slo’s THURSDAY 1/11 poll - Private Lessons

[slo]

As I sit here looking at my DD20’s things that are packed up and ready to go back to school today, one thing I see are her softball bats. When I look at them I reflect back on all the memories made and money spent on softball. She‘s been taking private hitting lessons with the same instructor since she was 11 years old and will continue for another couple years. She‘s also taken other private lessons with this sport too. So then I start wondering how many of you have taken private lessons for something in your life. So I ask…..

Have you taken private lessons for something(s) in your life?
When were these lessons?
Do you still use what you learned today?
(multiple choice)

*Private lessons can be many things - sports, music, acting, singing, cooking, dancing and more.


For Me……I took private piano lessons when I was a child. I do not play a piano now in my 50s. My mom still has her piano that will be mine one day, but I’m not certain I will keep it - I have no desire to take lessons to relearn how to play. I do want to take golf lessons one day - I’d love to learn how to golf.

 

[Kitty 34]

I took private lessons in piano and drums but never made the band.

Slo, I took a year in piano but never really learned to play well. A piano was the first piece of furniture I bought for my first apartment. It still sits right behind me in what I call my piano room. I don't touch it but the grandkids love to bang on the keys.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I took piano lessons for a year when I was in high school. I had wanted to learn how to play the piano but I wasn't very good at it. We have a piano in our living room that has a broken key and needs to be tuned. No one plays it right now.

 

[Meriweather]

never took private lessons

 

[bobbiwoz]

Took private accordion lessons. I don’t play any more, but I do read music, and can bang out a tune on a piano, so, I still use some of what I learned.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I took private lessons for tennis in high school. I do not still play.

My boys have taken private lessons in soccer.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I took piano lessons as a kid, but I was too stubborn and simply wanted to play by ear. I don't play piano anymore but it kicked off a lifelong love of music and played saxophone and concertina. I am eyeing the accordion.

I do want to take golf lessons one day - I’d love to learn how to golf.

As someone who is a terrible golfer, I cannot endorse this highly enough. Taking a few lessons and investing in good equipment will vastly improve your enjoyment of the game. it is a very enjoyable sport to play.

 

[Dan Murphy]

No private lessons here.

 

[jo-jo]

None

 

[mumto3girls]

I took flute lessons as a kid. I do not play anymore.

 

[DDuckSouthBend]

It was a Ski lesson.
I don't ski since back surgery, so I am not using the knowledge.

 

[leebee]

I didn't really take many private lessons. I danced as a kid all the way through high school but only took "privates" a couple of times, and it wasn't really to improve anything specific but rather so I could do solos in the recital.

DD is a serious dancer but she never took private classes. She couldn't. She was in the dance studio for 4 hours a day, Monday-Friday, and usually had rehearsals on the weekend (so anywhere from 2-6hours). There wasn't any time! She's talking about getting back into dance (she took some years off for the pandemic and grad school) but is more interested in teaching and choreography than performing- for which her knees thank her!

@slo, your comment about your DD's bats made me think of the bags full of dead pointe shoes we have at home...

 

[soccerdad72]

Nothing that I can think of while growing up.

Now that we're adults, we do have a personal trainer, so I guess that's sort of like private weighlifting instructions.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I can relate to your comparison with your DD. Mine is younger and just getting into the more serious part of the journey, but we've got all kinds of softball gear around our home and it's a constant reminder of how much has already been invested in this part of her life...including the private lessons.

For myself...yes, I also had a number of different private lessons. It's mainly voice, but there was also piano, clarinet, dance, theory, acting, recording, and sight singing in the mix of private lessons over the years. I had a couple of opportunities to go pro during elementary school, but we had a neighbor whose daughter danced with the NYC Ballet that really changed our minds. She was so talented... but it just ruined her. My parents decided to take more of a college prep angle for me vs. kiddie entertainer. I think I was 12 when I started private voice lessons and the rest was here and there. So, all of this flowed into high level high school group, college auditions, and recruitment. I changed majors midway through and just didn't have time to keep singing in my college schedule...nor did my parents want to keep paying for the private collegiate level lessons. In my late 20s, I decided I missed it and hired a private instructor with one of the local universities. He helped prep me for auditions with our city's opera and symphony. The opera didn't have any openings in my voice part and wanted to bring me on in the tenor section, but the symphony would let me sing in my normal part. The private lessons were just more than I was willing to spend long-term, so I dropped them. I've thought about trying to get back into it once the kids are off my payroll!

 

[princesscinderella]

I took piano as a kid and can't really play well anymore but I can still read sheet music. My kids also took/take private lessons for piano, guitar and my one daughter has a beautiful voice and goes to a vocal coach too.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just piano….and I hated it.

 

[SM1992]

I took guitar lessons when I was in my teens, but haven't touched my guitar in years. Golf lessons when I started playing and it really does help.

 

[amcnj]

I never had any private lessons. But have always wanted to try the piano, so maybe some are in my future.

 

[mjkacmom]

Only piano, I wasn’t very good. Dd27 started piano young, but she could play by ear and refused to learn to read music (she has since taught herself, plus guitar, performs a few times a week, has a manager, plus cpa during the day). She had years with a voice coach. My other daughters had privates for dance, plus dd22 taught private to the littles.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Modern dance, jazz dance, and acting lessons for me. Flute lessons, musical composition and theory for older sister. Might not have a TV, the latest fashion or even a phone but every Saturday we spent a goodly portion of the day at the Henry Street Settlement House on the Lower Eastside.

Strangely enough when youngest sister came along and there was more discretionary income, she hardly took any private lessons probably because she enjoyed doing the opposite of what adults wanted .

I still retain my dance movements for general life and can be expressive when communicating. On the other hand I can do a mean Dr Spock when required professionally which beats out laughing hysterically. Oops.