By Antonio Gómez Schneekloth, Coordinator of the Music School at Caxton College in Puçol

Every 22 November, music schools, conservatories, and educational centres around the world celebrate the anniversary of this patron saint. We, too, wish to honour her at the Caxton College Music School, evoking her memory with songs composed in her honour, artistic creations and remembering events from her life. In this way we wish to highlight the importance of music in the education of our children, whether or not they pursue it further.

In 1594, Pope Gregory XIII declared Saint Cecilia the patron saint of musicians. But why this noble Roman woman, who converted to Christianity and was martyred for her faith around the year 200? It is said that she felt an irresistible attraction to the harmonious sounds of instruments and had a strong sensibility to the art of sound. As a result, the martyr began to be depicted by artists and sculptors from the Middle Ages onwards, playing the lyre, harp, organ, or lute. As a descendant of a patrician family, it is highly probable that she received a solid musical education from a young age.

Many things are said about music: that it tames wild animals, stimulates the brain, serves as a means of individual and collective expression, heals, and serves as a universal language. Its benefits are numerous and well-documented, both for children and adults. Music is not only present in auditoriums, concert halls, or specialised schools where it is cultivated, but also in our homes, at public celebrations of all kinds, at folk festivals, sporting events, in churches, hospitals and ambulances. In summary, it is part of our lives.

Musical education supports the development of both intellectual and physical abilities from a very early age. This is the motto we live by at our Music School. We shouldn’t forget that playing an instrument or singing are not only mental activities but also physical ones. By learning to follow a rhythm, sing a song, read sheet music, or master an instrument, our minds are trained in a language different from the one we speak and write. In this way, additional skills are acquired or functions such as memory are reinforced.

In the Music School, we are fully aware of all the benefits music brings us. That is why we encourage its practice and aim to motivate those who venture to take their first steps in this art to remember its patron during this week in different lessons and subjects.