Little Chamber Music Players

This past week I taught at Camp Point Counterpoint near Middlebury, VT. The pianist in this trio was my student and was such a good little pianist!

Pianos to plunk down around NYC

60 instruments installed around city are part of world tour


.Video: Public pianos strike chord in NY


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Transcript of: Public pianos strike chord in NYAdvertisement
ad infoBRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: reported by a lot of New Yorkers on the streets of this city today. Turns out it was music , as in from an actual piano outdoors in the middle of it all. And it turns out there's a good reason for it. Our report tonight from NBC 's Rehema Ellis .

REHEMA ELLIS reporting: This is the music of the city. But today New York streets have an added rhythm. In Times Square , an old piano has been spruced up and marked with a clear invitation, encouraging anyone to stop and tickle the ivories for free.

I've never like played anywhere except my home pretty much, so it's really cool.

Unidentified Woman: That's just what British artist Luke Jerram was hoping for. He came up with the idea for an outdoor art project two years ago to inspire city folks to interact.

ELLIS: The pianos are a blank canvas for everyone else in the city to express themselves and to have a great time and to connect with one another.

Mr. LUKE JERRAM (Street Pianos Creator): The pianos exhibit first hit the streets in England , Brazil and Australia , and has generated a YouTube following. But the biggest exhibit yet is right here in New York City . Sixty old, unwanted pianos like this one have been placed at parks, on street corners and famous landmarks. It's an effort organized by a nonprofit artist group Sing for Hope . There are all sorts of players, from students of the art...

ELLIS: And I love playing it outdoor in nature, so it's just like, you know, it's pretty nice.

Unidentified Man #1: ...to professionals, to wannabes.

ELLIS: Did you get any tips?

Offscreen Voice: No. Nothing in the hat today.

Unidentified Man #2: I think it's great. I don't really know what it's for, but whatever it is it -- I think it's wonderful and they should probably do it again if they can.

Unidentified Man #3: After two weeks in New York , the show closes here, but these pianos will be donated to local schools and community groups so the music can go on. Rehema Ellis,

ELLIS:



Show transcript

by Sara Kugler Frazier



updated 6/21/2010 9:55:55 AM ET

Share Print Font: +-NEW YORK — Consider them keys to the city: Anyone who gets a sudden itch to tickle the ivories will be able to play free public pianos in 50 places throughout New York City, from the Coney Island boardwalk to the Metropolitan Museum.



An art installation touring the world is making its first U.S. stop beginning Monday. For two weeks, players can play tunes on pianos all over New York City, at famous landmarks like the Lincoln Center, the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island ferry terminal and Central Park's bandshell.



The concept, devised by British artist Luke Jerram, has put more than 130 pianos in parks, squares and bus stations since 2008 in cities including London, Sydney and Sao Paulo. And now it's New York City's turn to play, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday.



"There's going to be a huge amount of talent here," Jerram said in an interview. "The piano's actually a blank canvas for everyone's creativity, really, so I just hope that the city enjoys it."



The New York installation will be the largest in the project. It is double the size of the previous largest — 30 pianos in London last year.



Each of the 60 pianos to be installed throughout New York has its own attendants responsible for its care. That involves unlocking the keyboard at 9 a.m. every day and deploying a heavy tarp over the instrument if it rains.



The pianos were donated for the cause and have been painted and decorated by artists.

Healing vs. Curing with music

I think that people sometimes get confused about the difference between "healing" and "curing." They are not synonymous...not at all! Music heals but it does not cure. To go a little deeper, music can ease the symptoms of pain; it can greatly improve the mood; it can distract from feelings of gloom and despair; it can calm an anxious and troubled mind, and it can energize a lethargic and sluggish body.

Whatever condition of the mind, body, spirit that has descended on a person that makes them want to feel better, music can usually help. I won't say always because always is too big of a word. But music can definitely help a troubled person. Healing is the amelioration or lessening of the symptoms, whatever they may be. Next time you want to feel better, put on some music, play or sing some music yourself, or just think about some music that you love and that has meaning for you. You will feel the healing power of music!

