Karen Kirkland Music | Composer - Performer - Teacher - Consultant 

Lockdown Blues "What day is it"


         

“Lockdown Blues” is not a song title, although that has just given me a new idea, it was a common phrase used during the Covid19 lockdown. “We look forward to his zoom music lesson, it reminds us of what day of the week it is!”.

This was a recurring comment during the first lockdown. Families struggling to remember what day it was with the pressures of trying to work from home and fitting in home schooling.

The routine of learning a musical instrument online, giving structure to the week, when parents can just sit back and let the teacher briefly take control.

Isolation and lack of structure are two important contributors to poor mental health. We are, generally as a species, very sociable. We like to be with other people. We also like structure and rules, although some may disagree!

What has this got to do with music and learning a musical instrument? Well, music is all about structure and rules.

The Oxford dictionary defines music as “vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony and expression of emotion”. Whether you are listening or playing a piece of music, your brain is enjoying the structure and rules.

At the start of this academic year, most of my teaching was online via Zoom or Teams and the focus was on mental health and reconnecting our children with the new normal. This proved to be extremely popular, with positive feedback from parents and schools.

Maybe a positive to come out of this pandemic is increased awareness of mental health, especially with our children.

So, now that lockdown has lifted and we return to the “new normal” take on a challenge, learn a musical instrument, join a choir, get that clarinet out of the loft, and when you are next asked “What day is it?” you can reply “Its music day.”

Check out Karen’s website https://www.karenkirkland.co.uk/ Karen Kirkland is also on Facebook, Instagram, and Tweeter.