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Robin Keehn, Washington

Hello Teachers,

A few months back at the Symposium in San Diego, I talked about the importance of educating parents, coaches and students about the benefits of music education.

When I first started teaching early childhood music and movement nearly 18 years ago, there was an awareness among parents that there was great value for children being in music classes. In the mid 1990s Newsweek,  Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and other leading publications ran series of articles about the impact music has on a child’s developing brain. During those years my studio boomed, even in the little town where I live. I taught 15 or more early childhood music classes (Kindermusik) per week and had long waiting lists.

In the past decade, the focus has shifted away to many other topics and the awareness of the importance of music education has practically disappeared.  I feel that it is really up to us, today’s music educators, to inform parents, grandparents and even children on how beneficial music making and learning is.

I believe it would be to your benefit to read articles on this topic and begin the conversation with people around you so that we increase awareness and provide education.  If you have a newsletter, you may want to include links or articles about music education and brain and body health.