Philip, Age 8, USA

We've had Soft Mozart for nearly 6 years, my daycare use it. I have learned off and on with it. But it hasn't been consistent because the child I purchased it for, my now 8 year old, lost all interest in music right around age 3. We took him for violin lessons, against Hellene's advice, when he was 2. He fell in love with his play violin and I was afraid he would develop bad form - cause that is what all the smart people told me would happen.

Anyway, it was a disaster and my son hated his teacher, hated the violin and wouldn't even listen to music for the last 5 years. He also has a sensory processing disorder, which I suspect had an influence on his initial love of music and dislike for violin lessons. It was a sensory overload. Soft Mozart limits what a child must think about and attend to while playing which is why it worked for him.

I have had the software and keyboard available for him to play but there was no real interest until recently. He is determined to play Danse Macabre on the piano. We are starting at prep-level C together.

I am so happy that you are back!
Please, let me see his videos to be able to help interactively!

Mrs.Post wrote: We've had Soft Mozart for nearly 6 years, my daycare use it. I have learned off and on with it. But it hasn't been consistent because the child I purchased it for, my now 8 year old, lost all interest in music right around age 3. We took him for violin lessons, against Hellene's advice, when he was 2. He fell in love with his play violin and I was afraid he would develop bad form - cause that is what all the smart people told me would happen.

Anyway, it was a disaster and my son hated his teacher, hated the violin and wouldn't even listen to music for the last 5 years. He also has a sensory processing disorder, which I suspect had an influence on his initial love of music and dislike for violin lessons. It was a sensory overload. Soft Mozart limits what a child must think about and attend to while playing which is why it worked for him.

I have had the software and keyboard available for him to play but there was no real interest until recently. He is determined to play Danse Macabre on the piano. We are starting at prep-level C together.

Thank-you Hellene, it is good to be back. Philip has shown an interest off and on, but nothing consistent. But he fell in love with Danse Macabre and is now back to listening to music again and wants to play. We just kept making it available to him as you said.

He was practicing some pieces with the right hand in the Anime songbook which is way over his level. I finally got him to agree to start with me in Prep Level C and work through the Academy so that he could be a real musician, not just someone who can play one song. He's pretty excited.

So, here is his first day of practice with Hot Cross Buns. We haven't put our music notebooks together yet, so we aren't really keeping track. That is our project for tomorrow. He is sick in this video, so he sounds all stuffed up, which he is.

Sonya,
Thank you very much for the video.
Here is what I noticed so far:
Philip's left hand is more 'manageable' : he has no problem playing with organically correct fingering. His concentration level is higher. The right hemisphere is prevailing? Perhaps.
After rehearsing his left hand Philip is more focused and his both hands playing is awesome! His is more focused!
I see how much the program shapes his mind. It is so exciting! Soon enough the hemispheres will be more balanced. This is exactly what we need.