Making music last beyond our lifetime.(Music Teachers National Association's conference)(Panel Discussion)

For the closing panel, moderator Rebecca Shockley invited each of the seven presenters to address the question, "What can music teachers do to keep music alive in our culture?" Here are some thoughts:

Midori Koga encouraged teachers to consider working with senior citizens. Although teaching young people is essential for the survival of music in our culture, teaching beginners in their 70s and 80s (like her own late grandfather) can be deeply rewarding for both teacher and student. Koga shared an e-mail from a former graduate student who was teaching beginning piano to a grandmother in her 70s, who was highly motivated and making excellent progress. What moved the teacher most were the student's tearful words to her after a few lessons: "I never went to college. I never had a job outside of being a mom and a grandmom. This is the first time I have ever done anything for ME! Thank your"

Patricia Shehan Campbell reminded us that "our culture" is really many cultures with many kinds of music, and our definitions of both will expand throughout our lives as we encounter people from other cultures and learn about their music. She urged teachers to continue to make music--through demonstration and performance--so we keep our passion alive and share what we have been privileged to learn. We also need to keep learning, broadening our musical horizons by studying many kinds of music, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle so we have energy to do this. Campbell's own experiences studying the music of other cultures have kept her energized, focused and learning. She encouraged teachers to perform for the very young and elderly--to get out of the studio and share their music with new audiences--and to study Dalcroze Eurhythmics and explore connections between music, singing and dance as ways to rekindle our enthusiasm for music and teaching.

Robert McBrien stressed the importance of introducing music into the lives of children of all ages--from infants on up. Unless we help parents and teachers understand the importance of nurturing the child's brain, especially in the first seven years, the brain will wither in those domains. When a 5-year old hears "Peter and the Wolf," it will be in his brain for the rest of his life. McBrien reflected on the importance of music in own his life, from his earliest memories of his mother singing in the kitchen, and the impact of teachers such as Leonard Bernstein and Wynton Marsalis, in getting kids hooked on good music. He also recommended reading The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy (and the movie version, Conrack), about a young schoolteacher who takes classical music to underprivileged students.

Paul Madaule believes music is fundamental to brain development, and listening ability, which begins before birth, can be trained and developed. Because music is organized energy, it is the primary material for stimulating the brain in its early development, even in utero. Madaule also stressed the importance of exposing the child to a wide range of musical styles early in life, to broaden their auditory spectrum, just as we can help children become bilingual or trilingual simply by exposing them to other languages. Madaule also encouraged teachers to make composers come alive through imaginative stories such as "Beethoven Lives Upstairs," so children get to know the composers as real people, rather than abstract, remote relics of the past.

Bonnie Blanchard hopes to see her students ...