Learning Through Absorption, And Breaking Routines

The Artsology Essay Series, #1, by Mark McKinney    

My mother stayed at home with the kids when we were all young, and she often played her favorite records while she did her chores and we played with our toys. I don't remember actually enjoying her music at the time, but it was played often enough that it stuck in my head.

As an adult, I can hear a song by Simon and Garfunkel or Neil Diamond (yes, that's my Mom's record collection), and a slight smile will come to my face, knowing the words and melodies of these songs are still lodged in the back of my mind many years later. I run my business from a home office, and I usually work with music on, so I know that I am planting musical seeds in my sons' heads as well.

I became a fan of jazz in my late teens, in part because of an aunt who sent me a jazz cd as a birthday present … it opened my mind to see that I could enjoy something other than classic rock, and I grew into a big jazz fan. I play jazz for my kids all the time, and I think it's great that my oldest son can tell the difference between the sound of a saxophone and a trumpet.

But then I thought about something - is hearing jazz all the time much different from hearing Simon and Garfunkel all the time? Of course there are obvious differences, but it struck me that perhaps I should branch out, and expose them to some other styles.

I was quite surprised by the reaction I received when I played an opera selection, performed by Placido Domingo (pictured at left). By the end of just the first song, as Domingo elevated his intensity and his voice crescendoed into a dramatic finish, I found both boys (ages 6 and 3), riding that wave of intensity with great anticipation for the final note. When the song concluded, they wanted to hear the ending over and over again. They could feel the music, and wanted to feel it again.

It was a valuable lesson that my sons taught me that day - that breaking out of my routine and trying something new could benefit us all. My surprise at their instant acceptance of opera made me realize that they have hungry minds, open to new ideas, and we can all grow by exploring new ideas together.

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