Saturday, February 8, 2014

Music Belongs

A friend shared a post with me on Facebook tonight........"Music belongs in public schools."
I agree with that post.  Thanks to an incredible music teacher that I had in the seventh grade, my life changed forever.

Emily Aull of Stockton School, Chicago, Ill took notice of a skinny shy southern girl and helped me find my voice.  In a school where I knew no one, and culture shock hit me daily, Ms. Aull showed me a path that I have stayed on my entire life. She taught me that my voice was just that, mine.....no one else's.  Through music, I found my confidence and passion and a gift that I have cultivated my entire life.

I cannot imagine my life without music.......theory taught me mathematics, leaning folk music and its history created a love for things and places that are different, playing guitar and piano instilled determination, singing taught me freedom.

Music has taken me to places I would never have gone, allowed me to meet people that were life changing, broadened my views and my world, let me express emotions and feelings that I didn't know existed.  Music has created dreams and the opportunities for them to come true.
And more times than I care to remember, music was the constant in my life that encouraged me to go on, to never give up.

Music belongs not only in public schools, but in our daily lives.

3 comments:

  1. Music, the arts, and phys ed..all need to be kept in school. I agree with everything you said here and I'm not a music talented person like you at all..but I just can't imagine a life without it! Where in Chicago did you go to school? That's my home town..well, the suburbs of Chi town anyway!

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  2. I couldn't agree more Jilda... Music belongs in my life, I listen to music all the time, I sing and love so many songs. Music belongs everywhere :)

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  3. Music indeed belongs. I am so grateful that there was music at my daughter's public school where she learned to play violin. My own school where I grew up was somewhat impoverished musically. There was the high school band in which I participated in (from 7th to 12th grade), without which I would have indeed been lacking. In the rural elementary school I attended, the only music was that provided by the classroom teacher. I still remember the joy I received from the frequent class sing-a-longs Mrs. Railey did. Most mornings began with song before we got into the homework. She may have had few resources, but she was "resourceful" in bringing music into our lives.

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