Music Education = Brain Power

December Blog - a - Month topic: Quotes!!!

This topic really spoke to me- I've been pretty obsessed with quotes since middle school. I used to keep this black quote book and I would write in it with those milky gel pens that were so popular in the late 90s. I remember so clearly searching through that quote book for my senior quote(s) in the yearbook. One of my favorites that made it into the yearbook was "Love is like peeing in your pants - everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth." Still so true, yet I don't know that putting it in the yearbook was the best idea...

"Music Education = Brain Power."

I remember using this quote my freshman year of high school, when I wrote a persuasive essay on the effect that music has on the brain. I read an incredible book, did my own research (based on what I'd learned from the book), and got extra credit on my presentation. (Remember, I wrote about this a few months ago in my Soapbox blog post).

"Trigonometry is for a term, Music is for life!"

I can't remember who said it, but Math and Music are so closely related - hopefully Math people like it too. In college, a bunch of my peers and I were supporting Music Education outside of the courthouse in downtown Tuscaloosa. I remember writing this quote on my poster. I carried that poster around into my 7th year of teaching music in public schools. I don't think it made it to Davis with me, but it's still in my heart.

“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning." ~ Plato

This quote has been the signature of my personal email for over 10 years. It needs no further explanation. Into music, all subject areas are integrated.

Lastly, one of my favorites.

"Bach gave us G-d's word. Mozart gave us G-d's laughter. Beethoven gave us G-d's fire. G-d gave us Music that we might pray without words."

I loved this quote so much, I had it painted all over the walls in my bedroom in high school through college. My mom hired an artist to come over and design it. When I graduated college, I got my own apartment and my younger sister moved into my old bedroom and painted over the quote! Still searching for pictures of what it used to look like in that room.