More often than not when I am on one of those machines, I'm ignoring the TVs and am locked into whatever is pumping through the my headphones from my "Exercise Tunes" play list on my I-phone. My eyes will occasionally lock onto one of the screens just in case something other than the usual bad news of the day appears.
That happened earlier this week. The first headline that caught my eye was something to the effect of "Why every teenager needs a job".
OK, I thought- Why do they?
From what I could glean from the messages that were flashed on the screen it had something with work ethic and character development.
Did you know that only 16% of teenagers have a job today? That's down from 32% in 1990.
Shocking.
So who is working the fast food joints and bagging groceries like I did back in the day?
That news piece was immediately followed by a another story that got my attention. This one was about the value of having early music lessons as a way to spur childhood development.
"Children who take music lessons can realize an increase in brain capacity of up 20%. over those who don't"
So who is working the fast food joints and bagging groceries like I did back in the day?
That news piece was immediately followed by a another story that got my attention. This one was about the value of having early music lessons as a way to spur childhood development.
"Children who take music lessons can realize an increase in brain capacity of up 20%. over those who don't"
Something like that.
Wow, I'm batting two for two.
Later on that week, I came across another study that talk about the impact of playing a musical instrument on aging.
"Whether it's the saxophone, the piano, or a ukulele, researchers found that playing an instrument for 10 or more years was correlated with better memory in advanced age compared to those who played music for less than 10 years (or not at all)."
"Whether it's the saxophone, the piano, or a ukulele, researchers found that playing an instrument for 10 or more years was correlated with better memory in advanced age compared to those who played music for less than 10 years (or not at all)."
I guess being a band nerd has some value after all.
Whether playing a musical instrument and having a positive early job experience made me smarter or shaped my character in significant ways is debatable. What I do know is that both gave me an identity and a purpose at a significant time in my life and I'm grateful for that.
Growing up in a large family of 8 children, in the late 1950's and 60's was not my choice.Neither was being left-handed. Or being an extrovert. Those were random happenings.
Neither was the decision to play an instrument. Or getting a job. Those were expectations I received from my parents. A half a century later, I still play the saxophone in a band and am still going to work everyday.
I hear it's harder for teenagers to get jobs these days. Too many adults have taken the jobs teenagers typically do. Too many activities that take up the time that used to be used for work. And maybe that activity is participation in a music program. Some say that internet and all the connectivity that we have is partly to blame. Who knows.
I don't think the world is going to hell in a handbasket, nor are today's teenagers, if they don't get a job or take music lessons.
I do know how lucky I was when a parent said to me "you're going to play an instrument" and "you need to go get a job".
Some days I'd rather be lucky than good.
Thanks Mom and Dad.
.
Whether playing a musical instrument and having a positive early job experience made me smarter or shaped my character in significant ways is debatable. What I do know is that both gave me an identity and a purpose at a significant time in my life and I'm grateful for that.
Growing up in a large family of 8 children, in the late 1950's and 60's was not my choice.Neither was being left-handed. Or being an extrovert. Those were random happenings.
Neither was the decision to play an instrument. Or getting a job. Those were expectations I received from my parents. A half a century later, I still play the saxophone in a band and am still going to work everyday.
I hear it's harder for teenagers to get jobs these days. Too many adults have taken the jobs teenagers typically do. Too many activities that take up the time that used to be used for work. And maybe that activity is participation in a music program. Some say that internet and all the connectivity that we have is partly to blame. Who knows.
I don't think the world is going to hell in a handbasket, nor are today's teenagers, if they don't get a job or take music lessons.
I do know how lucky I was when a parent said to me "you're going to play an instrument" and "you need to go get a job".
Some days I'd rather be lucky than good.
Thanks Mom and Dad.
.
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