Bandmasters Review - September 2019

Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmasters Review • September 2019 7 As a music educator/band director, my philosophical focus/ foundation has always been: MUSIC FOR THE SAKE OF MUSIC! While it is obvious there are many additional benefits generated via the music learning and music making process, these all stand a far distant second in comparison to the priceless value of learning and expressing the language of MUSIC. As musicians we inherently know we MAKE MUSIC to MAKE MUSIC. The intrinsic payoffs are beyond measure. To justify the importance of MUSIC in any other fashion seems less-than-authentic and (in a sense) diminishes the one-of- a-kind experience only MUSIC can deliver. No doubt we have all trudged through the frustration of trying to explain the intrinsic joy and positive worth of being involved in the world of music to someone who has never been a music-maker. Music is a language unto itself. I’m reminded of this bit of wonderful wisdom: People hear (and listen to) what is of interest to them. If we are touting the value of “participating in band/music” to a group of parents, let’s make certain the message is crafted and presented in a fashion it resonates with THEIR wants and needs. With that said, it would be advantageous to express the unlimited benefits of learning/ making music from every possible angle including both the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Ultimately, “What will get and keep the listener’s attention? What will compel parents to take action and connect their child to the music community? What will convince an administrator to support music within the school schedule?” If there is a shred of reasoning in the above thoughts, then the discourse (WHY MUSIC? WHY BAND?) takes on new meaning. We often tend to answer these questions from an artistic position: • Music lifts our spirits. • Music helps us share our inner thoughts and feelings with a vocabulary beyond the common word. • Music avails us to emotions we otherwise will suppress or ignore. • Music is a universal language. • Music makes life worth living by touching our souls. These are all well and good and a resounding “AMEN!” is extended by this author. The only way one can explain music is with music. If we are to convince non-music makers about the importance of music learning, we may have to step off our podiums and put the recruitment spotlight on the extended human needs and essential human qualities: • Music has a direct impact on academic achievement. • Music creates a forum for healthy human exchange. • Music enhances perceptual motor skills. • Music supports the qualities needed to survive and thrive in the modern-day society. Music is NOT a frill subject or a fringe activity, but music-study is a microcosm of society bringing the requisite disciplines of success to the ensemble experience. Music learning for the sake of music; and music learning for the sake of life. What better way to prepare for a successful future? WHY MUSIC? WHY BAND? (from the non-musician’s point of view) Who should study music? Who should be in the band? Music is a place for everyone. Our traditional music programs have inadvertently promoted a false concept of: Music is for the musically talented students. This elitist view has found its way to more people than we might expect. The study of music actually breaks down societal barriers from race to socioeconomic strata. Music often reaches the students who are struggling with their other academic studies. Advanced brain research continues to verify and confirm all brains are “wired for music.” Eric Jensen, research author on brain- based learning, writes, Music is part of our biological heritage and is hard-wired into our genes as a survival strategy. (Jensen, E. 2001, Arts with the Brain in Mind , p.15.) Do parents, administrators, community leaders, and teachers of other disciplines understand (even know) this information? Are we (as music educators) sharing this extraordinary news with our educational partners? Music is NOT for the “chosen few,” but music is for all those who want to pursue this exciting pathway of learning, and shouldn’t that be everyone? Music is a Place for Everyone Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser (continued)