tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211910878271447535.post5959175127403968563..comments2024-03-22T01:04:20.640-04:00Comments on Ted Lehmann's Film, Books, Music & Commentary: Prodigies and Career Paths - EssayTed Lehmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12948477139450253563noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211910878271447535.post-68113635729693426412012-09-13T08:59:11.521-04:002012-09-13T08:59:11.521-04:00Hey, just wanted to say great essay, essa. In thin...Hey, just wanted to say great essay, essa. In think you brought up some very valid points for parents to think about but mostly things kids should be thinking about while they have time maximize results in both worlds. There are plenty of great music awareness programs out there but, where are the programs that start shaping young minds to be industry leaders of tomorrow? Where are customers gonna come from? Until now, we have only dumped more musicians in an already crowded work place. I'll give you one guess what that has done to bluegrass job market...Ernie Evanshttp://www.evansmediasource.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211910878271447535.post-73112515987063429532012-09-12T21:13:09.076-04:002012-09-12T21:13:09.076-04:00I might be one of the only people that cannot stan...I might be one of the only people that cannot stand to watch kids perform. I like adults playing, singing and interpretation of music.<br />With kids, it's push the performance button "pagent parent" and watch them go. Cute, but gets old quick. For the record, I'm not a musician, just a music lover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211910878271447535.post-12844343442243376102012-09-12T16:11:32.243-04:002012-09-12T16:11:32.243-04:00Thanks for you thoughtful comment. I surely hope y...Thanks for you thoughtful comment. I surely hope you're right, but I still wonder sometimes, especially the way some parents push their kids forward, demanding attention be paid.Ted Lehmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12948477139450253563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7211910878271447535.post-50179765848155172532012-09-12T16:09:46.131-04:002012-09-12T16:09:46.131-04:00Reader Sumner Blount sent the following comment to...Reader Sumner Blount sent the following comment to me after having trouble posting it:<br /><br />Ted – you make some interesting points. I’d like to point out, though, that when we think of the downside of being a “prodigy”, we often think of areas like girl’s (not women’s) gymnastics, tennis, maybe violin, etc. These are areas where we’ve all seen some amazingly talented young kids who have achieved far more than almost all adults, even professionals, do in their lifetime. And, although we admire their skill, we always wonder if they sacrificed their childhood in their pursuit of achievement. The picture of the Chinese girl’s gymnastic team from the 2008 Olympics comes to mind because most of those girls were amazingly talented but painfully young. It’s natural to wonder what the cost of that talent was to them.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I believe bluegrass music is different. We’ve all seen “prodigies” such as Alison, Sierra, Chris Thile, and others. But, I don’t believe they follow the pattern I described since they got into this music out of love for it. There’s a passion there that caused them to spend countless hours practicing. I’d bet that no parent urged, or coerced, them into it – they did it purely for the love of the music. And, I’d be willing to bet that thirty years from now, even if they’re not performing, they’ll be somewhere in the bluegrass music industry, and they’ll probably still be jamming up a storm in their free time. - Sumner BlountTed Lehmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12948477139450253563noreply@blogger.com