Just imagine how music and the arts
help OUR children with THEIR developing brains...
You have to take a moment to watch this amazing story about the power of music. Just imagine how music and the arts help OUR children with THEIR developing brains... I would like to share this article, which is one of many, about how the "serious" study of music improves your brain activity and life. Along with developing "Power Skills," the benefits of playing an instrument are huge. Congrats to BRMS for encouraging our children to study music and to practice with purpose. The beat goes on... Journal of Neuroscience Article on Music and the Brain BRMS is a special place!Last week I went about my day as usual. Having fun learning with the students, making music, laughing, and talking about the weekend. At the end of the rehearsal I noticed a letter on my podium and a few pieces of "choice" candy. When I read the letter, I had to sit down. In my entire teaching career (since 1987), I have never experienced such a sincere random act of kindness. The students who wrote the letter have made me feel so special and cared for! I can not thank them enough for making my day so bright and soul beaming with joy. I have attached the letter below if you would like to read. Thank you again K & K for such kindness and the beautiful music you add to the world! Dear Dr. Piascik, We just wanted to let you know how much you mean to us. You are an incredible band teacher and an even better person! In the past years, you have taught us many lessons regarding both music and life. Your inspiring analogies, funny stories, and amazing personality all come together to form an encouraging and thoughtful space for us to share our opinions and feelings. We definitely would not have become the people we are today without your guidance and support. So, thank you Dr. Piascik for coming to BRMS and working with us. We could never have asked for a better teacher and mentor! K & K As we are preparing to begin for new school year, I would like to remind us all of the benefits of learning a musical instrument. I read this article this morning by Michael Matthew on the Inner Health MD website. Mr. Matthews lists 18 benefits and also includes his sources. You can read the article with the link below, but I would like to quickly list them all for you:
In order to receive all these benefits, the student's musical education has to be structured, serious, and based on a solid curriculum. I am proud that BRMS offers one of the best programs in New Jersey.
Most importantly, all of this is accomplished while having fun! Link to the article for you to read... Sometimes we all have a stressful week and wonder why we put the time, effort, care, passion, and drive into our jobs. Yesterday I received this email from a past BRMS graduate (2013) that put everything in focus. I thought I would share it with you today. Thank you so much "Real Deal" I am so proud of you! Dr. Piascik,
Life is a big moment made up of a million little moments. The time you learned to write your name, your first kiss, the day your grandpa died are all smaller pictures that make up the big picture that is your life. You are the artist of your life, painting everything that occurs in each passing second, but sometimes it is hard for you to see this picture you are painting while you are painting it. You have your paintbrush, you are given different colors to work with, and day in and day out you paint and paint and paint. But it is not until after you finish painting a certain part of the picture that you begin to understand it fully. In my picture, there are many parts. In my picture there is the first goal I ever scored, the french quiz I took last week. In my picture there is Black River Middle School. I painted that part a while ago, but I’m pretty proud of it still. While I was in middle school, while I was painting that part of my picture, I didn’t think very much of it. I didn’t think very much of my 7th grade math class or what I wore in gym or even who I sat with at lunch. I didn’t think very much of middle school, and even now it’s not the most significant part of my life. Except for one part. I can say wholeheartedly that music in Black River Middle School is the one thing that has changed my picture the most dramatically. Right off the bat during my 6th grade percussion audition, you, Dr. Piascik, pushed me to be better. I didn’t even know you and you already saw potential in me that I didn’t see. Dr. Piascik, you see potential in all of your students. Even if we do not see it in ourselves you refuse to give up on us. It is this resilience, this raw desire to better the lives of your students that separates you from the rest. Unfortunately, it has taken me a long time to recognize this. When I was in middle school, I knew you cared and I knew that that meant that I should too. But it is only recently that I began to understand the extent to which you care about your students. You want so badly for your students to care too. Alas, this is not always the case. But it is not your job to makes us care. Instead, you are responsible for giving us the opportunity to care, In other words, Dr. Piascik, you are a farmer. Your students are seeds that you plant in the fertile soil that is music. You water the seeds in your knowledge, you make sure that we get the exposure to music, or, nutrients, we need, you see that we get enough opportunities, or, sunlight, that is necessary for us to thrive. Many times we begin to bud when we reach the high school, though there are few whose roots fail to secure in the soil. But it is not your job to make us grow, Dr. Piascik. Rather, it is your job to teach us about music and life and how to be better people. It is your job to teach us about life through music. And I can proudly say that being one of your students has made me who I am today. The lessons I have learned, the people I have met, the music I have played, the person I have become is all because of you and I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done. I need to thank you for being a mentor; a friend. Thank you for never giving up on me even though there have been so many times when I wanted to give up on myself. Thank you for pushing me to the point I was so certain was my threshold and making me go a mile past it. