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Nice quote. Here's something more relevant. What does a child do first? Speak his/her native language or pick up a pencil and start writing the alphabet? As in language, so in music.

.............currawong, you aren't talking about BJones are you? Man that cat was funny, too bad he's gone now.................

The old sage of Cornwall has smelt a hint something brown and furry in that the W****r of Oz is so familiar with our much missed Mr Jones when the former first registered on 13 August, 2009 and yet the latter last posted on 19 May, 2009.

Exactly. Don't show them anything...just let them figure it out on their own. They'll turn into a much greater musician that way.

In regard to someone above stating that Billy Joel's mother taught at Juilliard...I'm not sure where that comes from, because it's simply not true.

Wow, this discussion has been massive - I've only just stumbled across the conversation....

To the original question of how you can create the conditions under which your daughter develops excellent sight reading skills (to match her impressive rote learning skills) I would say two things:

1. Have her learn one new piece at her performing level every single week. Maybe two. Or three. The more music she learns the less efficient it is for her to rely on rote learning. Practicing sight reading at this stage of her learning is boring, and boring does not equal engagement with the learning activity.....

2. Chill out about her sight reading skills for now. Maybe she is so fascinated by the sound of a piece, and by the techniques needed to execute a performance of a piece that her brain simply has no interest in the reading side of things. If she learns a new piece [at her performance level] every week she will certainly become a great sight reader ultimately.

our much missed Mr Jones when the former first registered on 13 August, 2009 and yet the latter last posted on 19 May, 2009. I think that the board's other great sage from Down Under (step forward please Sir Currawong)has struck bullseye with his hammer and hit the nail on the head when he noticed more than a passing resemblance between the bothersome wizard and his hero.....perhaps little Wizard you'd care to join your alter ego and disappear back into the cyberspace from whence you came?

A couple things to think about:

1. I agree with Morodiene that reading intervals is very important! Your daughter should first learn to recognize steps (is it going up or down?), and then skips of a 3rd, and then larger skips. She should learn to recognize immediately how each interval looks.

2. Sometimes I like to use note-reading flashcards with my students. There are some with one note on each, and some with intervals. I think both are useful for some students. Definitely doesn't hurt!

3. Practicing sight-reading is also a good thing. I have a few of my students practicing reading simple, brand new pieces each day. I just give them books to borrow (it is important that these pieces are at a lower level then what the student might normally play!) The idea here is not to work on perfecting the piece, but to play it through, and then let it go. There are good habits to strive for also - such as scanning through the music before starting, and going slowly.

4. As your daughter continues lessons and grows older, it would be good for her to learn some music theory, too. When I sight read music, I am not reading individual notes at a rapid speed, but rather am recognizing intervals, chords, scales, and cadences on a broader level. So much of this is due to my knowledge of music theory. I have currently been using the Keith Snell theory books with my students.

Good luck! It sounds like your daughter has some talent.

...our little Okker Wizard ...from Down Under...

I bet if Rach or Mozart or Beethoven were alive today and played some of their works, it would sound somewhat different each time. They would be altering and changing the dynamics depending on their mood. Musicians do this all the time.