I'm truly scared....

[druid]

My 11 year old daughter Elizabeth is exceptionally bright, having an IQ of 137. She plays the violin and is 1st chair, 1st violin in her middle school orchestra.

Her Conductor is also the Band master...who came to her and said "we need more people in the band...are you interested?" She said, "Hrm...what's the closest instrument to a Bag Pipe?" and he responded "probably the Clarinet." She said, "OK fine" and brought the instrument home - not having a single lesson or knowing how to assemble the instrument....

For the past few weeks, she has been dabbling with playing my practice chanter and knows the scale, some grace notes and a few tunes from the College of Piping tutor book...

Within 3 hours she managed to teach herself the freaking clarinet with only the book as her guide and she was done with the book.

She went back the next day and the Band Master asked how she was doing and she offered an "audition" for the clarinet. According to Elizabeth's girlfriend (who is about as bright and is like a conjoined twin...always at her side), the Band Master stood there with his jaw hanging open...

She came home with more music and within 7 hours, is playing the first 4 musical selections for their street parade medley......

What the freak?

To make this all funny.....she can't walk and chew gum at the same time. She trips walking across a level floor.

Am I doomed or what??

[ardchoille]

Actually, the IQ isn't how smart a person is, rather it shows their ability to learn.. and she seems to have a high ability to learn quickly. People with a high IQ usually have the ability to learn musical instruments easily. I'd be willing to bet she won't have much of a problem with the various fields of physics when she gets older

Keep an eye on that kid, she may end up a candidate for a school for the gifted

[Pleater]

You are probably doomed - though thankfully these days the female of the species isn't expected to be ornamental and subservient, which caused ructions in my teenage years.

I rather suspect that your daughter is simply being normal for an intelligent female, it is just that in the past there were few outlets for any talent, and many women who could have been outstanding were ridiculed for their lack of feminine attributes.

I have an almost identical IQ, and can get a tune out of most instruments, though my dyslexia makes reading music almost impossible, so I learnt many of my songs by hearing them. Once.

I also have a tendency to take things apart, though most of the time I can get them back together and working, so you might want to be thankful if that is not in your daughter's makeup.

Oh - I did Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A level - should have done Chemistry, Maths and Physics but the Maths teacher was a misogynist and did not believe that girls were capable of doing the work.

I took Maths as part of my BSc later, just to spite him, I think.

Anne the Pleater

[Howard Clark]

I think you should be celebrating her gifts.

[Finn]

Good for you & she both!
All of my offspring are sharp (step too), but my youngest daughter is scary-smart at 2.5. Good luck with the frighteningly-gifted child!

[ohneplo]

Be happy for her skills, proud for her and do everything you can while here to encourage her adventures in learning while you have the chance.
Congrats,
Bruce

[TheSp8]

Yes, you are doomed. Be thankful that is your doom. The hard part will be keeping the schools in line so that ability isn't squashed. It sounds like you have a true gem.

YMOS,
Tony

[O'Callaghan]

Doom used to mean fate, good or bad, in Old English. In that sense perhaps your daughter is doomed to become a bagpiper.

[kypnkilt]

I think you are confusing the word "doomed" with "blessed".

There are people that have the "knack" and others with the "gift". I have experienced those with the "knack" and they have set or have set boundries. Whereas those with the "gift" have no boundries.

Then there those with neither....they're limited to playing the radio, etc.

[Jeff]

Am I doomed or what??[/QUOTE]

No my friend, you're blessed!