Music Together December 2014 Newsletter Bells will be Ringing in 2015! Join us for the Bells Collection this winter session running January 12 – March 16, 2015. We will gallop with “Trot, Old Joe,” learn an egg shaker passing game from Ghana in “Obwisana,” drum & jive with “Rhythms & Rhymes,” and create beautiful rounds in “The Bells of Westminster” – […]
Music Education
3 String Guitars
Three-String Guitars What originated as a Kickstarter® campaign, the Loog guitar has now been put into production, and people around the world are experiencing the benefits of this simple but brilliant idea. The brilliance lies in the reduction of six strings to three so that beginners and experienced players alike can focus on a limited […]
3rd Annual Downriver Day of Percussion
What is the Downriver Day of Percussion? The Downriver Day of Percussion is a day of presentations, clinics, and workshops designed to aid school-aged percussionists looking to continue to grow as musicians. This one-day event features masterclasses from successful educators and percussionists. Best yet, it will greatly aid in building a sense of community amongst […]
Music Together March 2014
Music Together March 2014 Sing! Sing! Singin’ Every Day! Did you know March is “Sing with Your Child” Month? It is, and we have a fun challenge for all of our Hummingbirds Music Together families – can you sing at least once with your children every day in March? Let’s set the goal together and […]
Steve Colucci: Arts are valuable in and of themselves
Feb 4th, 2014 Providence Journal by Steve Colucci Arts are valuable in and of themselves An impressive Jan. 14 Commentary piece (“Music education offers skills for this century and beyond“) makes a cogent point about the advantages of music education. However, I found it sad that Amanda Siegel, the Rocky Hill student who wrote the […]
Inspiration In The Storm – Using my iPad to express where words fail.
I Pad Technology in Music Education February 2, 2014 — Paul Shimmons Music Apps for Ipad Using the iPad to put my digital sheet music on was my original intention when I bought the iPad1 the day it was released. I never imagined I would actually be using the iPad to create music and that […]
Richard Gill The Value of Music Education
Richard Gill Tedx Sydney Music educator Richard Gill argues the case for igniting the imagination through music and for making our own music. In this talk, he leads the TEDxSydney audience through some surprising illustrations of the relationship between music and our imagination. Richard Gill has been Music Director of the Victorian Opera Company since […]
Rock band making noise about dwindling music programs
Bramton Guardian by Roger Belgrave The Darcys BRAMPTON— Brampton Centennial Secondary School Principal Terry Whitmell is standing at the foot of the school’s auditorium stage tapping her feet to the live band she’s invited to perform for students during lunch period. The slim-fit foursome behind the amplified electric guitars, keyboard, synthesizer and drums are Toronto […]
How music education boosts learning
Lynda Way Pacific Pre-School and Kindergarten How Music Education Boosts Learning Today, music occupies a special place in the hearts of those in the field of childhood development. This is because music supports learning in a number of ways. Let’s take a look at three of them: Music Aids Brain Growth and Development Regardless of whether […]
KU research establishes link between music education, academic achievement
Music Makes Us LAWRENCE — University of Kansas researchers have confirmed what decades of anecdotal evidence and national research suggested: Increased music participation has important direct and indirect effects on positive outcomes in student achievement and engagement. For a baseline study commissioned by Nashville’s Music Makes Us initiative, KU researchers from the School of Music and the Center for Public Partnerships […]
School Music Programs. Music education offers skills for this century and beyond
School Music Programs by Amanda Siegel Providence Journal While many would argue that the study of music should be part of a well-rounded education, the matter is still somewhat controversial. Research led by Frances Rauscher and published in Nature in 1993 showed that listening to the music of Mozart improved performance of certain mental tasks. […]
Music Apps for Android
Music Apps for Android by Rhona-Mae Arca Busted Piano String Back in September, I shared some music education apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Now, it’s Android’s turn. These are some of the best music education apps for Android that I have found. I have tried all of these on my phone, tablet (or both). Music […]
Beethoven boost: Classical music may help younger children concentrate in class, U.K. experts say
Beethoven boost: Classical music may help younger children concentrate in class, U.K. experts say By Graeme Paton, The Daily Telegraph, National Post Wire Services Exposing children to Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and Mendelssohn at a young age can boost their concentration and self-discipline, new research suggests. Allowing students as young as seven to listen to classical music […]
Music Education Enhances Children’s Quality of School Life
Music Education Enhances Children’s Quality of School Life By: NeuroNet Students with extended music education report significantly higher satisfaction with school compared to non-music students, according to a recent study. When children’s quality of school life is higher, they learn better and participate more often. The challenge is identifying factors which increase children’s satisfaction with […]
Are music lessons the way to get smarter
Are music lessons the way to get smarter? By Diane Cole National Geographic That’s what a lot of parents (and experts) believe: Studying an instrument gives children an advantage in the development of their intellectual, perceptual, and cognitive skills. This may, however, turn out to be wishful thinking. Two new randomized trials have found no evidence for […]
Music Instruction
Long Beach elementary parents decide to pay for extra music instruction by Mary Plummer 89.3 KPCC Parents at a Long Beach school are taking their students’ music instruction into their own hands and paying for two days of music instruction per week, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram. The move will double the amount of music instruction […]
Making sure young brains get the benefits of music training
The Powerful Impact of Music Education on Overall Academic Performance Mommy Maestra Many educators and parents have intuitively known for decades that music education plays an important role in a child’s academic life. It’s the reason why I signed my kids up for guitar & piano classes and why I decided that they would be […]
Music Together January 2014 – Singing in the New Year!
Music Together January 2014 – Singing in the New Year! Singing in the New Year! 2014 is here and we hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break! Registration is still open for the Winter Semester which starts the week of January 13 and we hope to see everyone back in class soon! If […]
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on Arts Education
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on Arts Education At a time of year that invites both retrospection and prediction, jazzman Wynton Marsalis and Harvard president Drew Faust offer a thoughtful argument for the critical importance of arts education. In an USA Today essay, trumpeter and composer Marsalis notes that today’s emphasis on job preparation is misguided […]
Music New Year Resolutions
Music New Year Resolutions By Espie Estrella About.com New Year’s Resolutions, yes we all have them, some may even have more than others. Whatever your goals are for 2014 keeping a list is a good idea to remind you where you need to improve and focus on. Here’s a list of possible resolutions for music […]