Our musicians know - apparently not really either.
Children don't like it, at least in the early years, when parents are busy with something else. All fathers and mothers who have tried to work alongside a small child know this. Mum's on the phone? Then let's work on our beautiful new children's drum until she stops because she can't understand a word. And when dad thinks he can sit down at the computer, we quickly wrap ourselves around the leg of the chair and sing to him, which is sure to make him happy.
No wonder most parents of young children are not so keen on the home office concept, even if it would be practical in terms of childcare. But what about musicians who can't avoid practising at home? If you ask the orchestra how this works, you usually get a mixture of sighs and laughter. And then the following answers, for example:
"I used to practise when the children were in bed. Luckily they had a good night's sleep."
"You just practise in between, quick-quick-quick, when it's possible."
"We were able to rent an additional basement room. Uncomfortable, but practical."
"They soon went to nursery, from then on it went well."
"We took turns - one took care of the children, the other had time to practise."
They're only really tiny for a short time, so you draw on your reserves during that time." We also hear that children remain a challenge even when they are no longer tiny. Practising is no longer a problem, but the concerts usually take place in the evenings, when daycare centres, nurseries and schools are closed. If both parents play in orchestras, childcare becomes a puzzle that is as time-consuming as it is expensive: babysitters earn good money from musicians' families who often live far away from home - and therefore have no grandparents willing to look after them nearby.
And another point is mentioned in the survey: "The children are not the biggest problem when practising, they quickly get used to it. But the neighbours! You have to come to terms with them." In concrete terms, this means knowing the working hours of the other residents. Under no circumstances should you start before nine o'clock on a Sunday. Play with a mute whenever possible. And think carefully about which instrument requests you should fulfil for the children if they want to start practising themselves.
We use deepL.com for our translations into English.
