Musical Harbor {On the Turntable}

After school activities in the fall or in wintercan be a challenge: kids are tired, not to mention exhausted, it may be raining, forcing you to stay inside limiting any chances of outdoorsy outbursts of freewill and wild jumps…

Today is one of those days: you need to go straight home under buckets of persistent water, every young individual forming your lovable family team is grumpy - yet no teenagers in sight - and unwilling to say “yes” to pretty much any idea you put forth, no matter how big your smile and how tenacious your goodwill. 

How can you save your kids from implosion and yourself from explosion? I’m giving you a couple of tips - they worked for us, so I might as well share the good medicine for once that I seem to have found the right elixir. 

At the girls’ school, I have met with one of the teachers who mentioned that she loves music, all types of music, and that parents can freely access the classroom to check what the kids are currently listening to. How brilliant is this? As a mother who’s very rarely been allowed into her children’s classroom, this comes as big news, especially if you’re kind of curious, verging on nosy…! Attending a new school can be stressful for all, but this seems to be one of the perks for us right now…

Her method, if I may call it so, is working beautifully: my eldest came home just a few days ago mentioning that she likes Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). The moment she spoke, I went straight to our CD collection and picked up our own Tchaikovsky playlist and put it on, starting with piano and orchestra concert n° 1. At the same time, I displayed a stack of sheets of paper and pencils of a thousand colors on the floor - that’s where all our creative activities take place, sometimes on a paper tablecloth (the cheap kind you can get at Monoprix or Hema, they’re surprisingly resistent). Needless to say the music+drawing wonder kit is transportable and perfectly suited to be packed in any suitcase: think iTunes, MusicMe, SoundCloud, Spotify or any MP3 reader for that matter…).

The combination rhythmically worked its magic: each girl picked her favorite creative hobby; they both quieted down to the soft music of Tchaikovsky,  at quite a low volume so as not to distract them and induce further uncontrollable outbursts of energy. A few minutes later, the  youngest one was coloring away and humming along… Classical music is actually the only one I can listen to when working - all other types of music are way too distracting as I tend to then sing along… The only exceptions I have noticed so far pertain to natural sounds, the ones mother nature makes and unless you forget your mind has been formatted by urban jungle noise, you’ll never learn to allow into the farthest corners of your soul. 

Another soothing option suited for introspection and daydreaming while drawing and colouring away is Agnes Obel: her crystal-like voice rises towards the sun, unchaining us from heavy, earthly ties. Can her style be called classical? I would call it celestial… Songs like Familiar and It’s Happening Again throw a reconciliation blanket on my daughters’ excessive and unexpected mood swings at the end of a strenuous day. It is a harmonious balm capable of leading even the most restless children into a safe and peaceful harbor where they can express themselves freely thanks to mindful focus. 

Tell me, how do you bring your children to a safe haven where they can focus and create? What is their safe haven?

Credits: Love From Ginger (edited by The Daydreamer)