Musings on Music
Musings on Music
by Janaki Narayan
Senior Mentor and Faculty
This term, at the senior center of Brindavan, music sessions became a part of the school day for
most classes. The idea was to make all students sensitive to music , to help them relax and also
make them open to the idea that music and allied options can also be a career choice .
Three of us were assigned to conduct these music sessions.
Obviously, like in any other class, initially, I noticed that some children had a natural aptitude toward
music, some were enthusiastic participants despite lesser aptitude and some were plain bored.
However, after a few sessions, most children were developing their own way of connecting with this
art form.
The annual day practice for the invocation song threw up many pleasant surprises. The students
were able to remember difficult and long verses. They learnt it quite quickly though all of them were
not native speakers of the language.
This led me to think more about the benefits of the music sessions.
First of all, music classes had a calming influence. Even when some students giggled and found some
genres of music “funny”, it was good to see them smiling. Students sang songs which appealed to
them apart from learning in class.
Students were memorizing the lyrics. Hopefully, these skills reflect in improved academic
performance also as music boosts cognition and memory.
All of us have an innate sense of rhythm. This natural inclination to move to music will definitely help
in coordination and muscle movement. Our students also understood non-verbal cues more and
more as we progressed.
Group music activities enhanced teamwork. Students understood that musical output is a
collaborative effort. Students who were quick to learn became more tolerant of peers who
sometimes strayed off pitch and learnt at a slower pace.
I believe that if a student is musically inclined, it even helps if tunes are incorporated into learning
material as it helps students recall information.
Music education does not always have to be formal, even informal sessions done consistently will
have many benefits, the most important of all being “ Music makes things memorable”
Category
Recent Posts
