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Arts & Entertainment: Music - Click Link Now
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The 21st century will see children be born that are capable to build such complex thoughts that
these will be the reflection of new ways to explain and understand a world that will be becoming
more difficult for us to define.
We have to educate them well for the survival of our species, for an increased sensitivity towards
other human beings, for increasing comprehension of diversity and for maintaining peace in our
planet. All our efforts towards defending what belongs to us, our nations, and the Earth will be
wasted unless we consider that mankind needs peace, internally and externally. What good does
us to prepare our children other than for the evolution of our species, the advancement of arts and
science, the increased understanding of the roles of different cultures, the search for spiritualism?
Why prepare our children for other than developing the need for them to become better each day
that passes? Philosophy, antropology, sociology, psychology, among other disciplines, highlight
themes of importance, among them those that explain the importance of deriving meaning and
increasing communication in interactions among men. Each one of our generations sees itself
creating meaning for what was defined regarding the importance of life in society, and as the time
passes, the new inhabitants of Earth create new ways in which to explain new meanings to facts
and acts in which men find themselves involved in.
Men need to comprehend each other. One culture needs to value the others. The teaching of
music can provide a favorable environment for a specific type of communication in society and this
is why it is necessary to teach music to babies and infants. The earlier we start, the better!
Teaching music provides the learning of signs and/or symbols, which amplify the human capacity
to know and create from systems and conventions that the child cannot find in other systems
and/or disciplines. And this practice helps develop intelligence. In this opportunity, other concepts
are developed. Objects and processes which are unconventional are developed and from this
arises the opportunigty for the musical cognitive system to satisfy a specific type of human desire:
that of creating with sound, utilizing and thinking with sounds. Communicating with sound!
To live musically gives the child the opportunity to develop meanings which go beyond those
simply intellectual. Hence, the child exercises complex thoughts through experiencing music, by
participating and integrating him/herself in this 'difficult to define' world. When the child is capable
to communicate emotional needs, he/she exteriorizes aesthetic meanings, treating the abstract in
a concrete way and assigning objective meaning to other types of communication that he/she can
create. Practicing music in groups unifies children. To listen to music created by another exercises
communication abilities. To have your own music heard by others improves self-esteem. Music is
not, however, a language. It results from complex systems of sound utilization, which through
form, structure, and the instruments it utilizes, concertizes itself through the works, and conveys
meaning. This is why music has to be taught to be understood in all its complexity. The result for
someone listening, or making music, is the exchange of emotions. And the exchange of emotions
promotes simplicity in this interaction. This exchange also deepens communication. These
manipulations with sound and structural models must be linked to the context in which the
individuals involved in the musical experience are into. Therefore, each musical experience
communicates the disposition, creativity, and traces of different cultures, which reflect themselves
in the processes of musical production, appreciation, and reproduction.
In this manner, in order for us to defend the idea that it is necessary to promote internal and
external peace for mankind, we need to foment learning and musical experience for our children,
since an early age.
Music is life. It involves us since it is a human creation. It can be created and executed by us
throughout many phases of our development. It is in the satisfaction of making music that children
involve themselves cognitively with processes of creativity, problem-solving, and gaining the
initiative to take risks, to express themselves, and to evolve as a thinker and innovator. Musical
learning leads to interpersonal relationships, acceptance by the group, the desire to create, and
the motivation to communicate.
In the following paragraphs we will suggest some ideas about how to promote teaching/learning
music in our families:
1 - How to lead the musical experience?
First, babies or young children need a favorable environment. It is necessary to create success
values in the family. In order to have success it is necessary that the parents have courage and
take risks to live happy days and each day more satisfying moments for their children. We can
enumerate 10 aspects that must be considered if we would like to improve our success in creating
a more musical environment for our children:
1 - SUCCESS! Believe that your child is capable to understand and to make music! In the least
this will create a person with music appreciation and will be part of an audience that will
understand and will derive satisfaction from quality music. S/he will capable to appreciate our
collective and historical musical culture of mankind and will be able to maintain it and promote it.
2 - OPTIMISM! Yes, it is possible to appreciate, create, live, and become highly satisfied with the
musical activity and learning! Many are those who did and still currently do this.
3 - INITIATIVE! Have in mind an action plan. See how the child is going to be exposed or
become into contact with music. Will it be through and/or from listening since in utero? What kind
of music will s/he listen to? Only after birth will you expose the baby to music? Who might sing to
the baby (nursery rhymes or other songs)? Have you selected them?
