Music Moves Me

As an educator, I am constantly thinking about how best to teach skills and concepts to my students. As a 'specialist' who sees her students just once a week for forty minutes, every minute with them is precious and there is so much to teach...  It can be overwhelming sometimes.  I am guilty of sometimes forgetting how important it is just to let the students 'experience' the music…

Just for a moment let's forget about all the arguments for music that claim it makes us smarter, more creative, more employable, more whatever...How about music...just because... How about 'music for music's sake.' How about music because we are human... we feel, we dream, we love, we grieve, we imagine, we are...just music.

Sometimes I start  my classes with a music experience designed to slow us all down.  Call it a nod to mindfulness in the music room...call it whatever....  Students are invited to work with a partner, choose a prop (either a 'spot' or a scarf) and mirror one another's movements. Nothing else is required..just be present in the music to your partner. Students take turns being the leader. The only caveat is to match the mood of the music. One of my favorite pieces of music to use is deliberately slow with no clear meter, a beautiful simple piece by a contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Part called  'Spiegel im Spiegel.' Once the music starts and the first notes of the piano soar our classroom is transformed...our youngest Wheelock students are right there in the moment, imagining, feeling, present to one another. There can be some moments of incredible grace and beauty and 'communion' right there in our music room and often seen in the most unexpected places.

Watch our video to take a peep through our classroom window and enjoy! Maybe you could try this at home with your child/children as a way to slow down and be together in the moment.... if you do, I'd love to hear about it!