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In 2003, the Florida House of Representatives designated February as Hindu Heritage Month to honor the Hindu residents of the state that add to its diversity and help better the state by promoting their cultures and traditions, spreading knowledge and culture. The month was selected more due to the fact that many Hindus worship Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and learning, in February.

The Hindu culture is both diverse and rich as Hinduism dates back to the Indus Valley over 4,000 years ago, making it the oldest religion in the world. Hindu Heritage Month gives people an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the Hindu culture. The South Florida Hindu Temple in Southwest Ranches in conjunction with other organizations holds events for the public to learn about myths and misconceptions about the Hindu culture, but also to experience the rich culture. However, temples are not the only place to learn about Hindu heritage, as there are programs, classes, and monuments everywhere.

In Davie, you can find Mahatma Gandhi Square, which features a seven-foot tall bronze statue of the man who helped gain India’s independence. Not only is he known for helping with independence, but Hindus focus more on how he accomplished the goal through nonviolence. Hindus practice ahimsa, non-violence, which Gandhi exemplified in a time of great conflict and struggle.

Throughout South Florida, many cultural programs can be found as well. Bharatnatyam, the oldest classical dance in India, serves as a way for many Hindus to express their devotion to god and to tell
stories of their culture through a beautiful dance form. Kathak
dances originated in North India and are known for their storytelling through rhythmic foot movements. There are many traditional music and dance programs that are offered to the public through the Broward arts council that offer a way to learn about this rich aspect of Hindu heritage.

Besides giving the community a chance to learn about another religion and culture, Hindu Heritage Month is an opportunity for Hindus to celebrate and appreciate their heritage in a society that is continuing to move away from traditions as popular culture grows in influence. February gives Hindus a chance to strengthen their ties to their heritage and culture. Fully immersing themselves in Hindu traditions and celebrations may help them come to accept themselves and their lifestyle. Normally February holds activities like cultural programs, day of service activities, and a time for reflection and learning. I hope that everyone uses this month to learn and appreciate the lives of others and themselves as this diversity is what makes society better for everyone, giving all the opportunity to learn about the world and everyone that inhabits it.

During the past several months, COVID-19 has been a roadblock for the educational system. This spring, school classes went virtual, and a lot of extracurricular activities were halted in their tracks.

For parents with kids who are learning to play an instrument, the uncertainty with school bands and lack of in-person classes has been an ongoing challenge. One local music teacher is Glen Friedman from the G-Clef Music Academy in Parkland.

Glen has been teaching his students virtually throughout the summer. As schools open, he is planning to continue to teach virtually as this is key to ensuring his students keep up with their curriculums and not fall behind due to this year’s pandemic limitations.

Music strengthens the mind
Why is music education important for developing minds? A study by Professor Hudziak from the University of Vermont College of Medicine found that the “more a child trained on an instrument, it accelerated cortical organization in attention skill, anxiety management, and emotion control.”

According to Professor Hudziak, in an interview with the Washington Post, music is like an exercise for the brain. “What I was surprised by was the emotional regulatory regions. Everyone in our culture knows if I lift 5-pound, 10-pound, 15-pound weights, my biceps will get bigger. The same is true for the brain. We shouldn’t be surprised we can train the brain.”

Music helps with math
Much of Science, Engineering, and Math is built on the principles of harmonics. One key principle, the Fourier Transform, expresses the world in terms of musical chords. Joseph Fourier, in 1822, first showed the usage of infinite sums of harmonics to describe a signal, which the mathematical transform is now named after. Recently, our modern mobile communications mostly rely on the concept of harmonics to transmit information over the air.

Learning music has been shown to benefit students’mathematical abilities. Researchers from the University of Texas, in a peer-reviewed article for the Journal of Learning through Arts, found “the students who learned through the various music-integrated instructional settings demonstrated increased mathematical ability levels over the intervention period in the present study.”

According to Glen, the best way to learn music is through one-on-one sessions. The individual feedback is important to help develop and improve a student’s skills.

During the pandemic, it hasn’t all been virtual lessons. Glen is part of some virtual big band recordings, too. You can find some of those sessions on YouTube’s “Glen Friedman Music”channel.

If you are deciding how best to keep your child busy after school, improve their focus and emotional control, or just want better grades in math, enroll them in music classes. This is where the arts and sciences intersect.

By Li Pan

Tag: classes

Hindu Heritage Month

Musical education not left behind by COVID-19