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Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story Paperback – September 12, 1991

by John Holt (Author)

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“If I could learn to play the cello well, as I thought I could, I could show by my own example that we all have greater powers than we think; that whatever we want to learn or learn to do, we probably can learn; that our lives and our possibilities are not determined and fixed by what happened to us when we were little, or by what experts say we can or cannot do.”Best known for his brilliant insight into the way children learn, John Holt was also an intrepid explorer of adult learning. At the age of forty, with no particular musical background, he took up the cello. His touching and hilarious account of his passionate second career demolished the myth that one must start an instrument (or a sport, or a language) in early childhood, and will inspire any reader who dreams of taking up a new skill.

Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story

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Product Details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press; Reprint edition (September 12, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0201567636
ISBN-13: 978-0201567632
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2373 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Biographies
- #8412 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature

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Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

5 star		52%
4 star		28%
3 star		14%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top Customer Reviews

Even better than it seems ...

ByValjeanon March 18, 2001

Format: Paperback

Mr. Holt has written a subversive book. While somewhat disorganized in its presentation, 'Never Too Late' nevertheless presents some very unconventional ideas. I applaud his methods: while the majority of material centers around his musical education and attempts to learn a very difficult instrument (cello) at middle age, he also sneaks in some brain-rattling notions about how we learn, especially as adults. His "day job" expertise--childhood education--is typically referenced here as a distraction to his music, but ends up complementing his theses.
So what did he discover about our learning processes? Try these on for size: we have to imagine ourselves doing something new, difficult, and demanding *before* we do it; if you insist on learning a difficult activity, take it up for its own sake, *not* to help solve some "problem"; testing tests only our ability to take tests, nothing more; while adults have the advantage of posing their own problems (and finding solutions), we're hindered by seeing our tasks--even our art--as a series of tests at which we can only pass or fail (we do *far* too much of the latter).
While coming across these gems, I could not help but notice the biggest conceit of all in this exercise: that John Holt--a brilliant and original thinker about children's education--had written a book about adult education, all under the guise of a personal memoir. This cleverness is not without faults; I found myself starting to skip some of the more complex details of music theory into which he lapses. But they hardly diminish the power of the interspersed ideas.
My favorite insights are those the author found through personal--rather than especially theoretical--experience. He found himself giving "alibis in advance"--appeals for sympathy before even beginning an activity ("I'm not very good, but ...")--and reminded himself: do the best you can! Either shut up and play, or go home! Far from a reproach, this felt like a refreshing blast at an all-too-common self-pity. But even better was an approach Holt admitted he "learned slowly": "I have to accept at each moment, as a fact of life, my present skill or lack of skill, and do the best I can, without blaming myself for not being able to do better." He goes on to note "this is very hard for most adults." True enough. But by pointing out these invaluable insights, he's done us all a great service. Read this splendid little book and see if you don't agree.

11 comment 64 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A life-changing book

ByMark Alexanderon February 9, 2000

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book changed my life. It gave me the courage and inspiration to overcome a horrible childhood experience with piano lessons, and relearn to play as an adult. Playing the piano has become one of the great joys of my life, and John Holt gave me the kick to allow that to happen.

0Comment 40 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Rebel Educator: Indefatigable Student

ByAmazon Customeron March 14, 2002

Format: Paperback

John Caldwell Holt, like Ivan Illych, was a long-time rebel educator who felt that the general public education system could sometimes do more harm than good when it comes to instilling in children a life-long love for learning. But in this particular book, Holt is sending a message to those in their golden years who think they've passed the prime of learning. Taking up the cello at an advanced age, then putting it down due to work and travel pressures, then taking it up again into his 50s and beyond, Holt wants to show by example that getting older doesn't mean you can't pursue your dreams.
Like Wayne Booth's book on the love of amateur cello playing, Holt's book shows how the pursuit of amateur cello playing is available to almost anyone with the drive to put in the requisite practice hours and gather with likeminded people to practice their craft.
If you put down your childhood instrument decades ago, or never picked one up in the first place, Holt can inspire you through his example to consider taking it up.

