Orff Kodaly at West Van Library

BY Jini Park

After a night of insomnia, I was ready to welcome the morning sunshine and my dear friend Caffè Americano. Grumpy, I stumbled down the stairs, and then I remembered something that perked me up. My daughter’s first Orff Kodaly music class at West Vancouver Library was scheduled that day.

I am a strong believer in the power of music when it comes to children’s mental and emotional development. Joan Koenig, the founder of L’Ecole Koenig music school in Paris and author of The Musical Child, explains: “Music speaks to children in the area of the brain that processes sound and emotion.”

Author and research associate at USC Dornsife College, Assal Habibi, found that introducing a musical instrument at an early age, “changes kids’ neurology and speeds up brain development.”

Music played an essential part in my daughter’s life even before her birth. I re- member listening to popular pop songs like “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, gazing in awe as my baby danced inside my gigantic eight-month-pregnant self.

My daughter and I headed to West Vancouver Memorial Library with great anticipation. The room was decorated with rows of wooden xylophones. The participants’ excited chatter and the instructor’s warm smile made us feel welcome.

The Kodaly Orff class was fantastic, ex-

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