Wednesday, October 22, 2014

So you've learned to play an instrument. What's next?



Image Source: telegraph.co.uk


Many people, at some point in their lives, have wanted to learn how to play an instrument. Young people especially want to do it because they want to look cool in front of their peers or they have a musical artist that they look up to.

Those who are able to develop their interest into a discipline soon acquire the competence in the instrument of their choice. This level requires several hours spent on learning the fundamentals and practicing enough to perform more naturally. At this point, however, many people still end up discontinuing their study of the musical instrument. They are usually satisfied with the ability to play a few songs in their leisure time.

Despite the long hours of practice required in learning a musical instrument, competence is just part of the beginning. There are many paths open to aspiring musicians and all of those lead to a deeper enjoyment of playing music.



Image Source: monstermusic.com.au


Going for mastery of an instrument and making forays into a specific genre are moves beyond mere skill acquisition. Mastery involves knowing the full extent of what one can do with an instrument and allows a musician to collaborate with other top musicians. Going on this path is usually tied to aspirations to become a professional musician.

Another viable path is to learn other instruments. People who’ve been in a band for a few years often develop an appreciation for what their band mates can do. Some turn that appreciation into interest and they start all over again on a journey to learn a new instrument under the tutelage of their peers.


Image Source: hercampus.com


Find more resources on studying music through the Mark Begelman Facebook page.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

REPOST: This is your brain on a musical instrument





According to a new research published on this article from USA Today, children who play an instrument show a stronger "neurophysiological distinction" among certain sounds compared to children who just simply listen to music.



AP Generous Violinist
(Photo: Michael Penn AP) | Image Source: usatoday.com
Learning to play a musical instrument produces such profound changes in children's brains that kids actually can hear and process sounds they couldn't hear otherwise, according to researchers using high-tech sensors.

The findings, published Tuesday, could provide a boost to music education programs that invite kids to play instruments rather than simply listen to music.

The study, by researchers at Northwestern University, examined a community music program serving low-income children in Los Angeles. They attached special electrodes to children's scalps and measured how their brains responded to sounds. The children's average age was about 8.

Researchers found that those who played an instrument for two years showed a stronger "neurophysiological distinction" between certain sounds than children who didn't get the instrumental training. For instance, the music-makers more easily could tell the difference between the words "bill" and "pill," a key skill in learning to read.

The Los Angeles program already has shown improved academic results for kids, and the new research may offer an explanation, or at least part of one. The study found that the more hours kids played, the greater the neurological benefit.

"We're really able to measure what the nervous system has become, based on the experience that these children have had with sound," said Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist at Northwestern who led the research.

The new findings, she said, shouldn't be confused with those reported years earlier on the cognitive benefits of listening to certain types of music. The so-called "Mozart Effect" involved listening, not playing a musical instrument. "It turns out that playing a musical instrument is important," Kraus said. "We don't see these kinds of biological changes in people who are just listening to music, who are not playing an instrument. I like to give the analogy that you're not going to become physically fit just by watching sports."

She isn't sure why the difference is so pronounced but noted that playing music involves "not just the information that comes through our ears." Musicians experience the music through their fingers and throughout their bodies. And the work required to learn to play an instrument engages the brain's cognitive, sensory and reward circuits. The new research, she said, "is the tip of the iceberg."

 More articles about the benefits of music can be read by visiting this Mark Begelman blog site.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Three of the most memorable video game soundtracks of all time

Great graphics and a compelling story line aren't enough to make a truly memorable video game. Videogame music, whether it's a wee 8-bit melody or a full orchestra score, is an important part of the gaming experience. Would a Final Fantasy battle victory taste as sweet without the short victory tune at the end?

The following are three examples of video game soundtracks that have made their mark on the collective psyche of hardcore gamers everywhere.

1. Tetris

Image Source: geeky-gadgets.com
 
Thanks to Tetris, a 19th century Russian folk song about courtship called “Korobeiniki” became an instantly recognizable tune especially among puzzle-loving gamers.

