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Mackay Clayton

Sue Briggs

ENGL 2010

12 February 2017

Making a Man Out of Music

Music does a lot of things to a person. Throughout the history of humankind, it has

always been a part of our cultures; every culture weve yet discovered has some sort of music

that is passed on from person to person, generation to generation. From the lullaby of the cradle

to the march of the casket, music follows us our entire lives. I am a musician: its easy for me to

perceive how biased my views on music appear from the outside. Though it is important to

humans in general, it is of particular importance to me. The process by which I became a

musician is why.

It all started when I was a small kid. Mind you, I wasnt some kind of toddler genius: my

introduction to music was later than that. But my difficulty in school, however, began clear back

in first grade.

In my seven-year-old mind, elementary school seemed like a backwards process:

So wait, we go to a room full of colored pictures and building toys and books to look at, so we

can sit in chairs and make ugly chicken scratches that no one can even read?!

For most of my time in elementary school, I had a hard time focusing on my schoolwork.

It was boring, hard, and didnt make sense. In second grade, I had to write a one-page story about

myself. A whole page! I hadnt even lived long enough to fill a page with my life! So naturally,

my response was to title it, Me! and then fill the entire page with
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mememememememememe Mrs. Daniels wasnt thrilled with my workand filling an

entire page with one word was work, right? Needless to say, many of my teachers had a

challenge to begin with, and I wasnt a bad kid, but I wasnt easy to teach.

My mom often told me, Mackay, you are a smart boy! All of your teachers tell me so.

Why dont you just do the homework? The fact was, I hated it (I wasnt allowed to use that

word growing up, so I take that liberty now). My teachers earnestly tried, and they got me

through each grade, but I still hadnt found my niche, per se.

Near the beginning of the year in fifth grade, though, I did. My niche was delivered in

the form of a music class. We could choose between one of several options: to be in the band, the

choir, or the orchestra. Each of these groups was rather small since it was a small elementary

school. The group I chose was the orchestra, and to play the violin. And I was a prodigy

Actually, I wasnt. I got in trouble for pretending my violin bow was a sword in the

first or second class. But playing engaged me. I had a little natural talent, but a long way to go

before I could be considered a musician. The sounds that came out of that room have since been

omitted from my memory, probably by good sense. On the other hand, I remember how amazing

it was the first time we played a song as a group, with different parts. I have since forgotten the

exact name of the song, but I remember every note. I could play it today. It was simple, yet

beautiful. It was work of art, and I was able to contribute to it. It had meaning to me.
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Another of the things that made playing the violin such a positive experience for me was

the way it allowed me to connect with my teachers. Mrs. G. helped a lot, and another one of my

teachers took a role, too: Mrs. Emerson, my teacher for both kindergarten and first-grade, was

also a professional violinist and violist. She noticed how much I enjoyed playing, and offered to

tutor me outside of the normal music class in exchange for help around her classroom. This was

an enormous privilege, because my family couldnt afford to pay for private lessons at the time.

Throughout my primary education, most of my teachers were very caring individuals. My

music teachers were particularly so, and the bond that I formed with them through musicianship

reinforced their role as mentors to me. Mrs. Gerber (who went by Mrs. G) gave very patient

instruction to a rowdy class of elementary school children was phenomenal, especially for a part-

time district employee. Mrs. Emerson continued to teach me for many years, with the only

charge being simple chores in her classroom. My high school orchestra and choir teacher, Ms.

Tate, was also very influential, as I was in her classes for six years (both Jr. High and High

School). Each of them performed a labor of love and sacrifice, because they saw the value of the

classes they taught.

The music lessons with all of these teachers definitely werent easy.

Yes, repeat the second line. A little sharper on the C there, keep the second and third

fingers tighter together, like theyre kissing. Now, shake out your hand and do it again

Gooood, keep repeating it. Keep your elbow up. And straighten your wrist Can you see your

elbow?... Posture!

Excerpt from, Ode to Joy. I earned my rainbow belt in Mrs. Gerbers

class by learning this song.

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Music did for me what special programs for different learners couldnt: The lessons I

had from learning to play an instrument helped me to get by as a student. These lessons were

both varied and interconnected, which makes it hard to pick out specific ones sometimes. I know

for sure that repetition is one of them, though, and so is form. There are parts of violin form that

affect ones ability to play well, so there isnt an argument about whether they are necessary or

not--unlike the so-called necessity of repeating arithmetic problems with no apparent purpose.

But Mom, I already know how to do it! Its pointless!

Problem 49.
Passing your classes is not pointless!
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As such, learning a musical instrument is not pointless: the +29
process of learning is still sometimes hard and monotonous, but it

is also artistic, with much more visible, inspiring results. It is with

just about any instrument Ive had the chance to observe as it has been for me the with violin.

Mrs. Emerson taught me to hold the violin in ways that were uncomfortable at first, but with

time, I got used to them. Some parts of violin posture are still hard for me today, because they are

naturally difficult. So it is with life: I gained a valuable perspective on persistence and diligence

from repeating songs until I could play them well.

I also have a difficulty with focusing, to the point that I would be considered by some as

having ADD.

Mackay, how are igneous rocks formed?

Oooh, did you know a full-grown pacific octopus can fit

through a six-inch hole? They escape at the aquarium.

My way of thinking has always been creative and

abstract, but playing a musical instrument helped me to channel that creativity into something
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measured and cognitive. Music requires multi-tasking, and it uses many parts of the brain. My

personal experience has proven this to me. I dont lack the raw ability or function to perform

tasks like typical schoolwork, but my natural tendency is contrary to it. There is still much

controversy about the current system of education used in the United States, namely standardized

testing and the repeat after me learning method. I had a personal struggle with this method. In

fourth grade, I was put in the Extended Learning Program, a group for different thinkers. Not

every school can provide the opportunity, and

even with that, I still had a hard time with

completing the objectives that our current

education organizations recognize as, academic

progress. I think that improvements can

definitely be made to our system, and one of

them is to adopt more flexible learning methods for different learning styles.

This statement holds true with many students in todays system. I myself was very

uncomfortable in school, at first, because my natural disposition was not suited to the

standardized test system-- even despite my teachers great talent and efforts to make the material

engaging to all their students. My learning to play a musical instrument helped bridge the gap

between my spontaneous creativity and the measured organization of my classes.

It would be easy to say, Each individual has such a different learning style that it is

impossible to suit all of them in the same education curriculum. It would be chaos. The current

system is simply the best way to teach the majority of students.

I am strongly convinced, however, that there is a better way. Music is an example of a

process that helps people of multiple dispositions to widen their scope of ability. It can help
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meticulous people to learn fluidity, for that is necessary to create good music. It can help the

abstract to learn measurement and form, to think critically. It helps distracted boys with little

drive or commitment to become successful students, because here I am, in college today.

In total, it has been fifteen years since I started playing, and being a musician has become

a part of my identity. I can confidently say that starting music in elementary school saved my

education. The process of learning music helped me to adjust to a world that would never be

suited to my specific inclination.

So go ahead; say I have bias. I do. I know that music is important to education because I

have seen its affects firsthand. Without a doubt, there are more Mackays out there, of all ages,

waiting to have their potential unlocked, and music will do that for them. I am grateful for the

people who showed me that, and am sure they are still out there, waiting for more people to help.
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Image Sources:

Comic Strip:
https://www.quora.com/What-did-Albert-Einstein-mean-when-he-said-Everybody-is-a-

genius-But-if-you-judge-a-fish-by-its-ability-to-climb-a-tree-it-will-live-its-whole-life-

believing-that-it-is-stupid
Octopus:
http://www.natureworks.com.au/catalogue/item/octopus-140096
Ode to Joy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3pY-_-rFY
Violin:
http://www.bulkcolor.com/violin-is-a-musical-instruments-coloring-pages/violin-is-a-

musical-instruments-coloring-pages-2/