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Welcome to Brain Health matters – I just KNOW you are going to love this interview this week.
Kathy Fester, a long-time music educator and advocate joined me to talk about the importance of music education and music engagement at ALL ages. Her enthusiasm and sheer joy made this one of my favorite interviews of all time.
Whether you’re a parent trying to decide if it’s worthwhile to spend money on music lessons, or a senior struggling a bit with loneliness or some cognitive decline, you will be sure to find this conversation enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.
As Kathy says, “Music puts a smile in the heart.”
Kathy Fester began teaching music when she was just in grade 7 and has been teaching music in the public school system for the past 32 years
Her passion for music advocacy has put her in leadership roles in many associations and inspired her to complete her Masters Degree from Simon Fraser University to expand on the knowledge of all the Arts as they affect the brain.
The “Power of Music” in our lives is a passion that lives in the heart and mind. Kathy continues to advocate daily to bring music into the curriculum of our schools to the level of being a ‘core subject’ equal to reading and writing in our school system rather than a “frill”.
Music isn’t just something that we listen to – it is the “heart of soul” of humanity.
Some Key Points:
5:23 How music helps students learn better problem solving and working as a team, learning to accept that you learn through making mistakes.
7:51 Music changes the brain structurally and what that means for success later in life
14:00 Listening to Music: essential for emotional and mental health, but creating music is so much more
16:00 For parents and educators: recommendation of a fantastic book to understand the many reasons music education is essential for brain and mental health and success. Music education can even help you learn to read better.
