Music in the Family
I got an email today with a link to a video of a girl and her dad playing music together, which I thought I would share with you:
“I was walking around through the internet. Wanted to see what new fun and exciting things are on YouTube as it is always fun to see new things. I came across a really unique ensemble that was done by a family. Check it out, proof that families are still playing music together. Haven’t seen much of that since the Partridge Family. Of course that was a lot of singing also. Anyways, enjoy the video, I thought it was pretty creative…Jamie”
Music is one thing many families use to build a bond, I know my own family had nights where we’d each hop on an instrument and have a little fun. I’m not going to say we sounded great, but it was fun and I wish we’d had the time to do it more, now that we’re so far from each other. I also often hear about the influence of families with music when meeting with teachers, I’ve learned that many people follow music as a lifelong hobby or career because they had a family member introduce them to their instrument or a love of music in general. I know this is also true in my own family. It’s great to see families continue to bond and grow together with music.
Music in the Park!
I went to a live music festival this weekend! I went for a walk with the kiddo and we found an acoustic music festival happening at Loring Park.
We sat in the grass, listened to some great bands, danced, watched other people dance and in general had a great time. The weather was great and the music was fantastic! It was great to see local musicians and to also see the local community support them. The festival was free to attend, you could purchase bottles of water, homemade ice cream, tacos and other snacks at a variety of vendors. There were also booths with information on the Minnesota Bluegrass Association, the Loring Park Friends, etc. The festival was from noon to 8 pm. We left for a while but ended up coming back for more in the evening, we had such a good time!
Being at the festival made me think of how rich our community is in music performance. Throughout the summer cities and groups sponsor events that include live music, often for free!
Here are some websites to check out:
The Schubert Club in St Paul
City of St Paul
City of Hopkins
City of Shorewood
City of Rochester
City of Minneapolis Event Calendar for Parks
City of Minneapolis Music and Movies in the Parks
Let us know if you find any other interesting things you’d like us to share!
The Number One Song the Day I was Born
Oh boy! I found the name of the song that was number one on the charts the day I was born (“The One That You Love” by Air Supply) through this tool on This Day In Music’s website. You can find the tool at the following address: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/birthdayno1
Obviously you don’t have to use just your birthday, you could also use the day you graduated from high school, or earned your driver’s license, or rode a two wheel bike by yourself for the first time. You decide what milestone you want to track and you can create your own life’s sound track.
Here’s mine:
“The One That You Love” by Air Supply – I am born
“Take My Breath Away” by Berlin – I start school
“Roll With It” by Steve Winwood – I restart piano lessons
“Close to You” by Maxi Priest – I start band
“Emotions” by Mariah Carey – I audition for local girls’ choir and am offered a spot (No, I didn’t sing this song, it was something by Bette Midler. That’s right.)
“Maria Maria” by Santana – I graduate from high school
“Lose Yourself” by Eminem – I graduate college
“Whatever You Like” by T.I. – I start working at Along Came Music
Music Helps Those Without Speech
I was reading an article online the other day (February of the current year does qualify for “the other day” in my opinion, for those of you that were wondering.) written by BBC science reporter Victoria Gill on the use of melodic intonation therapy. I was interested in this article because it was about music and science, two of my favorite topics! Here’s what the article said, in basic, non-medical/non-scientific language:
-We use different parts of our brains to speak and sing
-We use the left side of our brain to speak
-There is a corresponding area of our right brain that we use to sing
-If one has a stroke and cannot speak due to damage from the stroke, often one can still sing
-Doctors are using what they call “melodic intonation therapy” (okay, so a little science-type language, it couldn’t be avoided) to teach people to communicate after damage to the speaking centers of their brains
-Melodic intonation therapy is learning to put words to simple melodies and rhythms
I strongly suggest anyone who is interested in this read the original article (see link above), or visit one of the following articles on melodic intonation therapy. The article by Helen Fields is one of the most interesting and well written (better than the BBC article by far) I read on the subject, although if you’re looking for a scientific paper to read on the subject you might enjoy reading this paper by Andrea Norton, Lauryn Zipse, Sarah Marchina, and Gottfried Schlaug.
I think this is a very interesting topic and just the tip of the iceberg as far as what science is learning about the impact music can have outside of the “usual” benefits of music.
Stealing Time
Imagine if you could steal time from later today because you need it now; such as not needing the 2 hours of TV show re-runs, and being able to just snip that portion of your day out to use those 2 hours to finish a project! Just think of being able to cut out hours you don’t need now and banking them to use later, when they would really make a difference.
Okay, I agree, this is something most of us can do through basic time management, but think if we could all have magic time scissors!! It would help many people (or at least it would help me!). I know this would make a huge difference in the quality of meals I eat, how much I sleep and in general, my “getting-things-done” list would shrink by a mile!
I started thinking about stealing time after I found the tempo rubato page on Wikipedia. I understand that getting excited about tempo rubato is nerdy, but I can’t help myself. I think it’s cool.
