Emotions are Brought Out Through Music for All Ages

All ages sing “Happy Birthday,” and experience connection and joy. As an adult, whether you’re a parent, grandparent aunt, uncle or friend, try listening to music with a child or teenager. You’ll be surprised how this creates a bond and leads to some interesting conversations.

Grandfather Makes Up Rap Songs for his Grandchildren

A good example of music connecting generations as well as cultures is Bhagwan Mirchandani, a father and grandfather who grew up in India.  Bhagwan noticed his children and grandhildren listening to rap music. They insisted it was great music, so he eventually decided to try listening to some of the rap music, choosing songs with positive clean language. He enjoyed this “teenagers” music, and began making up music himself from a conversation. His grandchildren were very happy to have such an open-minded grandfather!

Use Music for Multi-Generational Sharing

- Start playing and singing  music at an early age. Expose children to many kinds of music.
-Try listening to some music that you’re not used to hearing. You might like it! At least you’ll have an idea what kind of music the younger generation likes, and this will help you relate to them.
-Take your family to hear all kinds of music. You will have something in common and you will all learn to appreciate many varieties of music.

Music Crosses Age Barriers

Each generation has its preferences for music, all ages enjoy some of the same music. Brahm’s Lullaby is used for babies and young children, but many adults use it to cure insomnia. All of us can remember hearing certain songs from the “golden ages” of the 1920′s, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, no matter what our age. When I play an old favorite on my harp in a retirement home, the eyes of those who know the song light up.

Silence Can Be Healing

When you turn your thoughts inward, quiet the mind and let go of the ego, you release healing energy. This can  happen during meditation, listening to beautiful music, taking a walk in nature or observing art. Art also has blank spaces, negative spaces and positive spaces. The positive spaces would be meaningless without the negative or blank spaces, just as music needs rests along with notes.

Music Without Silence is Just Noise

We often overlook silence (rests) in music. The rests are just as important as the notes, and the silence makes the notes afterward more powerful. The silence allows for rhythm, dynamics and melodies to have meaning.  Rests add to the intrigue, beauty and drama of music. As a musician, I understand how challenging it can be to slow down and take time between phrases. One characteristic of a great musician’s performance is the ability to have periods of silence, pauses or space between phrases.

Communication Requires Some Silence

When someone else is talking, one of the best things you can do is to listen. This can be difficult because we’re often thinking about what we’re going to say next rather than listening.  Paying attention to what someone else is saying can be very powerful, both for you and for the talker. You show respect, empathy and interest when you are silent and listen. A general rule is to speak in proportion to the number of people in the conversation. For instance, if there are two people, you talk approximately half of the time and listen half the time.  When there are four people, each person talks approximately one-fourth of the time.

Silence and Spirituality

Inner silence is a great way to get in touch with our Creator, God, Divine Power, or whatever label you prefer. Many religions use this inner stillness. In Christianity there is silent prayer or Christian meditation, which is listening rather than thinking. In Hinduism and many paths of yoga, silence is used for inner growth. In Buddhism, allowing the mind to become silent leads to spiritual enlightenment. Quaker worship services often have a silent time, which allows the divine to speak in the heart and mind.

Take Time for Some Silence in Your Life

Find at least a few minutes each day to turn off the chatter in your mind. Allow yourself to think of nothing, even it’s for a very short time. Listen to others, listen to the music in the background, observe the beauty in nature, observe a piece of art. If you are a musician, appreciate and use pauses and silence in your music. Try allowing an extra half second between phrases or sections of your music. Silence is golden.

Did Beethoven compose Fur Elise for his Valentine?

There are many secrets and rumors about Beethoven’s love life. He loved to flirt, had many lovers (both real and fantasies), and often used “pet names.”A fascinating unanswered question  is,”Who was Elise?”
One suggestion is that in 1809 Beethoven fell in love with a beautiful eighteen-year-old student named Therese Malfatti. He believed the esteem Therese (Elise) held for him was reciprocated love. Beethoven had fantasies of marriage to this young girl, and because of this had requested his required birth certificate from Bonn.

Why Didn’t Beethoven Marry Therese Malfatti (Elise)?

In 1810 Beethoven was invited to the Malfatti household for a party thrown by Therese’s father.  Beethoven was planning to play a bagatelle he had composed for Therese, then propose marriage to her. Unfortunately he got so drunk that night that he didn’t play the piano or propose. He managed to write Therese’s name on the title page of the music. He wrote  ” Fur Therese “  in almost illegible writing. On Therese’s death the manuscript was found and published as “Fur Elise.”

Was Beethoven’s Close Friend, Elisabeth Roeckel, “Elise?”

Elisabeth Roeckel and Beethoven were close friends – perhaps more than just friends. She was also a  pianist and later became a singer. She was known in her circle of friends as “Elise.” In 1810 she and Beethoven were separated when she traveled to Bamberg to work in theater.  There are rumors that  Beethoven dedicated the A-Minor piano piece “in the memory of” Elise because they were separated. Since Elisabeth Roeckel was referred to in the dedication as “Elise” and not the more formal “Fraeulein Roeckel,” she must have known Beethoven well.

Beethoven Loved to Flirt

Elise (Elizabeth Roeckel) wrote about Beethoven’s teasing. “Beethoven, true to his frisky disposition,  pinched me out of sheer affection. I didn’t know what to do.” This wasn’t the end of their friendship, however. A few days before his death in 1827, she visited him. She cut off a lock of his hair and accepted one of his quills to remember him.

Was There Another Elise?

We can only guess who was the inspiration for Beethoven’s  famous piece. Elise was a very common name in Vienna at that time, so he may have dedicated Fur Elise to another woman.  We still enjoy the music, and every student longs to get to a level where they can play Fur Elise.
Listen to the beginning of Fur Elise played on the harp. Find Fur Elise & click.

