How can you help your child express his feelings?
From the days of my young childhood, Mother taught me the piano. Her childhood free from the influence of television, she found she could express her emotions through her fingers. She sought to share this, her love for the piano, with me. I failed to appreciate it.
Beyond Lessons
Mom would take me to musical concerts, such as an audition at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia of the quite young (and beautiful) Susan Starr, who was preparing to visit the Soviet Union. I was but a child. As she played, I was not only respectful, but I recognized her undeniable talent.
Mom attempted to immerse me in her musical world. Mother, herself, had received piano instruction from a very well known piano teacher—Vladimir Sokoloff . He was an instructor at the Curtis Institute of Music, from 1938 to 1994! No wonder she felt as strongly as she did. Every pupil—perfectly instructed—becomes like his teacher, the Great Teacher informs us.- Luke 6:40
My mother decided another should instruct me. She begged the assistance of a friend of hers, Clarence Fuhrman, a pianist who had clearly demonstrated his devotion to music. That man was not only expert—he used his skills even in the medium of the time (radio), but in addition he was an orchestral conductor at the Music Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey.
In behalf of my mother, he patiently (but in vain) attempted to reach my heart. What then? Was nothing gained in all this effort to touch my heart? It might, at first, seem that way. However, to say so would be untrue. Granted, I still do not play the piano. In fact—I do not play any musical instrument at all.
The Accomplished End?
What good was accomplished? This: I hold my mother the more deeply in my heart. As an adult, I both recognize and appreciate well-played, soul-stirring music. When my emotions call for it, I search out talented renditions of musical compositions that resonate with the strings of my heart.
Can You Help Him Express His Feelings?
Can listening to such music—even better, playing it—serve as a safety valve for the emotions? Next to a relationship with God, in my mind, there is nothing better, nothing finer. So why not help your child express his feelings through music?
Note: You might also enjoy Exposing Kids to the Opera