Rubato (this is the modern definition) is essentially when the musician changes the timing of musical phrases in a piece to accentuate its musicality or “feeling”. They’ll speed up one part because it “feels” like it should be faster, or want to indicate frenzy, anger, etc. Or they’ll slow a section down to accent its calming or sad qualities. This could make a song end later or sooner than the original composition.
Tempo rubato is when the musician “steals” time from one part of the piece and uses it in another place in the same piece, so the song uses the same amount of time as the original composition, just in a different way. Slightly different from the concept of rubato, but totally, totally awesome! Next time you listen to a song, see if you can identify where the musicians use rubato, tempo rubato, or both!
A Crystal Glass Virtuoso
I should make a list of all the interesting things I’ve seen people play. I think this is really interesting and a good example of how we can make everyday items into instruments.
Watch the video and enjoy some classical music played on crystal drinking glasses. It’s pretty amazing. Do you think you could do this?
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=25698554
Music Re-Arranged
When I was growing up, being in a vocal ensemble often meant singing classical songs that I didn’t recognize or melodies that just weren’t fun to me. The group I’m going to share with you has helped re-invent my idea vocal groups.
I introduce to you: On the Rocks, an all male acapella group from the University of Oregon in Eugene!
They have a fun, humorous take on music and often remake hit songs by current popular artists, major artists from the past or “one hit wonders”.
Above you can see one of their renditions of “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga (who seems to be all over the place these days, doesn’t she?).
On the Rocks has a whole battery of material available on YouTube. Here are a few more gems:
On the Rocks performing “For the Longest Time” by Billy Joel.
On the Rocks performing “Superstitious” by Stevie Wonder.
This one has a slightly lower quality video, I had to turn the volume up a little to really enjoy this one! I am a pretty big Stevie Wonder fan, so this especially appeals to me.
While looking at all these videos by On the Rocks I found that they have female counterparts: Divisi. Why don’t you try to find some vocal groups singing modern songs in new arrangements and let me know what you find? Finding new groups (and a new way to look at music) is such fun!!
You Can Find Music Anywhere
I was wandering around the internet this weekend and found this neat video on Wired.co.uk. Per the article written by Michael Conroy in the September 2009 issue of Wired, Brazilian composer Jarbas Agnelli saw a photo of birds on powerlines that appeared like music on a staff. Agnelli used the positions of the birds as notes and came up with a simple melody.
In the video below (linked directly from Mr. Agnelli’s Vimeo site) is the music he composed with the help of birds.
http://www.vimeo.com/6428069This is a great reminder that music is all around us, and we can find music or an inspiration for a new song anywhere if we just look. Have you been inspired you lately? I would love to about what inspired you, and what you created! You can use the form below to share with us. Lucky composers may have their work featured on our blog!
I can’t wait to hear from you…
Twin Cities Recital Spring 2010
Here are all the students and teachers participating in the Spring 2010 Recital.
It's kind of like "Where's Waldo" isn't it? Can you find yourself or your teacher?
Do you have photos you want to share from this recital? Feel free to send in your own photos for us to share! Email cs@alongcamemusic.com
Why is Music Important? Here are some answers!
We’ve been told time and time again that music is important in our lives, right? Why is that? Do you ever wonder why music is important to other people?
Have you ever asked your children why music is important in their lives and the world as a whole? No? …well I haven’t either.
A school in Madison, Wisconsin asked that question of their 7th and 8th grade band students; the answers are amazing and wonderful as shown below. Music exercises the soul – I never thought about music in that way but it is really true.
Why don’t you take a few minutes out of your busy day and ask your children, grandchildren or even co-workers why music is important to them (I’ll do the same and ask my grandchildren).
Report your findings back on the Along Came Music company’s blog site… as a company that provides in-home private music lessons we believe very strongly in the importance of music in every person’s life.
Here are some of the statements given by the students in response to the questions, “Why is music important in your life?” and “Why is music important to the world as a whole?”:
(We’ve highlighted some of our favorites!)
♪ “Music is important to life because it brings happiness, tells stories, and adds detail to plays, movies, and many other things in life. I don’t think I could live without music!”
♪ “Because sometimes, words aren’t enough.”
♪ “Music is a universal language that everyone can appreciate.”
♪ “Music can tell stories. It is also a very good way to pass the time.”
♪ “Because music is basically in everything you do.”
♪ “Music exercises the soul.”
♪ “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without ‘O Christmas Tree’!”
♪ “By playing music, I get to learn something unique and new.”
♪ “Music expresses who you are and your personality.”
♪ “Music is a way of learning about different cultures.”
♪ “Life would be really boring without music!”
♪ “Music is important in my life because it helps me understand things, and makes life more interesting.”
♪ “It is entertaining. It expresses our feelings without talking.”
♪ “Music is what keeps me going when I do homework.”
♪ “What would a scary movie be without scary music?!”
♪ “It can add mood to something that wasn’t visible otherwise.”
♪ “Music adds color and without it, the world would be very plain.”
♪ “Music is an outlet for everyone. It is a way of expressing yourself. It is a way to be creative.”