Artful, Tuneful, Beatful

I enjoyed this story on NPR the other day about a village in China where singing is an important part of every day life, and every individual is able to do it.  Author Amy Tan traveled to the village of Dimen and learned how music and song are integral to the traditional culture of the Dong people who live there.  In the audio story there is an amazing recording of the village people imitating the voices of the cicadas.

As an early childhood music educator I was moved by this story because that is just how I would like our culture to be.  I would like for the ability to sing to be as common as the ability to read and for us to recognize it as an important way to remember the past, express the present and simply process the world around us.  How amazing would it be if an entire generation of children was brought up to truly believe that everyone has both the ability to sing and the ability to benefit from musical expression.  Instead we seem to focus on singing as a talent held by just a few.

Here is a short excerpt from the NPR piece including a song the children of Dimen learn about Spring:

“Entering into the village I had little girls singing those songs — those dong songs, the welcoming songs — one at each elbow,” Tan says. “However, the singing isn’t just to welcome tourists, it’s how the culture communicates with each other.”

While these “gate-barring songs” are reserved mainly for tourists and official guests, the Dong song-style is a form of communication every child learns from the age of 5. “And they sing on key, on rhythm, perfectly a capella, in tune with one another,” Tan says.

Young children not only sing to greet but also talk about community and the changing of seasons. The song “Spring Is Here, Swallows Fly” talks about the shortness of childhood, using birds as a metaphor:

After winter we get spring / Swallows fly amidst green leaves / Cicadas sing on top of berry trees / High and low sounds fill the mountains / Cicadas’ songs are so beautiful, let’s stop and listen / You can hear the mountains and forests resounding / Even the birds would stop and listen / There is music, there is love / All four seasons are filled with happiness / We are happy in our hearts

I am completely opposed to activities that kill time without teaching the children anything about music.  The way I see it these kids get very, very little exposure to formal music education, and it behooves us to make the most out of every single minute.  Of course I find adhering to this standard rather difficult at this time of year when the kids are distracted and crazy by the lovely weather and I am, frankly, exhausted. In the week before Spring break I found myself casting about for some activities that would be fun and engaging enough to keep the kids involved (and out of trouble!) but would also trick them into learning something, and I settled on my 12′ parachute and a set of 18 bean bags.

I am telling you in all honesty that I believe the parachute has magical powers over 5 year old children.  It is colorful, and it behaves differently than other things we play with, and you can do so many things with it.  The simplest circle game that we’ve played a million times (in this case “Three Gallant Ships” out of Feierabrend’s Preschool and Beyond curriculum) is fresh and new and interesting for a million more times.  Honestly I’m not sure why I haven’t used the thing more often, it really isn’t that hard to get it out and put it away and it really does get the kids involved and singing and playing (although I would definitely only add the distraction of a parachute to a song or circle game the kids already knew quite well.)

The bean bags are a powerful tool because once you pass them out there are SO MANY things you can use them for. You can pass one or two around the circle to practice steady beat.  You can throw one back and forth to kids and follow the arc with your singing voices.  You can make up a simple song about carrying it on various parts of the body with repeating words that make all the kids comfortable joining in.  Its powerful stuff.

Admittedly I am really focused on giving my students opportunities to play while they learn (or rather play in order to learn) so perhaps I am more enamored with these things than the average person would be.  In any event I would encourage anyone to find a way to take advantage of all that energy the kids have and channel it into some productive play, rather than attempting to wrestle them into orderly submission.  Not only will they be more likely to learn but you may find yourself re-energized by their delight and motivated to finish out the year with some real creativity.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion on one of the music teacher message boards I frequent regarding whether or not American Idol is hurtful to the cause of authentic music education.  The very good point has been made that contestants on American Idol do not sing in a style or use a tone of voice that is consistent with the style and tone that we spend so much time trying to teach our students.  Furthermore the attitude taken in the audition round, in which “bad” singers are presented for public ridicule and laughing at them is even encouraged, is certainly out of step with the environment most of us try to breed in our classrooms where everyone is welcomed to try their best and no effort is ridiculed or laughed at.

Rather than blaming American Idol and refusing to watch it or discuss it with our children, I think we should use it as a jumping-off point for a conversation about different styles of singing and tones of voice, and when it is appropriate to “belt” or embellish and when it is not.  Instead of pretending like the real world is as warm and fuzzy as a fifth grade music classroom, how about being honest with our students that the music industry IS very harsh, and not everyone belongs on stage or on their own album, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can’t be a lifelong music lover and amateur singer.