Imagine

Imagine. ... It is noon hour at your local elementary school, a high needs school. ... Primary students are entering the gym, located at the front of the school, near the main office.... A special event is about to unfold. Unlike other assemblies of the past, this event is by “Invitation Only”...There is limited space for what is about to happen and it is directed towards one special group, usually not given the opportunity to socialize in this way... The chaperones are arriving as the gym floor begins to fill. ... The primary students are excited. ... It’s their first noon hour dance. The chaperones are the grade 8 students, having volunteered to help supervise and manage the show. ... Oh My! ...The facts of the above story occurred  many years ago at an elementary  school built for just under 600 students yet accommodating nearly 1,000 at the time I volunteered.  The entertainers of the day, ‘Elton John’, ‘Pointer Sisters’, to name a few, joined in the fun.  

Music is the common denominator that unites us all.  It is a force to reckon with. Music in all forms creates strong bonds among its users. We listen, we sing, we dance, or play an instrument. Music empowers all who dare to be hypnotized by its calming and therapeutic notes. It is a whole body/brain workout.  In the above mentioned story, a child in a wheelchair was whirled about the gym floor by a grade 8 chaperone who had previously told me that he would not be chaperoning because he “hated little kids”. His candor was understood and refreshing. He became one of the most enthusiastic chaperones that day, fully engaged with the very young energetic primary crowd.

Music strengthens the brain as it engages the whole body in a mind-body connection that is truly remarkable. Music, math and human thought are now connected in a formidable way. ... Musicians and singers are in a league all their own as their brains evolve into structures unlike those of the average person. Waiting to implement any music program in any school is foolhardy. Beginning somewhere is the secret to beginning something. Keeping things simple guarantees the success of anything. ... Music education is one thing; music therapy, another. Taking the initiative, knowing what to do and more importantly why you are doing it is the secret to introducing young children to a world that is theirs to experience and that will ultimately affect their health, life time well-being and learning success. 

Young children need to move to learn about themselves and the world around them. Dancing is a component of that learning stage. Dancing is not about steps. It is about listening to music, connecting with people and interpreting music's message, moving the whole body. For this process to succeed, someone must initiate and bring about this interplay between child and music. 

Music is a formidable learning tool that aids in the reconstruction of the mind of the young child, especially those considered at-risk child. It is a forgotten link in the classroom, that can transform the lives of young children in connecting them with the world around them. Music is about attention, confidence, courage and risk taking. There is no place like music.

A hat, a mat, and music.