The
Rightful Place of Music in the Life of the ChildWalter
Bitner
For millennia, music-making has been a human activity held in common by
people of all classes of virtually every culture. Like all
the
arts, the impulse to sing or play music on an instrument is a response
to the wonder of existence, and music has been traditionally a part of
sacred and social activities (culture), as well as an accompaniment to
the work and play of everyday life. Until very recently in
human
history, the experience of hearing music was only possible when the
music was produced by live musicians, or by the listener himself.
In the last century, this traditional role of music in human life has
been eroded by the advances in sound reproduction and broadcasting
technology. While the experience of hearing music is much
more a
part of daily life then ever before due to the prevalence of
prerecorded, “canned” music in the environment, the
activity of music-making on the part of the populace is in
decline. Music is often merely an element of design today,
whether as a component of video and audio production, or used as a
ubiquitous drone in public places to increase consumers’
consumption and mask the less pleasant mechanical sounds generated by
the machines in our environment. Music-making is increasingly
being left to the professionals, with music itself becoming a
commercial product rather than an activity that is held in common by
all, professional and amateur alike, and that calls on the best in us,
whether we are singing, playing, or listening.
Making music oneself is an activity that engages mind, body, and
feelings acting in harmony from an impulse of the will. The
passive reception of music present in the environment from mechanical
sources actually works upon the individual in the opposite direction;
rather than bringing forth music from the inside, one’s
attention
is often called out, away from the self.
An ideal education calls for the restoration of music’s
rightful
place in the life of the child. Music is brought to the child
as
much as possible from living, acoustic sources: other human
beings. As the young child learns primarily through
imitation, he
learns to sing by imitation of those around him. Music is a
part
of the child’s life both as a dedicated activity and as a
part of
other activities: while working, dancing, playing. At the
appropriate times in the child’s development, the playing of
instruments is introduced, as is the reading of musical
notation.
Through the development of these skills the child begins to become
acquainted with the musical tradition of his culture.
Of great importance for the child is the striving to create something
beautiful together with others. This collective activity,
which
relies on the individual preparation done on the development of the
requisite skills, demands consistent effort and concentration, both in
solitude and as a part of the group. It is this meaningful
work
itself as much or more than what the child may learn about music that
is most important for the child. This exercise of the will,
and
the daily struggle and persistence involved in acquiring skills for
which endless development is possible, gives great opportunity for the
child to begin to acquire self-knowledge.
An adolescent who has already begun to do this special kind of work is
in possession of a reservoir of inner strength, resources, and habits
that may be of vital importance when he faces the turbulence of puberty
and the ever-increasing demands and responsibilities of approaching
adulthood. In addition, the ability to express
one’s
feelings through an art form, both alone and in a social context, may
provide a constructive outlet for the confusion and disillusion often
experienced during adolescence.
Thus the rightful place of music in the life of the child is that which
enables the child to develop, both as an individual and in harmony with
those around him, towards a free and dynamic adult life.
Walter
Bitner has been teaching vocal and instrumental music,
traditional
dance, and theatre since 1991. In addition to his
work as a
music educator, Mr. Bitner is a specialist in the historical
performance of music from 1500-1750, the founder and director of
Nashville Revels, and the proud father of two Waldorf
students.
