Practicing music isn't just a source of meaning, it's a source of somatic learning, or meta-learning, that is transferable to other domains of practice. It teaches you the effectiveness of spaced repetition; the importance of economy of motion in any somatic practice (useful for sports too, for example); the cultivation of focus on details of how a thing works and how you're interacting with it; and that's just a few obvious points off the top of my head.
Homeschooling mom, singer/songwriter, former music teacher, here, and I really love this article— the “Why” is SO important. Another “why” is, community connection— school/church/community choirs and orchestras offer the unique opportunity for individuals to work together in a corporate body—learning to blend in with a crowd while exhibiting their passion or gift of music in a less self-centered way, which is good for those who are prone to big-headedness as well as, those who are shy about performing.
Yes! This is really good — and something I think I missed, because there instruments I played (trombone and saxophone) didn’t lend themselves to my performing in any sets smaller than, say, 40 people, which made them more “collective mass” experiences than real “group” experiences.
I played trombone, too. If you were never in a setting less than 40 people then it sounds like you missed out on tuba choir. My favorite place to be as a trombonist was tuba choir, especially because you could switch instruments and get to play the baritone and the tuba.
"Mr. Holland (looks at paper): The entire music department.
Principal: And art, and drama.
Mr. Holland: Well, congratulations, Gene. You’ve been looking for a way to get rid of me for 30 years and they finally gave you an excuse.
Principal: You know, I’m not as popular as you. I’m not anybody’s favorite anything.
Mr. Holland (interrupts): That’s because you’re the enemy, Gene. You just don’t know it.
Principal: BUT, I care about these kids as much as you do, and if I’m forced to choose between Mozart and reading and writing and long division, I choose long division.
Mr. Holland: Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want to, sooner or later these kids aren’t going to have anything to read or write about."
Music, art, drama, creative writing, dance, these are not the handmaidens of the hard sciences or any other educational endeavor. That something makes you better at other things is not an argument for the intrinsic value of the thing. Humanities and fine arts departments in schools and universities have retreated away from this idea to the idea that they can be the servants of other "useful" things like science, business, law, and medicine.
Man I wish there were a good and easy answer—I think the social bonding, communication aspect is getting close. But the fact the “why” is not straight forward somehow makes it more important.
Practicing music isn't just a source of meaning, it's a source of somatic learning, or meta-learning, that is transferable to other domains of practice. It teaches you the effectiveness of spaced repetition; the importance of economy of motion in any somatic practice (useful for sports too, for example); the cultivation of focus on details of how a thing works and how you're interacting with it; and that's just a few obvious points off the top of my head.
Homeschooling mom, singer/songwriter, former music teacher, here, and I really love this article— the “Why” is SO important. Another “why” is, community connection— school/church/community choirs and orchestras offer the unique opportunity for individuals to work together in a corporate body—learning to blend in with a crowd while exhibiting their passion or gift of music in a less self-centered way, which is good for those who are prone to big-headedness as well as, those who are shy about performing.
Thought compelling! Thank you.
Yes! This is really good — and something I think I missed, because there instruments I played (trombone and saxophone) didn’t lend themselves to my performing in any sets smaller than, say, 40 people, which made them more “collective mass” experiences than real “group” experiences.
I played trombone, too. If you were never in a setting less than 40 people then it sounds like you missed out on tuba choir. My favorite place to be as a trombonist was tuba choir, especially because you could switch instruments and get to play the baritone and the tuba.
"Mr. Holland (looks at paper): The entire music department.
Principal: And art, and drama.
Mr. Holland: Well, congratulations, Gene. You’ve been looking for a way to get rid of me for 30 years and they finally gave you an excuse.
Principal: You know, I’m not as popular as you. I’m not anybody’s favorite anything.
Mr. Holland (interrupts): That’s because you’re the enemy, Gene. You just don’t know it.
Principal: BUT, I care about these kids as much as you do, and if I’m forced to choose between Mozart and reading and writing and long division, I choose long division.
Mr. Holland: Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want to, sooner or later these kids aren’t going to have anything to read or write about."
Music, art, drama, creative writing, dance, these are not the handmaidens of the hard sciences or any other educational endeavor. That something makes you better at other things is not an argument for the intrinsic value of the thing. Humanities and fine arts departments in schools and universities have retreated away from this idea to the idea that they can be the servants of other "useful" things like science, business, law, and medicine.
Man I wish there were a good and easy answer—I think the social bonding, communication aspect is getting close. But the fact the “why” is not straight forward somehow makes it more important.