0Comment 31 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Musical Memoirs

ByAmazon CustomerVINE VOICEon January 13, 2006

Format: Paperback

This book contains the musical memoirs of John Holt, amateur cellist. Throughout his life, Holt was fascinated with the process of learning and of education. He taught classes in elementary schools, and he published a number of books including "How Children Fail." In this book, Holt presents many observations about his own struggles to learn music. Holt didn't come from a musical family and had practically no training in music as a young person. However, starting in his teenage years, he developed a great love of listening to music. Over the next few decades, he dallied with learning the guitar and flute, but it wasn't until he was 40 that he began studying music in earnest on the cello. Of all instruments to choose, the cello is not one to be taken up lightly, for it is notoriously difficult in its fingerings, bowings, and tone quality. Holt found that his musical studies were requiring more and more of his time, but he also found the time spent on working with his instrument to be so rewarding that he was willing to give up many of his other activities so as to have more time to practice and learn.

In this book, Holt presents a lifelong analysis of all the types of music he had been exposed to, and what they meant to him and his development in music. He takes us from learning songs with his aunt on summer vacation through how he figured out musical notation by fiddling around with piano keys, through intensive summer music camps he attended as an adult with his cello. At times, this seemingly exhaustive enumeration of musical experiences can drag a bit. On the other hand, each anecdote does eventually play an important role in the big picture as Holt unfolds his story.

As a struggling amateur musician, I found Holt's story to be quite inspiring. Since Holt was neither a trained musician nor a music educator, he was able to offer an uncommon perspective on music practice and learning. I was struck by his insistence that musicians at all levels should include in their daily practice pieces that are much too hard for them, rather than just sticking to material that is appropriate for their current level. He also stresses the need for playing real music, and not just exercises or pedagogical pieces (although he does note that sometimes these, too, are useful). He stresses the importance of playing pieces in their entirety as well as working on individual trouble spots. Holt makes it clear that musicians of all levels should be playing music that speaks to them (rather than to their teachers). Through his example, he shows that it doesn't matter what age you are when you first begin to study music-if you are serious about your practice, you will progress and find immense enjoyment as you play.

0Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

If you wish you could do something in music, ...

If you wish you could do something in music, but think you can't, this is a must read for you.

Published 1 month ago by Burrowes E.

Mechanically generated Kindle edition

The Kindle version seems to have been generated by poorly proofread OCR, and is rife with typographical errors. Chase down a pre-owned hardcopy instead, if you can.

Published 6 months ago by Ben Goetter

I can already tell that I am going to love it. BUT--come on people--the concept of proof reading ...

I'm only 1% into the digital version of this book. I can already tell that I am going to love it. BUT--come on people--the concept of proof reading was invented at the same time...Read more

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer

A Good Read for Adult Beginners

This is an inspirational book for adult beginners. It refutes the notion that adults can't learn to play an instrument.Read more

Published 6 months ago by Rebecca Richardson

A worthy effort, but.....

I purchased the Kindle version of this book, and I have wasted far more on far worse. Having tried and failed five times to learn guitar I suppose I was hoping for a magic bullet...Read more

Published 8 months ago by Mark Heckler

Five Stars

Great inspiration for people who want to start playing music.

Published 11 months ago by Amazon Customer

Never too old.

Inspires me to continue to study the violin at 58 years old.

Published 1 year ago by Amazon Customer

Genuine thoughtful and inspirational for adults learning musical instrument

Wonderfully inspirational story and great life lessons on your music journey. I did find the first half of the book a bit slow so I admit to eventually skipping a few chapters in...Read more

Published 1 year ago by LovetoLearn

A joyful look at learning music and gave a lot of good hints in the book for playing technique and learning ...

What a fabulous book, especially for late blooming musicians in their 40s-60s. It really IS never too late.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Dancer

This book sure helps understand what was not so great in my musical education

This book sure helps understand what was not so great in my musical education. It is full of encouragement and how to overcome.Read more

Published 1 year ago by cello lady

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Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story Paperback – September 12, 1991

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