"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness..." -Maya Angelou
Music changes our mood, sharpens our thoughts; it can transport us to places we visited, help us relive memories of special moments in our lives. Young or old, it has the power to make us healthier, happier, and more connected as friends, family, and as parts of a larger community.
Music requires research. It is specific and demands exact acoustics. For instance, a conductor’s full score is a chart or graph, indicating frequencies, intensities, volume changes, and harmony all at once and with exact control of time.
It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time into fractions, which must be done instantaneously.
The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language. Most of the terms are in Italian, German or French. The language of music also incorporates notations, which represent a highly developed form of shorthand, using symbols to represent ideas.
Music often reflects the environment and times of its creation. From music, children learn lessons about historical events, as well as the ethnic and cultural heritage reflected in the piece.
It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheeks and facial muscles. Children who play music also show extraordinary control of the diaphragmatic, back, stomach and chest muscles, which respond instantly to sounds heard by the ear and interpreted by the mind.
It develops insight and creates emotion. Through music, children learn to share their humanism, express thoughts and feelings, and contribute to the infinite and collective spirit we call life.