Cape Cod Acoustics
  • Home
  • Your Lessons
  • Performance services offered
  • About Gene
  • Contact
  • Guitars, Ukes & Accessories
  • Acoustic Guitar Blog
  • Tips for guitarists
  • Guitar Gallery
  • More...

Kids & music

8/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Over the last five years or so I’ve played more gigs than ever in similar amounts of time over the course of my playing career. This is due in no small part to my regular weekly engagement at the wonderful Daily Brew café on weekend mornings. But there have been lots of other things too – gallery openings and shows, weddings, private parties, and more. One thing that will always amaze me is the reaction to my music by the youngest attendees. I’m talking about not just young children but even toddlers and remarkably, infants. It confirms what scientists and researchers have known for generations: music is goes to some deeper place in our subconscious mind, perhaps to the very core of our being.   Both of my kids played musical instruments growing up. I pretty much demanded this for many reasons, not the least of which is that my family has always been populated with musicians back many generations. Beyond that, I absolutely believe that playing music teaches so much more than the actual playing of an instrument. Learning how to listen, how to internalize rhythm, and in an ensemble situation, how to make what you’re doing match what others are doing, all hugely important skills that carry over to many other aspects of life. Neither of my kids played guitar (I would have been thrilled to teach them, but I was committed to not forcing it upon them) but son Matt played drums and daughter Joanna played flute with both of them beginning in school programs at an early age and sticking with their respective instruments right through high school. I don’t think Joanna has any interest in continuing with the flute but I fully expect Matt will pick up the drumsticks at some point when his career and living situation allows. Although I can’t prove it, I believe that the logic and order and discipline of making music helped them be the good students they were and also opened their minds in many ways.   But then there’s the magic. Many, many times I watched toddlers or even babies be absolutely mesmerized by the sound and the playing of the guitar. Often even the youngest ones will nod their heads or move around in their high chairs to the beat of the music. How do they learn to do this? Certainly early and frequent exposure to music has something to do with it. This touches on social norms too. On my many trips to islands in the Caribbean I have noticed that music is as much part of the every day life of the people who live there as eating and sleeping. Music is EVERYWHERE, an almost unconscious and constant part of living. Many researchers have also concluded that the beat or rhythm of music is somehow tied to our heartbeats, the most basic rhythmic context that we all share. I think this is probably the case, especially when a person of any age is exposed to predictable repetitive beat.   For my part, as much as I like to see people dance when I play (which of course was much more common back when I played with groups with drums) I just love to watch young children move and groove when I play. Their parents love to see it too and when I can get a cranky toddler to settle down and watch and listen I know as a parent who dealt with plenty of that back in the day that I’ve made their day just a bit better.  
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Gene Bourque

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed