Musical Musings

HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC: 8 Practical Tips

March 19, 2012

1. Listen blindly. Listen to a work not knowing who wrote it, or the title of it, or the style and when it was written. Just you and the physical music, with no preconceptions or artificial mental expectations or without knowing anything about it’s origins or classifications. 2. Listen bodily. Listen with your gut, your [...]

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Do we really need the Arts?

September 4, 2011

To create, one must first imagine; to imagine, one must first learn to see, to listen, to feel, to perceive. Music and the arts are the cornerstone of education in the broadest sense. They open our eyes and ears, develop and transform us personally, connect us emotionally with others, and offer a universal bridge of [...]

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Christmas in the Trenches: The “Silent Night” Truce

November 21, 2010

After months of deadly trench warfare, on Dec. 24, 1914, German and British soldiers in Belgium suddenly ceased hostilities and, through the singing of carols, celebrated Christmas together. This film documents their spontaneous musical truce with eyewitness reports, proving that "people who make music together cannot be enemies, at least not while the music lasts" [...]

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Autumn from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

September 24, 2010

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote numerous concertos, many of them for the young ladies who resided in the Venetian orphanage where Vivaldi was employed for most of his working career. (Many of these “orphans” were daughters of affluent  noblemen and their mistresses, and they lived in very comfortable circumstances and were given excellent musical training.)  Some [...]

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World Cup Music: Shostakovich’s Soccer Match

July 11, 2010

Don’t underestimate the power of either sports or music when it comes to exciting a crowd. Even as a tormented composer writing under the harsh restrictions and demands of Communism, in his 1929 ballet  The Golden Age big-time soccer fan and sometime soccer referee Shostakovich recreated a soccer match. In this ballet, a communist soccer team [...]

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The Music of Soccer: Top 5 Soccer Pieces in Classical Music

July 7, 2010

There’s a lot more to World Cup soccer music than national anthems and the penetrating blare of “vuvuzela” horns.  WQXR classical FM station, highlights the top 5 soccer pieces from 100 years of soccer-inspired classical music.

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Hidden Musical Code in Plato’s Writings

July 7, 2010

A scholar in England just announced his discovery of a secret music code in the writings of Plato.  As a closeted follower of Pythagoras, whose heretical beliefs threatened traditional religion, Plato believed that music and mathematics were closely related, and that music was a reflection of the mathematical principles that governed the universe. Pythagoras codified [...]

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Copyright Laws vs. Teens: The Battle Rages

July 2, 2010

When famed Broadway songwriter Jason Bert Brown discovered his songs were being “traded” freely online by those who had never purchased a legal copy, he thoughtfully requested that the traders stop the illegal trading. Read this fascinating exchange with a recalcitrant yet extremely bright and articulate teenager. Eleanor’s teenage sense of entitlement is absolutely breathtaking. [...]

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Jazz Festivals 2010

June 29, 2010

Here are links & dates for jazz festivals around the world, so plan a trip around an  enticing jazz venue that beckons you to kick back and enjoy live jazz at its convivial best. Jazz Festivals in USA Jazz Festivals in Canada UK Jazz Festivals European Jazz Festivals Worldwide jazz festivals are also listed geographically, [...]

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The Fine Art of Listening: for Musicians & Audiences

June 11, 2010

Listening skills should be stock in trade for musicians, but experienced musicians face the same challenges of concentration and active listening that audiences do.  Timothy Walker’s keynote speech at Great Britain’s ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) hopefully didn’t fall on tin ears. Walker, Chief Executive of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, realistically addresses the difficulties musicians [...]

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Boomwhackers on Steroids: Plastik Musik

June 1, 2010

If you thought boomwhackers were just for kids, think again. Better still, listen to the percussion group Plastik Musik in their astounding Boomwhacker performance: The first time I met Craig Ramsell, creator of the Boomwhackers, was  in Phoenix, Arizona, about 15 years ago at a music education conference.  At the time, I knew his newly [...]

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Boys & Men Finding Their Voices in Barbershop Singing

May 23, 2010

The hills are alive with the sound of men singing in Great Britain. Television shows like Glee and The Choir, along with increasing numbers of You Tube videos of barbershop music,  may be contributing to the surge of popularity in Great Britain for close harmony singing. This week over 2500 eager singers are heading to [...]

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King Henry VIII: Better Musician Than Husband

May 10, 2010

King Henry VIII, famous for his marriages on the rocks (and the blocks), is lesser known for his talent as a musician and composer. Tall, handsome, and charming in his youth, he played several musical instruments, and was a skilled singer and dancer. Some of his musical compositions are still performed today.

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Joshua Bell – Dec. 9

December 9, 2009
Joshua Bell

Will the busy world stop and listen to a subway violinist at rush hour, even if he is Joshua Bell? If only we had the ears and heart of a 3-yr.-old. . .

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Mosquito Love Duet: Music Conquers All

October 9, 2009
Mosquito love

Mosquito duet leads to love. . .and the perfect fifth. Get the buzz about the musical talents of the pesky mosquito during courtship.

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Wise Words on Jazz by Wynton Marsalis

October 9, 2009
Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis says jazz requires 3 things: creativity, communication, and community. His teaching resources for kids illustrate his philosophy of jazz and classical music too.

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Should School Kids Sing Praise Songs to the Prez?

September 26, 2009
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How far is an elementary school entitled to go in bringing politics into the classroom?

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Tempo Giusto: Putting the brakes on music

September 12, 2009
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Fast is fun. But you might be surprised at the subtleties that escape the ear when the music is played too fast.

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Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage “Beast”

August 31, 2009
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A cat who plays piano, a dancing cockatoo, a blues-singing dog… who says music is loved just by humans?

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What did Proust really hear? Imaginary music of Fictional Composers

August 30, 2009
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What did Proust really hear in the musical phrase that recurs obsessively to his fictional character Swann? Listen to a whimsical speculation by Alex Ross.

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