A gift from Paris opened a world of art

I love art; however, I don’t consider myself to be artistic.  My parents like art and I remember being taken to museums and concerts when I was very young.  I whined because it was boring and I was tired, I wasn’t always very interested, but you have no idea how thankful I am to my parents for dragging me to each one of those concerts and museums.  I particularly remember a guitar and flute concert that my dad took me to when I was about 9, I was so unhappy and bored, I really wanted to leave.

Now, as a mother, I’ve realized that children can only get to appreciate, and eventually like, what they are exposed to.  Given all the technology around us (PSP, DS, iPad, phones, etc.) and the budget cuts for the arts, it is more important than ever to expose kids to the arts.

A few years ago, when my kids were about 5 and 3 years old, my brother and his wife brought them a gift from Paris:  A children’s book about Vincent Van Gogh.  For about a year I didn’t even open the book, until one day, I decided we were going to read it.  We could have read another “Dora the Explorer” book, but instead, we read about Van Gogh.  Half-way through the book (parts of the story are not that child-friendly) my son asked:  “Is it almost over?”  I interpreted the question as lack of interest, so I replied:  “Don’t worry, just a few more pages.”  He, in turn said:  “No, I don’t want it to be over.”  What a relief!  Needless to say that the following day I ordered that entire collection on Amazon (only a few more artists), and found another children’s book collection about artists.  We now have about 25 artist books at home, from Michelangelo to Andy Warhol.  They love reading their stories (including the failed relationships, sickness, deaths, and harsh conditions).  They are familiar with Edward Hopper, Marc Chagall, Mary Cassatt, Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Alexander Calder and many more.  So now, when we go to museums, they recognize many of the pieces, it has put all these artists and styles into context.  About 3 years ago before a trip to Montreal I remember telling them:  “Guess what?  You’re going to see a real Picasso in the Montreal Museum of Fine Art.”  They were so excited to see a Picasso in person!  They still get tired after walking for a while and they still complain, but the experience of going to a museum or gallery, any experience related to art, is different now that they have learned about the lives of these incredible artists. 

It is very similar with classical music.  I love classical music.  I remember my older brother loved it when I was very young, but I never really listened to it until I was much older.  I particularly like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Schubert.  Once again, I’m no expert, I only recognize a few pieces, but I enjoy listening to it.  I started playing some of my favorite concertos at home and always listened to the classical music station in the car.  I was expecting my kids to complain and ask me to change it, but they didn’t.  We started reading about various composers (same book series as the artists) and we try to go to concerts as much as we can.  I’m delighted that they truly enjoy classical music, even though now, in the car, we alternate with hip hop and rap (that’s their influence on me). 

Art is easier to see around us, in movies, commercials, advertisements, etc.  However, classical music is different.  If we don’t play it at home, it is very unlikely that they will hear it in other places.  Such a shame that incredible composers who wrote beautiful music are not being introduced to our younger generations, and, for that matter to people my age. 

It is up to us to expose our children to the arts.  It enriches our lives, and I hope they will treasure it forever.