Music Is Not for Insects

I am in the midst of a much needed mid-winter break with my family, enjoying some time with old friends and catching up on some leisure reading (”Leisure? What does that mean?”) and being blown away by a piece of juvenile fiction that really touched my heart.

A parent at my school recommended a book to me that she and her family read over Winter break. “You have to read this book!” I gave a polite nod and filed it in the back of my mind and forgot to follow up with the school librarian. Big mistake. For the next three weeks, this persistent parent kept asking me, “Have you read the book? What did you think?” I kept coming up with excuses week after week until finally our school librarian walked into my room and gave me the book with an exasperated look on his face. This parent had been dogging him too.

I finally read the book last night on the plane when I had my first free moment. In spite of this book being a piece of fiction aimed at pre-teen readers, I was struck by the honest and accurate portrayal of the life of a music edcator.

The main character is a 6th grade boy named Hart; a very poplular and well meaning boy whose “coolness” and charm get him out of most jams when he misbehaves. But a misfired rubber band at the neck of Mr. Meinert, the chorus teacher, lands Hart into an unexpected situation. The usually forgiving Mr. Meinert has just been given notice that funding for his position has been cut and he will no longer have a job after the first of the year. This mid-year lay off, and the pressure to have a winter concert ready with a group of ungrateful 6th graders singers pushes Mr. Meinert over the edge.

Unaware of the music teacher’s budget cut depression, Hart is chosen to replace Mr. Meinert who has declared that the students can produce the winter concert on their own.

What follows is a cast of characters that you will identify with; from the dejected middle school chorus teacher who has aspirations to become the high school chorus director; to the spouse encouraging her husband to quit right now because he is deserving of a better school and is much too talented to teach in this ungrateful town; and the administrator whose hands are tied as he loses another great teacher from his school due to budget cuts.

So, along with that parent that wouldn’t leave me alone, I say “You must read this book!” It will take you less than two hours (only 176 pages) and as you watch the lives of Hart and Mr. Meinert change in unexpected ways, I think you will be touched by the not too sentimental story of many music educators that you know. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements.

When we double or halve a frequency, we end up with a note that sounds remarkably similar to the one we started out with. This relationship, a frequency ratio of 2:1 or 1:2, is called the octave. It is so important that, in spite of the large differences that exist between musical cultures- between Indian, Balinese, European, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and so on- every culture we know of has the octave as the basis for its music, even if little else in common with other musical traditions.

p. 31 from the book This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin

I get a lot of questions about a child’s music development. The best book I have found is “Your Musical Child: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps” by Jessica Baron Turner.

You can start anywhere in the book and it’s written with the right amount of theory and practical information for parents with children of all ages. It answers the following questions: “What makes a child fall in love with learning to play music? How does talent develop? When is the right time to start lessons? Which instrument is the best fit? Why is practice so challenging, and what can parents do to keep kids musically motivated? Where can a parent learn about music programs, camps, books, recordings, and other important resources?”