The song was based on a poem by Nikolay Nekrasov, who was well known in Russia for penning poetry about the Russian peasant class. An arranged version was used for the Tetris soundtrack.

The soundtrack for the original Tetris game was scored by composer Hirokazu Tanaka, who also created the soundtracks for other classic games like Metroid, Super Marioland, Doctor Mario, and Duck Hunt.

2. Final Fantasy VI

Image Source: androidheadlines.com

Composer Nobuo Uematsu has a huge body of work, but one of his memorable projects is arguably the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VI, considered by many as one of the best Final Fantasy games in the franchise. The soundtrack consists of themes for each major characters and boss battles, as well as music for standard battles and cut scenes. One of the more unforgettable pieces in this soundtrack is “Dancing Mad,” the theme music for the game's psychotic villain, Kefka. The song is 20 minutes long and separated into four movements, with each one representing periods in Kefka's rise into power and eventual downfall. Critics have called the theme a masterpiece.

3. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Image Source: hsmagazine.net

The soundtrack's composer, Michiru Yamane, is a well-regarded name in her field, but her best work is arguably the soundtrack for the action RPG Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Yamane pulled out all the stops, combining elements of gothic rock with classical music and opera, punctuated with ambient sounds like the sound of raindrops falling and the toll of funeral bells. The results are a dark, grandiose, and overwhelming auditory experience that's a perfect complement to the game.

A videogame soundtrack creates atmosphere, builds tension, furthers a narrative, and helps flesh out the game's characters.

For discussions about the importance of music in other areas, follow this Mark Begelman Twitter account.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

REPOST: New Evidence of Mental Benefits From Music Training

Music helps by mentally stimulating the brain. This post from Psmag.com features a study that proves how learning music helps children achieve academic excellence.
Image Source: psmag.com
 
As we’ve reported
, a large body of research has noted a link between music education and higher test scores. But precisely why learning an instrument would have a positive impact on academic achievement has never been clear.
A new study from Boston Children’s Hospital provides a possible answer. It reports musical training may promote the development and maintenance of a key set of mental skills.
These executive functions, which are coordinated in the brain’s frontal lobe, “allow for planned, controlled behavior,” writes a research team led by Harvard University scholar Nadine Gaab. They enable us to manage our time and attention, organize our thoughts, and regulate our behavior—abilities that are crucial to success in school, as well as later life.
In an experiment featuring two separate groups of test subjects—one consisting of children, the other of adults—Gaab and her colleagues discovered a link between early musical training and heightened executive functioning. This, they argue, could explain “the previously reported links between musical training and enhanced cognitive skills.”
In the online journal PLoS One, they describe a study featuring 30 adults between the ages of 18 and 35 (15 working musicians, and 15 non-musicians), and 27 children between the ages of nine and 12 (15 of whom had at least two years of musical training).
All performed a series of tasks to measure various facets of cognitive ability, including verbal fluency, mental processing speed, and working memory—the crucial ability to hold several ideas in your mind at the same time. In addition, the children performed a separate mental task while their brains were scanned using fMRI technology.
The key result: “Children and adults with extensive musical training show enhanced performance on a number of executive-function constructs compared to non-musicians,” the researchers write, “especially for cognitive flexibility, working memory, and processing speed.”
The musically trained children showed “heightened activation in traditional executive-function regions” of the brain during a task-switching exercise, they report, along with “enhanced performance on measures of verbal fluency.”
Gaab and her colleagues caution that more research will be needed to show causation. The chicken-and-egg question has been raised in the past in regard to music and the brain, and these results don’t definitively answer it: It’s possible that kids with higher levels of executive functioning are more likely to be drawn to studying music.
Longitudinal studies, measuring executive functioning before music training begins, will presumably be required to definitively answer that question. But the very real possibility that music training boosts executive functioning provides another argument for the importance of music education.
“Replacing music programs with reading or math instruction in our nation’s school curricula in order to boost standardized test scores,” the researchers warn, “may actually lead to deficient skills in other cognitive areas.”
To learn more about the benefits of music, follow Mark Begelman on Twitter.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Fired up: The effects of music on athletic performance

Image Source: drprem.com
Gyms, jogging tracks, and cycling paths are full of people listening to music via their iPods or other portable music devices. Professional fighters walk to the ring to the sound of their entrance song. Most exercisers agree that music makes them feel less tired during their workouts, but research shows that music has a great impact on athletic performance.

