From The Storyteller
|
Music
The year is 1966, and I am seated in the Physics Lab on the first day of the fall semester at Chicago Teachers College. On the chalkboard is a name and the number “6”. The bell rings, and the man, who will be leading us through the course, begins by saying, “The answers to the final examine are on the board. You will be required to show your work.” Newton would have been proud of that class, yet as I compare the material covered then to the material Elaine covered in the high school physics class she recently taught, I made the following observation: The world of science information and education changed. Which naturally got me considering how things have become much more difficult for young folks today. I am an Eagle Scout. To earn that rank in 1962 I needed to earn 21 specific merit badges, get several reference letters, and meet with the Eagle Review Board. Today a person must do all those things plus successfully plan and complete a complex, labor intensive project. Yes, the expectations on young people in the scouting world have also changed. When I consider the changes in cars, airplanes, fast foods, and the things that have vanished like postal mailboxes, pay phones, and the Sears catalog, it causes me to search for something that hasn’t really changed. Staring at my collection of record albums (the round vinyl kind) sitting under my stereo, I smiled. I found at least one thing in this world that hasn’t changed - people love music. Granted the songs Gene Autry recorded, and the songs Garth Brooks recorded, sound really different, as do rap, hip hop, the blues, and rock n roll. The key is it’s all music, and I believe that music is the magic that transforms us into people, who are capable of the love – and love keeps our world turning. Moral: Playing your favorite tunes will make your day better. |