Have you been to Downtown Detroit to see and hear the jazz festival? Although this blog has nothing to do with the jazz festival, the research on music and brain science is fascinating.
Scientist have been monitoring musicians brain activity with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography. When performing various activities brain areas light-up, but when playing music multiple areas light-up as sounds are processed. Listening to music engages the brain, but playing music is equivalent to a full body work-out. Playing a musical instrument engages every part of the brain. Brain areas effected are motor, visual, and auditory. Discipline and structured practice strengthen brain function, and allow for transferring knowledge to other activities.
Listening to music and playing it requires development of fine motor skills. Both left and right hemispheres of the brain are in full use. Corpus callosum is center of the brain, and messages from both hemispheres travel back and forth allowing messages to transfer faster from both routes.
Musicians have higher levels of executive functions such as planning, strategizing, and paying attention to details, and forming a bridge between cognitive and emotional aspects. Enhancement in multiple brain areas have been found in musicians.
Music training can significantly improve motor and reasoning skills. Music is shown to increase auditory discrimination abilities, and increase fine motor skills for students in three or more years of music study. Music students test better on vocabulary and nonverbal reasoning skills in identifying relationships, similarities, and differences between shapes and patterns.
Parents, this blog provides compelling reasons to enroll your children into music lessons. Also, and who knows, maybe your child could become a professional musician. If so, I will see him/her in performance at the Downtown Detroit Jazz Festival.
Cooper, Belle Beth (2013, December 6). The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does To Our Brains, Fast Company & Inc @ 2017 Mansueto Ventures, LLC
Awesome Daily Staff (2015, January 2). What Playing A Musical Instrument Does To Your Brain, The Awesome Daily
Monday, September 4, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Charles Lloyd Performs Caroline No
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Charles Lloyd Performs Caroline No: As I write this blog on Charles Lloyd, I am listening to a Charles Lloyd performance of "Caroline No", with a published date ...
Charles Lloyd Performs Caroline No
As I write this blog on Charles Lloyd, I am listening to a Charles Lloyd performance of "Caroline No", with a published date of October 4, 2011, on YouTube. In 1966, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Tony Asher wrote "Caroline No". Today in 2017, fans are blessed to have "Caroline No" in the Charles Lloyd repertoire.
Charles Lloyd is a great musician who plays saxophone with a charmingly light and airy tone quality that no one can mistaken as anyone other than Charles Lloyd.
"Caroline No" is beautifully layered with drums starting, and pianist Jason Moran joining with Eric Harland with exciting improvisation. Bassist Reuben Rogers and Charles Lloyd eventually join-in to state the melody. Pianist Jason Moran`s collaboration on this performance is gorgeous. He and the rhythm section lay down a canvas that is solid for Charles Lloyd to create. This music is performed with a spiritual dimension. Close your eyes, and take a journey. I wonder if Wilson and Asher had this interpretation in mind. Words to describe this music is terrific, gorgeous, beautiful, deep, and just pure love. Lloyd, Moran, Rogers, and Harland have taken this simple melody, and worked their magic with harmonies and improvisation.
Charles Lloyd is a great musician who plays saxophone with a charmingly light and airy tone quality that no one can mistaken as anyone other than Charles Lloyd.
"Caroline No" is beautifully layered with drums starting, and pianist Jason Moran joining with Eric Harland with exciting improvisation. Bassist Reuben Rogers and Charles Lloyd eventually join-in to state the melody. Pianist Jason Moran`s collaboration on this performance is gorgeous. He and the rhythm section lay down a canvas that is solid for Charles Lloyd to create. This music is performed with a spiritual dimension. Close your eyes, and take a journey. I wonder if Wilson and Asher had this interpretation in mind. Words to describe this music is terrific, gorgeous, beautiful, deep, and just pure love. Lloyd, Moran, Rogers, and Harland have taken this simple melody, and worked their magic with harmonies and improvisation.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Take It Seriously - 2017 Spring Recital
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Take It Seriously - 2017 Spring Recital: I am looking at this BobatoonCollective tweet on Twitter, and BobatoonCollective tweets "I know it sounds corny, but when you foll...
