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MUSIC OF THE HEART (opens October 29th) * * * out of * * * * stars ==========================
DIRECTED BY: Wes Craven STARRING: Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman, Gloria Estefan WRITTEN BY: Pamela Gray RATED: PG for brief mild language and sensuality. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Proverbs 6:23, Colossians 3:23, 2 Corinthians 8:11
A study was done some time ago which measured the overall impact that structured musical programs have on grade school children. The results overwhelmingly indicated that those students who studied and played a musical instrument also performed better academically. This finding is not at odds with the true life story depicted in MUSIC OF THE HEART.
Meryl Streep (ONE TRUE THING) plays Roberta Guaspari, a woman whose husband has just left her for another woman. Taking her two young sons and retreating to her home town and the familiar comfort of her mother (Cloris Leachman, NEVER TOO LATE), she is at a loss as to know what she should do next. An old friend (Aidan Quinn, PRACTICAL MAGIC), knowing of her skill as a violinist, points her in the direction of a teaching position in an East Harlem alternative school.
Though she has limited work experience and virtually no professional teaching experience, the principal (Angela Bassett, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK) decides to hire her on a trial basis as a substitute teacher. The first half of the movie has Roberta struggling through the transitional period of coping with a very difficult time in her life... both personally and professionally.
Ten years later, her "substitute" status remains unchanged but her violin program has grown to encompass the students of three different inner-city schools. In fact, it has become so popular that the students must enter a lottery to see who will be allowed to take her class.
The second half of this movie (which is infinitely superior to the first) deals with Roberta's fight to save the program from succumbing to imposed budgetary cuts. This fight culminates with a fundraising concert named "Fiddlefest" which was performed in 1993 on the stage at Carnegie Hall with guest violinists Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Mark O'Connor, Arnold Steinhardt, and others (all playing themselves).
Ms. Streep adds yet another stellar performance to an already impressive resume. She plays a woman supremely confident in her ability as a musician, yet because of her failed relationships, not as confident about herself as a woman. We never once doubt her abilities or insecurities even though we know both are pretended.
MUSIC OF THE HEART is directed by horror film maven Wes Craven (SCREAM), in his first departure from the genre which brought him fame. Mr. Craven is not as successful in presenting the nuances of Roberta's personal life such as the raising of her sons or her relationships with men. But the film soars whenever the focus returns to the music and the students who must play it.
Over half of the students in the film were selected from Ms. Guaspari's actual classes. The precision, dedication, commitment and discipline these students had to develop in order to learn this difficult instrument will certainly be transferable to any endeavor they choose to attempt in the future.
Ms. Guaspari's teaching secret was her innate awareness that children desire discipline in their lives. She elected to teach them to "stand strong." Not just physically, using the proper musician's stance, but internally. Instead of coddling them or providing them with compassionate but unwarranted compliments, she rode them incessantly to do better. She inspired them to reach for greater heights. And they loved her for it.
"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:" Proverbs 6:23 [KJV]
Without reproof to teach us when we are doing something incorrectly, we will never learn, grow, or improve. Ms. Guaspari's lessons had an impact which reached beyond the simple playing of notes on a stringed instrument. Discipline is a learned quality one may draw upon for a lifetime. The students learn that to play from the heart, one must first master the fundamentals. The only way to do that is the punch line to an appropriate old cabdriver joke:
Question: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Answer: Practice, practice, practice.
This same answer can be applied to achieve proficiency in any field, including the spiritual ones.
Michael Elliott October 1999 http://www.christiancritic.com
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