Never underestimate the power of Barbie.

I never liked dolls as a child, and disliked Barbie particularly for its overt twee factor. And Ken? Eeewww.

Then along comes Barbie in animation form.

One day not long ago, Miss J and I were shopping and she saw the Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale DVD.

I don't even know why I picked it up, much less paid for it, but I can assure you it has changed our lives.

Both the girls LOVE Barbie.

They sing the songs in the DVD - "I wanna be someone, feel something..." "Get your sparkle on, show the world where you belong..."

I have to admit, they're pretty catchy songs. Heavy on the girl power factor, you know?

And the storyline. The right blend of drama, twists, humour, and characters you recognize or that you aspire to be...it's all here.

The dorky boyfriend.

The girl who treats everyone with kindness and respect, takes the time to bring out the best in those who are going through tough times, and who happens to look gorgeous and stylish even when it's raining on the streets of Paris and she's just been fired from her job and dumped by her boyfriend.

The shy apprentice who, when told she is a great designer, says she just makes dresses sometimes.

The pragmatic business owner who acknowledges that her time is up and prepares for a new phase in life by picking up cool hobbies usually associated with teenagers.

The silver-tongued rival designer who steals others' designs and passes them off as her own, constantly talking her talent up and hogging the press.

Miss J has watched the movie so many times she can recite lines perfectly, with the appropriate expression.

And I have to tell you the movie's got some great themes and thought provokers.

"If your audience doesn't like what you do, does it make sense to continue?"

That was the question Barbie and her aunt Millicent had to ponder. One had just been fired from her leading lady role because she spoke her opinion. The other had decided to shut down her fashion house because people no longer loved the dresses she designed.

The 8 yo has been using that line (which just happens to coincide with her own thinking) to query why she must learn AMEB piano.

She likes reading and art, and already gets enough music stimulation through school and Yamaha. Why bother with piano and practice and exams and grades?

So I have to explain that in life, you don't only do the things you like. Some things are necessary to learn because they are essential life skills. Or they are part of your duty and obligation. Or they help to develop your whole brain (like classical music).

I'm not sure if the message is getting through, but maybe if we continue to explore strategies for her to cope with learning the piano and she gains confidence and experiences success, she will eventually want to do this for herself.

Last night, we started a new experiment. It's based on something I noticed about my own piano playing ability. I found that I can play a new piece fairly well if I've first heard it played professionally several times. Because I already know how it ought to sound, I sort of bypass the sight reading bit (which is my weak spot) and play by instinct and memory.

I gave Beth the portable DVD player and headphones and her AMEB CD, and she listened to Intrada several times before she went to bed.

We are going to do this every night this week and see how it affects her playing.