Broken Dulcimer sticks

While making Shao practice I thought it would be a good idea to give Dai Dai something musical to do. I know! I can have him play the dulcimer. It's the perfect instrument since being left handed shouldn't matter that much. I set him up with his little chair and showed him how to hold the sticks and showed him playing Suzuki songs on the dulcimer was possible.
Sometimes he would hold the sticks sideways, but I corrected him and took out my violin. Shao was saying he would not practice unless I also played.
Sure.

Then when I suggested he run through a song twice. he started telling me how I didn't know anything blah blah blah so I stepped away and played violin in the next room. I already have to be hard lined about Kung Fu. Violin... as long as he runs through stuff and gets the fingers moving everyday.

But after coming back in the room I noticed that Dai Dai had snapped my dulcimer stick's head off.

I was rip shit.


What did I expect?

No. Don't even go there. I had set up the kids to play dulcimer before. Noah was picking it up a little faster since he is older. And Dai Dai had asked me last time not to use the clunky already broken and then repaired sticks I made him hold because they were too heavy. He had requested the nice sticks.

Now I wasn't expecting him to be able to play a song, or practice diligently... but I was expecting him not to break the god damn sticks.

I made some new sticks out of those take out chopsticks and duct tape and those should be more manageable. I guess those are the sticks I should have given him in the first place. But Now what if I want to play dulcimer?

I guess I'll have to buy some new sticks from Zhang Lao Shr. Maybe I can stop buy and ask this weekend.