Music and Dance Appear out of nowhere at Train Station in Belgium

There seem to be more and more incidents of spontaneous song and dance in the most unexpected places. Here is another example of over 200 people bursting into song and dance! What's going on? I love it!

A Day with Dr. Clive Robbins, Music Therapy Pioneer

This morning I had the distinct pleasure of spending a morning in a wonderful workshop at the U of L School of Music, listening to and learning from Dr. Clive Robbins, who has spent his life working with handicapped children and using music therapy to transform their lives. If you're interested in learning more about him and his work with Paul Nordoff, go to http://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/

What exactly IS Sound Healing?

Sound Healing has become more popular over the last couple of decades, simply because more and more research has proven that we are greatly affected mentally, emotionally, and physically by sounds or combinations of sounds. Sounds can essentially bring us up or bring us down, from a mental and emotional standpoint, and this works the same way on the physical level as well.




How Sound Healing Works

Because all sounds have a frequency, and every cell in our bodies also has a frequency, these frequencies can work together to heal our minds and our bodies. For example, in modern medicine, sound is commonly used. Sound waves, or sound frequencies, can be used to destroy gallstones or kidney stones in many cases.



Sound is also often used for the reduction of pain, although we don’t realize it. For example, when you have a dental procedure done these days, you will usually have the option of wearing earphones and listening to music. This isn’t to drown out the sound of the dentist’s drill. It’s for the purpose of taking your mind off of the procedure, to reduce the pain that you experience, and to relax your mind as well.





If you doubt that this type of therapy actually works, or has an effect on us, try it out yourself. Listen to music that you love for about thirty minutes, and then jot down your feelings in a journal. On another day, listen to music that you hate, and again jot your feelings down. You will most likely notice that your feelings after hearing music that you liked were positive, while they were negative after exposure to music that you did not like.



Various Sounds Used for Sound Healing

While most people think that only music is used for this type of healing, this isn’t true at all. While music is widely used, and highly beneficial, other sounds are also used – such as beating drums, sounds of animals, sounds of water, sounds of wind, sounds of the ocean, and many other sounds.



Typically, the sound chosen for your healing will depend on the type of healing that is needed, and on your personal preferences concerning sounds. For example, some music and sounds can actually distress us, while other types of music and sounds make us quite happy, or extremely relaxed.



The Benefits of Sound Healing

Sound healing can be used for a variety of problems. It can lower the blood pressure, ease or eliminate stress, reduce pain, improve sleep, lift depression, and much more. You can find sound therapy or healing used in doctor’s offices, dentist offices, hospitals, day care centers, schools, nursing homes, prisons, rehabilitation centers, and a variety of other places.



For more info, go to http://www.methodsofhealing.com

What music is most relaxing for YOU?

Music can be used as a valuable stress management and relaxation tool. Relaxation music creates an ambient oasis of peace and tranquility enhancing vital relaxation.

Music is a great accompaniment for holistic therapies and very powerful tool for relieving stress. It also enhances the production of guided meditation or hypnotherapy. Soothing music helps a person calm down, lower the heart rate and by design create additional alpha brainwaves with its special rhythms.

Music with a magical tempo of 60 beats per minute enhance a restful sleep, speed up learning, improve immune response, decrease the need for anesthesia during surgery and has even been known to reduce blood pressure.

The experience of most people and science points out the significance of baroque music in offering relaxation. Studies indicate that baroque music played at 60 beats per minute enables the brain to generate increased alpha brainwaves offering a relaxation effect.

To choose the relaxation music, which works best for you, start by testing the various types of soothing music available. It is likely that what one considers relaxing may be irritating to another. Choosing appropriate calming music is a matter of personal preferences, but though one’s personal preferences go into the equation, some kind of music is more relaxing than other music.

