In Shape, In Step, In Tune

Cura personalis means the “care of the whole person” and refrs to the notion of educating “the whole person,” the mind, body, and spirit. In the past I have often found myself focusing on, and worrying over, one segment of my son Charlie’s education, namely, his academics. Charlie has been and will be in special education programs for all of his schooling, and there are many challenges, and limits, to his learning in academic areas such as reading, mathematics, science. But even as the limits of his academic learning have become more apparent as he has gotten older, so have the ways in which he has talents and ability.

As I’ve noted here before, it is in physical activity and in music that Charlie delights and excels. He has been doing yoga for Adapted Physical Education (A.P.E.) and had a blast at it the other day, and walked around humming the songs: I’m reminded again of how his daily half-hour of physical activity (like a recent soccer unit) helps to him to focus and to refocus. Omni Brain underscores the importance of music education, as noted in an article in Psychological Science:

Music lessons involve long periods of focused attention, daily practice, reading musical notation, memorization of extended musical passages, learning about a variety of musical structures (e.g., intervals, scales, chords, chord progressions), and progressive mastery of technical (i.e., fine-motor) skills and the conventions governing the expression of emotions in performance.

All of these are incorporated in my son Charlie’s piano lessons.

On which note:

Dance!

Cheer!