Have you found out whether music from a particular musical instrument pleases the baby more?
One must remember that any and all initiative must lead to experiencing music daily, and always
in an environment of satisfaction and appreciation for music of good quality.
4 - GOALS! It is necessary to know where the family wants to arrive. It is necessary to ask
whether experiencing music leads to increasing music appreciation in the family, community and
county, or whether it is to develop musical performers/musicians. You should establish goals and
follow the development of music cognitive skills and then this will lead to a decision of whether or
not the child should dedicate him/herself to professional performance. If the child decides,
between 6 and 10 years of age, that s/he wants to deepen his/her knowledge as a performer, new
goals will have to be developed and implemented. We have to embrace the idea together with the
child if this makes them happy and indeed encourage them to play and pursue the mastery of
their favorite instrument.
5 - WORK! Work means regularity, seriously dedicating yourself to the compromise of providing
the child with the opportunity to experience music everyday. Work means to develop, through
music, habits and attitudes of musical execution. This means that there has to be dedication to
learning music theory, vocal, instrumental, and improvisational practices. And that there must be
a commitment to theoretical learning (musical concepts) and musical elements essential to the
utilization of musical structures and schemes in the process of musical experiencing and creation
.
6- COMMUNICATION! Music is an excellent medium for teaching us the importance of
communication. A baby's cry already is an element of communication and it is composed by notes
and musical intervals. Many children sing, hum melodies long before they begin to speak.
Therefore, when music is already being exercised and played, musical improvisation becomes an
example of sophistication reached by those executing the process. It is possible that different
culture see themselves through similarities of esthetic emotions promoted by listening to different
songs, which bring in their scope similar musical ideas. It is possible for people from one culture
to love and admire another due to their music. Music creates communication links and bridges the
distance among men.
7- ATTITUDES! It is necessary to believe in the importance of teaching music in order for children
to develop in a rich and healthy way. The alignment of the parents' attitudes to that of valueing
music, is understood and assimilated by the children. Parents that dislike classical or popular
music, or any other type of music, pass this attitude down to their children. What matters is to help
our children by giving them the opportunity to evolve, become better than ourselves, for the benefit
of all of humanity.
In this context, attitude means to pass down to your children the family values of musical
appreciation.
8- PERSISTENCE! Musical learning only becomes reality when the child has a desire/disposition
to make music. In order for us to find our whether s/he has this disposition, s/he has to be
exposed and has to experience music. Hence, it is necessary to give time and continuity to the
exposure to music so that the cognitive development system can go through the appropriate
stages. In order to develop cognitively in a musical context, it is necessary for the parents and
children to remain persistent, which will result in the succession of levels which lead to each day
deeper knowledge and complex specialized learning.
9- PRACTICING! All the steps above lead to a system of how to experience music. The child that
experiences rewarding musical practice goes on to practice music, in a routine of instrumental
study which will lead s/he to aesthetic expression through execution of his/her works or works of
other composers.
10- CONCLUSION: The child's process of experiencing music, with parental support, will lead to
a unique reality: A dream has been visualized, goals have been set, and the participants have
been persistent. There has been practicing of communication, training to reach the goals outlines,
and a conclusion about what should be done at each step lived. To "live" and experience music
and learning "how to make music" adds much to family life and this increment in quality provides
improved communication in society. The overall result is a quest for the evolution of humanity,
through the cultivation of art, intelligence, and emotion.
Dr. Eliane Leao is a native of Brazil, South America. She has a background in Education from
Purdue University (Masters) and a PhD in the Department of Educational Psychology from the
State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)/Purdue University (Ph.D.). Dr. Leao has also three
BachelorÂ’s degrees, one in Piano, another in Musical Education, and a third in Voice. Dr. Leao
is currently a professor of Music Education and Music Therapy conducting research on the
influence of Music in Early Childhood Learning.Her ‘babies’ have grown to become productive
members of their communities. Dr. Leao hopes that the trials and successes of her family may
inspire and convince other parents to stimulate their children during early childhood so that they
may enjoy a rich, stimulating, integrated, and happy life always.
Visit our website http://www.baby-can-read.com for free ebooks on education and learning music
and much more! Special free ebook with holiday music for children!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eliane_Leao
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Arts & Entertainment: Music - Click Link Now
http://www.pcnplus.com/Stores/index.php?cat=media.music
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