Isn’t it Time for More Entertaining Musical Puns?

by Janet Horvath, Interlude

Becoming a musician takes years of serious practice, discipline, motivation, concentration, and dedication. We spend countless hours alone to perfect our playing. When we get together it always helps to laugh a little. Musicians are the first to admit they relish coming up with crazy musical puns and letting the jokes fly.

The quips seem to fit into themes, there are viola and conductor jokes, performance anxiety and nightmare jokes, plays on the titles of pieces jokes as I’ve shown in previous punny articles ( see the links below). You don’t really think I’ve exhausted them all, do you?

I’d like to take a moment to draw your attention to the clever food-themed jokes I’ve come across. The play on composer’s names is especially ingenious.

It is Thyme to begin with herbs and spices before we turn on the Beeth-oven. 

We should add these from popular music:
Frank Cilantro, Bob Dillan, Elvis Parsley, Herb Alpert, Scarlet Chives, and Rosemary Clooney.

And from contemporary music:
John Sage

Count on conductors to always add spice:
Herbert von Caraway, and Sage-y-Ozawa 

Our dish of course would include fruits and vegetables as well as a little Florence Rice. But if you’re making a Risotto alla Milanese a pinch of Lalo Saffron would be yummy.

Consider some Bach choy, Peter Pears, or even more fresh, Arvo Pear-t (Okay that’s a stretch!) or substitute an Amy Peach.

It’s lovely to sip a favorite beverage such as Chai-Koffee and to have a slice of pizza-cato while you wait.

And don’t forget to water your Ralph frond-Williams while you set the table with a bouquet of Joan Flower.

We musicians do love to get together to play some chamber music but don’t forget to call the piano tuna.

During a break, serve some lovely foods for the occasion but beware of mistaking a Paganini Caprice for a Caprese Panini. For dessert, serve Bachlava. Groan… 

I’ll leave you with one important thought. Whether you end up a dead-beat and baroque, or your life’s a symphony, be in tune with the fact that without music life would B-flat.

For those of you who didn’t “get” some of these plays on words, here is the key!

Frank Sinatra: American singer and actor, one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century who sold 150 million records.

Bob Dylan: American singer-songwriter regarded as one of the greatest ever. Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Elvis Presley: “Elvis” Cultural icon, American Singer and actor, “King of Rock and Roll”, and one of rock’s dominant performers.

Herb Alpert: American creator, innovator, producer, and philanthropist, he is a trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s.

Scarlet Chives: the Danish pop group who make soundscapes. Their debut album was in 2011.

Rosemary Clooney: Singer and actress prominent in the 1950s and her name just works! (She is the aunt of George Clooney the actor).

John Cage: American composer and music theorist. A pioneer in experimentation, the avant-garde, and the non-standard use of musical instruments or objects instead of musical instruments, well-known for his 4’ 33” work of all silence.

Herbert von Karajan: Austrian-born symphonic and opera conductor, maestro of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years, and a leading musical figure of the 20th century.

Seiji Ozawa: The Japanese conductor known for his advocacy of modern composers and his work with the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, and the Boston Symphony.

Boris “Lalo” Schifrin: The Argentine pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor who has a large body of film and TV scores and incorporates jazz and Latin American elements.

Florence Price: American classical composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher, the first black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra in 1933.

J. S. Bach: Johann Sebastian Bach a German composer of the Baroque period known for his outstanding ability as a harpsichordist, organist, and organ builder, and is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

Sir Peter Pears: An English tenor whose career was closely associated with composer Benjamin Britten, his professional partner for 40 years. He founded the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948 and was the festival’s artistic director.

Arvo Pärt: Estonian composer of contemporary music in the minimalist style and inspired by Gregorian chant.

Tchaikovsky: Pyotr Ilyich was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. His works include extremely popular works such as the 1812 Overture, the Nutcracker, and Swan Lake ballets, and his piano and violin concertos.

Pizzicato: The Italian term to indicate plucking the string.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: English composer of operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces, and orchestral works.

Joan Tower: American composer, concert pianist, and conductor. Considered one of the most distinguished of woman composers.

Amy Beach: One of the first successful American female composers of large-scale music. Her “Gaelic” Symphony was premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1896—the first symphony composed and published by an American woman.

