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Somehow, a couple days ago, I was talking to H about music- it was in the context of something, I don't know what- and I mentioned Rimsky-Korsakov, who was pretty much my favorite composer for a while. So we went to youtube, and I went "oh, yes, I can listen to these things again, they're accessible, even if my CDs are all somewhere in my parents' attic." (They were mostly loaded onto the old computer, but I haven't put energy into how to get all the information off of it and onto this computer, yet/still/whatever, and some things I just didn't have anyways.) So, I've been listening to a few favorites (mostly Rimsky-Korsakov and Holst) that I haven't heard in what seems like ages, in the last few days, while I work. It's been delightful.
I've been thinking, between this and a previous conversation which led to looking at art by Kandinsky (an artist about whom I did a project in elementary school art class) online a few weeks ago, about how much the education I received as a kid really has contributed to who I am, what I know, and my general grounding. The "extra"s have made a difference, in the little ways that add up over time. It's all just a little thing, not life skills, but things that let me think of myself as someone who has a clue about something of culture. It feels rather good, remembering these things, and then realizing that I have a cultural knowledge base- not a huge one, but also not nothing.
It makes me wonder what my religious school students will find, years in the future- will they have that little bit of knowledge about Judaism that will make a difference? I can't really pretend to think that the 10-12 hours of religious education that they get in a year will give them anything more than that. (This is more like what I know of Kandinsky than of music- I spent 3 hours a week, every week during high school in youth orchestra- not to mention school orchestra, jazz band, trombone lessons, and hanging out with far more dedicated student musicians.) But maybe it'll be enough that they don't feel so clueless that they're afraid to step in the door, when they want to.
I've been thinking, between this and a previous conversation which led to looking at art by Kandinsky (an artist about whom I did a project in elementary school art class) online a few weeks ago, about how much the education I received as a kid really has contributed to who I am, what I know, and my general grounding. The "extra"s have made a difference, in the little ways that add up over time. It's all just a little thing, not life skills, but things that let me think of myself as someone who has a clue about something of culture. It feels rather good, remembering these things, and then realizing that I have a cultural knowledge base- not a huge one, but also not nothing.
It makes me wonder what my religious school students will find, years in the future- will they have that little bit of knowledge about Judaism that will make a difference? I can't really pretend to think that the 10-12 hours of religious education that they get in a year will give them anything more than that. (This is more like what I know of Kandinsky than of music- I spent 3 hours a week, every week during high school in youth orchestra- not to mention school orchestra, jazz band, trombone lessons, and hanging out with far more dedicated student musicians.) But maybe it'll be enough that they don't feel so clueless that they're afraid to step in the door, when they want to.