Our oldest daughter (9 and the m in gems) asked for (and received) an acustic guitar for this past Christmas. Now all we need to find is a guitar teacher for her. Genieve (gemsFamily)

I will definitely make my child learn an instrument. Yes, I said "make". :) My husband is a great singer, however never learned anything about music. I was forced to play piano before I can remember. I loathed the piano. I would cry and play sad little songs when my mom made me practice a half hour a day. When I got a little older she told me I could play any instrument I wanted, but I still had to take lessons and practice. So I picked the guitar! Anyways, long story short, I played guitar in a punk band in high school, trombone at school and in competitions, and nearly every other instrument for the fun of it. The times I had in band competitions, marching band, and the punk band were the best times of my life. The instruments gave me something to focus on, a way to express myself, something to challenge myself with. They gave me confidence, friends, and kept me from getting bored. I am forever grateful my mother "forced" music on me at a young age. To this day I am able to pick up any instrument and figure it out. It's a wonderful trait to have, one that my husband envies. We both agreed when our son gets big enough he will learn to play an instrument and learn the responsibility of practice and lessons.

My husband nor I have any musical talent what-so-ever. NONE. I would love for our children to have musical talent of any kind. Moanna loves music. She loves to listen to it, dance to it, sing and play whatever instrument she can get her little toddler hands on. We will do our best to cultivate her interest in music for as long as she is interested.

I have played violin (from 10 yrs) and piano (from 15 yrs). I *could* still pick up both instruments...but I have found I have little time for either. I do have my own violin, but I no longer have a piano. I found a really great keyboard with weighted keys, very uncomplicated (it just needs to plink, no drum beats needed!), has an outlet for a peddle...etc. It's not *that* expensive, but if I get it will I keep doing it? My husband wants me to teach our kids...I have said "um, I guess". ...But I also know that for most kids to do it well, they have to want to do it on their own. But if my kids are going to learn, they will also have to learn to read music, and learn music theory. My last church hired a worship director who could not read music. He wasn't untalented, but I thought he could have been MORE talented, if he learned a little something about what he was doing. It's like learning to drive a car, but only knowing about the first & second gear. I do have a rule (that I took from my mom) that if you start something...you will do it for a full school year before you are allowed to give it up. You don't take soccer for 6 weeks and decide you hate it. You don't do 2 lessons of the flute and quit. For one, picking up and dropping things is expensive. You have to buy equipment and pay fees for lessons & tutelage. For two, things are often their most difficult in the beginning...and it's not until you have spent time with it, and get better that it will finally become fun. Three...after you have spent 9 months with an activity, I think you are truly able to say, "Worst. Thing. EVER." and mean it...or know if it's something you're going to keep up with. I decided I wanted to get into music when I took a music appreciation class during a summer school program for gifted children. About 10 years after that class, I found out the teacher from that class was also my younger brother's music teacher. Orin Linder...how do you forget a name like that? He happened to call to speak with my mother...and when I heard his name...I thanked him.

I was a jazz music major in college; my husband has no musical talent. I was determined that my kids would be musicians; I quickly lowered my expectations to be determined that I would expose my children to musical instruction. My oldest started drums when he was in second grade; he quit drums in third grade. My daughter started piano at 5; continued with it and the xylophone (vibes) until middle school when she, too, lost interest in music. My youngest? From age 3 he was enamored with dance--he took tap and ballet lessons until he was 14. He also was enamored with music. He came to all my jazz band rehearsals--from the time he was 3, and was determined to play the string bass. In third grade he took both violin and french horn--decided that strings weren't for him and continued fervently with the french horn. For that I'm grateful. Not only did one out of three offspring inherit some musical talent, but more importantly it helps he and I connect on ways that are unique from my older children. He's talented enough to be considered for "honor" bands and he loves classical and military music (alas, no jazz).

I have no musical talent. At all. And I really mean that. I loathed piano lessons as a child, did a terrible job playing the flute as a young teen and mouthed the words in church for as long as I can remember. But I feel it's my duty to hand over cash to a weekly piano teacher in hopes that my children learn something about music. Julia is almost 5 and began her piano lessons a few months ago. It eases my conscience. ~Susan

My husband and I actually met in music school.... so, musically inclined - check. My daughter (2) has loved music since birth... we enrolled her in a music class at about 6 months old, and she LOVED it. For a long time, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS were what she preferred to play with above all else. At this point, she's absolutely intrigued by the "big" piano (as opposed to her little one).... and will sit in a chair and plunk the keys for 15-20 minutes at a time. Interestingly enough, though she is developmentally delayed in many ways, and doesn't speak or understand a lot, somewhere around 9 months old we realized she was humming the tunes from her music class... NOW that humming varies from the themes of her TV shows all the way to basic harmonizing of classical pieces. Some parents understand what their kids say when nobody else does, we understand what Sarah hums when nobody else would. Is she a prodigy, NO... but it's what she likes. And we'll continue to encourage it.

Concert, symphonic, jazz and marching band baby! My daughter is three and both her father and I play clarinet, which is not the "coolest" instrument unless you're a clarinet player, of course. My sporty friends have asked me about this, and I really believe music classes are as important as extracurricular sports. Barring any overwhelming resistance, we plan to require instrumental classes for at least elementary and middle school and she can pursue it further in high school if she wants. Even though I haven't played my instrument in a serious capacity for a while (hmm, since the babe came along) the ability to read music and appreciate different elements of it is still something I use often.

we've talked about music for our elder daughter since she was just a wee one and sung allllll the time, and could jump in and harmonize from the age of 2. she's always had musical instruments around her (my partner plays guitar and also sings), but just this year, in 4th grade, she is actually studying music through the school program. she selected the violin and is really enjoying it. each song she learns on the violin, she then picks out on the old casio keyboard her grandpa gave her, which is super cool. our neighbor has a grand piano and is considering bringing in an instructor for her two boys, so we may jump in on that. as with all extracurricular activities with us: if it's easy on the schedule and doesn't involve driving all over the hinterlands, we're in!