ถึงแม้ว่าในช่วงไม่กี่ปีที่ผ่านมา จะมี wave การฝึกเด็กๆให้ code เพื่อพัฒนาสมอง ทักษะทางคณิตศาสตร์ ภาษา การวิเคราะห์ การแก้ปัญหา ฯลฯ แต่การวิจัยล่าสุดจาก MIT ในปี 2020 ที่ผ่านมาเหมือนจะบอกว่ามันไม่ได้เป็นเช่นนั้นเสมอไป ความจริงแล้วการอ่าน code ไม่เหมือนการอ่านภาษา และไม่ได้พัฒนาสมองส่วนที่เกี่ยวกับภาษาด้วย และล่าสุดงานวิจัยจากมหาวิทยาลัย Zürich ได้บอกว่าสิ่งที่ช่วยพัฒนาสมองเด็กๆ จริงๆแล้วคือการเรียนดนตรี เพราะการเรียนดนตรีช่วยพัฒนาหลายส่วนของสมองพร้อมกัน รวมทั้งทำให้มันเชื่อมต่

Our last concert is a whole day out of town for the children. We started very early to reach Podkowa Leśna for our lunch time concert. Thanks to yesterday’s practice, the children managed to get their minds back on the concert track. As soon as we arrived, all the children knew their job very well. They went to the changing room, hung all their concert attire, and went straight to practice. They took turn playing and listening to each other. It was wonderful for us to see tha

Coming back to the Art field, we spent our Tuesday morning at the National Museum. As I wasn’t feeling so well, I couldn’t follow them to all the exhibitions they went through. I only waited for them to discover all the art works from different periods by themselves. From those who went through all the floors with an audioguide, they told me that they were all very interested in the stories behind each work. Some of them were particularly interested in modern art. They felt l

We took a bit more relaxing day today. We allowed everyone to get up later than usual. After such an intense week in Krakow and yesterday morning service, everyone was so exhausted. Everyday we learnt something new. Everyday we went somewhere new. Everyday we tried something new. All this combining with a lot of walk for Bangkokian legs, we needed a bit more rest today. Today’s agenda was a time in Łazienki Park to find the famous Chopin monument and Chopin Academy in the aft

We got up early to go to church to see the holy procession of Palm Sunday. We planned to go to a church on the outskirt of Warsaw. After last night's careful planning, it would be perfect to just take 1 bus all the way and walk. We should arrive there within an hour. BUT....it wasn't that easy. We all got ready to leave the hostel we came out and WOOOOOAAAHHHHH a sea of runners. Where were they going? What's happening? Oh....it was a marathon. We were all hyped and excited, c

Saying good bye is never easy. We prepared this morning for this occasion. For the past five days, the children have been spending their free time with their Polish host families. They have had a great time and they have learnt a great deal. The children were able to adjust to all the families and by the end of this week, call these families their Polish home. The children, both Thai and Polish, have bonded. This morning was difficult for most of them. Some already cried sinc

Last evening was just the beginning of our NSxPoland ‘tour’. The children got up early to prepare themselves for another concert today. Unlike the first concert, our concert today was a lunch time concert in Florianka, a concert hall right next to Paderewski Music School. Practice: We started our morning lining up one by one to have one last touch-up with all the pieces with Ajarn Nat. He took some time to look at all the children to support them and make them feel more confi

Masterclass: Today was a big day for everyone. It was the first concert of this trip in Dobczyce. The plan was that we would all have our lessons today with Prof. Cieniawa in the morning to touch up all our duets with our Polish partners. The children were so lucky to have such an opportunity to study with a teacher who is so observant in her teaching. She didn’t have much time with each pair, but she managed to work with them all on the specifics that they needed to improve.

