Music, provided it is sublime, is a prayer that enraptures and ennobles the eternal spirit that we all are, allowing us to enter into close communion with the higher planes of spiritual expression.
According to Pestalozzi, “Rhythm is present in the child from within his own organism: the tempo of the heartbeats, the compassed rhythm of his walking, the swinging of his arms, etc. Everything around him speaks that the universe is involved in harmonious rhythm.”
Rodrigo Quadros de Oliveira*
Stratford, EUA
“The more a being, by his will and his acts, approaches God, the more he is able to feel the divine effluvia and vibrations. According to his evolution, these vibrations will translate into the creation of virtues. Art, therefore, is one of the means to feel the greatness of God”1
Léon Denis, in the book Spiritism and Art – where the initial text of this article comes from – assisted by the spirits Massenet and the Esteta, brought us an incredible body of knowledge about the importance of the Arts for the development of humanity – of how Theater, Poetry, Music, allied with Spiritism, can help us in Jesus’ plan to preach the Gospel to our hearts. I recommend a complete reading. In this book I learned that music is not heard, but above all felt in our hearts. Léon Denis brings that it is necessary that music opens, for the intelligence, the paths that lead to the understanding of the divine laws, to the possession of the eternal beauty.
In the scientific field, Dr. Masaru Emoto has demonstrated2 that human vibrational energy, our thoughts, words, and music, affect the molecular structure of water. What to say then about our bodies and our planet, which are respectively 60% and 70% water? The question I ask myself is – how is my playlist, not just in songs, but in what I emanate? What songs do I listen to with my children? I invite you to this reflection.
While the scientific part proves us, and Spiritism clarifies – even those who are not aware of the details can certainly also feel in their hearts the same benefits, because the divine vibrations of love and harmony involve us at all times. Music is one of the channels that makes us connect with this creative and loving energy. And in Early Childhood Education it is no different.
You don’t have to hesitate to do activities with music because you don’t know how to play a musical instrument It is undeniable that an instrument facilitates the activity, but let us remember that God gave us a great instrument: Our voice! We see in our spiritist center children happy, engaged, dancing, just to the sound of a song, even without a guitar. Especially in the 0-8 age group, where music is a powerful tool to keep them attentive and focused in class.
As for young people, I see music as an instrument for the formation of greater friendship bonds, and fraternal gatherings, such as in Musical Groups, which will not only benefit them during this phase, but I also imagine it to be a great “bridge” for their involvement in the work and activities of the spiritist house. Letting them compose, play, perform at the center or in philanthropic entities like a nursing home, shows how music can be an excellent tool to motivate them to work for the good!
One can then ask – What songs should I sing? Where can I find such songs? Is the music I have chosen for the activity appropriate?
As for the choice of music, as suggested by Leon Denis, we recommend lyrics that encourage the good, the beautiful, the development of innate virtues in them, for example, encouraging the child to feel God through nature, through the family, through a smile, a hug, through affectionate gestures. The music should be appropriate to the age group for better receptivity. In online assignments – if done in a larger group with various ages – common during the pandemic, we prefer to focus on the younger ones, who are harder to keep ” tuned in” in class.
I know that there is work already started in this area, and I praise the idea of creating digital spaces where such songs, sometimes created by the educator themselves, could be compiled, and shared, to facilitate the adoption and help other Spirit Centers.
Alternatively, I see that it is also possible to use “popular” songs that fit the above criteria. In our Spiritist Center here in the United States, we prefer music in English, because it’s easier for the children, since most of them were born here. Personally, I am a fan of us teaching the Portuguese language to children born in a Spiritist environment, due to the immensity of works available, which will be able to help them personally and as for the translation of works into other languages. But I think that Spiritist Education in the local language where the center is, in our case English, is vital – for the continuity and propagation of the Spiritist message for the next generations in these same communities. Following is select examples of popular songs that we use:
– Red grammer: It has songs focused on developing virtues, such as: Kindness, Gratitude, Patience, Integrity, that enable the Spiritist educator to explore the content in a fun way, turning to music to say “Just like the song said, we can do it, can’t we”? More in here: https://redgrammer.com/index.php/songs.html
– Jason Mraz: Artist with songs in the area of kindness and beauty, great for events with children and parents (parents also like them), such as:
https://www.vagalume.com.br/jason-mraz/love-is-still-the-answer-traducao.html
https://www.vagalume.com.br/jason-mraz/look-for-the-good-traducao.html
Finally, I see music as a blessing from God, which brings us immense happiness, when well used.. The best way I can explain it is by showing a video of our center, which, to end the classes, we adopted one of the songs from the Red Grammer, on the initiative of the children themselves, making a Train of Love and Joy, gathering parents and children as a symbol of union between all families. From personal experience, no matter how hard one tries, one cannot stay out. Follow the link:
*Rodrigo Quadros Oliveira is a worker at the SER Spiritist Center (www.ser-usa.org) in Stratford/CT United Stated, where he has been using music to help with the works of the Spiritist Education in the Spiritist Center since 2015. E-mail: rqo2011@gmail.com
References
1 – Spirit Massenet, in the book “Spiritism in the Arts” de Léon Denis
2 – The Hidden Messages in Water, Book by Masaru Emoto
