I am listening. I am a musician. I contend that, once Music was eradicated from the school curriculum by the over-importance of subjects like HISTORY that are really brainwashing tools, the art of listening took a downward spiral. ALL of us as children learned to LISTEN through Music. We learned our ABCs through music. We learned how to create relationships through Music. I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I do believe the powers that be decidedly removed Music from the curriculum on purpose to create a roboton society that either obeys or is rebellious so that they could fill up the spaces in the Prison Industrial Complex.

On the subject of tuning out and being distracted, while children play on their own, I totally agree. People are not paying attention, simply because they don’t understand the importance of LISTENING. The so-called “Music” being played on the radio these days is also a turn off to listening. Whoever thought up the theory that loud, disharmonious rock is the best thing for youngsters to listen to. I’m not propounding listening only to classical music but cacophony is certainly not conducive to well-adjustment. Of course, this is only MY opinion and I do not care to impose this idea on others. However, I do find classical and jazz music to be soothing and more prone to helping me live a well-balanced life.

So, bring MUSIC studies back to school, pre-school, K-12 and watch our society change from apathy to humanity!

This is a response to a poster on a TED video with Julian Treasure on Listening:

Adriane Panciera wrote:
Bringing back music programs to all elementary schools would do a lot to help attune a child to that skill. Also its something that is much easier to learn as you are learning a language (your first or fifth). Music and sound making (aka noise to adults) are the very first langage of all children. As we learn to “tune out” as adults, we tend to lose our sense of child like curiousness, and natural source of empathy. As a side note- when I see parents of young children in the playground, on their smart phones, not engaging in the moment, I see a generation that is tragically crippled from the start. These same children will be engaged with the same level of distraction in a few years time. It’s good to have this conversation now. I wonder if anyone is listening?

Here are children that my organization is working with. They are focused and work so well together. Listening is at the core of what they learn how to do.