Much to the detriment of childhood education, the art curriculum in public schools has taken a double hit in recent years. It is slowly being squeezed out due to budget mismanagement at the state level and it has increasingly been supplanted by newly mandated subjects with political overtones. This makes it all the more important to find ways to expose children to the arts at home and to take advantage of other opportunities that are available after school hours. How else will you know if your child got the ‘music gene’ or has the potential to become a talented painter or sculptor or perhaps has the creativity to write the great American novel?
Learning to draw or play a musical instrument is a creative endeavor that can not only bring self-satisfaction and promote self esteem, but provides an alternative to the many other unsavory distractions that tempt today’s youth. Such activities can awaken the creative potential in a child’s mind that might otherwise remain dormant, suppressed by the massive amounts of passive screen time many children engage in today. Participating in music and other forms of art promote the development of interests and activities that can last a lifetime, long after physically taxing activities are no longer possible. It can also contribute to social development, as for example playing an instrument in a band, which can teach the same principles of teamwork as playing on a ball team.
A child who discovers the joy of listening to classical music, opera or big band music is less likely to fall victim to the thankfully short-lived productions that are cranked out today, thereby reducing exposure to their harmful messages promoting sex, drugs and violence. I am constantly amazed at how popular the ‘Oldies but Goodies’ are with teenagers today, an indication that many of them do have good taste in music and have the self-confidence to resist peer pressure. Developing an appreciation for good music can bring entertainment and pleasure to teens who might otherwise be tempted to seek it in unhealthy ways.
I am fortunate to have had a wonderful family with wise, caring parents who exposed me to music at an early age. They sacrificed to get me started with piano lessons at age seven and I still enjoy playing piano and organ to this day. We went as a family to the great musical productions of the time, including Gigi and South Pacific, and attended youth concerts that were held at the local high school on a regular basis. I remember how my Dad used to purchase a classical record every so often when they were offered as part of a series in a sales promotion at the Safeway grocery store. That was my very first exposure to the likes of Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. My Dad taught me how to recognize all the different musical instruments in the orchestra as we listened together.
It is gratifying to see young families continuing this tradition with their children today. Be sure to watch the video that follows which features a three year old who is destined to become the next Zubin Mehta. Don’t tell anyone, but I also have a conductor’s baton that I like to swing as I stand in front of my stereo while playing something like Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto (with all of the drapes closed, of course, as I sometimes really get into it!). Thanks Dad and Mom for awakening my appreciation for good music at an early age. It has provided me with many hours of pleasure over the years.
Check Out This Three Year Old Conductor! You’ll Love It!
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