Music Matters

At a recent school concert I shared with the audience a story that I saw on 60 Minutes.  A story that, on many levels, presents important lessons for our students- whether they are musicians or not.

The story is about a group of children, middleschoolers included, who live in an impoverished community in Paraguay.  In fact, the community only came into existence because a garbage dump, or landfill, was developed there.  The program (linked below) describes how these children, under the guidance of a few thoughtful and creative adults, use music to enrich their lives.  A remarkable aspect of the story is how this group of musicians is able to use instruments that were built using items found in the landfill; thus they call themselves the "Recycled Orchestra".

It is a story of hope.  Hope that, at first glance, should not exist in a community with little to no electricity, no plumbing or safe drinking water and the harsh realities of extreme poverty.

It is a story of perseverance.  How when you set your mind to something, that when you commit to something you believe in that good fortune and opportunity can come your way.

And it is a story of the power of music.  A power that can shine light on a community that was once cloaked in darkness.

Says fifteen year-old Ada, on what playing her violin (made with a discarded oven tray among other landfill finds) means to her: "When I play...I feel like I am somewhere else.  I imagine that I'm alone in my own world and forget about everything else around me and I feel transported to a beautiful place...completely different to where I am now.  I has clear skies, open fields and I see lots of green.  It's clean with no trash. There is no contamination where we live.  It's just me alone playing my violin."

The transformative power of music.

Related Resources:
A movie about the group:
http://www.landfillharmonicmovie.com/

The 60 Minutes story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-recyclers-from-trash-comes-triumph/

Teaching Kindness

We can't.

I recently heard someone say that empathy can't be taught, but it can be inspired.  If what we- the adults at school- mean by empathy is really just plain kindness than the same holds true for kindness. We can't teach children, or our peers, to be kind.  Rather, we must model it and in doing so we demonstrate to those around us the norms and understandings that guide our behaviors and interactions.

A few posts ago, I wrote of the power of Wonder, a book by R.J. Palacio.  The tagline of the book is "choose kind" and I found that simple, yet so compelling.  I wanted that message to stay with me so I asked an art class student to paint this picture on a wall in my office. I recently learned that the author of Wonder was appearing in northern New Jersey and I knew I had to go see her.   In her presentation, Ms. Palacio summarized her writing experience as well as the unexpected, and overwhelming response to the book.  She did not expect that thousands of people throughout the world would embrace the book and pledge to Choose Kind. And it was at the end of her speech, that Ms. Palacio said, "you can't teach empathy, but you can inspire it."

Recently at our school, a young man came to a tell another story about the power of kindness.  Addressing all of our students, he told the story of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999.  Prior to her death, Rachel wrote on the power of being kind. In her everyday life, Rachel was known as someone who stood up for others, treated everyone with respect, and loved life and those she shared it with. The assembly, known as Rachel's Challenge, focused not on Rachel's death but rather the inspiring messages that she left behind in her journals.  Rachel's family embraced these messages and have made it their mission to share them with the world.  Rachel wrote, "I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, than it can start a chain reaction of the same."  Through this program, and its related activities, our students have joined the millions of other school children that have been inspired to choose kindness.

Being kind isn't hard.  Whether the message comes from a popular book or a powerful assembly, we all have the capability of creating significant change in the world around us through acts of kindness.  As exemplified in the story below, when we commit acts of kindness we not only change the lives of others but also ourselves.  Just ask Justice Miller, one heck of a teammate and certainly a changed person.




Related Resources:
Rachel's Challenge Website

Previous Blog ("Choosing Kindness", August) Update:
Following the 60 Minutes program on mercy ships serving Africans suffering from cranio-facial disorders, a $20 million donation was made to pay for a second ship.
https://www.mercyships.org/gift-from-pimco-founder/