KidsOutAndAbout Publisher's Note 9/25/14: Mediocrity: Music to your Ears

I’m a mediocre cellist...and darned pleased to be one.

Regular readers of my newsletter know that excellence is high up on the list of values that I hope parents convey to their kids. But I have found that being a mediocre musician is so much better than being someone who has never studied an instrument that I want to convince all of you to give your kids this opportunity at some point in their childhood. I started playing cello when I was 8, and took lessons until I was 14. The last time I played in public was in a pit orchestra for the musical Pippin in college. But the benefits of understanding and playing music--even as unskilled as I am at this point--have served me well as an adult. I hear and appreciate music with different ears. In fact, I respond to all art differently than I would had I not studied music.

But the benefits start much earlier than adulthood.

Even if one is not particularly gifted, playing music is MEANINGFUL, even to a kid. A child in her first orchestra, band, or chorus concert has the startling experience of working hard together with others to create art that matters. And as they all get better, it gets even nicer, for both performers and audience.

Playing music is FUN, and NICE PEOPLE are involved. When you’re not a virtuoso, you have thefreedom to create without pressure. The person sitting in the band next to you is likely there for the same reason you are. And for the most part, they’re interesting people, the kind you want to invite out for ice cream after your concert.

The value of playing music lasts FOREVER. When mediocre musicians grow up, they understand other people’s musical performances in a way they couldn't, had they not studied music. As a kid, this didn't mean much to me, but as an adult, I have realized that I can have a radically richer experience of a concert or a recording than I would have otherwise. It matters. Art matters.

So this school year, think about introducing your kids to music in various ways. Opportunities abound: At schools, at libraries, and at festivals, as well as at concerts and music lessons. Orchestras and music education centers often sponsor events with "instrument petting zoos" that allow kids to try a variety of instruments in a supportive setting. And, of course, there is always your own radio or computer right at your fingertips.

A child who takes music into her own hands will take it into her own heart for the rest of her life.