I regularly take my 2-year old daughter to a certain playgroup. I have become close with some of the other moms and my daughter has made some great friends. It came to the attention of one of the facilitators that I am a professional violinist, and today's demonstration/performance was the result of her asking me to bring in my violin to play for the children.
The age range of the children at today's playgroup was 6 months (I think) to 5 years. There was a sizable number of 1 and 2-year-olds. In total, I estimate there were about a dozen children and 10 adults: mostly mothers and some grandmothers as well as the facilitator.
I was to play at "circle time" the 15-minute period at the end of playgroup when we sit in a circle and sing songs and sometimes hear a story. Just before circle time began, I tuned my violin. The silence that ensued was instant and intense. Parents holding infants appeared stunned as their tiny charges STARED, completely rapt, while I unceremoniously tuned my four strings. When I stopped, the facilitator broke the spell by singing the circle-time-is-starting song.
I am very comfortable talking to young children, and have a lot of experience describing what I do to young audiences. I showed the kids how I make sounds with my bow and how I love to make special effects on my violin. "But," I told them, "what I love most of all, is playing songs with my violin." I played them songs I suspected they knew, and took some requests. Some sang along, many just continued to stare. I finished with a very short piece by J.S. Bach that is standard repertoire for very young violinists: I teach it to all my students. I then told the children that they could each try my violin because I'd brought along a tiny bow. I told them that I'd move around the circle, but, I was quickly MOBBED (albeit in a gentle and even reverent way) by preschoolers and toddlers. They seemed drawn like magnets to my violin. Only one child was too shy. I reassured his grandmother that observing was just fine and that there was absolutely NO pressure to try the violin and bow. Interestingly, my own daughter showed no interest in trying my violin. I found this funny because she has frequently tried to play it at home. But, she is a very social creature, and was happily snuggled in the lap of one of the other mothers.
So, that was the play-by-play. Now, here are my only-somewhat-well-formed thoughts.
It is clear to me, and it has been for decades, that children of all ages love to listen to and want to make music. I've never heard a very young child respond negatively to classical music. Unless they are taught that classical music is uncool, boring, elitist, snobby, lame, difficult, intellectual and hence not populist, un-hip -- they will love it. And, teaching hatred for classical music doesn't have to be overt or even intentional. Where does this aversion to classical music come from? Certainly not from any children I've ever encountered. When I spoke with some of the parents after the performance, they expressed real shock at how attentive their children were. Now, don't get me wrong, there was a fair bit of noise while I played, but for the most part, the kiddies were really attentive, and parents were not scolding them, they were just being attentive too. (Ah -- a topic for another post, perhaps?) Why then, don't more parents play recordings classical music for their children at home? And, why is it disappearing from the airwaves? Is it because most of today's adults never heard any classical music at school, or when they did, it was in stuffy, grim, SILENT environments, where teachers glared at you if you breathed too heavily? Having performed often in schools, I can tell you that teachers still glare at students, and that classical performances are made out to be precious, delicate, archaic museum pieces -- weird relics of a distant past, akin to stuffed dodos. I even have an extended family member who repeatedly told me how weird I was as a child and teen to have studied classical music. REALLY? This is what you say to someone who is not only developing an excellent work ethic, but an appreciation for something other than the fast-food-style pop music that is shoved down our consumer-throats every time we venture into a mall or store? OK, I'm starting to rant. (But, isn't that what a blog is for?)
A message to all the adults out there: your children love classical music. They have no prejudices, you do. So, give them the chance to experience something deeper than Bieber. (How about Biber?) They will love classical music not because it's popular, but because it moves them. I've stared into the eyes of a toddler, and I've seen the truth.
I'll be back.
