Classical Music

What to Expect in a Music Therapy Session

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Just how no two children are alike, music therapy sessions vary from client to client. What goes on inside a session depends greatly on your child’s/client’s needs and preferences. A typical session will include a hello song to indicate the start of the session, music interventions to work on social/emotional, perceptual/motor, language/communication, preacademic, and musical … Read more

5 Interesting Facts of Music History

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1. The oldest discovered musical instrument is 40,000 years old Two flutes found in a cave in Germany are made of bird bone and mammoth ivory. These instruments are dated to what is considered the prehistoric period of music, or the time before music was notated. Due to the lack of notation, it’s difficult to … Read more

Stretches for Musicians

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Playing an instrument doesn’t feel the same as playing a sport. When you play a sport, you’re on your feet, you might be sweaty and out of breath, you feel your muscles burn and ache. Playing an instrument is usually done sitting down, breathing slowly and carefully, and using fine motor movements in your elbows, … Read more

5 Essential Practicing Tips

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Here are a few tips to help your music practice (or any other practice, for that matter) become more efficient and helpful, rather than discouraging and upsetting.   Slow down When you’re learning, it takes time for your brain and body to synchronize. Give plenty of space for synchronization to happen by taking things very, … Read more

Musician Sting’s brain scan gives more insight into expertise

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqXWIxj4_Y0 In a study published in the journal Neurocase, Daniel Levitin, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, scanned the brain of famous Police frontman Sting. This scan took place while Levitin would play two different pieces of music, for example The Beatles “Girl” followed by a tango by Astor Piazzolla. To the untrained ear, … Read more

Video: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

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This classic video from the World Science Festival in 2009 is an eye-opening experience if you’ve never seen it. I highly recommend singing along! It seems that the pentatonic scale, which he demonstrates in his interactive performance, has a universality that we don’t quite understand. This is particularly amazing because every culture has their own unique … Read more

Tone Deaf? Try Singing More

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If you’ve ever been told that you’re “tone deaf” or “can’t carry a tune,” don’t give up! A new study from Northwestern University suggests that singing is more like playing an instrument than you might think: singing on pitch is a skill that can be taught and developed, which means even the singers who have … Read more

Live Music vs Recorded Music in Music Therapy

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You’ve probably had a moment (or more) where you put on your favorite song and either relax, get pumped up, or allow yourself to react to it in some way. Recorded music is truly a wonderful thing that helps add to our everyday lives. But have you ever thought about how different live music is from … Read more