. As you appear to do with the community orchestra.

[cabbie]

I agree.
Most of the competitions in this area offer scholarship awards which would be helpful.
Also, he has expressed interest in playing with an orchestra, so I think it would be fun for him.  I also thought it would be a good way to meet contacts for future performing opportunities.  We have looked far and wide to find others for him to play with, but it is difficult.  His regular school band/orchestra doesn't start until the fourth grade ( he is in first), and, with out sounding cocky, I doubt that the level of musicianship would interest him.  He did perform a duet with a gifted 6 year old cello player and he had a blast.  And he has performed piano duets with his 8 year old sister which he also really enjoys.
It's just that every time a friend or relative hears him play, they all say: "You should do something with him!"  I'm just not sure what that means.
cabbie

[ako]

I think you should really look into finding a good teacher who has experience working with talented young pianist. You can try your local professional piano teacher association for a start. Explain to them your situation and ask for a recommendation. I am just thinking of the teacher I had when I was growing up and how many opportunities she provided her students in terms of competitions and festivals and chances to play with orchestras. I remember one particularly brilliant student who was 3 years younger than me. She was 10 and playing Debussy Estampes (very well). I think she ended up going to Julliard prep. under the guidance and the opportunities provided by our teacher. If that's what your son is interested in doing, give him all the opportunities to develop his talent. Good luck.

[helga]

Why is that if a child plays soccer 5 days a week, nobody ever says that his/her parents are pushing him/her too much?
Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions and I welcome more
cabbie

Many people have different ideas on how to raise children. Some like to push too much, some give children too much freedom and burden them with too many choices. It's important to remember that good schools, for example, teach the discipline and responsibility as part of their curriculum. They know that without those things learning will not take place. Same rules apply to parents, after all they are child's first teachers. IMHO children thrive with firm but loving guidance. It doesn't look like you need to prod your child to practice. This may change as your child grows up, but it's never too late to teach him/her lessons of commitment and responsibility, just like those soccer moms do with their children.