Access can be a problem, but so are teaching methods that don't reveal the joy of playing an instrument, even as a beginner.
I can't play an instrument. It's one of my life's great regrets. It's not that I never had the chance to learn. In fact, I went to a specialized arts program for middle school and high school, so music (and modern dance and improv comedy) was as much a part of my regular curriculum as math, English and geography. I was taught, at various times, the piano, the violin and finally the cello, which I played semi-competently for a few years as a teenager. (If you've ever seen "Take the Money and Run," you might understand the impediments to continuing cello as a casual pursuit.) I had every opportunity to play — so why am I sitting here as an adult wishing I had kept up with any of those instruments? |
Sammy Miller is both a musician and a music educator, and while he himself is obviously musically proficient, he's been grappling with similar questions. Often when the subject of teaching music in schools comes up, the discussion is all about access: either how decreased funding has caused cuts to music classes or the fact that instruments aren't readily available. In his Times Opinion guest essay, Miller looks instead at technique: Could we be teaching music better? Can we teach it in a way that encourages kids to become lifelong musical enthusiasts, even if — especially if — they're never good enough to be professionals? |
Now that I have children of my own, I'm trying to help them persist where I didn't. One lesson I took from my arts school — where I was playing along with truly talented students, some of whom became music professionals — is that while it's great to approach anything (including music) with the goal of mastery, it's also important to do things simply because they're fun and bring you joy. Playing music is fun, or should be, and you don't have to be great at it to find it joyful. There are lifelong benefits to be enjoyed, and regrets to be avoided, if you stick with it and just keep playing along. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment