Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson points states his belief that "All kids have tremendous talents and we squander them pretty ruthlessly". I can see how he reached that conclusion. Because I'm a nontraditional student, my elementary school years were probably quite different from many of the students in Dr. Strange's class. I attended school in a small community (Gardendale) north of Birmingham. I can remember taking both art and music along with math, reading, and the other 'basics' the entire school year, not one semester of art and one semester of music. We were given ample opportunity to explore what our talents may be. We were taught how to play simple musical instruments, and I still remember the feeling of accomplishment when I played "Hot Cross Buns" on my small wooden recorder. Today's elementary school music class occurs once a week for only one semester per school year. Art is treated the same. When children are in the classroom, whether it be art or math, we expect them to sit still and keep quiet; and if they don't we medicate them so they will. We have taken the talent and creativity they have and told them to forget about it and do things our way.

I loved the story Sir Ken Robinson told of Gillian Lynne. It was a perfect example of how we try to put everyone into the same little box and expect them to learn the same way. People with children may be familiar with the Hannah Montana episode that addresses this point. Miley could not learn her science lesson until it was put to music. Once music was incorporated, she was able to successfully learn the bones of the body. Music is not just for fun. It can make learning fun, and in some cases possible, if we utilize it. We know that not everyone learns the same way, so why do we not choose alternative, artistic ways to educate.