I am a musician sycophant. Not in a crazed stalker way, but in a venerable, need to be near it kind of way. Guy with a guitar shows up to a party, I'm in, giving requests to help the singing begin. I took clarinet lessons when I was in the 4th grade, but my heart was not in it. I wanted to play the drums, but, in 1980, girls didn't play drums. So I compromised for the flute, however, the school did not have enough of those to lend, so I was a clarinetist by default. "Gene Kelly played the clarinet, " my mom encouraged, carefully recounting that directorial scene of genius from Xanadu. My fandom for Gene got me through 3 years of playing, but by sixth grade, I was done. Keeping up with lessons and buying reeds seemed a bit too much for my mom and me. When I first heard this story on NPR, my veneration boarded on jealousy. I was always a strong reader-imagine how amazing I would be if I played an instrument? Once I got a hold of my sixth grade self, I thought about my students. Middle school is that testing ground for habits that will either be fostered or abandoned for the rest of our academic years. I don't think we needed more evidence to support keeping the arts in school, but this is worth passing along to our music teachers.
From Mozart To Mr. Rogers: Literacy, Music And The Brain
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