JanBeek

Music Changed Lives

When I was in high school,
I sang in the choir
and I played clarinet in the band and orchestra.
I learned a lot about music.

During the summers of my junior & senior years,
my parents made it possible for me
to attend Music Camp at the College of the Pacific.

I learned there that the accordion was not considered a real instrument.

(Hah! “Welcome to heaven, here’s your harp.
Welcome to hell, here’s your accordion.”
My friends always shared jokes about it.)

I had to learn to play the piano!
That was so hard.
(My hands are small
and my fingers
don’t reach an octave!)

I also learned that a choir or band/orchestra conductor
could be very humble and quiet
and still demand and receive respect.

During my senior year,
I viewed those conductors
in my high school
with a new set of eyes and ears
after singing and playing under the guidance
of folks like Jester Harrison,
Dr. Bodley,
and Curt Herbert Adler
during summer camp.

And because I was exposed
each summer to music therapy at C.O.P.,
I listened to music and internalized it
with a whole new set of ears.

Different kinds of music
creates different responses.
You can blow it off.
You can dance to it,
or you can join in!
Hah!
That music makes me hyper!
That’s our DeDe and her hubby, Andre’ in there!!

Music from a cello
or other soothing stringed instrument
sets my mind and body at ease.
Piano music can be very soothing.
Depends on the choice, of course.

What’s one way I used “Music Therapy”
in my classroom?
It’s based on the Iso Principle.
Match the mood of the music
to the person’s mood;
Change the mood of the music,
and the person’s mood changes with it.

When my students came in from recess,
they were all hyper.
I played hyper music on my accordion
to match their mood
and gradually changed it to
calmer sounds.
Then we sang a song,

“It’s math time, math time,
Time to have some fun.
Please get out your books now,
Turn to page ___,
Be ready.
OK, we’ve begun.”

Parade Magazine once had an article about music.
In it, the author wrote,
“Can you imagine your life without music?
It’s almost impossible.
Whether we are cruising in the car
headed to the beach on a hot summer day
or listening to muzak at a doctor’s office,
we are constantly surrounded by song.
Makeups, breakups, parties, hanging out with friends,
singing along with our kids, or caroling a Christmas tune—
music stamps nearly every aspect of our life.
Much in the way a killer soundtrack accompanies a movie,
most of us have songs that accent each phase of our lives,
melodies that instantly bring us back
to specific moments or memories
when we hear them even years later.”

Is there a song or a piece of music that impacted your life?
Here is one of my favorites.

You can go to YouTube to hear this music
or you can ask “Alexa” or “Siri” to play this song by Susan Boyle.
It is the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.
I love it… and I want to be exactly that.

Let music change your life – every day!
Thank you, JetPack, for this prompt.
Thank you, dear blogging friends, for visiting.

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek