RURAL REFLECTIONS: Nighttime with Yo-Yo Ma

Our new pup, Remy, is pretty remarkable. He has exquisite taste. The TV was on. I love “Midsomer Murders.” The music is always perfect for the scene. Brainlessly, I worked on my computer as the show played. Remy was snuggled next to me. All at once the music cut to a cello solo. Remy sat up, his ears perked, head tilted and listened. He loved it.

The arts. Music, painting, singing, ceramics, poetry, drama, writing, all of it and more. The things that keep us not only entertained but those things that tell our stories. The sounds and sights that accompany our lives. We are immersed in it without really realizing the impact of it.

Years ago I asked my acting students to list all the ways that the arts touch our lives. They were quite surprised, finding the impact arts have on our everyday lives from the cars we drive to the clothes we wear. One cannot separate themselves from it.

Luckily, I grew up with music, writing, creativity in needle work, painting and drawing. We did not have much money but were rich in the life our parents provided for us with the arts woven into our every day.

Schools are not promoting the arts as they once did. Adults too often fail to realize the importance of a well-rounded child. They fail to see what the child is drawn to and just might miss the gifts this child possesses.

I can vouch for what drama does for anyone who loves acting or just loves the stage. It teaches empathy, compassion, love. We should all walk in someone else’s shoes to see what it is like and perhaps understand ourselves a bit better.

A singer knows the depth of power that music brings. It touches the very soul and begs to be released. An orchestra, a guitarist, a banjo player feels what the instruments produce.

The visual artist feels the power of a paint brush, the feel of the clay. A piece of wood, of colored glass, of a piece of yarn and more, ask the creator to see the possibilities and to create, to touch lives of the viewer and to find their own inner beings.

A world of the arts is indeed a world of peace and love.

At night as I tuck Remy into bed, I turn on soft cello music. Sleepy eyes and Yo-Yo Ma. The arts.