The brain primarily produces brainwaves at 14 to 30 cycles per second (hertz) known as beta waves when in normal consciousness. Brainwaves with frequencies of 8 to 14 cycles per second are alpha waves that are present when one is more relaxed. Around 4 to 8 cycles per second is the theta waves that present a deeper drowsy and meditative state. Finally, when one is asleep, delta waves of fewer than 5 hertz are produced.

Normally, alpha brainwaves stimulate a relaxing state, but meditation encourages a more relaxing consciousness state especially if practiced regularly. For those who have no time or inclinations to meditate, music embedded with particular beats works in a similar way. This is the source for brainwave entertainment technology, which alter one’s brainwaves giving a rapid relaxation response. Relaxation music affects the soul. People don’t just merely hear it, they also feel it.

When trying to use relaxation music to calm the body and spirit it is most important to choose music that is relaxing to you. There are various styles and genres of music and the style that is comfortable for one person may be completely different from the style that relaxes another. Trial and error will help to gauge which style is best for your mind.

source:  http://www.reviewhow.com/

Merry Christmas from Healing Music Enterprises

Every year I send out a little greeting to all my clients and customers. This year's video will need to be turned way down because it recorded much louder than I intended! Just turn it way down and enjoy "Il est ne, le Divine Enfant" a French carol arranged by the wonderful John Carter!

Happy Holidays every one!

What is Music Therapy?

Music To Your Ears – The Healing Way (posted by VIASOLO)

Shakespeare once said, "If music be the food of love, play on". The power of music over the human mind is enormous, and that's putting it lightly. Music therapy is the use of music for therapeutic purposes by a trained professional. The idea of using music as a healing influence dates back to the time of Plato and Aristotle. In the modern world, music for therapy came to the fore when musicians played for war veterans to cure them of physical and emotional trauma. Since many of the patients responded well, nurses and doctors began requesting the services of musicians for therapy.

Soon, music therapy became recognized as an effective and scientifically-backed mode of treatment. The first music therapy degree program ever was established in 1944 in the State of Michigan, U.S.

A trained music therapist gauges the emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning and cognitive skills through the patient's responses to music. Once the assessment is complete, the practitioner designs music session for individuals or groups. The therapeutic music is prepared based on client needs and uses music improvisation, song writing, lyric discussion, imagery and musical performances.

Using music for therapy can be a very powerful way to reach children and adolescents. Elderly people and people with developmental and learning disabilities, people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and age related problems and people in acute pain also benefit from music therapy. Music therapy is a powerful way to help people express their feelings.

Professional music therapists are usually found in rehabilitative facilities, psychiatric hospitals, medical hospitals, drug and alcohol programs, nursing homes, correctional facilities, schools and private practice.

Some people mistakenly believe that a patient needs to have some particular musical ability to benefit from therapy. There is no one particular style of music that is more therapeutic than the rest. Any style of music can be equally effective. Any person can be a patient. The patient's background, needs and history help determine the type of music used.

Even healthy people can make use of the healing powers of music. Listening to or making music, playing or drumming can greatly reduce stress and improve productivity. Research shows that music is a vital support for physical exercise. Music therapy is even said to assist labor and delivery.

In hospitals, music therapy is used to alleviate pain and is often used in conjunction with anesthesia or pain medication. A question that is often raised is why use music if anesthesia does the same thing? Music helps because it dissolves emotional barriers and elevates the patient's mood. Music also counteracts depression, calms and even sedates patients. In a nutshell, music helps reduce muscle tension and brings on a deep and satisfying relaxation.

Since 1994 music therapy has been identified as a reimbursable service in the U.S. Music therapy is considered ‘active treatment' when it meets the following criteria:

- Is prescribed by a physician

- Is reasonably necessary for the treatment of the injury or condition

- Is based on a documented treatment plan

- Is showing some sort of result in the patient

The future of music therapy is indeed very promising as more and more research supports the effectiveness of music against diseases like Alzheimer's and chronic pain.

Using Music to Encourage More Exercise?

Playing the piano is fun, take it from me! But the people in Sweden, came up with a way to make it even more fun and also to help people get more exercise!

