Vibrant and Empowered

‘Since music has so much to do with the molding of character, it is necessary that we teach it to our children.’
Aristotle

A vibrant child to me represents all things happy, creative, confident, energetic, and free. Freedom to discover new things, try different situations, and explore and challenge capabilities. Children think aloud through music. It is incredible to watch. They socialize, express a vast array of emotions, invent and uphold their rituals of play, and entertain themselves through musical activities. Their bodies stretch, bend, step, hop, and skip in rhythmic ways while their melodic voices rise and fall, turn fast and then slow, loud and then soft. Their music can be seen and heard in their playful behaviours, some of it a realization of the songs in their heads. It is almost as if children exude music. 

I once worked with a very quiet and reserved child. However, when she participated in music making activities she completely changed. She was lively. Noisy. Excited. Fully involved and motivated. Lisa and I built up a strong rapport. A mutual trust. We liked each other. Having fun and enjoying the moment was key to what our music sessions were about. Lisa liked this. We all did. Respect. Trust. Creativity. Sharing. Understanding. Collaborating. We all were in it for the same reason. A fun-filled time. I closely observed Lisa over a few weeks. I was intrigued by her. It became evident that Lisa felt so very comfortable participating in anything musical. She was able to express her emotions freely. She felt happy. Naturally. She had an innate musical ability that allowed her to sing beautifully and compose creatively. She was enthralled by sound combinations, unusual instruments and opera. Opera! She was obsessed with this magnum opus. The vocal range, the foreign language, the costumes. The drama. Needless to say, Lisa did come out of her shell. The consistent music training, with opera specialism aided this breakthrough. Lisa went on to achieve great things and thanks music for it. 

‘What I might have become if I didn’t play an Instrument-I never stopped to think about that. Judging from the neighbourhood I lived in; if it hadn’t been for the clarinet, I might just as easily have been a gangster.’
 Benny Goodman