Image Source: exercise-and-sport-psychology.blogspot.com

In 2003, a study explored the effects of music on athletic performance by observing how a group of cyclists responded when listening to fast-paced music while using a stationary bicycle compared to the control group with no music. The results showed that the cyclists who listened to fast, upbeat music cycled faster in the first few kilometers and the final stretch when compared to the control group. Another study done in 2009 explored how tempo affected athletic performance. In this study, a group of cyclists was asked to listen to a set of six songs in three separate trials. In one of the trials, when the tempo was increased by 10 percent, the cyclists pedaled harder and faster, and their heart rates increased. In another trial, when the tempo was decreased by 10 percent, their heart rates fell and their pedaling slowed.

Image Source: blogs.americaeconomia.com

According to Costas Karageorghis, Ph.D., a researcher at the Brutel University School of Sport and Education in London, music can be like "a type of legal performance-enhancing drug." However, the exact reason that music seems to affect athletic performance is not fully known, partly because its effects can be both psychological and physiological. But most of the existing research on the effects of music on exercise indicates that increased motivation is the reason for improved athletic performance.

Ordinary individuals can reap the benefits of these studies and give themselves a performance boost simply by listening to their favorite songs while exercising.  

Find more articles on the benefits of music by visiting this Mark Begelman blog.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Is there an ideal age to begin music lessons?

Image Source: counselheal.com



Nowadays, parents are bombarded with a plethora of brain-enhancing products for their children like musical apps and online videos. With the promise of making their children grow smarter, parents take advantage of these products. That’s all good and acceptable. Still, nothing beats the benefits of formal music training. The question is: When is the right age to start training?

Several studies done by the University of California suggest that taking music lessons at age three can boost brainpower. However, Baby Center reveals that piano trainers recommend that children’s hands should be big enough to handle the keys and they should be able to sit still for hours of training. And this is usually at age five.



Image Source: musiced.pressible.org



There is also a growing concern about introducing formal lessons to very young kids. This may be an issue for them, later on in life, if they felt like they were being forced into playing an instrument when they were smaller. They can possibly grow to hate, even develop anger against music. So just when parents think their very young children are ready for formal lessons, music teachers advice parents to give them a year or two before enrolling their kids so that the children can determine for themselves what instrument they want. Although piano is an ideal instrument to start with, parents have to expose their children to several other instruments to know and cultivate their interest.

Brain development is probably the number one reason why parents encourage their young to engage in music. But let it be a reminder to them that the love for music should be as fun as much as it is educational.



Image Source: poesis.ca







Mark Begelman continues to spread his musical influence on kids of all ages. Visit this website for more music updates.

Monday, April 7, 2014

REPOST: When words fail, grieving children can find an outlet in music

Music is important, especially to children who are in pain and grief because music gives them something to look forward to each day. To know more about the power of music, read this LATimes.com article.

