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Saturdays with Mr. Muma

4/4/2015

41 Comments

 
Picture


In my gauzy grammar school memory, I can still remember him pulling up to the front curb every Saturday afternoon.

He was probably younger than I am now.  But given that I was a little kid, and that he was stout, balding and drove an enormous olive green sedan, I thought of him as old.  He was, also, always patient and polite, and seemed truly happy to be at our little house.

He was Mr. Muma (MOO-ma), and he was my violin teacher.

For about seven years, panting up our walkway carrying his own case and instrument in hand, he taught my older brother and me—a half hour each, individually, in our modest living room at $10 a pop—how to master this not-all-that-easy instrument. My mother would putter around the kitchen washing dishes or planning dinner, not exactly hovering but always listening, even if the only sounds our bows made in the beginning were scratchy squeals. 

Mr. Muma—and he was always Mister; in fact, I can’t even recall his first name—definitely gave us an advantage when it came to our school orchestra ranking. (This, at a time when even the poorest elementary schools boasted full ensembles, replete with holiday concerts.)  I never got to first chair because, frankly, I didn’t have the kind of passion that was needed.  But by middle school, I was good enough to sit in the first chair section, and later, Mr. Muma told me I had a terrific vibrato.    

But eventually, I felt like a super dork playing a super dorky instrument, and I hated, absolutely HATED, having to spend time practicing stupid scales, stupid repetitive exercises and stupid classical minuets.     

Mr. Muma was pretty upset when I finally quit the summer after 10th grade.  

By then, I knew that Mr. Muma  had once made his living playing with the 20th Century Fox studio orchestra, and that his wife was a retired showgirl.  I also knew that they weren’t exactly rolling in dough; they rented a spartan one-bedroom apartment, and they had never had children. 

He told me that he loved me, and then he promised to play for me at my wedding. 

I don’t regret the decision to give up violin—and I sort of kept at it a little bit by playing a note here and there in the circus—but what I mostly don’t regret now is that my mother pushed me to take those lessons.  

Now, some fascinating new studies are proving that my mom was right all along… more right than she could have possibly known. 

For example, an incredibly comprehensive 2013 study by the German Socio-Economic Panel (those with an academic bent can read the entire report at www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.429221.de/diw_sp0591.pdf) has concluded that music lessons for kids improve both cognitive and non-cognitive skills more than twice as much as sports, theatre or dance.  The report also says that kids who take lessons are more conscientious, open and ambitious.

That’s the tip of the iceberg.

Here in the United States, researchers at Northwestern University have concluded that the five crucial skills that help us master language are actually exercised and strengthened by music lessons.  (If you’re wondering, those components are phonological awareness, speech-in-noise perception, rhythm perception, auditory working memory and the ability to learn sound patterns.)  In fact, kiddos in this study who were randomly assigned to music lessons performed much better than those who received other forms of non-musical stimulation, including painting or other visual arts.

The benefits go on, including a 2007 study from the University of Kansas. 

Here, a music educator and music therapy professor by the name of Christopher Johnson discovered that children enrolled in primary schools that offered superior music programs scored around 22 percent higher in English scores, and 20 percent higher in math scores, on standardized tests compared to schools with not-so-great music programs.  A 2013 study out of Canada came to the same conclusion.

Want more? 

It turns out that because playing music puts a high level of demand on one’s working (or short-term) memory, the sharper that memory becomes.  Indeed, the Psychology Today article that articulated this conclusion says, too, that the memory abilities of musicians affects non-musical realms as well, helping them to recall more content from speeches, lectures and soundtracks.

Other studies—and there are several dozen to choose from—show that musicians generally have higher IQs than non-musicians; that childhood lessons slow the effects of aging, and that lessons also enhance both self-confidence and self-esteem.      

What’s my conclusion?

Despite the fact that I live in a school district that seems to mostly ignore what scientists are saying, music lessons should never, ever, be “an extra” when it comes to our kids’ education. 

For the record, I believe that exposing a child to music lessons is an absolutely essential tool to becoming a terrific adult, one with creativity, imagination and the ability to solve problems in an increasingly complicated world.  Thinking about it, perhaps it’s no coincidence that I fell in love with and married a music educator, a teacher who can even get strapping high school athletes to play a mean ukulele.      

Mr. Muma, I’m sorry that you never got to play at my wedding. 

I love you, too. 

Did you take music lessons as a child? Did they influence the adult you are now?  And if you never took lessons, do you wish you had?  I’d love to hear from you!

