Beethoven night again

Yesterday night, I decided to pull out the DVD of Maurizio Pollini playing Beethoven's 3rd (Op 37) and 5th (Op 73) piano concerti.  Elisha promptly picked up a pencil to start conducting. He also went upstairs to get his violin and become part of the orchestra.  I've not been very motivated to exercise, so the visual of Pollini playing my favorite Beethoven piano concerto (Op 37) helped as I kept at it for the entire concerto.  Later, upstairs, we listened and watched von Karajan conduct the Pastorale symphony finale and the 5th and 9th symphony (last movement).  Our baby truly loves this and I think Beethoven is his favorite.  What a favorite to have - a genius of the highest order.

We often joke that Elisha's a "genius" because his violin teacher is so impressed with what he's accomplished since starting in September.  He's shown him off to his other students on Friday morning for the past two lessons (he can play the note that's on the flash card almost immediately).  He can still hardly believe that Elisha can really read notes that fast (since he first tested him on March 18).  He also keeps on asking how old he is (he thought he already turned 4, but he's still 3 years old).  At group lesson, he also plays by notes, not by fingering. 

Now why are Elisha and his older brother, Samuel, among his best violin students?  Well, Elisha is truly intrinsically motivated.  He actually practises about 40 minutes a day.  Yesterday, he even picked up his violin on his own and played his new piece Go Tell Aunt Rhodie.  His brother practises about 40 minutes a day as well as another 45 for piano.  There's no secret - what ever you put into what you do often determines what you get in return.