Return to Hawaii, February 2013

In early February, I returned home to Hawaii to visit my mother on the occasion of her 90th birthday. 

While there, I was invited to return to Punahou School to speak with the students about music and science.  I spent a morning with the Jazz/Lit class taught by Mr. Pete Barazza (seen here) and the next day spoke at the Anatomy class of Ms. Darcy Iams.  In both classes, I encouraged students to take risks and to always maintain their joy of curiosity. I tried to reassure them that they did not need to know their career paths by the time they graduated from high school - and that changing their minds in college was okay.

In Ms. Iams' Anatomy class we touched on neuroscience, music and community. I asked the students to go around the room imagining themselves to be scientists and completing one of two sentences, "I wonder why..." or "I wonder if..."  The questions they raised were astounding, from "I wonder why football players listen to music before football games and what is happening in their brains?" to "I wonder why elderly with dementia can remember music?"  Finally, one young woman said "I wonder why they keep cutting the arts programs in schools when it is so good for our brains?"  

We all applauded!

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