Not Lived In Vain

One of my biggest passions in life is education. I love guiding students through the world of choral music and watching them explore all that it has to offer. In my short six-year teaching career the past two years have been revolutionized by my training in the Kodaly method of teaching music. I have blogged twice about my Kodaly training, and you can read about my Level I and Level II experiences.

Now I could totally nerd out start talking solfege and how to teach concepts within the sequence for hours, or days, or months. Okay fine I’m a Kodaly nerd, and I have no problem admitting it. However since the confirmation of a particular Secretary of Education, a quote of Zolton’s Kodaly has been in my mind for days.

It is our firm conviction that mankind will live happier when it has learned to live with music more worthily. Whoever works to this end, one way or another has not lived in vain.

For the love, excuse me as I ugly cry.

This is a huge time of confusion and uncertainty for educators across America, but to my fellow music teachers, this truth is for you. What you do day in and day out is not in vain. You do more than teaching notes and rhythms on a page; you show beauty, artistry, passion, dedication, and hard work. What you do matters so very much. You are doing this with more kids and less funding and support. This is not in vain; you are making mankind happier. Keep making mankind happier. Hold on to this truth, and don’t forget it.

To all educators out there, Zolton Kodaly was fiercely in love with his beloved country of Hungary. He was teaching and promoting the will of the Hungarian people during WWII when it was Nazi-occupied and during the Soviet takeover. He held on the truth that educating all people was the key to Hungary being free one day. I can’t even begin to imagine what he felt during this time. I can even venture to say that he must have felt that this was the hardest time to be an educator. I wonder how many in America are feeling this right now. Kodaly fought against the powers that be in the most amazing way; he fought back by teaching children how to sing. He fought back by surrounding himself with the best educators that sought to do the best for children. He fought back with music education for all, not just the wealthy elite. He didn’t live in vain. And guess what neither are you. You are not living in vain. You are changing so many lives. Keep fighting. Keep loving kids. Keep holding those in power accountable. Eat donuts. Believe in unicorns. Don’t stop being awesome. We will survive this chapter, and we won’t go down without a fight.