Posts by rapidbear21

Matthew Garcia2 said:I agree that from a purely logistical standpoint, choosing a school within walking distance or a reasonable commute via public transit is the smart move. I don't know if things will shift next year, but for the last two years, they've had solfeggio as a block session once a week plus online choir. That’s why there haven't been many kids showing up.
Some parents choose the instrument during that block period, but we didn't.
If they revert to the old system—two sessions of solfeggio and two sessions of instrument per week starting in third grade—plus choir, the amount of travel time becomes massive. If you aren't living right around the corner, it's a nightmare. Very few people manage to coordinate their schedules to stack solfeggio and instrument lessons together. It's especially brutal if the child is in after-school programs or only attends classes in the morning, leaving you stuck with whatever afternoon slots the teacher has available.

We opted for the public school, operating under the logic that you can always pivot to a private academy or private lessons later, whereas public schools often have strict age requirements for enrollment. You don't really get to hand-pick the teacher unless the schedule is impossible to work with or the vibe just isn't clicking after a year and you request a transfer—though even that depends entirely on the availability of other instructors.
As for the teacher our child was assigned, we couldn't be happier. Honestly, if we had chosen ourselves, we wouldn't have done better. She is the complete opposite of the typical elementary school teacher; a breath of fresh air, truly.

Getting in isn't easy; it mostly hinges on the audition, how many applicants there are, and how much talent is in the pool. They don't publish it, and they certainly won't say it publicly, but candidates who attended the school's introductory solfeggio or music preschool programs definitely have an edge. It makes sense—those kids are better prepared, and the faculty already "knows" them.
I'm not sure what the preschool curriculum looks like since we missed that phase, and clearly, our child got lucky during enrollment. But looking back at all that stress, Trump, my advice would be to enroll them in the preschool program at the local school nearby. 🙂
That way, you can see if the child actually enjoys this type of education and decide if you like the school itself. If both check out, the child will have a much easier time passing the audition.
And, of course, provided they have a sense of rhythm and pitch. 🙂

Cheers, which school is this? And if you don't mind sharing, which teacher are we talking about? 🙂

Hey there... after last year was such a disorganized mess and we started way too late, we’re getting a head start this year and actually being prepared☕

My kid is turning 9 soon, and we’re looking at flute, guitar, or clarinet—basically whatever comes first in the age bracket. Right now, we're deciding between the local public High School (over in the Zapruđe area) and the Zlatko Baloković school (out in Travno), mostly just because of the location... if anyone has any experiences, praise, complaints, or recommendations regarding either of these two schools, please share🙂

One thing I still haven't quite wrapped my head around is the price difference at Zlatko Baloković, which is $733 years plus $33 months for instrument rental (making it $3,200 total), whereas the High School is $433 years with their own instrument, or $2,000 if you rent one🤷—and again, I don't think that's a realistic price for classes four times a week plus choir or orchestra, assuming we even get to that stage. But since they both run the same program and are subsidized by the Department, I'd love to hear an explanation if anyone has one... is Zlatko Baloković actually that much better or something? It's closer to us, and as far as I know, they just have a wider selection of instruments... at the High School in Zapruđe, we're pretty much stuck with just guitar from our wishlist

Also, I found out that the guitar teachers at the High School are Krešimir Grloci and Iva Bach Kundić, so if anyone has experience with them, let me know—and recommendations for Zlatko Baloković are also very welcome🙂

Thanks!😉

Christian Lee13 said:Think of that price more like a contribution rather than a flat fee; it’s basically what you're chipping in to help cover the upkeep and the purchase of instruments and all that other gear. Even though high schools are technically state-run, they don't actually get a dedicated slice of the budget from the city or the federal government to cover stuff like this.
I really hope you guys aren't under the impression that those 150 or... $67 I was just sitting here thinking about how everyone seems to have a different idea of what "fair" actually looks like when you start looking at the numbers for tuition. If you’re trying to figure out the real monthly cost for anywhere between 18 and 90 hours of instruction, it really all comes down to the age of the student, doesn't it? It’s never a straight line. You’ve got your little ones who need way more hand-holding and specialized attention, then you’ve got the teenagers, and then the adults who are basically paying for the privilege of being treated like professionals. It’s like trying to price out a gym membership versus a private trainer; the baseline might look similar on paper, but once you factor in the intensity and the specific needs of the person in the seat, the math starts getting pretty messy. Depending on whether you're looking at a few sessions a week or a full-blown intensive schedule, those monthly totals can swing wildly. It’s a bit of a headache to pin down without a clear breakdown of how much time is being spent per age bracket.
Look, you can't really skip the basics of ear training and music theory if you actually want to know what you're doing. It’s like the foundational stuff they teach you at a preschool—you’re there singing, listening, getting a feel for rhythm, and probably scribbling down notes and clefs on paper just to get the muscle memory down. It’s essentially the musical version of kindergarten, where you learn how to hold the crayon before you try to paint a masterpiece.