นอกเหนือจากดนตรีที่เขาได้มาเรียนกับครูชั้นเลิศ ที่โรงเรียนระดับต้นต้นของประเทศ ในบรรยากาศและความขลังของนักดนตรีในอดีตแล้ว ผมคิดว่าประสบการณ์ชีวิตที่เขาได้กลับไปมีคุณค่ามหาศาล Apart from the opportunity to study with great teachers from a top school in Poland and in such an inspiring environment, I think the life experience the children are getting is invaluable for them. อย่างน้อยตุลย์เห็นได้เลยว่ามีการเปลี่ยนแปลงไปหลังจากหนึ่งอาทิตย์ที่ได้มาที่นี่รวมทั้งไปอยู่กับ host family

Today we started on a tight schedule for everyone. The children came in pair by pair to study with Ajarn Nat the whole morning. They all had specific lesson time. One duet after another kept marching in. They already made big progress in such few days. Those who finished their lessons early would go to the practice room and try to work on all the comments they got from Ajarn Nat. After about an hour, the practice room got more and more crowded. It became the children’s fun ca

“an environment that holds the baby well enough, the baby is able to make personal development according to the inherited tendencies. The result is a continuity of existence that becomes a sense of existing, a sense of self, and eventually results in autonomy.” ― D. W. Winnicott, Home Is Where We Start From: Essays by a Psychoanalyst (Photos by Putter the photographer) Our Nat Studio trip to Poland really is more than just about music. We aim to encourage the children to expl

We started our day with a walk through ‘Royal Route’. With Nina telling everyone the importance of the royal route. We walked straight from the Barbican to Wawel Castle, crossing the whole of Krakow old town through the market square, St. Mary’s Basilica, and other churches that we only saw from afar yesterday. We did altogether 1.4 km. in 20 mins. Then we started exploring our first bit of Wawel hill with the Cathedral. The cathedral was decorated in different styles due to

The children went back last night to different Polish homes. For some, this was their first time sleeping alone. For many, this was their first time sleeping away from home. After they got back, the children reported themselves nicely through our group chat. Everyone was very curious about each other’s homes and was sending pictures to each other. One house has so many cats. One house has dogs. Another has turtles. They all seemed very excited. Some of them got along right aw

“Polin” means Poland in Hebrew. It also means ‘rest here’ and/or ‘stay here’. To prepare ourselves to be in Krakow, the first museum we visited today was Polin Museum or the museum of the history of Polish Jew. Why here? Because the history of Polish Jew and Poland itself have been intertwined for a thousand years. According to the legend, the Jews had been traveling since the fall of the Temple of Jerusalem. They were looking for a new land to settle in. They kept going and

As I mentioned in the previous post, many children might not realize how much they achieved through all that traveling on the first day. Walking: We did tell the children that we would be walking a lot. However, when the time arrived it might not as easy as it seems for them. They arrived in Warsaw after long flights and had little rest before we started the walk. However, they accomplished an hour walk to the restaurant in the cold and a bit of breeze. And fighting with thei

Our first day went well with everyone feeling very excited for the trip. This excitement really helped them got through the first day. FLIGHTS We started our first day quite tough with a very late night flight from Bangkok with Qatar Airways. Just imagine these 10-15 year olds. They fought their sleepiness through and made it into the plane without falling asleep while walking there. From Bangkok to Doha, everyone slept, watched movies, and ate. In Doha, we met a santa! One o

Yesterday the children had their first concert before their trip together to Poland. They have been working hard for the past two weeks for this concert and the trip. And their hard work was not in vain. They improved immensely. We were all very proud to see how much they could achieve in such short time. Imagine how much they will improve after the trip! Most importantly, we are so proud to see them becoming such supportive group of young people. Everyone were cheering for e

11 days until our departure. We are proud to announce to you all that the children will also be performing at the cultural center of Podkowa Leśna. It will be our last performance in Poland before we head back to Bangkok. Unlike the first two performances where our dear Nat Studio students will meet and perform with local Polish students; this concert, the children will be performing for the students of the Open University of the Third Age. It will be an interesting encounter

Before we leave on each trip, we try our best to prepare all the students for their masterclasses as well as concerts. Here is a glimpse to our last Friday's (March 15,2019) rehearsal. This 'mock-up' concert is usually to help them prepare their state of mind for performance on stage. At the same time, it is a great opportunity for them to support each other in their performances as well as to get advice and tips from Aj. Nat Yontararak. Why do we prepare so much? Because we

Another concert that our students will be performing will be in Szkola Muzyczna I stopnia w Dobczycach, the primary music school in Dobczyce. We are glad that our project will help build friendship not only between Thai students and Polish students in Krakow, but it will also reach to another school in Dobczyce. In this concert, our Nat Studio students will perform their repertoire to their new young Polish friends there. Meanwhile, the Polish students will perform their trad