The National Song Festival was classy

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,
I refer to a recent letter lauding the first ever National Song Festival for choral groups. The writer was thankful for a delightful afternoon of glorious music at the National Cultural Centre. In the end, the call was for the serious re-introduction of music in schools and choirs in Guyana.
There appears to be a renewed emphasis in Guyana for greater concentration upon the traditional basics – English, Maths, Science, and History. There is also a new focus on computer competency and the need for a foreign language. I add here the interest in health education, family life education, industrial arts education, AIDS education, home economics, physical education, and business education. Music education should also be accommodated.
Plato once opined that education in music is most sovereign. Science suggests that music education must be embraced. Music builds strong thinkers as students compare and contrast, problem solve, analyse, create and evaluate. Music becomes history as students see the relationship an earlier time had with music.
Music becomes culture as students define the differences in the music of many countries and races of our world. Music becomes math as students understand the organisation of sound. Music becomes art as students discover the colour, texture, and composition of a piece of music.  Music becomes dance as one seeks to understand the range of expressive qualities of music through movement.  Music education includes a broad scope of experiences to build up the whole child. This year’s competition turned into a gem, as the various groups performed national songs, folk songs, and negro spirituals, and there were experimentation and innovation. I think the next song festival will be a blast.
Yours sincerely,
Shauna Jacobs

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