Mindfulness and music
Several years ago, I did a short weeklong summer camp on Indian music for kids, and we had a lot of fun learning songs, exploring instruments, composing, and more. I've been wanting to do it again but somehow never got around to it. This year, I have the honor of doing a fun music &... Continue Reading →
Image by MJ Jin from Pixabay RIDE is a lovely acronym to give yourself some compassion and move forward in times of difficulty: https://www.facebook.com/TheHandsFreeRevolution/videos/532765551169614/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C Reassure - yourself that you'll be okay, you can get through this. Inhale - breathe! inhale and exhale Decide - on a small effort you're going to make, one step at... Continue Reading →
This graphic novel adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera tis unusual in its drawings and reminds me of old black-and-white abridged comic versions of classic books. The scenes were moving and brought tears to my eyes (like Frankenstein does!). If you are a fan of the show and the music, you will enjoy this.
John Henry's farm has a new super-catchy song and video out called "Lonely Places." Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0E3W2PQh9o more music on the site: https://johnhenrysfarm.com/
This book, Indian Classical Music and Dance, is a full history and deep dive into Indian classical arts - particularly music. I love pulling out pieces of interesting history for context in lessons, or adding color to an explanation of a song, to help students picture and place the composition. The book makes an interesting... Continue Reading →
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay We all love different kinds of music. But there are some songs that are (mostly) universally liked - why? One expert suggests that it comes down to a small number of factors: the unexpected, connecting with feelings, personality, and even local culture. We can also connect to music visually -... Continue Reading →
I had the opportunity to meet Shankar, the founder of Audeze (pronounced like Odyssey) - they make high end headphones and the headsets for playstation and xbox. It was eye-opening to listen to sounds on different headsets and compare the quality - even noticing new instruments in songs I've heard for years. It was also... Continue Reading →
Photo by Lewis Sykes, license Recently with my students, we learned about the tonoscope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5WAlKx8QJE We were able to create something similar with a plastic bucket (yogurt tub) and a thin plastic bag (compostable bags are good for this) tied with a rubberband, and fine sand. You can also use metal plates, but the effect... Continue Reading →
Image by 23889642 from Pixabay Here are some fun ideas I thought of for sharing environmental awareness with music. Let me know if you try any! - songs about saving the planet or other eco-friendly activities - lead songs and chants - pledge to practice so many hours and "raise" money for a cause (or... Continue Reading →
We recently had the honor of hosting the brilliant violinist Kamalakiran Vinjamuri, and had some great conversations about music, India vs the US, violins, and drank chai together. Check out his amazing music and upcoming tours and workshops: https://www.instagram.com/kamalakiran/?hl=en
Okachiko - Sit There 