I was moved to tears by John Laird’s April 21 column, “You don’t have to be a music virtuoso to soothe the savage.”
Laird absolutely nailed it with his advocacy for music programs in the schools. It was so gratifying and encouraging to read this as he recounted the stirring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Boston Bruins hockey game.
I spent 30 years teaching music. It is an art that “comforts both performer and listener.” And, indeed it does defy logic to see school budget writers cut music because of the mistaken belief that somehow this enriching subject is a frill.
Music is fundamental to our being. May I add a confirmation of Laird’s supposition that Mahler’s Fifth Symphony as performed by the Vancouver Symphony on April 12 and 14 was, indeed, exquisite. It’s almost unimaginable that the human mind could devise such an intricate work of art as Mahler did.