Who do you think is the real “Elise?”

Music Enhances Memory

Learning is maximized when listening to Baroque music at 60 beats per minute. This activates both sides of the brain at the same time. The left side is stimulated by the information and the right side is activated by the music.  Playing an instrument or singing also engages both sides of the brain which helps to learn new information.

Sing What You Want to Remember

The ancient Greeks would sing their dramas to help them memorize their parts more easily. Try using music the next time you have something to remember, such as names, numbers, formulas or dates.  Make up a little tune and sing the words, or put the words to a tune you already know. The brain remembers the tune, rhythm and words, then makes an association between the music and the information you want to remember. The ability to process and remember information quickly is a huge benefit in our fast-paced society.

MUSIC IS A FORM OF PRAYER

       Music is well said to be the speech of angels. – Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

Music awakens your sense of God, Higher Power, Universal Mind, Creator, whatever label feels right for you. The sound of the harp amplifies prayer and makes it more powerful, which leads to healing.

Harp Music Amplifies Prayer
The harmonies of all music make prayer more powerful, and the sound of the harp strings can be especially magical. The harp (also known as the lyre) is mentioned in the bible over 400 times, often in reference to healing. I think of harp music  as an infinite expression of soul.

Playing the Harp Can Be Healing
The vibrations, energy and sound of a harp can put you in a spiritual state, but  playing the harp is especially healing. The feel of the harp strings at your fingertips can bring comfort, joy and a special connection with the universe.

Angels Playing the Harp
Artists often picture angels playing on harps, and music is called “the celestial art.”  In the pyramids of ancient Egypt there were carvings of musicians playing harps and flutes. This ritualized art was used extensively for connecting with the spirit world.

The Sound of the Harp Can Amplify Your Prayer or Meditation
Beautiful, soothing, healing music can appeal to appeal to the soul. Listen to this “soul music” played on a harp to add to your prayer or meditation time.

Check out how these children used music to help deal with tragedy and grief.

26 Sandy Hook children sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for healing

Listen to Music and Observe Art for Healing

When you’re enjoying music and/or looking at breathtaking art, your brain produces more endorphins and dopamine (the “feel-good” brain chemicals). These chemicals reduce stress which reduces illness and pain.

How Do We Define Music and Art?

The dictionary defines music as “a composition of rhythmical, melodic, harmonic sounds.” Goethe called architecture “petrified music.” Music is composed of vibrations which merge with the vibrations of the universe. I call music “a beautiful miracle.”
The dictionary defines art as “the production of something beautiful or extraordinary.”
Music and Art Can Take You to Another World

I often play my harp in a hospital waiting room, where families and friends are waiting for a loved one. A frequent comment I hear is, “Thank you. The music took my mind away from my intense worry and sadness for a while.” Naming a song, feeling the rhythm, melody and harmony does wonders for changing the mood. Taking your mind off problems or pain can be one of the biggest benefits of music and art. Listen to music, observe art and take in beauty. You have a powerful tool for healing available to you at little or no cost – your ears and your eyes.

O BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES ENCOURAGES BIPARTISANSHIP

It’s time to put national interests ahead of party interests.  Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and any other parties – we all love our country, and basically have the same hopes. Music crosses all party lines, and reminds us that we can work together for a common purpose. Listen to Ray Charles as he reminds us through his singing that America is truly beautiful.

Music Unites Across Cultures

Music can connect and unite, crossing all boundaries, cultures and countries – and maybe even planets. In the famous Spielberg movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” visitors from outer-space use music to communicate when they first meet Earth inhabitants. Listening to or performing the same music is a way of getting in sync with each other, no matter what language is spoken. Political and religious views can sometimes be set aside with music.

Music Evokes Similar Emotions in Different Languages

Classical and folk music are more likely to be known around the world than other styles of music. Classical instrumental music doesn’t need to be translated. Opera is often sung in Italian, Chanting may be in Hebrew or in languages spoken in India. When the music is powerful and beautiful, it doesn’t matter.
The words to the folk song “Frere Jacques” have been sung in many languages.
French
Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques
Dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnes les matines, sonnez les matines,
Din, din, don. Din, din, don.

English
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong.

German
Bruder Jakob, Bruder Jakob,
Schlafst du noch? Schlafst du noch?
Horst du nicht die Glocken, horst du nicht die Glocken?
Ding dang dong, ding dang dong.

Italian
Fra Martino, campanaro,
Dormi tu? Dormi tu?
Suona le campane, Suona le campane!
Din don dan, din don dan.

Spanish
Martinillo, Martinillo,
¿Donde estas? ¿Donde estas?
Suenan las campanas, Suenan las campanas,
Ding dang dong, ding dang dong.

Dutch
Vader Jacob, Vader Jacob,
Slaapt gij nog, slaapt gij nog,
Alle klokken luiden, Alle klokken luiden,
Bim, bam, bom, bim, bam, bom.

Music Connects us to the Universe

The ancient Greeks believed the planets made music as they traversed their heavenly orbits. Perhaps the Greeks had it right – we enjoy music because it reflects the workings of our minds as we’re tuned in to the rhythms of nature. The human brain loves to figure things out using patterns, and this mathematical formula connects us to the entire universe.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but music may be worth even more. Experience the different and beautiful sounds of music from around the world.

Music is a language which the soul alone understands, but which the soul can never translate. - Arnold Bennett

Learning music makes you smarter and raises your IQ. Even if you don’t even notice it, music is all around us.  Whether you’re listening, or better yet, playing, music can have a great impact on your mind. This graphic shows how music affects students. http://www.onlinecollege.org/Music-Makes-You-Smarter”