Education. From the word "educere" latin for "to raise up", "to lead forth". Is this what we are doing with the future generations of humans? We are EDUCATING our kids????
Puh-leeeeze!!! If any one still believes this one, I would say they have been living in outer space for the last 20 years or so.
Schools have been "educating" our children, many times without parent's involvement. I know. I was a teacher for 25 years. The task is daunting. But it has to be done and done well. Elementary school is the basis for all this "education". The world teaches the rest. But in this wonderful exciting and yes, daunting endeavor the obstacles have been constant and hard. And the latest huge obstacle has come as an idea to "eliminate the specials" so we can concentrate in training the kids to pass tests. "Specials" as in art, music, anything that pertains to the whole being.
I especially mourn the musical education which had already been mediocre. No listening to good music, no discussing performers, no viewing movies about composers, none of this was available in many schools for a long time. But doing away with the arts is completely off the wall!!
Let us see what learning goes on in a typical 5th grade class: there is reading which we all agree is the vehicle for all learning. Reading books, computers, writing and typing are all skills that must be mastered early. Spelling is important but now that computers have "spell check" and teachers have innate forgiveness for bad spelling, eehhh....In math all the necessary calculations and algebraic operations are taught, as well as "language arts "which has replaced history and geography and unfortunately is not as good as either. So far, a piece of the day is accounted for. Obviously other projects and sciences also have a place in this school day. Painfully I have yet to see some artistic traces which could be so easily incorporated to the previous subjects. Music shines by its absence. Who needs it when after schools i pods will inject gorgeously filthy lyrics and prehistoric beats in those virgin ears.
My beef is with the school programs which do not include any sort of musical education and guidance to these growing kids.Music is not used during classes where it could be doing the most good encouraging habits, teaching relationships and improving learning. With all the feedback available from prestigious institutions schools blithely ignore it and plod along sending kids to ADD specialists, to speech therapists and linguists to cure dyslexia, when all this time they have an important tool at their hand's reach. Why don't they use it? To me this is a mystery.
Studies have shown that classical music, particularly baroque music (think Bach and Vivaldi), activates both sides of the brain, increasing the listener’s learning capacity and the retention of information. Baroque music causes the heart rate slows down for improve concentration.
Some of its benefits:
- Improves test scores
- Cuts learning time
- Calms hyperactive children and adults
- Reduces errors
- Improves creativity and clarity
- Heals the body faster
- Integrates both sides of the brain for more efficient learning
- Raises IQ scores 9 points (research done at University of California, Irvine)
The reason this happens is the following.The key component of music that makes it beneficial is order. The order of the music from the baroque and classical periods causes the brain to respond in special ways. This order includes repetition and changes, certain patterns of rhythm, and pitch and mood contrasts. One key ingredient to the order of music from the baroque and classical periods is math. This is realized by the body and the human mind performs better when listening to this ordered music.
- There are other tools to use in classes and to my knowledge very few schools use it. I refer to meditation and relaxation as a means for kids to get in touch with their inner selves. 5 to 10 minutes of these precious skills would accomplish an incredible amount of good in stressful situations. Anger management anyone? This is a short easy training that would be beneficial for the rest of their lives. When I used relaxation techniques in my classes children would look forward to these moments as a way to quiet down and enjoy inner peace. They would be much more receptive and calm later on. There are also a series of yoga for children which some schools have been enthusiastic about. Kids being natural hams love to play at being dogs or turtles and the yoga positions are a fun way to have them relax and stretch.
Education comes in many forms. Formal education is necessary. Schools are needed for many of the skills as well as a socializing force. Could it be enriched? Undoubtedly. There are exciting new forms we need to apply. New tools like computers, i pads, all kinds of audio visual enrichment.
But don't forget the music!!! Without it we would not be complete human beings. Without it our spirit would starve and miss so many important nutrients. Without it we would miss out on one of the biggest pleasures in life.
