Re: dedication and sacrifice

[the Leones <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

>My daughter's best friend is going to a performing arts high school to study
>classical piano.

   Ahaaaa, so FIRST, she has to have the MEANS of going to the school. :)

>  She felt she needed the comraderie and competition to really
>get off her butt and play.

   Ahaaaa, she felt that by getting into a "competitive" situation, 
that it would MOTIVATE her. :)

>  She's leaving all her friends and family in the
>middle of her junior year.

   It's a sacrifice, but then she's NOT alone in this endeavor. :)

>  This is a kid who's played every day minimum of 3
>hours a day with no exception since she was tiny.

   Ahaaaa, she ALREADY has a fine work ethic. She also had the TIME to 
do this. :)

>  Her mom and dad drove her two
>and half hours one way to her piano instructions every week.

   Ahaaaa, she had PLENTY of support, AND someone supplied 
transportation, instructional costs, gas, food, expenses in general. 
:)

>
>How many of us are willing to make those sacrifices and show that much
>dedication?

   So you question IS, "How many of us are willing?" Well, the way I 
see it, not too many people are in a position to do this once they 
get older. There are just too many things standing in the way. It 
helps to do this when you are young and can rely on all this SUPPORT. 
Once you have to support YOURSELF, it get's increasingly difficult. 
Once you are older the self-support issue is exascerbated.:)

   A person who is independently self-sufficient, may have the time to 
do it as long as they have the funds to cover the years and years of 
"Dedication". Dedication is nice, mind you, but all the dedication in 
the world won't help a poor person, who needs to feed themselves 
first. :)

>  Where would harp players find that level of intense instruction
>even if we did make the choice?

   I don't know. I think Europe would be the logical choice inasmuch 
as harmonica is "revered" there more so that here. On the subject of 
instruction, I have noticed that many coaches working at training 
Olympic hopefuls are NOT they themselves "winners" of medals. Many 
were pretty much just "Field" athletes. A lot of the skating coaches 
were second line competitors and NOT champions themselves. I never 
understood this. Certainly an athlete in "Champion" contention would 
opt to study under an EX-Champion.

   I hope harmonica players feel this way, and would endeavor to study 
under the very best instructor they could get their hands on (OR 
afford). Funds will CERTAINLY be a huge issue.  :)

   Just MY 34 Lire on the line.....smokey-joe

>
>Rainbow Jimmy
>http://www.spaceanimals.com
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