She made an interesting comment about our ability to be musical. She didn't believe people who said they were tone deaf, and pointed out that in her many years teaching at the school there had been only one girl who hadn't learnt to sing tunefully. "And she," said Anne, "began in Year Seven." She was confident that if this one student had begun earlier, she too would have sung beautifully.
In her interesting article Unlocking Kids' Musical Gifts, Fiona Baker says that everyone can enjoy music, but that lessons need to be geared towards what people want to learn.
When she was a girl, she had her heart set on singing and playing The House of The Rising Sun like Joan Baez, but instead her guitar teacher insisted on her learning Spanish and classical style guitar, which she deeply resented and which turned her off.
You won't find that attitude at Mitchell Conservatorium. We certainly have many students learning to play classical piano and taking music exams, but many others are playing and singing a wide range of musical styles. They are encouraged to develop their musicianship in areas of interest to them (and also gently prodded to increase their enjoyment of Music by exploring styles they are not yet familiar with).
The article also shares insights from Amanda Niland, who coordinates Macquarie University's Institute of Early Childhood Music . Ms Niland believes that
... a love of Music is inherent.
We can start to love music before we're born. Humans are hard-wired to be able to process music. A musical instinct is in all of us.
Everyone has the ability to be musical and love music. It's highly likely that those people who say they're not talented musically just weren't exposed to music early enough.
She says that the best music to expose children to is their parents' own singing voices.
Singing to children gives them an ear for music from an early age. Hearing their mum sing relaxes them, entertains them and makes them happy.
Singing traditional lullabies and nursery rhymes to babies and infants has been described as "an essential precursor to later educational success and emotional wellbeing."
Learning to love Music can begin before birth (someone once said that the best age to begin is 9 months before the birth of the mother!) and can be developed by enrolling your child in our Early Childhood Music classes.
You can find out more by phoning 6331 6622 between 10 AM and 5 PM, Monday to Friday, or by coming along to the conservatorium in the west wing of the Bathurst Court House in Russell St.
This blog is one year old today. Happy birthday MitCon blog.
