Phoenix Symphony violist Mark Dix talks about the challenges of childhood music lessons, shifting gears when a child loses interest and what daughter Naomi and son Louie have taught their dad about creating a home where the DNA is music.
Talk about the first time you picked up an instrument.
I started at age 5 on a one-eighth-size violin, which looks like a toy. Of course, my kids were interested in that.
When did your kids begin to show a real interest in playing and taking lessons?
Naomi, now 9, just didn’t want to start on violin. She plays the piano. But Louie, now 7, did. So I got him involved in lessons with a local teacher who is just fantastic; she specializes in early childhood.
Things started out very glowingly. The cute recitals, the one-on-one time with dad, preparing for the lessons, working through things. But then things start to drift apart after a couple of years. Less interest, less motivation.
People must assume that because you play professionally, your kids will surely be interested—and motivated to practice. True?
It has not gone as I had imagined. It gets complicated quickly. However, I have been cautious, having taught lessons for many years to kids.
What went through your mind when Louie began to lose interest in the violin?
I was struggling the way any parent would. Would he be interested in a different instrument? Is it that he isn’t interested in having dad involved, because dad does this for a living and he wants to find his own path?
Too much pressure from Dad? A disconnect with his teacher? Or is it just the fact that he’s 6, and he would rather be playing with LEGOs? Which is perfectly rational. It could be all of those things. You don’t want to just jump ship, and I find a lot of parents doing that very quickly.
What was your response?
I tried to really come at it from all angles, and the teacher was the biggest help. She was able to say, “You know, I think he’s just not connecting well with the violin, but boy, he sure can sight read rhythms well, and he’s got other musical talents that are obviously there, and a great working relationship with his father.” He wanted to play the drums. So we’re getting the chrome, and the sparkly blue, and we’re going to be firing up drum lessons.
Parents must ask you for tips on how to encourage children to play an instrument. What do you say to them?
Music is around us, but not anything like it used to be. So in many ways, we’re asking for a pretty tall order for our kids to be engaged and involved in an art form that really is not second nature to us anymore.
We all have music in our homes. But there’s also a lot of TV on in the kitchen when people are making breakfast, multiple rooms in the house, bedrooms, etc. There’s also a busy lifestyle.
Among the many options for entertainment for children—movies, video games, digital devices—what can parents do to help children develop an interest in music?
Have a lot of music going on in your home, and express your enthusiasm for that with your kids.
It doesn’t have to be Mozart. If you love country-western, if you love hip-hop or if you love Katy Perry, then sing those songs. Have it going loud in your house. And the songs that your kids are engaged in, by all means get involved in those as well. That way, the DNA of your household is music.
