Our older two, ages 11 and 9, have been learning fiddle, and are getting pretty good at it. When the weather's nice we'll occasionally go play somewhere public for tips ("busking"). It's better than practicing, builds performance skills, and the money is a good motivation!

We'll usually walk over to Davis Sq, tune the fiddles, set out the case, and play. We'll do a series of fiddle tunes from Lily's list, playing for 20-30min. Today I remember playing Sandy Boys, Angeline the Baker, Marie's Wedding, Cluck Old Hen, Coleman's March, Oh Susanna, Kittycat Jig, Hundred Pipers, and Trip to Moscow.

Since this is a performance we play one tune after another, with only short breaks to decide what to do next. If one of the kids doesn't remember how it goes or gets lost in the form, it's on them to figure [...]

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First published:
June 9th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/TWpnaixm6MiCur9yF/busking-with-kids

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Two young musicians playing violins against a brick wall background

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“Busking with Kids” by jefftk

LessWrong (30+ Karma)