I Love Music! Do You.

Why assume all students love art and music class in public schools?

• I personally didn't, so I'm probably biased. I'd rather do a 5 to 10 stretch in the local prison than spend another 12 years (I graduated a year early) of finger painting, collages, clay sculptures, or singing in the round and shaking maracas and making guitars out of kleenex boxes. PE was fun, and I loved recess, so I'd hate to see these go. All the classes everyone else assumes children find drudgery - well, I liked history and science and reading and library time. Grammer I found dead easy and if I just had been able to type everything it would have been cake. Math I was strictly a C student, but it wasn't that hard, and even though it wasn't my favorite subject - I still would have picked math over art and music. I thought I was alone in this, then I had two kids and found they find art and music class so boring they run out of the room. (They are homeschooled). Core classes they find easy and are two grades ahead, so I know it's not cognitive. And they like to LISTEN to music - everything from The Magic Flute to Lady Gaga to Gordon Lightfoot to Eminen. They have a keyboard and other instruments.....no interest. They figured out after 2 days how to make the keyboard play itself and then read books while listening to "The House of the Rising Sun." They don't like to sing, and if I sing, or anyone else sings (that's not a professional) they object. ("No singing!) They can tell a Goya from a Picasso from a John Singer Sargent. They were enthralled by pictures of the Chinese Terra Cotta soldiers on the computer, and avidly watched a documentary on them too. However, only occasionally do they like to doodle with sidewalk chalk, and any sort of crafts or painting activity they are bored with after roughly 2 minutes. We usually bring books to restaraunts b/c the old crayon and child's menu thing never worked. (They are 5.5 and almost 7 years old.) We obtained permission from their virtual school to skip art and music. One in high functioning autism and the other is aspergers and super hyper, so we just played the disability card. They make honor roll every semester, so the school is happy that that's the only accomodation they have to make. So - do most children REALLY love art and music classes (hence making it worth the scarce funds) or is it just an assumption that adults make? (Or maybe just adults who happen to really love art and music and can't fathom anyone not loving them too). I admit I haven't a clue - since clearly my kids are way outside the norm, and I'm thinking I am too. I do kind of wish that kids could choose between art and music classes and extra recess time. I think kids don't get to play as much as they should. Thanks in advance, and PLEASE be brutally honest. My feelings will not be hurt, seriously.

• Answer:

  History, English, science, and math are not required because it is assumed that everyone loves them. It is thought that everyone benefits from being exposed to, even learning a bit about, a great variety of things. They never would know if they have any interest or talent in something if they did not give it an adequate try. You've exposed them and they're not interested, at least not now. Their disabilities may well influence that, as could the genes they inherited from you (who isn't interested, either). If your family had many talented musicians, you probably would feel differently. Maybe one will be interested in architecture which combines science and art. Maybe not. I think you've picked a good path. I'd toss them in occasionally over the coming years to see if there is more interest. Music, especially, helps connect people.