"My philosophy is ninety percent inspiration, ten percent
perspiration.
"I immersed them in music from the time of their babyhood.
"I
played CDs, played the guitar, sang, took them to music stores and music
performances, and exclaimed to them whenever I felt joyful or passionate or
excited or moved by the music I was hearing or playing.
"I read them dozens of
books about instruments and the people who play instruments.
"We learned about
great composers.
"We played games and did puzzles about music theory until it
was second nature to them.
"I sought out people who played musical instruments and
invited them to my home to play.
"I took the children to homes of people that
played and asked them to perform for the girls....
"Now the girls all play for one
to two hours a day without my telling them to.
"They perform at least once a
week and they love it....
"The end result is where it's at, and 'Inspire, not
require' will get you there. Playing an instrument is not one of the duties
children have. It is a joy and a privilege."
