Music in Education

Here’s something you probably wouldn’t find in the United States: a musical exercise at a high school in France that not only teaches kids the theory behind beat and meter associated with what is arguably the world’s most beloved piece of the classical repertoire, but does so in the most expressive and beautiful way imaginable.

I had a friend who grew up in Holland, and I was awed at his capacity to play pieces by Chopin and Liszt that were far beyond my reach, like this waltz in Gb.  He explained that all graduates from high schools in Europe learn to play the piano, and he would be considered average at best.  He went on to explain how Western philosophy is also a requirement; he struggled to understand why  young Americans aren’t exposed to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, etc.

That was 40 years ago; it’s hard to guess how much further we’ve fallen back since.  It’s a sad state of affairs.