  

  


41 Comments
Larry Grant
4/4/2015 09:48:29 am

Thank you for this outstanding essay. For me it was my piano teacher, Sister Colletta (yes, a nun) and Mr. Nemoynton, my high school band director.

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Hilary
4/4/2015 11:25:50 am

I think we have all had teachers, whether for good or bad, who have influenced us to be the adults we are today. :)

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Ron Jarvis
4/4/2015 04:04:00 pm

Great job, you are so right on. My daughter played clarinet.

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Hilary
4/5/2015 04:01:36 am

Seems to be a favorite instrument!

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Patti Holman
4/4/2015 05:59:42 pm

I loved this story! My son started playing the saxephone in his elementary school band and continued with his music education through high school. He grew up to be an intelligent, articulate, and compassionate man, and one of my favorite people. My husband, another favorite, started playing clarinet in grade school, and played a variety of instruments through high school. I couldn't be prouder of either of them!

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Hilary
4/5/2015 04:04:16 am

Of course, there are other factors that make these two men so wonderful (like having a great mom and being a great wife!), but, it all makes sense now, doesn't it? If Lloyd was ever in a marching band, I can just see him sporting one of those hats, rocking a feather plume with a BIG smile on his face. :)

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Patti Holman
4/5/2015 11:05:46 am

Funny you should say that. He played b-flat bass clarinet,while wearing a featherless bearskin hat!

Jim Nolt
4/5/2015 04:31:43 am

Oh, I do so wish I had continued with my piano lessons. I doubt I would have ever become an accomplished pianist, but I do know I feel far short of whatever potential I had. To be able to create music is a most enviable accomplishment.

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Hilary
4/5/2015 05:12:01 am

Yes, but you were lucky enough, as I was, to have had music lessons as a child. And having those lessons absolutely put you ahead of the game when it came to imagination and creativity as an adult!

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Chris Brockow link
4/5/2015 04:39:10 am

This is a wonderful article Hilary. I wish I would have taken up a musical instrument when I was young.

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Hilary
4/5/2015 05:45:22 am

I've actually heard this comment a lot over the years, Chris... even before the first studies on the power of lessons came out. Of course, it's never too late to start! :)

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jennifer
4/5/2015 09:26:24 am

My first piano teacher was a red-haired guy with a goatee named Gus. And he taught me to play Boogie Woogie. When he quit, we tried someone else but she wasn't as good. Eventually, I found the flute - fourth grade and enjoyed playing in high school and college (thank you Miss Brokaw, Cal State Hayward) and even played a little professionally. What a joy to make music with people...I still love to play Christmas Carols and have a sing-a-long - it's just not the holidays without music...and bless those patient teachers.

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Hilary
4/5/2015 09:51:43 am

Gus sounds like a beatnik in the tradition of Maynard Krebs! :)

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Bev Praver link
4/5/2015 01:41:41 pm

A wonderful essay. Hilary. My first music lessons were on the clarinet at school in 5th grade. I don't remember the teacher's name, but he was a patient man who had an awful lot of students to deal with so he didn't have much time to spend with each of us. I was really bad at playing the clarinet. I was never able to get a decent sound. I finally quit because my brother complained so much when I practiced. Then I decided that I would like to learn to play the piano; after all, both my parents played. So Mom got me a teacher who came to the house when I was 8 years old. I got as far as the middle of John Thompson's second book and then I got bogged down. I found it difficult to coordinate both hands and read both clefs at the same time. So I dropped the lessons. When I was 12 I asked to try again. So, once again, my mother found a teacher who came to our house, but I still could not get past that same point and I gave up. At 16, I decided I was an intelligent person and there was no reason why I could not learn to play the piano. I went out and found my own teacher, thinking perhaps the problem was that I hadn't had good teachers. But alas I hit the same wall and gave it up for good.
When my girls were in junior high they both learned to play the flute and I discovered that I have a really good embrasure and should have tried the flute when I was in the 5th grade.
I don't recall any of the teachers names, but none of them discouraged me and I did learn to read music. As an adult, I taught myself to play the Autoharp, the guitar, the banjo and the dulcimer.

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Hilary
4/5/2015 03:59:29 pm

Wow! The adage to never give up applies to you and music! Aren't you proud that you stuck to it? I think *everyone* has his or her instrument --sometimes, it just takes a while to find it! :)

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Bev Praver link
4/6/2015 12:43:43 am

I absolutely agree with that everyone can play an instrument, it's just a matter of finding the right one. These days my favorite instrument is my voice.

