What about Nicole?

One of my favorite scenes from the movie, What About Bob, is the one that shows Bob securely tied up on the sailboat and in his delight for having found an activity he enjoys, he exclaims, "I sail!  I'm sailing!  I sail!"  


This is how I feel about playing the guitar.  It's such a great activity and though I am merely a novice, it makes me want to exclaim, "I play!  I'm playing!  I play!"  Here's a video to prove it.

Musical Pacifiers... who knew?

Just read this very cool article about premature babies and music.  
What is it about music that encourages growth in premature babies?  

The innovative PAL device, which uses musical lullabies to help infants quickly learn the muscle movements needed to suck, and ultimately feed, is being sold through a partnership with Powers Device Technologies Inc. Research studies have shown that PAL can reduce the length of a premature infant’s hospital stay by an average of five days.

“Unlike full-term infants, very premature babies come into the world lacking the neurologic ability to coordinate a suck/swallow/breathe response for oral feeding,” said Jayne Standley, Florida State’s Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Music Therapy and inventor of the PAL. “The longer it takes them to learn this essential skill, the further behind in the growth process they fall. PAL uses musical lullaby reinforcement to speed this process up, helping them feed sooner and leave the hospital sooner.”

PAL uses a specially wired pacifier and speaker to provide musical reinforcement every time a baby sucks on it correctly. The musical lullabies are gentle and pleasant to the baby, making them want to continue the sucking motion so they can hear more of the lullaby.

Read the complete article here:  http://bit.ly/Kxm3ma

Can I borrow a cup of Burgmuller?

Sometimes inspiration comes from taking something I'm familiar with and tweaking it slightly... or tweaking it to the point that the familiar 'thing' is no longer recognizable.  When composing music, I often look around me at the music I like.  Why do I like that particular piece?  There are many treasures in any given song and it's with creative freedom that the musician expose the parts he/she likes by creating a piece based on the familiar song.  

In this video, Jessica, plays for us Friedrich Burgmuller's Ballade; it's a familiar playful piece that Zach Brewer borrowed from to create his own composition.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yes?  Enjoy!

Teacher's Pet

Teachers aren't supposed to have favorite students.  And certainly they aren't supposed to tell others who the favorite is.  But I'm going to have to break that rule here.


Prior to meeting John, over two years ago, I had never met a person with more strength of character, more focused intent, more gentleness and more patience.  John came to me after suffering a brain injury.  The injury happened because of a fall and it changed his life.  The simple everyday things that he was once able to do without any thought, have become everyday challenges in which assistance is necessary.  


John began taking piano lessons because his doctor recommended the Simply Music program.  Learning the piano is a way for his brain to heal and make new connections/pathways.  It's been a long road with many ups and downs, but John is nearing his 100th lesson.  And despite his challenges, he brings sunshine into my studio every week.  


Here we are playing the blues: