Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Umi Garrett - 8 Years Old?

This is a thread about Umi Garrett, so I don't want to hijack it. But I will say that my son is probably the reason that I even discovered PW. His early progress was rapid enough that I thought he would benefit from a piano upgrade (from my 1971 Howard label Kawai) and that's how and why I found Piano World. This forum helped me in my search for a piano, and after I found my new piano I stayed because the pianists and teachers here have helped me learn much more about playing, teaching and learning. Lastly, my experiences as a piano dad may be of some relevance for others who are embarking on the long journey of providing a musical education for their children. You may still find my posts a bit odd, but that's my explanation.

If you watch the video from about 2:10 to 2:35, she was using quite a lot of arm and body strength to bring out the dynamic/music the way she liked. Her entire body moved up and down and off the bench a few times. If she keeps doing something like this and choosing pieces like this, would this lead to injury? I have no medical degree, so I cannot be sure. Maybe I just think too much.

Do I have a suggestion for an alternative piece? I am no musician either, so please take my suggestion lightly. I think some of the fugues from WTC could be good. My son, who is 12 now, has been working on some of the fugues for the past year. He learned a lot from playing fugues. It forces him to be more focused and listen particularly carefully to the sound he produces.

Wow! Brilliant playing.

I hope I play as well as her when I grow up.

Unlike many of the other youtube 'prodigies' this little one seems to truly enjoy performing and making music. She seems to know how she wants this piece to sound... and seems to delight in performing for her audience.

Even if she doesn't make music her career when she grows up... she seems to enjoy what she's doing now. Though I wasn't a prodigy at 8 - I played and practiced every spare moment I had... getting up at 4 in the morning so I had time before school to play for as long as I could. No one pushed me... no one drove me to practice harder... I just loved it. I was performing by age 9... and earning money from performing by age 10. I stress that I was no prodigy... just a little kid who loved music.

And I'm still playing 30 or so years later. No concert pianist... and I don't have a career in music... but music is still my life. And I love playing just as much as I did when I was 8.

Not all of these kids are pushed and driven by maniacal parents determined to force their children to succeed. Some kids just love what they are doing.

Regardless of whether the child enjoys it or not, I think there is something creepy and icky about putting a kid on public display at such a young age, before they are old enough to really understand what is going on, or make informed decisions for themselves about it. Yes, I know, this sort of thing has been going on for a very long time, but then, a lot of prodigies have run into huge difficulties because of it, too.

There's probably no set recipe for raising gifted kids in the most healthy way. However, announcing to the world that you have one and inviting everyone to gawk at your cute little freak of nature surely isn't the best choice of how to do it, at least not to my way of thinking.

BruceD,

I think this is a better alternative to a gifted child:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8kpDVvOyHs&feature=related

I think it's good that they'll have a great advantage when they're grown up, because kids like this are obviously talented, and their parents realize that, therefore they push them when they're young. Those are the most important years. If you're not developed then, it's going to be really, really difficult.

So I see nothing wrong with it. Especially since if the kid didn't enjoy it/wasn't musical, they obviously wouldn't do it.

I don't know Ms. Garrett's musical history, what she has learned or how she has learned, so I can't say whether or not the Liszt was a good or a bad choice for this child from a pedagogical standpoint. I can only take it for what it's worth, out of any context of her course of studies. It may well be that she has studied a fair amount of Bach, and that that is what has helped her develop her technique.

I would think that one with a technique such as she already has may well have studied and played a number of composers; who knows why the Liszt was chosen for this recording session over any others? There may also have been a number of reasons why this particular one has popped up.

Here's her program for this Friday in San Diego :
J.S.Bach: Italian Concerto
Mendelssohn: Spinning song
Chopin: Waltz no.5 op.42
Chopin : Fantasy Impromptu
Debussy: Children's Corner No. 6 "Golliwogg's Cakewalk"
Liszt: Gnomenreigen
Villa-Lobos: O Polichinelo

She has also performed the Mozart Piano Concerto No 23 twice this year and is scheduled to play it twice more by the summer.

I wonder if perhaps you may know more about her history than I and therefore have reasons to justify your criticism of her teacher.

Regards,

There's no way for a talented child to develop other than being put on national television and YouTube? Before they are even ten years old? Gimme a break...

I wish it were that easy, but the reality IMO is that sometimes, or should I say quite often?, gifted children are put under a lot of stress and are indeed forced to to what they do...

There is a book on the drama of gifted children.
Gifted children are also bullied by peers.
And they are often outsiders , also as adults...

Umi though seems to be indeed enjoying what she is doing.

BruceD,

I know nothing about her history. BTW, a history for an 8 years old must be very rich. You know that I am just kidding.

When I see a little league pitcher throws 85 mph, I question the coach's wisdom. By the same token, I question whether the lovely young lady is well served by her teacher.

But why? I mean what are your reasons for questioning her teacher? Just curious.

If a little league pitcher can throw 85 mph, I'd question the pitcher's age.

If the questioning has merits, one must question (1) the lovely young lady, (2) her parents, or (3) her teacher. Who would then have more knowledge about the possibility of injury? I would expect that the teacher is the one who knows best about this.

It could be this Umi Garrett (if that is her real name) is a midget posing as an eight-year-old to cash in on her lately discovered pianistic skills.

So, injury is behind your reasoning. That's understandable, though, if she's gotten this far (clearly very advanced for her age), then my bet is that she's in good hands.

I am not a teacher, but I know something about having a gifted pianist.

I think this child looks happy and enjoys an audience. In regards to a gifted pianist's education, when a child plays at this level they tend to be gifted in academics as well. So maybe a child such as this will be a mathematician or a scientist when they grow up, but the years they spent studying how to do something well will be applicable to other endeavors. I also would not be surprised if the parents said her piano is covered with toys. A child cannot practice this much without using their imagination.

On the other hand, I thought her movements were too much. But I understand too much is better than not enough, but she is eight and in time her movements will look part of her.

There are teachers that give their students pieces that they cannot properly execute. (I am not saying this is so for this particular student.) Teachers do it with their best students to impress the audience, but they also do it because the audience is familiar with that piece. Most people’s exposure to classical music is confined to classic Looney Tunes, and they do not know if a piece is played correctly or not.

I think I read somewhere this girl needed money for her piano education, so perhaps that is why they went public. However when a cute child plays at a high level they get noticed and opportunities arise. A parent has to use their discretion in regards to media and print. I think less is better, but that is up to the parents.

Using your arm and body in this way are very correct. She won't have any problems with injuries. Children are born with a very relaxed and natural coordination and this is why there is such an output of child "prodigies" -- since piano playing is so linear. This is also why it's much harder to improve technical skills when you start learning piano at a later age!

I keep running into videos of Umi Garrett playing on Youtube, and the more I hear, the more she seems even more spectacular.

Umi has got to be the best or one of the best child prodigies on Youtube if not the world. The fact that the owner of Piano World started this thread attests to this.

Lol, I went on her website and saw this: "She plays Liszt better than some pianists 20 years older."

I guess it depends on the child and the way he/she is amnaged. But think of a few child prodigies and see where they ended up. And by child prodigy i mean someone in the limelight from such a young age.

Maybe she is an exception. But i cannot but find it obscene to have a kid this age perform in big halls. That s just my view. I am not saying it can t be done well but i just can't see how.