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to get upset and it’s okay to want to cry sometimes because it only means you care. Thank you for making me a stronger person and musician. Thank you for being you. Five years ago, I would have never thought that if someone asked me who I looked up to most today I would say you. Five years ago I might have even laughed at that response. But I can honestly say that you have made a bigger impact on me in the time I have known you than anyone else in my life, and for that I will be forever grateful. I’m not sure if you will ever know how much you mean to your students. I’m hoping that this letter will begin to give you an idea. Dr. Piascik, we are all artists. We paint and paint and paint and paint until one day all of our paint dries up. It’s upsetting at first, but when you look back and see the picture you’ve painted you become less fixated on the fact that it’s over and more taken away by what you’ve created; more amazed by the legacy you’ve left. So, Dr. Piascik, I would like to thank you for all that you do for your students. Thank you for your passion in all that you do. Thank you for caring when it seems like no one else does. Thank you for being a part of my picture. Sincerely, “Real Deal” The benefits of serious musical training has been proven repeatedly. I find it interesting that scientific research is continuing to discover new ways and reasons why high quality musical training is so important to our children, however, students are deciding to stop their musical instruction for "academic" reasons. I just read this article called, "Unpacking the Science: How Playing Music Changes the Learning Brain" on KQED (my favorite station in CA). Here is an interesting quote from the article: “'In terms of music in the schools,' Patel says, 'it’s interesting that music is often the very first thing to be cut when budgets get tight, and as far as I know, that’s never based on any research or evidence about the impact of music on young children’s lives; it’s based on the intuition that this is sort of a frill.' Gaab, Patel’s fellow neuropsychologist, agrees. 'Currently there’s a lot of talking about cutting music out of the curriculum of public and private schools, and I think it may be the wrong way to go,' Gaab says. 'It may cut out some of the important aspects, such as to train executive functioning and have fun and emotional engagement at the same time.'" I also thought this was a great way of outlining the important ways that music changes the brain's plasticity:
"But the question remains: Why would acquiring musical skills influence language and other higher brain functions? Neuropsychologist Patel has developed a theory he calls the OPERA hypothesis." O= Overlapping many parts and networks of the brain P= Precision E= Emotion R= Repetition A= Attention to details “'So this idea,' he says, 'that music sometimes places higher demands on the brain, on some of the same shared networks that we use for other abilities, allows the music to actually enhance those networks, and those abilities benefit.'" I just found this article called, "Why Instrumental Music Can't Survive in Schools as a "Fun" Class." BRMS is proud to have the exact type of music department that this writer describes as successful for the students in many ways. Here is an excerpt: "Just because students can opt out of music shouldn’t change the way it is delivered. When taught well with a high expectation for all students, music is more engaging and fun than many other subjects. Students can’t quit math or English if it isn’t “fun”, and the same should go for music. Of course it is true that many teachers feel the need to “entertain” their classes in order to retain students, but that should be done by creating a culture of excellence, not watering down instruction due to a fear of scaring kids away. Instrumental music is an amazing addition to school curricula when it is taught masterfully and supported by administration and parents. In order for music to stand up with the other core academic subjects, it must be taught with rigor and a professional-level expectation of children, musically and otherwise. Music is not sustainable as a class if it is mediocre — it will only be “fun” that way for a short period of time, and then most students will quit because they don’t feel they are getting better and they are not a part of something “bigger” than themselves. Knowing what we now know about brain development and how children learn, it is unfair for us to teach music without the mindful rigor it deserves. It is only when students experience firsthand how to become great at something that music education will truly be “fun”." - Read the full article here -
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