APPRECIATING THE ARTS
This cranky re-run is from October 2013
Why do we give our children lessons in ballet? Why are piano instructions for kids a good idea? Why do our schools even have art and music classes? If your child is destined to be a musician, he will find the music. You will not be able to keep him from it. If your child is destined to be an artist, he will find the brushes, paint and canvas. You will not be able to hide them. If your child is destined to become a dancer, her feet will feel the music and she will dance.
If art is in the child, the child will find it. Your children will learn to walk and run and talk and think. It is in them, it does not need to be taught, it can only be suppressed. If they are inclined to the arts, it will come out. Encouraging will help of course, but unless intentionally suppressed it will come out.
I write in “Maybe It’s Just Me” that if you had locked Beethoven in a closet at the age of five with a case of empty bottles, a pitcher of water and a pencil, he would have learned to play a symphony.
So why bother teaching the average child to play an instrument, or paint a picture, or to dance?
First and foremost, you don’t need to have talent to enjoy trying. Second, without trying you cannot appreciate and enjoy what the truly talented artists achieve.
First and foremost, you don’t need to have talent to enjoy trying. Second, without trying you cannot appreciate and enjoy what the truly talented artists achieve.
Years ago, I tried to teach myself to play guitar. I could pick a tune, and strum a bunch of cords. I could follow the cords on a music score and fake a tune or two. Basically I sucked. I could play for no one but myself, but damn when I see and hear someone who can really play guitar it is amazing.
I once learned to juggle. I could do some pretty good tricks with any three objects; when I went to four…not so much. When I watch someone preform juggling four, five, or more objects and do it with different rhythms and do it while playing a kazoo…damn do I appreciate it.
Mrs. C has me watching “Dancing With The Stars.” She has taken years of ballroom dancing instruction, and she can tell who is doing well, and who is missing the steps. I have no clue. Since I don’t know half of the “Stars,” I had trouble even telling who was the professional. Now I can tell. The professional is the one that does not look like he is trying. He is not thinking about his next move, he just flows and the music is reflected in his feet, hips, arms and face. He is the one who is in tune with his body.
It is the same with musicians. Anyone with enough practice can learn to play a song on guitar or piano. A musician will ask, “What key?” Like the dancer, you can tell the musician by his face and body language. He does not think about what he is playing, his fingers know where they want to go just as you or I know how to shape our lips and tongue to form a word.
The artist chooses his brush and his tints and his touch without thinking. He sees, he feels. It is in him and it needs to come out. Most of us can’t do that. Most of us have to feel for the next step, or search for the right key, or guess at the right color. It is not in us, but unless you attempt, unless you see for yourself, you can never appreciate the gift that truly talented people have to give us.
The artist is given a gift, and he shares it with us. It is up to us to learn to appreciate this talent, in order to truly receive their gift.
That's true. My kid too love in music and sports. But not too much interest in studies.
ReplyDeleteSo i thought to make him come good in his interest and have little studies...
I am in no way creative artistically. I am tone deaf, sing off key, can't draw even stick figures, you get the idea. Learning these talents in school was very hard for me; I didn't enjoy any of the art classes, music studies, etc. While I think it is nice to expose children to the different arts, I do agree with you. Their natural talent will come out and they'll find a way to learn it, develop it, pursue it. When we were watching American Idol, hubby would always be able to tell me if someone was doing well or not. Its a blessing and a curse to be able to discern and find notes, play them, sing them, listen to them. He cringes at an infraction where I just think everyone is doing really well.
ReplyDeletebetty
teaching dance is a way to help a child achieve better balance and flexibility, my grandson discovered this when he did much better at soccer after several years of ballet classes with his sister.
ReplyDeleteMusic, I'm told, is Math based and it counts as a Math credit if you study music in high school or university here.
I can't speak for myself as I'm hopelessly non-creative. Those genes skipped right past me and landed in my oldest and youngest children, with the second child having a bit of music, enough to learn to play drums and be good at karate. Child #3 is just like me, except for being a whiz with computers.
My grandfather grew up in a very poor family of 12 kids. Didn't graduate high school, etc., so the arts were never a part of his life. In his 70's, he became a folk artist. Oil paintings, crafts out of recycled materials, macrame. It is pretty cool to think about,
ReplyDeleteSort of like Grandma Moses!!
DeleteI don't know if I am reading this right. I think they should offer these classes to children. If a boy seems to favor colors and drawing, but his father wants him to play football, the boy may play football to please his father and be mediocre, but given the opportunity to draw, paint, sketch, he could become an exceptional architect or designer. This is only an example. I think we should give our children as many opportunities as we can - to let them find where their talents lie, and only encourage them in that endeavor. (Not push them into what we like or are good at)
ReplyDeleteEither you are reading it wrong, or I am writing crappy. My point is that the truly talented will find their art...will be driven to find it, can not be stopped from his talent, the rest of us need to be exposed to different form of art if for no other reason than to more appreciate those that are really talented.
Delete"So why bother teaching the average child to play an instrument, or paint a picture, or to dance?
First and foremost, you don’t need to have talent to enjoy trying. Second, without trying you cannot appreciate and enjoy what the truly talented artists achieve."
I would love to watch DWTS with Mrs C just once - when I do watch, they all look amazing to me! (Easily dazzled by the costumes, I guess!) But I haven't watched lately because I, too, don't recognize any of the "stars" and that Erin Andrews annoys me!
ReplyDeleteAs for art instruction, I'm an advocate of exposure at all age levels. However, when it's an elective in high school, the interested/talented kids get filtered out. Although there are still some who sign up for "an easy A" - HA! I saw those coming a mile away and boy, were they in for a surprise in my classroom!
Very nicely put.
ReplyDeleteThe only memory I have of my Grandmother are her paintings from art classes she took in her 60's. Beautiful paintings that we enjoy today that were locked away in an attic for decades after she passed by a generation that didn't get it: She was a farmers daughter who became a school teacher, then a farmers wife and never had time to develop her art calling until almost too late. Even so, those who appreciated her art are a generation removed and barely knew her as she died when we were tots .....
ReplyDeleteMy kids got lessons, and they are more well rounded for it. They do have some musical and artistic talents, and the lessons helped them appreciate what they could choose to do if they wanted. None of them is in an "artistic" field, but all of them have a feel for the arts and know they could do more with it if they choose.
ReplyDeleteI think kids dabbling in the arts is a good thing. Sure they may never become proficient but what they do pick up can give those around them pleasure as well as themselves. I've been to a lot of parties when someone who plays only well enough for the tune to be recognized gets us all to sing along and have a marvelous time.
ReplyDeleteI often say I have the talent of appreciating others talents. I loved the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus"...that explained to me the real reason we need music and art in schools. Life is so much more than reading, writing, and arithmetic...thank God.
ReplyDeleteYes, if they have a talent, they'll find their way. My mom paid for my son to have piano lessons once a week. He ended up spending his time working on his piano teacher's computer for her. She was an elderly lady, and had asked 5-year-old Genius for help with it one afternoon. He bamboozled her into less and less piano time under the guise of "helping" her with her computer. Of course, now he's a computer engineer. Can still pick out a tune on the piano, and read music, but he's no virtuoso. Computers were always his first love.
ReplyDelete