I didn't quite word things as I meant to in my first paragraph -- I do
realize that there are many millions of wonderfully warm, well-rounded
human beings in the eastern European countries of the former Soviet
bloc. But there were certainly the antitheses as well, who probably had
the same education. My point being that no education will guarantee
wonderful results for everybody.
David H. Bailey
dhbailey wrote:
Dean M. Estabrook wrote:
Amen, and nothing more needs to be averred about the importance of
training, beginning in the very early years, in solfege, movement, and
playing of instruments as we find in Kodaly and Orff. That's the sort
of background which not only produces exceptional musicianship on a
broad level, but just plain well-rounded human beings. Trust me, the
world would be a far better place, if only ............
Excuse me, but until fairly recently, Romania and other eastern European
countries where the Kodaly and Orff methods originated and may be widely
taught did not exactly serve as great role models for well-rounded human
beings.
I'm sure that the countries' leaders who abused civil rights and their
countries' economies stood next to all the other 10 year olds and
learned the same musical stuff.
And it's important as well to remember that there are very well-rounded
human beings who have served the interests of world peace and human
kindness who never heard of Kodaly and Orff methods. Ghandi, the Dalai
Lama, Jesus, Baha'ulla, are just a few such examples.
The two do not necessarily go hand-in-hand (Kodaly/Orff training and
well-rounded human beings who make the world a better place).
And while the Romanian student in the example may have been able to play
in odd meters and been amazed at the other students' difficulties at
first, before being taught, the example doesn't also explain that while
Romanian 10-year olds my be able to handle such rhythms easily, before
they've learned them as folk dances I'm sure they would have been
bewildered also.
The example does nothing more than show us that once someone is taught a
complex rhythm or meter it becomes easy.
But then we all knew that. :-)
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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