Intros

1. A cruel and mentally inhibited dictator leaves a country in shambles. After the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, citizens of Romania were left to reassemble what was left of their broken country. In an effort to build a supreme race, Ceausescu had heavily taxed those with less than five children. As a result, parents found themselves with more mouths than they were able to feed. As a last resort, many parents turned their children over to the government, hoping that at least they’d get a meal a day. As the orphanages were filled beyond their limits, children’s minimal physical needs were met, but they did not receive the attention needed to grow in all aspects of development. Almost two decades later, Romania continues to feel the effect of this disaster and children continue to be under-stimulated and unloved. These children need stimuli that is inexpensive and easily accessible and that will challenge their minds, build interactions, evoke emotion, and encourage at least minimal physical activity daily. All of these requirements and be filled by the introduction of music.

2. Imagine that you’ve lived all 12 years of your life on the same mattress. Yours is lined up in a row of 100 identical beds housing 100 identical children. Yes, you are usually fed and kept warm. But you have never been able to explore, to think. You don’t have the opportunity to stimulate your brain, develop emotional attachments, or even move beyond the confines of your mattress. Children are leashed to their beds if they try to roam. Many children have resorted to rocking or other repetitive movements as a rudimentary way to activate their brains. This is the situation of thousands of children in Romanian orphanages. These children need stimuli that will promote development of the brain as well as emotional and social functions. Music has the potential to provide the necessary stimulus for healthy growth. The introduction of music to under-stimulated orphans would support growth in the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical domains.