Logo
    • Education
      • Pre-School
      • Primary Schools Directory
      • Primary Schools Articles
      • P1 Registration
      • DSA
      • PSLE
      • Secondary
      • Tertiary
      • Special Needs
    • Lifestyle
      • Well-being
    • Activities
      • Events
    • Enrichment & Services
      • Find A Service Provider
      • Enrichment Articles
      • Enrichment Services
      • Tuition Centre/Private Tutor
      • Infant Care/ Childcare / Student Care Centre
      • Kindergarten/Preschool
      • Private Institutions and International Schools
      • Special Needs
      • Indoor & Outdoor Playgrounds
      • Paediatrics
      • Neonatal Care
    • Forum
    • ASKQ
    • Register
    • Login

    Any of your kids doing dual instrument?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Music, Singing, Dancing, Speech & Drama
    28 Posts 14 Posters 9.8k Views 1 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • P Offline
      pokemon
      last edited by

      snowz:
      dd is learning the piano & the violin. She is also playing the cello (no grade) for CCA. She enjoys music.

      Does your dd find it easy to do cello since she is playing the violin? My ds think its easy, i can only wonder.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • M Offline
        mrswongtuition
        last edited by

        pokemon:
        mrswongtuition:

        I personally did 2 instruments at one point of time. Guzheng & Cello. Stopped piano when I started Guzheng.


        Guzheng & cello can complement each other. Although I did classical cello, my cello teacher allowed me to learn some fun pieces of chinese music which I play on my guzheng. It allowed me to express the same piece of music with different instrument & as a result, different feelings. It's a very special feeling & it makes you want to try more new stuff on the 2 instruments!

        If budget permits, let your DS continue. Violin & piano can complement each other. But ask your DS what's his long term plan. Is he learning for fun or is he intending to take exams for both instruments? Ask him to draw up a simple timetable consisting of play, homework/revision and practising on both instruments. If he can come up with something decide & will stick to it, I think it's no harm letting him continue πŸ™‚ Come up with an agreement that if his results are not good, he must choice to drop 1 instrument.

        Teach him the value of time management, setting goals & knowing his priorities. This is a truely teachable moment!

        BTW, the violin is not as hard as you think if you have some music background (which your DS has with 2 years of music lessons). πŸ™‚

        I understand that cello also come in diff sizes, is the smallest the 1/8 size? My boy only 125cm tall, would he be able to fit the smallest cello size? He very cute say cello better cos dun need to rest on the neck so would not feel the ache.

        When I started to pick up the cello, I was already using full sized cellos πŸ™‚

        I've seen a custom made cello that's smaller than 1/8. Suitable for height lesser than 1m. It was specially made for a 3yo girl from China. Meet her during one of our orchestra trips to China πŸ™‚ I think in SG it's quite hard to find a small cello. I can help you ask my teacher, cos she has students who are 4yo πŸ™‚

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • S Offline
          snowz
          last edited by

          …

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • P Offline
            pokemon
            last edited by

            [quote]When I started to pick up the cello, I was already using full sized cellos πŸ™‚


            I've seen a custom made cello that's smaller than 1/8. Suitable for height lesser than 1m. It was specially made for a 3yo girl from China. Meet her during one of our orchestra trips to China πŸ™‚ I think in SG it's quite hard to find a small cello. I can help you ask my teacher, cos she has students who are 4yo :)[/quote][/quote]

            if nd to custom made must be v ex, dun tink i want to spend so much on it. if i remembered correctly, i saw a 1/8 size in mandeville showroom and the sales personnel say that is the smallest size, mayb he meant is the smallest size that mandeville is selling?

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • P Offline
              pokemon
              last edited by

              [quote]According to my dd, she said with piano foundation, it is easier to learn the cello. The posture of the hands for bowing is different for the violin and the cello. She found it confusing initially for the notes of the cello strings. For violin, it is G D A E, whereas for cello, it is A D G C (If I remember the sequence correctly). Due to her small size, she is using size 1/2. She is learning the cello for her interest and is not taking any grade. The teacher advised that she has to drop one musical instrument (piano or violin) if she wants to go for graded exam for the cello[/quote]
              Why need to drop 1 of the instrument if she decides to tk exam for cello? if she cn cope,cant she keep all. I kn the abrsm theory exam is the same for all instrument,so dun need to repeat for different instrument, even the oral section of the abrsm practical exam, dun need to repeat for other instrument. I was told by my ds piano tchr.

              Btw, does your dd bring the cello back from sch to pract at home or juz pract few times in sch. i dunno shd reject my ds if he ever wanted to tk up sch band in school. They cant choose the instrument rite?

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • W Offline
                watmekiasu
                last edited by

                pokemon:

                I understand that cello also come in diff sizes, is the smallest the 1/8 size? My boy only 125cm tall, would he be able to fit the smallest cello size? He very cute say cello better cos dun need to rest on the neck so would not feel the ache.
                For height of 125cm, he should be able to use the 1/4 size cello. My dd is 132cm and she is already outgrowing the 1/4 size. Sizewise, for the cello, it is more flexible than the violin as the cello has an adjustable rod at the base.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • S Offline
                  snowz
                  last edited by

                  deleted

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • P Offline
                    pokemon
                    last edited by

                    watmekiasu:
                    For height of 125cm, he should be able to use the 1/4 size cello. My dd is 132cm and she is already outgrowing the 1/4 size. Sizewise, for the cello, it is more flexible than the violin as the cello has an adjustable rod at the base.

                    Thanks for your info. We always think he is too small to fit any cello.Do u kn how much does a beginner cello cost? incase my ds wants to switch in future. Currently he quite happy with his violin cls. Since theres a cello size for him, i do not know if i should switch him to cello where his initial interest lies. :?

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • P Offline
                      pokemon
                      last edited by

                      snowz:
                      Theory is the same for all instrument. However, you need to repeat aural section for the same grade for diff instrument in the prac exams. As both dd's violin & piano are above Gr5, teacher wants her to spend more time on her practice. She brings her cello back home from school. One thing good about cello is dd can play with band, string emsembles and Chinese orchestra for performance in the school.

                      Sorri, not sure if i hear his teacher correctly, is it 'oral' or 'aural' section need not repeat? In abrsm pract exam is there an 'oral' section?

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • L Offline
                        liliansim
                        last edited by

                        Hi, how to handle both instruments successfully? Any tips?


                        Also, any good violin teacher to recommend - patient & motivating (other than being technically competent)?

                        Thanks.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0

                        Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.

                        Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.

                        With your input, this post could be even better πŸ’—

                        Register Login
                        • 1
                        • 2
                        • 3
                        • 2 / 3
                        • First post
                          Last post



                        Online Users
                        thebottomsupblogT
                        thebottomsupblog

                        Recent Topics
                        New to the KiasuParents forum? Tips and Tricks!
                        How do you maintain your relationship with your spouse?
                        Budgeting for tougher times ahead. What's yours?
                        SkillsFuture + anything related to upskilling/learning something new!
                        How much do you spend on the kids' tuition/enrichments?
                        DSA 2026
                        PSLE Discussions and Strategies

                        Statistics

                        5

                        Online

                        210.6k

                        Users

                        34.2k

                        Topics

                        1.8m

                        Posts
                          About Us Contact Us forum Terms of Service Privacy Policy