My Johnnie can sing. In fact, he's majoring in music in college right now. That may have to do with being brought up in a household immersed in music, along with his own innate passion for music, a combination of exposure and interest.

I sang to him every night when he was an infant, and we sang together every day in the car on the way to day care. The radio was often going in some room of the house, and he sang along to his while we sang along to ours. He went to his first music festival (bluegrass) as a baby, and every summer played on a blanket on the New Haven green while the symphony serenaded us under the stars. We had many a song circle at our house with him lying on his back in the middle of the circle "absorbing" the songs that went around the room.

His friends got together once or twice a week to make music, sometimes here sometimes elsewhere. They sang along with the drums, congas and electric guitars, sometimes things they wrote themselves, sometimes covering groups they liked. Sometimes it was even music from our old record collection, like Buffalo Springfield or Traffic. Sometimes he even played bluegrass bass with Mom and Dad.

I think some people just aren't interested in the arts. Our constantly evolving society values and supports different activities with each generation, but there will always be those few poets, musicians, dancers, creative ones who need and cherish the arts. Is the culture the result or cause of the society's values? When options for entertainment were limited, people tended to get together and sing or dance or play music. Or play cards. Or throw balls. Or watch people throwing balls. Me, I make time for music.