Open Mind. Open Air. The Beach.
Before I share with you what ‘Open Mind’ has to do with ‘The Beach’, let me first share this story with you.
Sometime ago I chatted with a friend whose son is a very talented 9yo violin player. They live overseas.
And one thing that immediately caught my attention was how her son learns to play the violin.
Unlike the usual ‘weekly violin lessons’, he flies to Indonesia every year and has his lessons there.
Every year, he’d go to Jakarta and stay there for 7 weeks (ie. during the long school holiday break). His coach then evaluates, teaches and basically coaches him during that period (Yes, 7 weeks out of 52!)
As for the rest of the year, he practises at home with his mom! (thousands of miles away from the coach!). And if they have any questions, they’ll email the coach.
I was amazed.
Because even with this ‘unusual’ method of learning, her son plays real well and has also won music competitions!
(My friend shared with me how having a talent is one thing, but a much bigger and more important factor in all this is hard work and discipline. I totally agree with her. Having a coach who knows how to apply the right techniques and how to cultivate and drive the child’s passion for music is obviously also very important)
[Palawan beach at about 6pm. I love the dramatic sky!]
…
And there’s this one other interesting topic during our conversation.
There was this one time when the coach said to the mom (after a practice session), ‘I notice that somehow your son is not expressing himself openly when he plays the violin. It’s as if his mind is blocked or … closed-up.’
Now you see, this family lives in Hong Kong. And as we all know, you’re surrounded with buildings and walls when you live in Hong Kong. Pretty much like living in Singapore, I guess, where we move from one ‘enclosed area’ to another.
(A total opposite to living, say … in New Zealand or Switzerland, I mean)
So after that session, the coach gave a recommendation: When you’re back in Hong Kong, let your son be out in the open more regularly, eg. Visit the beach.
Let him just play at the beach, swim or even do nothing there. Let him enjoy the open space and the open air.
And that’s what they did. My friend took her son to the beach once every week.
And you know what. The very next year, when they flew to Jakarta for their ‘yearly coaching sessions’, the coach saw IMPROVEMENTS in the way this boy played the violin! ie. In the way he expressed himself through the music that he’s playing.
…
All this got me thinking about how a simple thing like enjoying the outdoors does have an impact to one’s mind.
I mean, one’s regular exposure to open spaces helps in nurturing (ie. freshening / opening) one’s mind?
Interesting, I thought. And I like it.
…
Anyway.
As a parent, I personally believe in bringing the kids out of the four walls of our Singapore home daily too. The kids get to play more freely and I get some fresh air too.
(I never consciously thought about the ‘open space and open mind’ thing prior to my conversation with my friend though)
But, going to the beach or the park a few times a week is not possible for us here in Singapore.
So, I usually encourage the kids to play outside of our tiny apartment. We’d go for a walk to the nearby market or something. Anything, as long as we’re not always ‘stuck’ within the four walls of our home (or school buildings / office / shopping malls).
And on Saturdays, we most likely be out and about, for the whole day.
Like last weekend, the kids and I went to Palawan Beach when Daddy was away on business trip!
The weather was great and we all enjoyed ourselves a lot.
The kids played with sand and water, while I sat back and read a book.
It sure was a nice late afternoon spent out in the open!
[Anya has lost a total of 3 baby teeth so far, hehe]
[And this little guy obviously needs a haircut, hehe]
[I totally recommend this book, btw. I hope I get to share a bit about it one of these days!]
[Anya dug out this ‘water hole’ all by herself and she’s obviously very happy with it!]
[Endless beach fun!]
17 Comments »
Leave a comment!
Wow… can hardly wait reading your book review, Mak. Sounds so interesting 🙂
Hi Yd,
You can check out this online bookstore ya :
http://www.discerningbooks.com/shepherding-a-child-s-heart.html
=)
Leonny,
Pengen baca buku Shepherding a child’s heart. Bli dimana ya di Singapore?
Thanks
yd
Hi Serena,
Thanks for sharing. I’m sure your two little ones enjoy the visits to these open spaces! =)
Somehow I do feel, it’s often not easy to keep a balance, between sending kids to classes and letting them enjoy their free play out in the open, especially when they’re in Singapore and their schools (and teachers) place high expectations on their academic scores.
Anyway, thanks again for dropping by. Stay in touch! =)
i truely believe that children who are out in the open space can be more freely in their mind.. they might not have a lot of time to attend extra classes but they sure have a lot of space for ‘smile’ and sunshines.
i bring my 2 kids (by bus) to park, bird park and zoo . they are 6 yo & 5yo now.
Hi Steph,
My guess is one’s upbringing and family background also affect one’s preference? ie. outdoors versus indoors. I know some people who naturally are not interested in spending time outdoors and it really is because they haven’t been exposed to the outdoors much at all since little. I hope to change this mindset though, starting from our own little family.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Great to hear from you =)
Hi AhJian,
I’m thinking, I guess the impact of ‘regular exposure to the open space and enjoyment of the outdoors’ goes beyond one’s interpretation and expression of music as it also affects all other aspects in one’s life …
Thanks for dropping a note to share your thoughts … =)
Hi Gwen,
Yes, Wilson and I also much prefer going to places with wide open spaces for holidays. Somehow it’s more refreshing. (except for our annual visits to jam-packed Jakarta to meet our families :).
I love what you are doing with your children. Showing them the little things in life are actually big ones. Nature is all around us, given by God. Something we take for granted, but many favour shopping centres instead. Continue to teach your children to appreciate nature and the music too.
Yup, mind should be clear always when you learning music, listening music or playing music.
Go somewhere out of the city, go somewhere inspired, have a good sound system, its good for the learning journey!
Hi Leonny, I definitely agree with the open spaces open minds hypothesis.
I don’t think I actively knew about this concept but I do think it could be a contributory reason why we tend to pick a location with wide open spaces and open ended activities instead of urban locations with lots of buildings, when we are deciding on going on a family holiday.
it makes a huge difference to me (not sure I can speak on behalf of the kids yet at this juncture) because even though we might have our hands full looking after the kids on holiday and there are stressful moments, we still return to Singapore rested and recharged for what is ahead.
@xin:
Iya memang, itu challenging memang yah kalo di Jkt. Krg ada fasilitas utk bs outdoors kecuali keluar kota. Tp, mungkin instead of mainnya di mall terus, bisa tetep di ajak renang misalnya?
kalo di Jkt susah nyari pantainya jie, palingan ancol tapi itu juga kotor, kalo ke anyer kejauhan 🙁
Hi Andy!
One of the things I noticed was, here in Singapore we see more trees planted along the streets (compared to those in HK, where literally buildings and people are everywhere, though the mountain views in the background are very nice).
No ‘easy / direct’ access to such greenery here though (ie. unless we go and visit the parks and gardens). Some say, we live in a ‘concrete jungle’. Still, I’m still grateful that despite the limited land and greenery, Singapore tries its best to conserve and keep the country ‘green’ where possible.
Visit the parks and gardens, you will be surprise how little-Singapore got so much green-lungs 🙂
Hi Sherlyn,
We took the bus to Harbour Front Bus terminal, then took the orange Sentosa bus to the Beach Station. Then we walked to Palawan Beach (actually, after going for their Luge rides hehe).
We took the same route back home 🙂 Slept on the bus, but woke up in time to get off hehe …
Wao alone to the beach with the kids … I dare not try it yet .. did you go there by public transport? oh, perhaps you drove…