From the category archives:

the Power of Music

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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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, but without dates, in [...]

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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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Arts & Language Requirement for High School Graduation at Risk in California: Fight Back!

June 6, 2010

These are hard times, especially in nearly bankrupt California. But are we content to see the California legislature gut the heart (i.e., the arts) out of education? The arts and foreign languages are fundamental to education, especially in the world we live in today. If creative thinking and global communications were ever needed in this [...]

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Gustavo Dudamel: A Revolutionary Musical Hero

December 15, 2009
Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel, classical music’s hottest young star and new LA Philharmonic director, spearheaded a musical revolution in Venezuela that affected thousands of young, poor and at-risk students.

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MAO’S LAST DANCER: Autobiography, Children’s Books, & Movie

December 15, 2009
Mao's Last Dancer

11-yr.-old Li Cunxin is taken from his family to train at the Beijing Ballet Academy during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. He dances his way to freedom and international acclaim when he courageously defects to the USA. 3 versions of this incredible true story: for adults, young readers, and children.

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Oliver Messiaen – Dec. 10

December 12, 2009
Bird Song

“I give bird-songs to those who dwell in cities and have never heard them. . .and paint colors for those who see none.” —Messiaen. He used birdsongs and colors as no musician ever had before, bringing beauty and hope even to fellow prisoners in a German POW camp.

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Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival 1941-46

December 8, 2009
Hiding in the Spotlight

A gifted 14-yr.-old Ukrainian pianist adopts a new identity after escaping from a Nazi death march, but fears informants and the enemy officers who force her to entertain them. A terrifying and true story with a triumphant message of hope.

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On the Transmigration of Souls: A Musical Response to 9/11

November 30, 2009
John Adams

John Adams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work combines orchestra, chorus, & children’s choir with recorded sounds of 9/11, including victims names and cell phone calls.

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Piano Stairway in the Subway: Tuneful Commuters Prefer Stairs to Escalator

October 22, 2009
Piano stairs

A keyboard stairway in the Stockholm subway offers commuters a tuneful and healthier alternative to the escalator.

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Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage “Beast”

August 31, 2009
Thumbnail image for Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage “Beast”

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
Thumbnail image for What did Proust really hear? Imaginary music of Fictional Composers

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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ANGELS IN TUTUS: A Toddler’s Perspective

May 28, 2009
Angels in tutus

Reflecting on a sweet story from a simpler time.

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Sister of The Soloist sets up Foundation for the Mentally Ill

May 23, 2009
Nathaniel Ayers

Nathaniel Anthony Ayers suffered a mental breakdown while he was studying music at Juilliard. His sister Jennifer Ayers-Moore established a foundation to help him and others like him.

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YOU TUBE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: How to get to Carnegie Hall in the Computer Age

May 21, 2009
Carnegie Hall

Musicians from around the world auditioned on You Tube then came together to perform a ground-breaking concert at Carnegie Hall.

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THE BACH PROJECT: Documentary Film by Michael Lawrence

May 8, 2009
Joshua Bell in The Bach Project

Preview video clips of The Bach Project (DVD to release summer 2009) to see how the “Bach effect” touches musicians, scholars, writers, and scientists.

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Why Music and Musicians Matter

April 14, 2009
Karl Paulnack

Karl Paulnack’s welcome address to incoming freshman at Boston Conservatory is a message that musicians need but almost never hear. He speaks eloquently on why music and musicians matter.

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THE SOLOIST: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music

April 10, 2009
The Soloist

Nathaniel Ayers, homeless ex-Juilliard student and subject of the book and movie “The Soloist”, meets LA Times reporter Steve Lopez. Witness the power of music and friendship to change both their lives.

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The Search for Music (and jobs) in a Downturned Economy

March 28, 2009
Downturned Economy

Music creates bonds that cannot be broken, even in bad economic times. Why musicians and music always weather the storms, plus a job site link for music teachers.

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