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Music
and Environmental Education
Violinist
Yehudi Menuhin has written eloquently about the very basics of
music:
Sound lies
at the heart of the cycle of vibrations, beginning just where
touch stops and ending just before the radio waves begin. I believe
profoundly that music helps keep us in touch with the entire vibrating
world, and therefore centres us in our own being. These sounds
are part of a much larger continuum of vibrations found throughout
our universe. Ocean waves, the cycle of day and night, the phases
of the moon, the shift of seasons. Today we realize that even
noise and light have a common denominator-vibrations of different
speeds.
The cry
of the newborn child is as much the intrinsic sound of music as
is the staccato hammering of the woodpecker, the crash of thunder,
the rustle of wind through the wheat field, the cooing of the
dove, the rattle of seed pods, the clank of metal, the soft tred
of feet on the underbrush. Is it not in these very natural sounds
that is largely found the raw material for the creation of man's
music? Through the mysterious vibrations of music, we are instantly
able to share our own feelings and those of others. The music
simply becomes part of who we are. Music has the power to combine
feeling and thought without words.
-From The
Sky Observer's Handbook by Charles E. Roth.
For 6000 years
music has been an integral part of all cultures. Music has provided
a medium for communicating, expressing and creating through a language
unmatched by words and pictures. Many elements of life and living
are found within the rhythm of nature. The heartbeat beating at
a different frequency for every species can provides tempos for
each piece of music created.
The sky
and air around us is the primary transmitter of sound. The songs
of birds, the calls of frogs and insects are all living music
carried by the sky. For humankind music is not a static art form.
It constantly changes to reflect sociological trends, technological
advances, creative freedom and other forms of art.
The study
of technical aspects of the music curriculum such as pitch, rhythm
and timbre can be extended to include Native Canadian Indian,
African, Asian, South American and West Indian examples. The study
of music should address the art in a way which allows the student
to discover, create, analyze and explore. The earliest human device
for making music was probably the voice. Early music was composed
for magic rituals that related to the realms of sun and moon,
fertility, rain, wind and the seasons. Some native Indians played
a bone whistle or flute as death approached to secure life after
death.
The Bible
describes the story of how the walls of Jericho came tumbling
down from the sound of seven ram's horns. Fables from Chinese
and Hindu writers described incidents in which singers made water,
fire, or brought on a new season with their melodies. Many centuries
passed before the emphasis on music shifted from the magical and
mystical to the aesthetic (The Sky Observer's Handbook. Roth).
More recently music has shifted to an emphasis on marketing a
star image, subculture or consumer product that brings in enormous
financial rewards for the music industry infrastructure.
The Purpose
To develop
and nurture people, teachers must provide hands-on experience
in our natural environment. Environmental education provides opportunities
for students to see, touch, and hear inside and outside the classroom
walls. The study of wildlife, forests, marine life and ecosystems
are essential components of earth studies. However, environmental
education should also develop understanding of the role of the
individual within an interdependent community.
A successful
environmental education experience will motivate the individual
to grapple with the responsibility of stewardship of our planet.
As teachers our delivery of environmental education throughout
existing curriculum.
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