documentary 'my brilliant brain'

[pianistimo]

just watched this doc on mark yu (young pianist who is genius level) and the inner workings of musicians brains.  enjoyed this documentary very much and wonder who else has seen it?  perhaps opus10#2 already has a thread on this.  i didn't know what it was about at first - and became intrueiged as to what they said about the brains of musicians.

first of all - in a musicians brain - they said several areas were larger (perhaps because of playing an instrument - or were already genetically pre-disposed to growing quickly because the flow of information was wanted by the subject).  anyways - musicians have a 10% larger cerebellum, a larger corpus collossum (mission critical to lh/rh coordination), and also for long standing development the frontal part of the brain (sheath?) that is responsible for maturity. 

it is interesting to hear and see the dedication of a single mother, too, who invests so much of her own time and energy to the development of her son.  it seems that would be a whole 'nuther' documentary - the environmental stimulus side.  she was very very methodical and progressive (teaching her son - mark yu) the cantonese language first (because it was the most difficult).  i admire her very much and wish that parents could be taught how to help their children progress the most in the least amount of time.

i guess from watching - i learned that to stimulate the brain the MOST possible (without tv, and video games) from age 1-3 is highly useful.  my advice - now that my children are older is to really not even have a tv or video game set around at all.  this mom - obviously shows the power of that one.

my children are genius to me - despite myself sometimes.  my youngest begged me several times yesterday to let her use the sewing MACHINE.  at first i said - no, you're too young.  maybe when you are 13.  she said, 'no, mom, i can do it.'  so then, i said 'ok.  be careful.  don't sew your fingers.  this is how you hold it. etc. ' and she sewed the most perfect straight line!  i was amazed.  and she held the fabric loosely and didn't sew her finger at all.  she's only 5.  i'm thinking - 'alright - what next?'  she loves to swim, too and is kind of the acrobat in the water.  she probably could be a synchronized swimmer if i let her.   now, i have to find the money for all this.  but, it's amazing what children can teach you - and the confidence they can have in themselves to do things.

[ahinton]

my advice - now that my children are older is to really not even have a tv or video game set around at all.

Do I understand you correctly in that you are telling the forum about the advice that you are giving to yourself here? Now you could perhaps give yourself one other little piece of advice, but please don't ask me what that is...

Best,

Alistair

[pianistimo]

and what would that be, alistair?  do you know that one of my children tested into geometry for 8th grade.  brag brag.  of course, i'm not sure if geometry is going to be as easy as algebra was for her.  but, anyways - i'm learning more with each child.  it's not that i don't know more now - but sometimes with the first child you just think - ok - i'll let the school teach them scholastics.  i waited for public school kindergarten with the first.

the second child - i started doing homeschool type stuff at around age 3 and put her in preschool at age 4.  she had already learned the basics of reading by 3 or 4 because we read a lot together.  the stimulus of doing scholastic stuff is just as important as physical.  with my son - he was very physically oriented.  we went to the park and played for several hours almost every day.  also, i'd take him for bike rides on the back of my bike.  he'd usually fall asleep half way wherever we went.  so i'd bring a picnic lunch and he'd wake up for the ride home.  anyways - it was more physical running and jumping and activities that were physical for him.

now - the last child is a mix.  she doesn't overdo either one.  she'll do enough scholastics and enough physical - but is also a bit of a homebody.  she will check in after skating or cycling around for a while and talks a lot.  she is a talker.  so one is 'motion' - one is 'scholastic,'  and one is just probably going to be the one to have the grandchildren for me.  she LOVES babies and animals.

*i've learned to do a bit more waiting and listening.  with  my son -i read a lot to him thinking that he would pick up reading and language by listening.  actually, it seems that they also need the activity of doing it themselves.  to do their own sounding out of words and not to make it too easy - but to sound out the letters individually and learn the process of reading.  when they learn it young - as this documentary shows - it's much easier later.

[ahinton]

and what would that be, alistair?  do you know that one of my children tested into geometry for 8th grade.  brag brag.  of course, i'm not sure if geometry is going to be as easy as algebra was for her.  but, anyways - i'm learning more with each child.  it's not that i don't know more now - but sometimes with the first child you just think - ok - i'll let the school teach them scholastics.  i waited for public school kindergarten with the first.

the second child - i started doing homeschool type stuff at around age 3 and put her in preschool at age 4.  she had already learned the basics of reading by 3 or 4 because we read a lot together.  the stimulus of doing scholastic stuff is just as important as physical.  with my son - he was very physically oriented.  we went to the park and played for several hours almost every day.  also, i'd take him for bike rides on the back of my bike.  he'd usually fall asleep half way wherever we went.  so i'd bring a picnic lunch and he'd wake up for the ride home.  anyways - it was more physical running and jumping and activities that were physical for him.

now - the last child is a mix.  she doesn't overdo either one.  she'll do enough scholastics and enough physical - but is also a bit of a homebody.  she will check in after skating or cycling around for a while and talks a lot.  she is a talker.  so one is 'motion' - one is 'scholastic,'  and one is just probably going to be the one to have the grandchildren for me.  she LOVES babies and animals.

*i've learned to do a bit more waiting and listening.  with  my son -i read a lot to him thinking that he would pick up reading and language by listening.  actually, it seems that they also need the activity of doing it themselves.  to do their own sounding out of words and not to make it too easy - but to sound out the letters individually and learn the process of reading.  when they learn it young - as this documentary shows - it's much easier later.

Fine, all of it - but I fear that you have missed my point; the advice I might have thought to give you had no connection whatsoever with how you may relate to, rear or otherwise deal with your children (for I would not be so impertinent, especially as not only is that none of my business but I have no children of my own, as you know). If you can't figure out (or admit to figuring out!) for yourslef what that little piece of advice might have been, then it would probably have been a waste of my time and yours for me to have given it...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

do you know that one of my children tested into geometry for 8th grade. 

Not bad for a 21 year old.

Thal

[pianistimo]

very funny.  she is 12.  (almost typed 122.  yikes)