Take It Seriously - 2017 Spring Recital
I am looking at this BobatoonCollective tweet on Twitter, and BobatoonCollective tweets "I know it sounds corny, but when you follow your dreams, it happens. And if it`s music, take it seriously". Enrique Iglesias. No truer words have ever been spoken. It`s called vision, and everyone`s vision is going to be different, but music calls for a perseverance of that vision.
Yesterday, my vision was realized with our spring recital. Our recital was small in number, but enthusiasm was in the air. Everyone in the audience was there to support their young musician. Parents and grandparents giving the gift of music to their young. What a show of love; giving a gift that will last a life time. Who knows, that gift could be the beginning of what could be a successful career in music.
Thank you to my students, and family members of my students who participated in our Keith Gamble - Woodwind Music Lessons 2017 Spring Recital. Their hard work and time truly paid off. Thanks also to my adult learners. Only one adult participated in our recital, and he gave a wonderful display of improvisation on tenor saxophone. Enjoy it, learn from it, and most importantly, have fun. See you for our 2017 Christmas Recital.
Yesterday, my vision was realized with our spring recital. Our recital was small in number, but enthusiasm was in the air. Everyone in the audience was there to support their young musician. Parents and grandparents giving the gift of music to their young. What a show of love; giving a gift that will last a life time. Who knows, that gift could be the beginning of what could be a successful career in music.
Thank you to my students, and family members of my students who participated in our Keith Gamble - Woodwind Music Lessons 2017 Spring Recital. Their hard work and time truly paid off. Thanks also to my adult learners. Only one adult participated in our recital, and he gave a wonderful display of improvisation on tenor saxophone. Enjoy it, learn from it, and most importantly, have fun. See you for our 2017 Christmas Recital.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Jazz In Ten Easy Lessons
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Jazz In Ten Easy Lessons: Jazz is not an art to be conquered; you are not going to simply learn jazz in 10 easy lessons. Young musicians looking to pursue jazz w...
Jazz In Ten Easy Lessons
Jazz is not an art to be conquered; you are not going to simply learn jazz in 10 easy lessons. Young musicians looking to pursue jazz will be better served approaching jazz studies with a realistic prospective. Ones education in jazz studies is step-by-step, and that knowledge can be built upon.
For many, a formal introduction into music comes from K-12 education. Elementary school education is crucial in giving students tools meaningful to develop musical skills. Elementary school gives an introduction into music, not jazz, but music. It is through music we develop skills and technique as instrumentalist, and comradeship with others in making music. In other words, our basic technique and general understanding of music is developed in elementary school.
In middle and high school technique is further developed with traditional music study. Jazz is learned in high school, but students bread and butter comes from learning traditional music. Numerous high school and college jazz programs have replaced the apprenticeship model of learning jazz. Jazz is introduced to greater numbers of citizens, both performers and audiences. If anything is lost to the academic presentation of jazz it is the individuality of jazz. Today you do not recognize the players. However, through jazz education one can hear better technique, and greater facility.
Once upon a time jazz musicians learned to play in jazz clubs at late hours in jam sessions. Today young jazz artist learn in academic environments, which is a safer environment. However, there is one thing that connects both learning jazz in an era that has gone, and today in the classroom, and that is you got to get out there and play.
For many, a formal introduction into music comes from K-12 education. Elementary school education is crucial in giving students tools meaningful to develop musical skills. Elementary school gives an introduction into music, not jazz, but music. It is through music we develop skills and technique as instrumentalist, and comradeship with others in making music. In other words, our basic technique and general understanding of music is developed in elementary school.
In middle and high school technique is further developed with traditional music study. Jazz is learned in high school, but students bread and butter comes from learning traditional music. Numerous high school and college jazz programs have replaced the apprenticeship model of learning jazz. Jazz is introduced to greater numbers of citizens, both performers and audiences. If anything is lost to the academic presentation of jazz it is the individuality of jazz. Today you do not recognize the players. However, through jazz education one can hear better technique, and greater facility.
Once upon a time jazz musicians learned to play in jazz clubs at late hours in jam sessions. Today young jazz artist learn in academic environments, which is a safer environment. However, there is one thing that connects both learning jazz in an era that has gone, and today in the classroom, and that is you got to get out there and play.
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