I’d like to take some time to explain the Tin Whistle Studies Book One. It’s fairly simple (at least, in my head) and I hope to make it clear for those who are researching and want to understand better exactly what it is.
What This Book Teaches
This book was written “To develop responsibility, integrity, confidence, and joy.” So it happened like this. My husband asked one night why I insisted on tin whistle practice for our 5 year old son. “Why, it’s to develop character!” I replied. And as I explained, the “Ohhhhh” came out slowly and by the end of our talk he was completely on board. I just had it all in my head and hadn’t had a chance to tell him before. But I realized, these ideas are probably not inherent to every parent either, so I think it’s time I share a little deeper.
Inside the cover of the book, you’ll find a section titled “In This Book You Will Learn…” and it highlights the two main reasons for picking up this music curriculum and persevering through the end with your student. First, there are musical abilities taught. Second, character development.
Musical Abilities
I listed 7 basic musical abilities that students should conquer by the end of Book One. First, we learn time signatures. Most curriculums for piano or clarinet or (I’m guessing because I haven’t studied them) tin whistle begin with musical notation in 4-4 time, or common time. While it is the most common time for writing and playing music, it is NOT the easiest time to play in, especially for young beginners! Think about it, what’s easier. Counting “1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4” or “1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2.” Point proved. So with this tin whistle curriculum, we begin in 2-4 time. “AHA!” you say. Why not 1-4 time? Well, it is true that 1-4 time is technically simpler, but in some cases stripping down a concept into its most absolute extreme form of simplicity could actually cause more problems. Here I would argue that 1-4 is not simpler than 2-4 but more cumbersome and less useful, while the difference between 2-4 and 4-4 is much larger. Yes, you can teach young beginners in 4-4 and be just fine, but most especially for 4 years, the starting age this curriculum is designed for, 2-4 time makes work easy, fun, and quicker to finish than 4-4 time. Plus, the notes and staff can be enlarged on a page and easier for a younger student to read and understand as you will see by the time 4-4 time is introduced in later levels.
Second, the rhythms introduced are strictly quarter notes and quarter rests. While learning to read the correct note names on a staff, hold a tin whistle and make the proper notes come out, count and clap back and forth 1-2-1-2, memorize and perform for others, there is absolutely no reason to complicate things farther for a 4 year old than to introduce just two elements of rhythm within one very simple time signature. These rhythms will be completely mastered before moving up to Book Two with the introduction of half notes. There is no need to hurry along. On the flip side laying a solid foundation is key.
Another musical ability learned is the names of 3 notes: C sharp, B natural, A natural. Introduced slowly and drilled repetitively through direct practice naming the notes out loud, your child will read, play, and even draw these notes from memory by the end of Book One. What’s amazing is this skill is translatable to any other instrument that uses Treble Clef, including piano (the right hand). The most basic and important dynamic, piano (which means play quietly), is included all throughout the entire curriculum, not in contrast to any other dynamic, but with the goal of becoming second nature to see a dynamic on the page of music and to start thinking about self-control as they play. So moms, that gives you an excuse to say, “Let’s play it piano now” instead “QUIET DOWN THERE!” Plus, slower, quietly wind is needed to sound out that lower register and produce the proper tones.
Next, the compositions may perhaps be the most exciting part of this entire curriculum for the student. Every single week, each student is encouraged to create their own music and write down their own composition, just 4 measures every time, in 4-4 time using only quarter notes and quarter rests, totaling to 8 notes/rests a week at 24 weeks that’s 192 rhythms that THEY get to practice drawing. This allows for creativity, reveals what they truly comprehend (or don’t) and makes for some fun surprises for mom and dad. Notes will start off wobbly, crooked, and out of the lines, but as your student studies and practices each week you will see their skills slowly improve over time.
The last element of musical abilities this book teaches is the art of performance. This is taught through 4 low-key performances and 2 fancier mini recitals. Students are encouraged to share what they learn with others and to challenge themselves to commit their music to memory. Enjoy and celebrate these achievements in both small and big ways! Work on those public speaking (or in this case public playing) jitters while they’re young and they’ll never know the meaning of “stage-fright!”
Character Development
Tin whistle isn’t about…tin whistle. In fact, it isn’t about music at all. You want to know the real reason we do tin whistle? Yes, we practice to tin whistle as part of Classical Conversations Weeks 7-12 of each cycle for Foundations, but that isn’t our why. Our why is character development. To build responsibility. To build integrity. To build confidence. And to build joy. Character is hard. It needs to be exercised, stretched, worked at, developed. It doesn’t come easy. In fact, that’s why we start at age 4.