Lee Luvisi, my piano professor, plays tonight!

Tonight I get to hear one of the greatest pianists in the world! Now it's possible that I could be just a little bit prejudiced because he happened to be my own piano professor for my undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance, but we each get to choose our favorite musicians, right?

Lee Luvisi taught at the Brevard Music Center in the summers of 1965 to 1970 and it was there that we met. He was in his late 20's and I was in my late teens; a very good combination of ages for teacher and student! Mr. Luvisi was quite the perfectionist and under other circumstances I might have balked, but he inspired me to do things that I never would have thought I could even do! I'll never forget the week he assigned me a Brahms "Intermezzo" and told me to learn and memorize it totally away from the piano, so that the first time I ever played it was at my lesson the following week...totally from memory!

Everyone needs a teacher who inspires them and brings out the best in them and I believe he did this for me. Not that there weren't a few tears every now and then, but I always knew he believed in me and had my best interest at heart.

Tonight he will play the Mozart concerto for piano in orchestra in C major with the Louisville Orchestra. I played the same concerto with the Louisville Ballet Orchestra in 1969, I believe so it will be fun to hear him to it tonight and relive my same experience 40 years ago. Wish you could be there!

Apollo, God of Music and Medicine

When I first started my website, www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com, way back in 1999, one of my first thoughts was to have a theme that would say music and medicine, music as medicine, music for healing, and sound as healing, wordlessly. I thought first of Apollo who was the Greek god of Music and of Medicine, among other things.

My first webmaster created a masterful image of Apollo and created an entry to the site, through Apollo. That was 10 years ago now and things have changed, but I still think it is important and interesting to know about Apollo!

According to Wikipedia,Apollo

2nd century AD Roman statue of Apollo depicting the god's attributes—the lyre and the snake Python
God of music, poetry and oracles
Parents Zeus and Leto
Siblings Artemis
Children Asclepius, Troilus, Aristaeus
Roman equivalent Apollo
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Ancient Roman religion



Main doctrines
Polytheism & numen
Mythology
Imperial cult · Festivals

Practices
Temples · Funerals
Votive offerings · Animal sacrifice

Twelve major deities
Apollo · Ceres · Diana · Juno
Jupiter · Mars · Mercury · Minerva
Neptune · Venus · Vesta · Vulcan


Other major deities
Divus Augustus · Divus Julius · Fortuna
The Lares · Quirinus · Pluto · Sol Invictus

Lesser deities
Adranus · Averrunci · Averruncus
Bellona · Bona Dea · Bromius
Caelus · Castor and Pollux · Clitunno
Cupid · Dis Pater · Faunus · Glycon
Inuus · Lupercus

Texts
Sibylline Books · Sibylline oracles
Aeneid · Metamorphoses
The Golden Ass

See also
Decline and persecution
Nova Roma
Greek polytheism

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In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (in Greek, Ἀπόλλων—Apóllōn or Ἀπέλλων—Apellōn), is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis. Apollo is known in Greek-influenced Etruscan mythology as Apulu. Apollo was worshipped in both ancient Greek and Roman religion, as well as in the modern Hellenic neopaganism.

As the patron of Delphi (Pythian Apollo), Apollo was an oracular god — the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle. Medicine and healing were associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius. Apollo was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague as well as one who had the ability to cure. Amongst the god's custodial charges, Apollo became associated with dominion over colonists, and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. As the leader of the Muses (Apollon Musagetes) and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were called paeans.

In Hellenistic times, especially during the third century BCE, as Apollo Helios he became identified among Greeks with Helios, god of the sun, and his sister Artemis similarly equated with Selene, goddess of the moon.[1] In Latin texts, however, Joseph Fontenrose declared himself unable to find any conflation of Apollo with Sol among the Augustan poets of the first century, not even in the conjurations of Aeneas and Latinus in Aeneid XII (161–215).[2] Apollo and Helios/Sol remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the third century CE.

Hope you'll find this as interesting as I do!