Jackie
4/5/2015 09:13:40 pm

The saddest day of my life was when I came home from college and discovered that my mother had sold our piano. Our house was small, and she wanted to create a dining room where the piano stood. My father complained that my practice and playing was disturbing his TV shows. Fast forward to my first post undergrad job in Massachusetts...away from boyfriend, family and friends, I took up the guitar to ease the loneliness. Got pretty good at it until I moved back to my family home in CT, when having a busy life as a 20 year-old killed my musical ability for good. Two of my kids took up clarinet, but also packed up the pipes when their lives got busy. Now I watch musicians in awe of their talent, and wonder if I could have ever reached their level of expertise and confidence. Some of our students who are not academically inclined are gifted with an instrument. Is it ever to late to restart lessons? Great blog post, Hilary!

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Hilary
4/6/2015 03:18:04 am

Oh, this is a wonderful story as well! Many of my husband's private music students buy stand-up keyboards, or will even rent one, if they live in a small house. That option was probably not available back in the day! Sadly, today, people are actually giving away family heirloom pianos.

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Brian McKernan
4/6/2015 12:42:15 am

Thanks for sharing this great story, a strong indication of yet another "tradition" (childhood music lessons) with beneficial long-term effects.

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Hilary
4/6/2015 03:26:28 am

Thank you, Brian!

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leslie spoon
4/6/2015 01:39:55 am

Hilary I started piano lessons when I was 11. I loved them. Mrs Murphy was my teacher. She charged $5.00 per Lesson. She taught me a love of music that is still with me today. The only reason I stopped was because she lost her hearing.

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Hilary
4/6/2015 03:22:01 am

I wonder if Mrs. Murphy had been a school teacher? Back in the day, teachers were required to know how to play the piano! That's why, I think, I still see a lot of (sadly, unused) pianos in kindergarten and other grammar school classrooms. :)

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Teri Marzano
4/6/2015 05:17:53 am

My mother forced me into violin lessons at 5, before kindergarten. I hated them! I used to cry when I practiced, because all the other kids were out playing. But then, in second grade, I was plucked out of the classroom to fill in the violin section, and suddenly I was a cool second grader playing in the orchestra with the older kids! I continued playing the violin during elementary and junior high, and then played for musical productions in the orchestra in high school. I now play in a bell choir at my church. I am so glad that music has been a part of my life, and I am sure it made me a better student - especially when it came to understanding fractions! I made sure my kids had music as it was available in our schools, unfortunately as an afterthought in our district, but they were blessed with a fabulous choir director in high school, and they both were infused with music through her.

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Hilary
4/6/2015 06:06:48 am

Another terrific story--and glad you kept up the music and passed it on to your children. I am not great at math, but I think I would be a lot worse if I had not had Mr. Muma. :)

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Jerry
4/7/2015 08:44:30 am

Bravo! …Music, drama and art should be an integral part of public education, not an appendage that gets lopped off every time budgets get slashed... Though I regretfully wasn't able to continue studying oboe after I graduated high school (the instrument was a loaner, and we couldn't afford a new one), I'm grateful for my private lessons and opportunity to perform with peers… I’m certain that the discipline of practicing, and the sensation of experiencing incremental improvement, served me well throughout my writing career... Similarly, though my kids struggled with rehearsing, and ultimately abandoned their instruments after graduation, I'd like to think that they're also appreciative that they individually and collectively got to make music... It's been amply demonstrated that kids who participate in music programs generally do better in all academic pursuits, and it's easy to understand why... Above all, creating music with others is inspirational and fun!... It's a gift that nobody can ever take away from you... Stay musical!...

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Hilary
4/7/2015 10:26:23 am

Thanks for these terrific thoughts. Yup, you are right on target in every way here!

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Carl Dansky
4/8/2015 07:34:00 am

I remember playing trumpet in elementary school and knowing how out of tune everybody was, but it didn't matter (except maybe to the teacher)! I even liked practicing some of the little parts that I had to learn and always thought that music was somehow magical. It had to be, to have peaked my interest. After elementary school, I gave up the trumpet (having reached my limit) and asked my dad to buy me a bugle. I wanted a bugle because I loved the sound. It was fun and that's all I cared about. From the top of our willow tree on weekend mornings I remember my mom or dad coming out telling me to get the hell down and to put down the bugle! FUN!! Then came the Beatles and I picked up a guitar and dozens of friends. Magic and fun. Years later, after playing guitar in several bands,I got a degree in Music Therapy and worked with the developmentally disabled. I was able to see that music, melody, and rhythm were the primary way to communicate with the people I was working with. It seemed to make so many of our people light up and feel free. It was clear that they could learn in new ways and have fun learning within the context of the music. More fun and magic! Hilary, your blog has really got me and others thinking about the importance of music in our lives. I agree that it should always be included in school curriculum.

