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/6428069

This 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

 

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

Have you Ever Seen (or Heard) a Theremin?

The theremin was created by a Russian inventor, Leon Theremin (this is an Anglicized version of his name), in 1920 who you’ll see below playing his invention.  Theremin patented his invention in 1928.
It is an instrument played without being touched.  The performer uses their body (primarily hands and fingers)  to change the pitch and volume.  This is an extremely subtle instrument that is very difficult to master.  See the video below to watch the theremin be played by it’s inventor.

While initially created during a project for the Russian government, the theremin is now popular for use in soundtracks as well as modern rock or independent music groups.   The theremin can be used to play classical pieces as Leon Theremin’s student Lydia Kavina shows in this rendition of “Clare de Lune”.  Ms. Kavina has become one of the most sought-after instructors of this unique instrument. 

Finally, an example of other ways to use a theremin!  Check out some of this guy’s other links on YouTube, he also plays video game themes and other popular music covers.
Enjoy!

For more information about the theremin, please check out this Wikipedia Article about the subject.  You’ll be amazed at the different uses, sounds and skills produced and utilized by theremin players.

Is it over yet?

Have you taken your child to a live theatre performance, to a concert, or maybe just played a CD at your home that is something a teenager would not normally listen to? If not, I would encourage you to do so. You will be truly thankful that you did.

Many years ago Little Women was at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis and I took my three children. I didn’t know if they would enjoy it or not but thought it was timen to give them a taste of some culture. As the first act ended and the curtain came down, the youngest one said “is it over Mom?” I thought uh oh, this is going to be a long performance if she’s tired of it already. But no, she said “I don’t want it to be over.” What a thrill that was for me to hear. Knowing that they enjoyed that performance, we tried over the years to take them to various plays and concerts.

One of the concerts we attended was Michael Crawford. I didn’t realize how much one of my daughters loved that music until a large group of her friends were in our downstairs family room studying… they were listening to Michael Crawford, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera. I was quite shocked to hear that msuic as there were a few jocks in the group but apparently they were enjoying it or didn’t dare to tangle with the girls. OK, it’s not real classical music, but close enough for me.

If you haven’t done so, I encourage you to take your children to a cultural event. It doesn’t have to be a high buck production; there are many wonderful performances in our schools, churches and community theatres. Maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to hear those words “I don’t want it to be over” too.

History of Musical Instruments

Since becoming involved in the music business I have developed a strong interest in musical instruments of the past and similar thoughts as to what are the recent inventions in the industry. I subscribe to “STRINGS”, a monthly magazine for string (violin, viola, etc.) instruments. Many things have caught my attention; the unique designs (shapes) of violins such as the NS WAV and the Jordan violin (US patent 5, 191, 159).

In 2008 Gibson introduced the Robot guitar that has a self-tuning system called Power-Tune. “Design News” magazine (Feb 25, 2008) has a detailed article on this new guitar.

Also, we should not ignore the significant past history of musical instruments. Museums have done an excellent job in acquiring, preserving and displaying many of these unique instruments. An excellent local museum run by the Schubert Club is in the St. Paul Landmark building but is small in comparison to the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota; where 14,500 instruments are on display.

Of course we can not forget the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. My favorite exhibit was a circular array of signed drumsticks by all the famous drummers. This year Bob Ulrich (former CEO of Target) built the new Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. He also purchased 12,000 musical instruments for this new building. This museum opens April 24, 2010. As these museums are far away, I would suggest that pulling up the website of the National Music Museum in South Dakota and taking a look. Vermillion, South Dakota is located in the southeastern corner and would be a great addition as part of a road trip to Colorado or the Black Hills.

Rochester Spring Recital

 Our spring recital in Rochester was such a success!  Here’s a photo of the students (and teacher) that made it happen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The recital was fun; filled with smiles, some jokes and excellent performances!!  While the group of students participating in this recital was not as large as others, we all really enjoyed the close, comfortable feeling that came with such a cozy group.  We are so glad that we were able to see everyone’s performances, and it was great to meet family members of students.  We look forward to the next recital.  We just know there will be many students eager to show what they’ve learned by the time our next recital rolls around. 

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