Healing Music Headphones

Yesterday I went to visit a dear friend in the hospital who has been in a serious auto accident and now has nine broken bones. Thank God, bones can heal, but she is also diabetic and has other complications. Another friend had suggested that I program some of my wireless, cordless headphones with her favorite classical piano music, as well as some hymns. And so I did! I don't know that I've ever felt so good about something I did to help a sick person with music. She appeared to be thrilled with my headphones and was listening as I left her with a big, serene smile on her face.

The surgical serenity headphones are programmable for any health/wellness/illness condition. Order some today for someone YOU love! www.surgicalheadphones.com.

How can music be used to heal?

Music can heal in so many different way!

Music stimulates and utilizes many parts of the brain - it captivates and maintains attention.

Music is an effective motivator.

Music provides a safe, structured setting for verbal and non-verbal communication.

Music uses sounds and silences to structure time in an understandable way.

Music provides both structure and freedom through the use of form and improvisation.

Music provides a meaningful, enjoyable context for repetition.

Music activities encourage social interactions.

Music is an effective memory aid.

Music supports and encourages movement.

Music taps into memories and emotions.

Music provides nonverbal, immediate feedback.

Music activities are easily adapted to each person's abilities.

Music interventions can be designed to be success-oriented.

Music uses concrete concepts that are easily demonstrated and understood - fast & slow, up & down, loud & soft, long & short, etc.

Music activities utilize many senses at the same time to enhance the learning experience - hearing, seeing and feeling

How can music heal the body?

This is one of the most frequent questions I get when I go out into the world to speak to conferences and conventions! I guess it almost seems too easy? Everyone loves music and know that they enjoy it a lot, but does it really "HEAL" the body? Well, first of all you must define healing. Healing is not the same as curing! By my definition, healing has to do with moving toward wholeness and the improvement or amelioration of symptoms. When I work with my patients in a counseling session, I often choose a piece of music that enables them to release painful feelings that they were keeping locked into their bodies. Keeping painful thoughts and memories locked into your body can actually cause illnesses to develop. I'm not saying that it's the only cause of illness, but it's definitely a big contributor. Germs might even pale by comparison!

When people hear beautiful music that they love, that has positive associations for them or that brings floods or good memories back to them, hormones and chemicals are released in the body that actually do heal and improve that person's health and their immune system! This is has been scientifically proven hundreds of times around the world.

If you'd like to know more, order my book "Notes on Tuning Your Life with Music" and the "Healing Music Sampler." Give yourself and your loved ones the gift of healing music!

Understanding Music Therapy

What is Music Therapy

by Lake Dell
There is no question that music has this sort of power over our minds. Shakespeare was quoted as saying, If music be the food of love, play on. But, it seems that it is also the food of our health.
There are many trained professionals that use music in a therapeutic sense; this is Music Therapy. This idea that music can help in the healing process is dated back to Plato’s days.
Today, the use of music for therapy began when music was found to help war veterans cope with physical and emotional trauma.
Soon enough, music therapy, backed by statistics and scientific testing, became well known for it’s healing abilities. In 1944, The State of Michigan created a program for music therapy.
Music therapy patients are first tested to see how they respond to music through emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning and cognitive skills. Once diagnosed, the patient is put in a program where a trained music therapist designs music sessions.
The music sessions are created based on the patients’ needs and responses to songs, lyrics, imagery, and performances.
Music therapy has been known to help patients in all age groups. Children with certain developmental and learning disabilities benefit from music therapy as much as the senior citizens who suffer from Alzheimer and the likes can benefit as well.
You can usually find a music therapy professional in many different places such as rehab facilities and correctional facilities. Even some schools employ these professionals.
There is a myth in the industry that a patient can only benefit from music therapy with they have some kind of musical ability. But it has been proven that anybody can be aided by music therapy.
It is important for the professionals to know the background and history of a patient to fully assess what music will and will not help.
Even healthy people can make use of the healing powers of music. Listening to or making music, playing or drumming can greatly reduce stress and improve productivity. Research shows that music is a vital support for physical exercise.
In hospitals, music therapy is used to alleviate pain and is often used in conjunction with anesthesia or pain medication. A question that is often raised is why use music if anesthesia does the same thing? Music helps because it dissolves emotional barriers and elevates the patients mood.
Depression can be fought using music therapy as the right kind of music relaxes and calms patients. It is even known to fully sedate some people.

