L'attirail

Why is Music Important for Kids?

This question has been debated for as long as time has existed. Even the great Greek and Roman philosophers approached the question: is music something that should be taught and does it help the development of children? Plato answered “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all arts are the keys to learning.” And again “what then is the education to be? Perhaps we could hardly find a better than that which the experience of the past has already discovered, which consists, I believe, in gymnastic, for the body, and music for the mind.”

In all cultures of the world music plays an important role. While these roles may change depending on the culture it is impossible to separate music from the life of an individual. While some may argue the role of music in our lives it is impossible to escape it. Even in the popular culture of Australia it is impossible to go shopping without hearing music. Music provides a means of communication and expression of culture and individual identity.

Children are immersed in music from birth and will be for their entire life. If this is the case why teach it? Is not the constant immersion in music enough? To this I say; is the fact that we witness the results of scientific principals on a day to day basis result in the understanding of those scientific principles? No it does not and likewise for music it does not either. The day to day encounters we have with music can move us but the understanding of this music can help us grow as individuals.  Read more...

I remember the listening center I set up in my elementary school classroom as if it was yesterday. It was my first year of teaching, and I was so proud of that blue denim beanbag chair and cassette tape listening station that I had put together to introduce Spanish to my second graders. I had decided not to subject the little seven year olds to me singing acappella on the tapes I made at home, but I did incorporate some rhythmic beat to make the learning easier. I chanted the vocabulary word in English first then in Spanish and repeated the pair again, leaving time for the student to repeat the words out loud.

It worked! The little darlings were begging me to make more and more tapes each weekend, thinking I had no other life outside of being their teacher. (For those of you who are teachers you can so relate to that feeling!) And so it was, way back in the early 1980s, I was carrying on the tradition of what generations of parents and teachers had been doing which was to introduce new concepts to kids with rhythm and song.

Why does this technique work so well that even as adults we recall a cute little tune our French teacher taught us to learn the colors in French or that silly little chant our Science teacher rapped off to us about the Solar System so that we never forgot the order of the planets as long as we could recite our little rap out loud? There are many studies, some recent and some from years back, that explain to us how music works so well in the learning process.  Read more...

Below is a list of steps that I have compiled together from some of my closes friends in and around the music industry. All of them make a living strictly off of the music. So play close attention to these Ten steps. It could actually make your career.

1. Make a list of Goals

Create a Goal List – What is it that you yearn for and how do you plan to get it? Write it down from ending to beginning. For example, if you want to record 2 songs in a week. Write down what it is you have to do to record 2 songs in a week. Break it down from when your going to start, to when your going to end. What are the things you need to do and how long will it take? Set reasonable goals and break your Plan into phases: 3 months – 6 months and so on. And STICK TO THE SCRIPT.

2. Keep It Real

Do your research – Get honest opinions – Identify your market. Start small, you don’t have to take over the world in one day…as a matter of fact, its impossible. For example when I first started rapping and had mixtapes to pass out I had a goal to get my name out by passing inserts of my mixtape out all throughout the 3 highschools in my area. It worked like a charm. The point is don’t try to take over a large area at one time. Especially if its your first time. Recognize that you’re going to have to do shows, most of the time for free, atleast until you build a following. Remember it still is a business and money matters. Know when to ask for help. Respect the possibility that you may not become a star or get on MTV, but that you can make a living making music.  Read more...