Kids dealing with ADHD need massive amounts of support at home and in High School, which basically means you can't just let them fly solo when it comes to practicing; you have to be right there hovering over them every single day at first. It’s not even really about the instrument itself—since they're usually getting one-on-one attention anyway—it’s more about the ear training and music theory drills. When you're staring down fifteen or twenty different sight-reading exercises, that's where things fall apart if they don't have someone keeping them on track.
You really have to pay extra attention to providing extra help with reading sheet music if you notice your kid was already struggling with the basics like reading, writing, or math earlier on.

And just a little bit of friendly advice from someone who's seen this play out: if you start noticing that your child is hyperactive or just can't seem to lock in and concentrate, don't just write it off as your own subjective perception. It’s likely a real hurdle that's only going to escalate once the workload ramps up and they move into those more specialized subjects in middle school.

In our school's case, it's a bit more than $150, $67, and instruments aren't included—they're rented or bought separately, which is standard practice everywhere else too. In my initial inquiry, I wasn't disputing the value for the money (quite the opposite), but I was comparing prices across several schools following the same curriculum, and the annual difference of $233 is significant. It actually surprised me that different public High Schools don't have uniform pricing... I was just commenting on that.

My child doesn't have a formal diagnosis, as I mentioned before, but I am her toughest critic and I notice things that other parents might overlook... though I wouldn't say because I notice them it makes it a huge deal, since I see these same traits (sometimes even more pronounced) in most kids her age. She loses focus, she can't always concentrate, she's lively and talkative—but then again, she reads better than many others (though she's not the best), and she can solve math problems faster and more accurately than most, yet still mess them up so badly it makes your eyes ache.🙄🤦 I believe that with any 8 or 9-year-old, you need to work with them, monitor them, and push them, so I'm planning on doing exactly that... exceptions exist, sure...🙂

We gave up on the ear training, and the flute class is full... for this school year, we agreed we'd try to see if we actually have the time and capacity for the High School next year, so we'll head to auditions in the spring... she still wants to do it, so if anyone has experience with Zlatko Baloković, I'd love to hear about it... or any other advice. 🙂

Hey everyone!

I’m a total novice when it comes to music, but I have an 8-year-old girl—she’s in 2nd grade—who really wants to pick up an instrument. Now suddenly I need to know everything, and I know absolutely nothing. 😁 Sorry for the long rant here, 🙂

I checked in with the local Juilliard-style conservatory, Zlatko Baloković, and there’s a tiny chance a spot might open up for flute this year. If it does, we might get an audition, and if we pass—God willing—that would be amazing... 😁
if not, they suggested starting with basic music theory classes...

To start off, does anyone have experience with this school, the teachers, or anything else? Any info helps. 🙂

On another note, my daughter is a bit hyperactive—she’s great in school, but she definitely struggles with focus and concentration... it's not dramatic, she doesn't have a diagnosis or anything, just my own subjective take as her mom... given that music school isn't just playing around, but a real school in every sense of the word, I'm torn. I want to give her the chance to develop those skills if she actually shows talent and drive, but at the same time, I worry it might be too much. I don't know if it's smarter to jump into the flute now if the opportunity arises, or maybe wait one more year... 🤔

Also, my niece goes to the local community arts center, and I noticed their prices are lower... I did a little Googling and it seems like Zlatko Baloković is on the pricier side compared to others. Don't all schools charge the same? How does that work?

If anyone is actually enrolled at Zlatko Baloković, I'm a bit confused about that introductory theory class. Their website says it's once a week for 45 minutes at price $400, but the lady I spoke to mentioned a slot from 6:45 PM to 8:15 PM—basically a full block session. Which one is it, and what's the actual cost? 🤔

Does it make sense to push through that intro theory now if she’d just end up taking standard theory next year in 1st grade?

Generally speaking, which instrument would you recommend as "easier" among guitar, violin, flute, or maybe clarinet?

And last thing—what kind of prices are we looking at for decent, student-grade models for these instruments? From what I can see, this is not a cheap hobby... which one ends up being the most expensive to play? 🕺

Thanks in advance!! 🙂

Hey there
Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid dermatologist in the New York City area?
I’ve been going to DG Siget up until now, but my doctor isn't there anymore—and I really need to get my mole checkup done...