Music Teacher: a Teacher Without a Calling is the Biggest Harm to a Pupil

Aušra Kardašienė, the music teacher at Šiauliai Academy of Vilnius University, says that we have not yet seriously evaluated all the educational powers of music, but one thing is clear – any kind of art is essential for the all-round development of a person, and high-quality musical education influences not only our emotional development but also the cognitive and social skills. It is particularly important in childhood, the early period of human development.

Musical and cognitive skills are interlinked

For Kardašienė, who has been teaching music and telling about music to young people for more than twenty years now, and for the twin brothers Matas and Rokas Kavaliauskas, music pedagogy students she has been teaching since their school days, music is not a choice, but rather a calling. Although they initially dreamt of becoming doctors, the boys later started thinking about what they are strongest at and feel most comfortable with.

"In secondary school, we were focusing on biology so that we could study medicine at university, and while music was always close by, it was just a hobby. And it was very late that we decided to study music. Only in the second half of our final year, encouraged by Aušra, we get involved in musical activities more actively, noticed, and started singing in competitions and in the Fresco musical ensemble. And then we started wondering why we need medicine if we can do what we like when we play music," the brothers say.

Rokas and Matas, currently studying in Šiauliai, were born into a family of a musician and a teacher. The boys remember that their dad would always play music at home, and they would all sing with their mum, and the room was full of microphones, speakers, and musical instruments. From the age of 10, the brothers took up professional music and vocal training – they attended the Šiauliai boys' choir Dagilėlis and learned to play the violin and saxophone at the music school.

Asked why it is worth introducing children to music at an early age and taking them to musical events, Kardašienė says that it broadens the child's horizons and stimulates the imagination. "Music develops not only musical abilities but also cognitive, communication, and language skills. That is why the mission of primary school teachers, and not only parents, is very important. Singing together with children and teaching them develops their musical taste and understanding of music, as well as their intonation hearing, which develops most intensively before the age of 10," she explains.

Music affects babies before birth

According to Don Campbell, an American music therapist, music is also one of the most important factors in the development of general intelligence, which is why it is recommended to listen to music for educational purposes at a very early age – even before the child is born.

Studies have shown that music played by the mother or her voice singing has a positive effect not only on the child after birth but also on the developing baby in the womb. As early as in the fifth month of pregnancy, a baby hears and distinguishes sounds, and responds to the volume and rhythm of the melody. "By experimenting with a baby's reactions to music before birth, a list of recommended music to listen to during pregnancy was discovered and compiled. Music by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Vivaldi, and other composers (especially of the Baroque period) soothe the baby. Čiurlionis' symphonic poems "In the Forest" and "The Sea" also have a relaxing effect. Listening to them, the heartbeat of the fetus became smoother, calmer and the baby moved less. Hard rock music, on the other hand, caused negative reactions: babies in the womb began moving restlessly and often even painfully. When the baby is born, it recognizes the same pieces and is soothed or energized by them," she says about the effects of music.

 

Music evokes different feelings, so you need to know when and to what music to listen to. However, according to Matas, he and his brother listen to music almost all the time: while studying, while working, and in their free time.

"When I'm studying and preparing for lectures, I listen to my therapeutic, relaxing lo-fi (alternative rock) songs in the background, and when I'm driving to lectures, I do too," says the student.

But Rokas adds that sometimes there can be too much music. Working at events where there is usually a lot of loud music, the guys are starting to appreciate the quiet minutes more and more.

The ensemble reaches the “Voice of Lithuania. Generations" superfinal

Early experience with music, both at home and at the music school, and an acquaintance with their music teacher Aušra, led Matas and Rokas to the Fresco vocal ensemble.

Last autumn, the ensemble, led by Kardašienė, took part in the “Voice of Lithuania. Generations” television project featuring songs arranged by the teacher herself. "For this project, I had to create all the arrangements for the songs chosen by the project team. At that time, I was listening to music that I do not often listen to, and I discovered it anew. These were songs by old bands that used to be very popular," says the leader of the ensemble.

She loves the arrangements of popular tunes by Pentatonix, which inspired Fresco's search for their identity and led to a love of a cappella singing. As a result, with their song "White Winter Hymnal", the ensemble came to the first “Voice of Lithuania” auditions and made it all the way to the super-finals, where they came second.

"Second place was a great achievement for us. And participation in the project "Voice of Lithuania. Generations” was like compensation for the members of the ensemble for their absence from musical events throughout the pandemic. We are still in contact with the representatives of this project, and I think we will be noticed many times in the future. In May, we already had the opportunity to sing together with Rosita Čivilytė at a concert in support of Ukraine at Žalgiris Arena," she says.

Undervaluing the music lessons is the biggest offense

As Kardašienė tells us, her mission is not only to introduce children to a wide variety of music, to foster their musical skills and understanding of music, but also to teach them to be proud of their roots, not to be ashamed of singing Lithuanian songs, and to change the stereotypical thinking that music is not important or not even a school subject at all.

"It would probably be the biggest offense to me if someone dared to say so. For me, my job is very interesting and refreshing, because it allows me to get to know a wide variety of music. I have great respect for the subject I teach and it is me who shapes the way of thinking about my music lessons. It's up to us, the teachers, what kind of attitude we develop about our subject," she believes.

That is why, she says, the greatest harm a teacher can do to a student is to work with him or her without passion and drive. She notes that Matas and Rokas have a real talent for teaching. It seems that even during their practical training, they do not even have to prepare, children sit and listen to them talk about music, all amazed.

She herself tries to teach young people in such a way that when they leave school they will want to go and listen to a musical, will recognize the most famous classics, and will not immediately switch to another channel when they hear a classical piece on the radio.

Music skills: developed or innate?

It is often assumed that music, dance, and visual arts require exceptional talent, but Aušra, who teaches music to children, is convinced that it is very rare to be born with a special talent for music and that more often than not it is developed just like any other cognitive ability.

"I've had countless examples where a child came to me without an intonation hearing, but if you start very early, you can achieve good results. I taught a girl who really wanted to sing in a choir, but her vocal range was very narrow and she had practically no musical hearing. But with a lot of patience and a lot of desire on the part of that girl, beautiful results were achieved within a year. Sometimes inner motivation and diligence do more than a strong voice and musical talents, which are not used or developed," she says.

She believes that children of different musical, athletic and artistic abilities have exactly the same chances of reaching good results, as long as they have the desire, a motivated teacher, and a supportive family that appreciates the benefits of music.

"A person who has a closer relationship with music will always have a richer imagination, will be more empathetic, and a person with a good intonation will be able to convey emotions and the content of speech much better," says the music teacher Kardašienė.