By now, you know we love this time of year with all of the holiday music and special live performances but this is also a great time to be a beginning music student. Not only are “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and “Jolly...
It is an unfortunate reality that many people stop playing musical instruments as they grow older. Thankfully, we stumbled upon a wonderful story and some scientific research that shows it is never too late to stop playing. Writer Carolyn Scott Kortge for The Register-Guard in Eugene,...
We already know about the exciting neural activity that happens when we play music and how it creates lasting effects that benefit children in school, even older students who aspire to be doctors. Now, a music major turned entrepreneur says his degree helped him succeed...
Want to evaluate children’s grammar skills? Start by examining their rhythm. A unique study by researchers from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center in Tennessee found a unique connection between the ability to distinguish rhythm and advanced grammar skills. Researcher Reyna Gordon gathered a group of 6-year-olds and had...
A new survey shows that parents overwhelmingly value music education yet we were disappointed how few families incorporate music making into their lives. The survey -- commissioned by Music Together over the summer -- revealed that 31 percent of parents have never sung to their children...
Daria van den Bercken loves classical music and will do just about anything to make sure you like it too. She’s played the music of George Frideric Handel in the air, hoisted 25 feet above fans in Brazil. She’s played in parks and banks in Amsterdam. She has...
In any type of education -- music, arts, athletics -- focus and concentration are essential elements for success. Just as a baseball batter needs to ignore distractions and focus on the ball, a musician must be able to focus on the notes. We recently learned of...
Sometimes the best music can happen inside a concert hall. And other times the best musical moments are unplanned. That’s what happened recently in Texas when an aspiring musician strumming his guitar outside a grocery store was joined by two strangers. A third stranger recorded their impromptu...
It doesn’t seem possible to refer to musical prodigies as commonplace or 14-year-old virtuosos as over the hill but Newsweek provides some interesting insight about the increase in talented young musicians. In its article, “Musical Prodigies Find Plenty of Youthful Company,” Newsweek writes: “Conservatories in Europe...
Happy first day of autumn! For us, autumn makes us think of the smells of baked pumpkin and warm apple cider and the sights of dark nights and wind blowing through trees. But what does fall sound like? There are no shortage of online playlists focused on this...