Understanding more about anesthesia | Healing Music Enterprises Blog

Understanding more about anesthesia | Healing Music Enterprises Blog

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Music soothes the savage patient?

Science with a Smile: Music soothes the savage patient

admin | May 10, 2009 | Comments 0

Roger R. Coleman, Doctor of Chiropractic

There’s a part of me that sort of thinks when you hear harp music you’re probably not doing too good and if the person plucking the harp has wings you’ve got real trouble. But I could be wrong. 

It seems researchers at the Department of Vascular and Thoracic Surgery and Critical Care at the University of Central Florida-Orlando had a somewhat different idea. 

They launched a pilot study in which they wanted to find out if pain and anxiety could be reduced by live harp music. 

They used a 20-minute session of harp music to see if it was effective. And guess what, that 20 minutes of harp music decreased both pain and anxiety. 

But as the researchers point out, they couldn’t really be sure if the effects were produced by the harp music, the presence of the harpist and data collector or both. 

But it certainly is intriguing to think something as simple as music might lead to treatments that make us feel better. 

Remember, this was a pilot study and there was no control group to compare with the patients, who listened to the harp music, but still, it’s a study and you and your doctor should discuss it. So sit down with your personal doctor and the two of you can read a copy of “The effects of harp music in vascular and thoracic surgical patients” by D. Aragon.

As for me, I find harp music just a little scary, but I do seem to feel more relaxed after listening to Dean Martin or even some Jimmy Buffett. 

Now if they could just come up with music that would stop baldness, that would be a scientific breakthrough. 

Remember, this information is not intended as health care advice. The responsibility to determine the risk, usability and value of any information lies with your personal health care provider.

Should we leave Susan Boyle alone?

An interesting news story...

First, out of nowhere, there was Susan Boyle. And yea, the world dropped its jaws at the sound of that crystal-clear voice coming out of an ordinary looking woman, and saw that it was good.

AP file

People, she got a haircut and a scarf. This is not major cosmetic surgery, here.

And then, she showed up with a new hairdo and a Burberry scarf, and lo, the people started to freak the heck out. "What's next, a fake tan?" sniffed the Associated Press.

Come on. The woman got a $51 haircut and a scarf! It's not like she instantly threw herself on the plastic-surgery operating table and loaded up on Jimmy Choo stilettos. For all that she did clean up a bit, she still reminds me of a grade-school piano teacher. She'd never be noticed in a crowd by anyone who hadn't watched her YouTube audition clip.

But after the Boyle bonanza, in which everyone and their sister was e-mailing the YouTube clip, and then the Media Discovery, in which sites like ours were re-telling the story YouTubers already knew, there came the inevitable Warning Of The Backlash.

This story in the Times Online blames the supposed backlash on the new look, the fact that apparently Boyle's "never been kissed" line wasn't true, and that she's had some past musical success. Big deal. She's 47, if she hadn't ever tried to break into music before, with that voice, she's not just dowdy, as the paper calls her, but dumb. So she's not dumb! That's good!

And after the Warning of the Backlash came the declaration that said backlash was actually bogus. Any moment now we await the word that the bogus backlash itself was really bogus, and then the reversal of that bogus backlash, and now I can't even be bothered to keep up any more.

Healing Music in France

This afternoon I went to the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. It is definitely my favorite museum in Paris! There are so many beautiful impressionistic paintings that show how important music has always been in the life of Europeans and the French especially! I don't have much time at the moment to muse about all of the feelings I had today looking at these paintings but will write about it more when i return. Meanwhile, enjoy this famous painting of some of the male musicians who were friends of Landowska at the turn of the century!