“When friends learn that my nearly six-year-old has been play­ing vio­lin for three years, their voices shift a bit, espe­cially if they also have a child learn­ing an instru­ment. Two ques­tions come in quick suc­ces­sion: “Does she like it?” and “How do you get her to prac­tice?” There’s a ner­vous energy to their queries, and usu­ally a lit­tle laugh, too. Either they’ve been strug­gling with kids who have a hard time prac­tic­ing, or they recall their own child­hood bore­dom. And they seem to be relieved when I say that yes, she gen­uinely enjoys play­ing — but yes, prac­tic­ing can also be quite a struggle.”

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