How does tin whistle teach responsibility? Just like piano lessons or any other specialized skill, tin whistle takes practice, dedication, and commitment. You can groan as you (or your student) pulls out the tin whistle each Week 7 or in fulfillment of third grade music class or whatever the requirement be, or you can look forward with eagerness to the task ahead with the goal of achievement. It doesn’t even matter what you’re trying to achieve because each child might need their own goal. One goal would be to become the world’s most famous tin whistle player of all time. Yikes! That’s a tall order. Probably 0.01% of us. Another goal would be to prove readiness for another perhaps related (or unrelated) instrument like a wind instrument: flute, clarinet, oboe…those would all have some absolutely direct benefits. But you’re also learning to breath and read treble clef notes which pertains to trumpet, violin—you get the picture.
As a piano teacher for the past 20+ years I was absolutely 100% confident that piano was the first and best instrument every single child should begin to learn. But you know what? I was proven wrong by Classical Conversations. It’s not the piano. It’s the tin whistle. And the perfect age to start seems to be right about 4 or 5. Things will always “depend” on things, but I am now convinced that the best instrument to start on is a tin whistle at age 4.
- It is cheap (at well under $20 it is more affordable, which makes it less valuable, which translates to less tears for both parent and child if it does happen to get picked up by a younger sibling and/or damaged/broken)
- It is small (not intimidating with 88 keys to stare at or be engulfed by, easier to conquer and be encouraged by progress)
- It is independent (doesn’t require expensive yearly tuning or maintenance or batteries or a power outlet)
- It is mobile (fits in a backpack, can be moved to the bedroom or brought into the car, played outside or at Grandma’s house)
Well, anyway. There’s four reasons, though I’m sure I could add a few more. Back to my point about goals. Most of us won’t fit into the category of achieving extremely high levels of excellence through tin whistle, and a good many students may never be interested in picking up another instrument (unless it’s piano…piano should be required for every child under 18!). But even the simplest goal of completing the bare minimum requirement for Classical Conversations (CC) for 30 minutes during 6 community days for 2.5 rounds through 3 cycles…even then you can use tin whistle to develop character, particularly responsibility.
- A student must learn to be responsible by remembering to bring their tin whistle to class each week.
- A student must learn to be responsible by consistently practicing each day assigned during the week (This, in CC is up to the teacher…aka the parent. Be the parent who takes the next step and requires home practice at least 4 days during the tin whistle weeks—or better yet, all 24 weeks or all year round!).
- A student must learn to be responsible by keeping track of all their materials and putting them back where they belong each day: tin whistle, music stand, binder (and all the papers kept in it to not allow it to get dumped by a sibling or by their own negligence), pencil, stickers, and anything else useful for practice time (like a visual timer, etc.).
- A student must learn to be responsible by consistently practicing each line AND each task each day to whatever extent it is required of them (A simpler goal could be just to name, clap, and play the notes of one line for one day while a more challenging goal could be to practice naming, clapping, playing, and memorizing all 5 lines plus the composition each day times the number of years old a child would be, like 5 times for a 5 year old).
How does tin whistle teach integrity? Through the repetitive practice of honesty when you think no one is watching.
- A student will learn the importance of integrity by checking off what they complete each day, whether that is making a check for each task on the paper given or through a separate practice sheet (ooo…another idea for my shop!), but in any case some system for proof of progress for both the student and teacher’s (aka parent’s) sake to know that a task was completed. The integrity part comes through honesty of work completed. If integrity is doing the right thing when you don’t think anyone else is looking (because we all know that God is always watching all the time), then integrity will be developed as a student honestly marks off their practice record for each day. Integrity will be built stronger over time or will crumble lower over time. Deep conversations rooted in the sovereignty and omniscience of God and how it relates to something as small as a 5 year old’s tin whistle practice will hammer in character development as you “Train up a child in the way he should go; [for] even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
- A student will learn the importance of integrity in how they practice each line…to the best of their ability with joy or to the bare minimum of their ability with a rude, selfish, annoyed, and/or angry heart. Helping your child learn how to be honest with their feelings and attitudes as well as kind and respectful is a lesson that needs to be learned all year, every year by everyone. If we could teach our children how to have integrity through honesty, kindness, and respect when they are 5 years old…how would that change their life by the time they are 10, 20, 50…? And it can all start with a simple lesson in the integrity of practicing tin whistle. Require very short, easy tasks while they are 4, 5 and demonstrate with them, working together, what it means to have integrity and you will be amazed how your efforts will multiply exponentially in just one year. I have seen it myself and am now enjoying listening to my 5 year old boy practice his tin whistle “all by himself” (unless of course he needs help or is starting a new page, but “all by himself” for the other 4 days of the week) and I get to hear him actively practice integrity. That lesson, I know, will translate to many other areas of his life as I have already seen it happen when he responds with a smile to directions to feed the dog in 2 minutes and replies, “I’ll just do it now, mom!”
