Instruments of Learning

http://www.edutopia.org/bay-shore-music-technology-video
http://www.edutopia.org/beyond-band

Just a personal story from me about music, my mom was a piano player from a very early age, and she would play the piano when I was a young kid and even now.  And her playing the piano really gave me a sense of appreciation as well as a very basic (If you could even call it that) understanding of what music is.  Music is a bunch or maybe one single tone of a sound that can be fast or can be slow, but it has the ability to really reach your soul.

So, that is why these articles (both on the same thing) really reached out to me.  I believe that music is vital to education, at some point, a student should be able to know how to play, like me for instance, a cello or a piano or even just sing.  Because, and bare with me here, because it is important, this activity of being in an orchestra, band, or choir is in a three words Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  The example in the last post of circle time is basically the time where maybe one type of instrument play together and get to know each other.

In orchestra, usually when the conductor is working with another instrument, you were able to really communicate and have fun discussions with the fellow instrumentists or maybe even the violas to the right of you (even though they are awkward and NOT cellos, therefore they are inferior...in theory.).  But it created a sense of comradery between individuals which is what SEL really emphasizes.

Plus, the talking object in this example could be a performer who is playing a solo for a certain song.  And they feel very important because solos are supposed to be awesome, and they are doing awesome.  Basically, orchestra, band, and choir really create a sense of an SEL environment.