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 To help them cope with loss, therapist Arvis Jones uses music as a way to help children express how they feel.
Image Source: unbconnect.com
How do you help little children, too young to know what death really means, cope with the feelings of grief and pain that the loss of a loved one brings?
If you're music therapist Arvis Jones, you let them bang on a drum, do the hokey-pokey or join a choir and sing.
Jones is part of a growing professional field that taps the restorative power of music to help traumatized children heal.
For 20 years, she's been going to crime scenes, hospitals, funerals and schools, reaching out to grieving families with a bin of unorthodox tools — keyboards, claves, jingle sticks, tambourines, djembe and tubano drums.
Music is a right-brained activity, she said. Listening, playing, dancing and singing all engage the mind's emotional sphere.
But it's not just neurobiology that makes the medium a valuable tool. "With grief, the pain is sometimes so deep it hurts too much for kids to talk about what they feel," Jones said. "Music breaks down their defenses. They think they're having fun."
That helps counselors like Jones create a safe space to address the anger, confusion and fear that loss generates in young lives.
For the children who survived a car accident that killed a sibling and left their mother in a coma, that meant dancing around her hospital room with wooden rainsticks and percussion rings. "They'd been too traumatized to even look at their mother," Jones said. "Getting comfortable helped them reconnect."
For the little boy who hadn't smiled since his father died, that meant singing with Jones' children's choir. "Suddenly you're up there on the stage and everyone's clapping for you," Jones recalled. "He was beaming, bowing to the crowd." He'd realized that his father's death didn't mean the end of joy in his life.
For the 8-year-old who'd been fighting his classmates since he found his brother's body after a suicide, that meant pounding a giant drum. He might not have been able to describe his rage, but he could hit Jones' drum as hard as he wanted.
And he could hug it to his chest and cry when Jones asked if he loved and missed his brother.
I'd always considered it airy-fairy; the notion that music can heal something as profound as grief.
Jones said that's not an uncommon view. "A lot of agencies don't want to be bothered with music therapy. They consider it frivolous — until they see it," she said.
She said it's becoming more widely used to help children deal with not just their own grief, but with the trauma of public tragedies. Jones was asked after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School to share music therapy techniques that might help families recover.
"Death is not something we can hide from," she said. "But we have a hard time helping children talk about it."
Without encouragement, children tend to stay silent; some act out their pain in destructive ways.

 Image Source: q8blend.com
She remembers a visit to a South Los Angeles middle school to talk with classmates of a boy whose sister had been stabbed to death. "I talked to the kids about what to expect … and asked if anyone had a similar experience," she said.
Hands all across the classroom went up. One boy said his mother had been beaten to death the year before. "The teachers didn't know. They don't ask," she said. "No one knows what to say in a situation like that. Then you wonder why the kid causes trouble in class."
On Thursday, at a conference on children's grief, I watched Jones share her music therapy techniques with teachers, social workers and counselors.
She had volunteers from the audience role-play children, displaying the routes that music can take:
A tough teenager can use rap lyrics to reveal emotions that are hard to claim. A silent preschooler can signal distress with the vigorous shake of a tambourine. A withdrawn child can learn to trust by becoming part of a handbell troupe. A hurting child can learn to self-soothe by humming Grandma's favorite tune.
Music isn't magic, Jones made clear. "Recovery is a process, not an event.... But music is a way for us to begin to listen to what children feel.
Jones is the assistant director of the Center for Grief and Loss for Children at the mental health agency Hathaway-Sycamores, which began hosting the grief conference 10 years ago.
Joan Cochran, the center's executive director, financed the first conference with her credit card. "They said no one would come," she recalled. Twenty people showed up. That was enough to keep her going. She had worked with hospice patients, and seen children overlooked in the mourning process.
This year, more than 500 people attended the Pasadena conference, where workshop topics ran the gamut from bereavement rituals to therapist burnout.
"People are desperate for answers," said Deanne Tilton Durfee, director of the county's Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, which helped organize the conference. "They want to know how to do the right thing for children. And they want to know how to manage that without damaging their own lives."
Image Source: jamminwithyou.com

Jones offered an answer in her workshop. "You have to feel the joy inside yourself to be able to reach kids," she told the crowd, waving her arms as music filled the conference room.
By the end of the session they were on their feet, gyrating to a James Brown tune.
 Mark Begelman is a  co-founder of Markee Music, which provides a world class facility where children can enhance their talents. Follow this Twitter page to know more about its services.