Educators Are Cultivators That Influence Generations

September 8, 2013 at 8:09 PM

We live in an ever changing age. Possibly the people most effected by all of these changes are the developing future - children. Children are bombarded every second with high-sensory stimuli that penetrate their psyche's, separating reality from fiction. Although not all of what children are exposed to is bad or detrimental, the majority of what is popularized in the mainstream sets a shaky platform for our young adults of the future.

In a nationally representative study (Douglas A. Gentile, Ph.D. Iowa State University; Psychological Science, September 22, 2008), Douglas A. Gentile, Ph.D. found that the average American 8- to 18-year-old plays video games for 13.2 hours per week on average. That might not seem alarming, but let's take it a few steps further; According to a survey of parents nation-wide, 36% of children ages 0-6 years old have played video games. Furthermore, a child's brain grows 75%-90% of it's adult size by age 6. Continuing, by this age(6), children have begun to have interactions with individuals outside the family nest and should be faced with the dilemmas of having to solve conflicts with other children and adults, i.e. school, pre-school, play dates involving other adults in authority positions, etc. If children have been exposed to violent media; video games, TV shows, news, advertisements, etc - they are more likely to resolve conflicts aggressively and through violence(ActAgainstViolinence). This behavior is directly reinforced as they enter ages 8-10 and solidified as a more "natural" way of responding after continuing into young adult-hood.

Children are met with an increasing amount of responsibility, as well. By the age of 5 they have officially entered first grade, in where most children are expected to act like little adults and sit quietly in their chairs to do their work. In a sense, we are grooming them to be workers, not creative unique individuals. With this, children are met with massive amounts of pressure at an early age. Leaving them to run to mind-numbing media to subdue them. This reminds me of a poignant quotation from American singer-songwriter Jim Morrison:

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind”(James Douglas Morrison, December 08, 1943-July 03, 1971).

As artistic and music educators we have the unique opportunity to influence all children and to combat the negative influences of today's media. As stated before, not all media is bad, but many examples are. Therefore, we hold a special position in the lives of our students. We represent everything that is creative, wholesome and nurturing. We place an instrument in their hands as a mode for stimulating their minds to think individually and expressively. Through this cultivation there are strides made towards a stronger community of individuals focused in a sharing of internal thoughts and feelings.

A McGill University(1998) study found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given music instruction for a three-year period. They also found that self-esteem improved while they were taking music lessons. so we see that through music we have increased their mental score, improved their self esteem, encouraged creative thought and stimulated their mind to think expressively. We see that through this we hold the key to future non-violent resolutions between leaders of the next three or more generations. For there is a compounding effect that is at work within the positive work we do with children. As we enable a child to think positively and abstractly in the face of difficulty, we also enable the child to pass these virtues on to their children, friends and future colleagues. Therefore, this makes our job as innovative educators of utmost importance and value. We need to make a personal connection instead of the electronic connection that pervades their life.

We are more than educators, we are cultivators. We play a pivotal role in the shaping of our future society. We are the important role models that set more then a musical example. We set a human example. There is nothing more precious than this, that we are able to change the course of history by simply teaching a musical instrument.

References
http://actagainstviolence.apa.org/
http://www.nammfoundation.org/research/research-briefs-did-you-know
With additional editing and review by Betsy Dysart, life-long educator and homeschooler.