Education is paused with the start of summer break. Well, are art and music education really an education that can be paused? What can we do to reinforce these practices during the summer break? This topic is considered important for music educators and I wrote about it for you readers.
Hello everyone, the weather has warmed up and we are finally in the summer season we have been waiting for. Even if we do not have a vacation plan, we feel like we are on vacation with the energy of summer, the sun warming us up, and our bodies getting relaxed. The compelling school term both tired students and you parents and got their report cards. Thrill for vacation, the idea of getting rest surrounded kids and of course, educators as they deserve it after such an intense year. Educations for art, music courses, specialized practices on music, which are done during the academic year, are also paused with the school break.
Well, are art and music education really an education that can be paused?
What can we do to reinforce these practices during the summer break?
In this article, I want to talk about what we should do during the break for music education classes, branch and instrument education classes, or hobby practices that are done parallel to the academic year. Kids participate in many different practices during the school season. Sports activities, hobby handcraft practices, rhythmic practices that will contribute to artistic and musical development, instrument education, piano, violin classes, etc. In addition, showing these practices on various professional or semi-professional platforms suitable for their level of competence with the guidance of their educators and request of the parents, also demonstrating these practices intramural or extramural such as at festival, competition, concert.
The student who keeps doing all these practices parallel to the school season, can figure out the fact that every practice is ended with the schools being closed and such activities are also ended till the end of summer break. One of the reasons behind it is, the branch of art the students get education for, is continued only parallel to the start of the academic year. (Piano-violin-flute-guitar etc.) Unfortunately, this situation turns to dear art educators, music teachers.
It should be told kids, students, and parents that this artistic education can be long and sometimes compelling, it should be a planned but a joyous journey as well and it should be separated to some extent from academic subjects and make the student perceive it via a peer-to-peer communication. The student should get the feeling that this education will be companion like a friend throughout life no matter what instrument the student starts with and it should be distinguished from school at the beginning and throughout the education. I always say this to my students and anyone who consults me: ‘’Piano, violin and etc. instrument education should be handled separately from any other academic subject, in fact it should not be handled as a subject.’’
While we were getting professional education at these branches (either conservatory or fine arts high school and university, etc.), we treated the classes which reinforced the instrument we are playing, solfege, harmony, singing, chamber music, orchestra, etc. and so many professional education as classes that literally have an exam and subject to grading and studied accordingly. As we chose this branch and aim at where we want to be in this branch, music was not a subject that ends with summer break for us. However, we spent more time with our instruments and trained more during breaks. If a student attends the academic classes and keeps going to school, takes musical instrument education for hobby or to reinforce talent, this continuity motivation should be provided by an educator to make the student fully participate in art education.
How can we contribute to musical skill while there are books to be read, homework to be done, exercises to be completed on time during summer break, and if we have an instrument that we cannot carry around with us or if we do not have an instrument?
We can tell parents and students that music education is not just an instrument education but also a branch that improves our general culture and provides a learning outcome for ourselves. We, as educators, can ask students who do not have an instrument or cannot carry it around, to write an article about music samples or list the musicians they admire by showing music samples from various musical periods to listen to during summertime. Observing the environment, nature, sea, surroundings and sounds of different tones can be another exercise of awareness. If the student cannot practice with the instrument, some concerts, music, and reading advices for instrumental music can be recommended. It is particularly important to emphasize the fact that music and artistic activities are a branch that can contribute to the student throughout life by spend the spare time properly and effectively during summer break or instrument education break.
