Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Located in the basement of the three-story imposing brick building we called Central School was the music classroom. Our teacher would have us line up and we would follow her down several sets of stairs for music class. Sometimes we listened to a piece of music and answered questions about the instruments we heard, sometimes we sang from collections of songbooks, we learned to (sort of) play recorders, we tried out ukeleles, and were thrilled when it was percussion day and we got to play the bongo drums.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The classroom was a delight. Despite being in the basement the room was bright, comfortable and inviting. Big, colourful charts with music symbols and simple note reading techniques adorned the walls, while ample shelving contained rows of enticing instruments like triangles, cymbals and colourful maracas and castanets.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Although I wouldn't have understood it in these terms as a child, I look back now and realize the value the school placed on the music program. This was a public school. We had large classrooms, a library full of books, a big gymnasium and fully stocked equipment room, access to every art supply imaginable and…a music room. The program didn't take away from anything else happening in the school, but rather enhanced all that was going on.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Tuesday mornings the entire school would gather for an assembly. It was a time for presentations, announcements, birthdays and building community within the school. And there was music. Always music. In addition to O Canada, we sang songs the music teacher had chosen for the day. She would play the piano and the whole school would sing together. Music played over the sound system as we entered the gym for the assembly, and music accompanied our exit as well.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý As we got older we became part of the school choir. The director travelled to all the schools in the city because there was a choir in each one. Students so inclined could choose to audition for the All-School choir which rehearsed twice a week outside of school hours.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý We learned a great deal about music and choral singing in those choirs and our director ensured we had ample opportunities to take our music to audiences. We sang at festivals, community events, nursing homes and even took an occasional road trip to present a concert. In other words, it wasn't just a program the school offered; it was a program the school supported…completely. Not just as a budget item, but by placing singers, musicians and choirs front and centre and encouraging the opportunities that came from taking our music outside the classroom walls.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Putting our particular musical preferences aside, there are general observations that have been made regarding our response to music. Listening to music activates brain regions associated with movement, planning, attention and memory. We process music differently than any other sound or noise and there is an intellectual and emotional component that accompanies the act of listening to music.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý An otherwise ho-hum movie scene can become epic when the right soundtrack is added. People who listen to music while exercising tend to lengthen their workouts. Music can be used as a therapy tool in hospitals, cancer centres, alcohol and drug recovery programs, and use of music therapy techniques to treat mental and neurological disorders is on the rise.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The fact that music is used everywhere from prenatal programs to palliative care units indicates the role it plays throughout the whole of our lives--from beginning to end--cradle to grave--and beyond, because just think about being in the presence of heavenly choirs of angels.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Not everyone enjoys or participates in music to the same degree but we all respond to it in some manner. Consider how we feel when we hear the rousing strains of a national anthem, the carols of Christmas, or the way a great song fills the vehicle as you travel down the highway on a beautiful summer day.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Music isn't meant to be extracurricular to our lives; it is something to be experienced in the core of who we are. So make your way to a piano, dig your oboe out of the closet, join a choir, or play the music of a favourite artist and let the stirring sound wash over you.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Music isn't something we need to fight for just for the sake of our children--it is something we need to ensure is part of our lives for the sake of our soul. That's my outlook.
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