How does tin whistle develop confidence? Confidence, poise, and self-assurance go hand in hand as characteristics learned through public speaking. How is public playing any different? By practicing consistently and repetitively with the goal to memorize, students gain trust in their own ability to play an instrument and in their own knowledge about music. When you perform, you take trust to the next level by testing it in front of others and thereby proving your confidence. Confidence is developed in secret (i.e. in your own home by yourself through practice, practice, practice) and shared publicly through performance. Students who practice tin whistle must not stop at learning, they must share what they learn just like any other piano recital or concert with any other instrument! Now, I’m not talking about those kind of concerts where you’re the bass drum played and can hide behind the tubas and feel like no one can hear you. I’m talking about the up front, personalized public-speaking-incorporated piano recitals where you get to introduce the title and composer of your piece and relate a little antidote or interesting fact about the musical composition or composer to help the audience connect with the music. Again, practiced while you are 4, just like presentation time as a Foundations student in CC, it becomes second nature.
Students are encouraged to both perform and memorize their tin whistle music in Tin Whistle Studies Book One as well as plan their own mini recital complete with a list of people to invite and determining the time, location, and entire repertoire. As a child I just loved to write and/or type out my own recital programs for my parents and siblings, send out mini invitations or post an announcement on the family bulletin, charge a nickel for a seat, and prepare a special selection of my favorite repertoire. Little did I know that those mini recitals for family and sometimes friends would prepare me one step at a time for the many public speaking ventures I have accomplished from then to today, from giving speeches and presentations to hosting my own recitals and events. What a more fun way to change something decidedly frightening into something eagerly anticipated than through the art of confidence by way of the tin whistle!
How does tin whistle teach joy? How can you not experience joy with a 5 year old as they discover yet another silly pattern hidden in the music of just one line of 2-4 time written in quarter notes and quarter rests. Those “AHA!” moments for a child sound like “Look mom! I see another pattern! Here!” Of course, I have an added bonus that I wrote the curriculum and he knows it and sometimes says, “I found a tricky one! You thought you could fool me, but I found a pattern!” and we laugh together. Plus, sometimes he finds patterns and nuances that I might have never even intended or seen myself. By looking for patterns in note names (another great reason to actually follow the directions in the curriculum and not just play through once) and rhythms and sequences or imitations, students will stumble all over the math of music, the beauty and intelligence of God’s design in music, and the confidence that even if they can’t play it very well yet, they are at least able to appreciate it’s complexity and composition (no pun intended!). But that does transition well to the compositions!
Oh, I still remember piano lessons with my second teacher, Mrs. Mills. One thing she did right was open the door for creativity and I stepped right in. If you’ve ever worked through the Faber Piano Adventures series you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. I can’t remember which books it was in but I’m guessing it was the Lesson Books. There were a few pieces where the measures were left completely blank and the student was allow to compose any notes they liked to make the piece sound complete. I still remember looking forward to those assignments most of all and I wanted to be sure to include plenty of opportunities (way more than I had at this age!) of working with notes and rests and learning how to draw and being drawn ever more into the beautiful world of music through composition. My own compositions that I made up all by myself (there goes some more confidence in my own budding abilities as a budding musician and integrity and responsibility not to plagiarize another composition!)!
So is it worth it?
Is tin whistle worth picking up? Is it worth requiring of your child? Is it worth buying Tin Whistle Studies Book One in order to teach responsibility, integrity, confidence, and joy? You can decide for yourself, your own own family, your own season of life, but I would highly recommend it! How else do you actively plan to build the love and appreciation of music, the ability to play and instrument, and develop life-lasting character in your child? With even the bare minimum of 5 minutes of practice a day, you could change the future for your child’s life and many other people as well. Just think…when they get a job…and get married…and have kids of their own…if they could already have developed the habits of responsibility, integrity, confidence, and joy as an adult…what is there to lose? Let’s get to work!