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Hilary
4/8/2015 08:47:45 am

Thank you so much for these wonderful childhood memories! And... the BUGLE! I would love to see some home movies of you playing it on the top of that willow tree with your parents yelling at you to JUST COME DOWN. And, regarding music therapy and working with the developmentally disabled, isn't it also wonderful to see what music therapy does for those with traumatic head injuries and dementia? Just... awesome. :)

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Lori Dansky
4/8/2015 11:14:32 am

Wonderfully written essay, Hilary. It has me remembering my music experiences. At age nine, I took accordion lessons and loved playing the accordion. I was in a small class in a music store studio for about one year. Then my parents decided piano was much better and I had to switch to piano. They had a piano teacher come to our place to teach my sister and I how to play. I was never very happy about the piano lessons and rarely practiced. After about a year, the lessons were stopped and that was the end of learning an instrument for me. I wish I would have been more serious about learning the piano. But, I love to listen to music and fans are needed too! I agree with the other posters that music is extremely important and should be taught in school. It is not an expendable subject.

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Hilary
4/8/2015 12:52:14 pm

Thanks for commenting! Accordion was a very popular instrument when we were kids, wasn't it? Maybe because of Lawrence Welk, whom my parents watched religiously every week! I completely understand why your folks dropped the piano lessons for you; it must have felt that they were wasting money. Katie stopped after about 18 months because she didn't practice either, but today, she picks up a guitar now and then... AND, thanks to piano, she learned how to read music! :)

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Bev Praver
4/10/2015 09:10:48 am

This is a link to a very good paper on the importance of music lessons in childhood. Hilary asked me to post this link. http://www.mnn.com/leaderboard/stories/10-reasons-why-making-music-is-good-for-your-brain

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Hilary
4/10/2015 10:13:53 am

Thank you!

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M. G. Lord link
4/12/2015 08:26:13 am

Great essay! And a reminder of how important it is for students to be able to study art and music in schools as well as outside of them.

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Hilary
4/12/2015 11:11:50 am

Absolutely! Thank you, MG!

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Kevin Fagan link
4/14/2015 05:21:22 am

Music is magic! And so is that picture of your clown-faced self playing the violin, Hilary - very fun to see

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Hilary
4/14/2015 05:32:22 am

Indeed! :o)

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Heather Risinger
4/17/2015 06:57:57 am

I played the cello and quit in 10th grade. I adore the years in music class and made life-long friends. The best teacher I ever had as a child was Ms. Endress, my elementary strings teacher. I learned more from that instrument and those teachers than all of my other teachers put together.

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Bruce
5/23/2015 09:54:06 am

Mr. Muma's first name was Dwight. I wish I could have remembered his wife's first name.

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Hilary
5/23/2015 11:18:41 am

YES, it WAS! Thanks for remembering. :)

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Melanie
12/30/2016 12:18:46 pm

Hi Hilary,
It is a joy to read that your experience with Mr Muma as your violin teacher was similar to mine! I grew up in the L.B. area of So. Cal. and he came to my house on Thursday afternoons for my lessons. I took lessons from 3rd grade through 10th. My last year of private lessons, I drove to his home which, though small, felt warm and cozy. Mrs.Muma was very sweet and kind, just like her husband. Also, she was in a wheelchair, I had the impression that he was the one who took care of her - he came across as very devoted to her.
During the years growing up, my family would go to events in the parks, etc. where Mr Muma would be playing with the Long Beach Civic Light Orchestra.
Thank you for sharing your experience with Mr Muma! We were both so fortunate to have such a wonderful, patient teacher for learning such a difficult instrument - cheers to Mr. Dwight Muma!

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Hilary
12/31/2016 06:40:41 pm

Hi Melanie! So glad you discovered Girl Clown Dancing! Feel free to go through the archives, and of course, feel free to leave any comments, as there are many blogs about my growing up years... including Sunday dinners and stores closing on that same day; grilled cheese sandwiches, and my bout with TB when I was five years old. And yes, wasn't Mr. Muma wonderful? I remember going to his tiny apartment near Lakewood, and I remember his wife being ill. I was told that she had once been a dancer, but I don't know where. His last home was Brethren Manor, on Pacific, but I am sad to tell you that I never visited him there. I should have. I hope he knows how much I learned to love him, just as he loved me. :)

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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