Striking the Right Chord Between School and Aspirations
by Drew Holmes
“I’ve decided. I’m not going to school today,” Timothy announced Monday morning.
The previous day was his eighth birthday party, something he had eagerly anticipated for months. The party was perfect, with hours of swimming with friends and a pile of presents that rivalled the contents of Santa’s sack.
I understood the sentiment — he had Pokémon cards to sort, video games to play, and a mountain of Lego sets to build. How could school possibly compare with all of that?
“You have to go to school, buddy,” I replied. “Your class is counting on you to be there!”
That at least inspired him to get dressed, but he was not convinced. Then he said something surprising.
“When I grow up, I want to be a video game tester,” he offered. Unsure if this statement was caused by adding a year to his age or having spent the previous night playing copious amounts of X box, I seized upon the opening.
“What skills do you think you need to be a video game tester?” I asked.
“I dunno,” he replied “math?”
“Yes! Math is very important. Also, you will need to know writing to communicate with people. Art and physics would be good too. And definitely music.”
He seemed intrigued but unconvinced, so I went to the next level.
“What do you think I need to know for my job?”
“Math?”
“Absolutely! Math, again, is super important. Writing, history, geography, and languages have been essential as well. And I learned some of each of those subjects in music class. And do you know where I learned music?”
“Where?”
“School!”
With a specific goal in mind, focused education is essential. Becoming a doctor, for example, requires learning biology and chemistry. But when the eventual goal is uncertain and the purpose of education is to explore, not exploit, a specific piece of knowledge, learning music has far reaching benefits that go beyond just playing an instrument.
For example, we learn to thrive as a team in an ensemble. Sometimes you like the person you are collaborating with and sometimes you do not. This ability to put aside differences to work towards a common goal is crucial not only in music but also in life.
Music education develops language skills. I learned more about foreign languages in music class than I ever did in Spanish (it was my fault, Mrs. Lovett, not yours!). Music puts the words into context and reveals how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, deepening our understanding of other languages and cultures.
Music also reinforces concepts of math. Subdividing beats and deciphering rhythms are just different ways of working out fractions.
And there are the benefits of improved time management and task prioritization, as well as adapting to ever changing situations. Although owning a music store has kept me directly in the field of music, I know these lessons learned would apply regardless of my chosen profession.
“Okay, I guess I’ll go,” Timothy relented. He seemed to understand a little more and gave up in his quest to skip school, at least for one day.
No one, not even Timothy, knows what he will choose for his life’s work. Whether it is a video game tester or something else, attending school and learning a variety of subjects, especially music, he will be prepared.
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