Kevin Sutton wrote (quoting Douglas Purl):

>>I am sensible of the argument that the results justify the means.  "You
>>will thank me someday for the abuses I inflict on you now."  It is the
>>binding of feet.
>
>Perhaps this circumstance is true of Asian women.  (Ducking now for the
>arrows to fly overhead)

Not "Asian" in general; this was only a Chinese practice, and it
ended quite a while ago.  Anyway, where forcing children to practice is
concerned, I think it is a rather delicate question.  Any parent knows
that children have to be "lovingly encouraged" to put time and energy into
a lot of things that they don't see any point to, but which we adults know
will do them good eventually.  Of course, when a child loves playing an
instrument and has a lot of talent, it's no problem, but there are a lot
of borderline cases in which the kid doesn't understand that developing
performing technique requires a lot of work training the muscles and
nerves.  It takes some very sensitive parenting to decide when to press
the young ones to continue despite their resistance, and when to relent.

Of course, this is why the electric guitar was invented: a few weeks
fooling around with it, and you can be as good as the "masters." No wonder
it has become so popular.

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]