Paganini Caprices: Niccolò Paganini composed his 24 Caprices for Solo Violin between 1802 and 1817. They are written in the form of études and are extremely virtuosic and flashy pieces testing even the most seasoned violinist.

Baklava: is a delicious Greek dessert made up of layers of phyllo dough and filled with honey and nuts.

Ever Wonder How Musicians Get Orchestral Positions?

by Janet Horvath  

When you attend an orchestra concert you witness wonderful music-making from a singular group of musicians who seemingly play “as one.” If it’s an orchestra of stature some of the players will remain in their positions an entire lifetime—sometimes decades—and they learn to play together in a distinctive style and with uncanny telepathy. The members relate to one another as if they are a family, sharing not only the music, not only touring and traveling together but also important life events. But how does a musician get an orchestra position? Selection is usually based on a rigorous and often daunting audition process. Initially, once the musician wins an audition and signs a contract, he or she undertakes a probationary period of two years. During the trial period, the musician is evaluated for their playing in the larger context of the group as well as whether their temperament and personality are a good fit.

As you can imagine, the competition is fierce. Some of you may not know that each audition specifies repertoire to play, usually a dozen excerpts from the orchestral (or operatic) repertoire. Additionally, each candidate is also required to perform a concerto and a solo piece, usually solo Bach for string players. Like any competition, there are various rounds as each candidate is evaluated, starting with preliminary auditions, and ending with finals when the conductor is usually involved. The auditions are often held on the stage and initially, the candidate will play the first round behind a screen to maintain anonymity.

The committee that selects the candidates is comprised of eight to ten members of the orchestra—representatives of the section in which the opening has become available, and other musicians who are in that family of instruments. In the case of the French horns, it would be other French horn players, other brass musicians, and when the position is a principal position, the concertmaster, and other leading members.

There are exceptions of course. Some orchestras allow a tape recording for the preliminaries, and in the case of the Berlin Philharmonic, all musicians are in on the decision to hire a new player.

How does someone who has taken multiple auditions without a win, keep going and maintain motivation and a positive attitude? It’s important to take advantage of the resources that are available. Before the internet, when I took my auditions in the 1970s and 80s, the only way to get help was to have some lessons from an orchestral player.

One of the best online resources is Rob Knopper’s AuditionHacker.com, a Metropolitan Opera Orchestra member who knows what winning looks like. Rob’s inner circle is a nine-month commitment of Intensive audition coaching. Winning an audition comprises common sense details, persistence, dedication, and deliberate practice. A successful candidate understands that it’s about the process—learning how to perform the same way you do when you practice, to manage your nerves, to be organized, and to achieve the mindset required to play your best in the fifteen or so minutes you have.

If nerves get the better of you, and who among us hasn’t experienced the jitters, I recommend Noa Kageyama and The BulletProofMusician.com. Noa was a violinist plagued by performance anxiety before he became an expert sports psychologist and a faculty member at Juilliard School of Music. His site offers courses that can help.

When I performed my auditions sometimes the music was difficult to acquire. Today there are online resources with not only downloadable sheet music but also recordings of how these standards are typically played. OrchestraExcerpts.com features the standard excerpts by instrument. Music can also be found on IMSLP.

AuditionPlaybook.com offers individual coaching, guidebooks, interviews, and articles, including thoughts on meditation and mindfulness, practice hacks, even suggestions for pivoting to a career in music that isn’t in an orchestra.

Some professionals I know offer weekly virtual meetings to assess your audition preparation, but individuals can reach out to others to play for each other and give feedback. Weekly mock auditions virtual or otherwise are essential to learn what works and what doesn’t in your preparation. Other sites such as Stagetime, a performing arts hub, offers insider tips, advertises current opportunities and openings, and even offers some Audition Travel Stipends.

A successful audition boils down to these elements:

A decisive audition preparation schedule. Make certain you have plenty of lead time to master all the repertoire. Decide well in advance what your solo will be, choosing a work that is “in your fingers.” Avoid trying something new for an audition.

Determine how to play consistently. This will entail challenging yourself to play under varying conditions. Hold mock auditions enlisting your scariest friends, colleagues, or teachers. Tape yourself and listen for unintended variations in tempo or rhythm, unintended interruptions of the line due to breathing, bow changes, or inefficient shifting, and issues with dynamics.

Aim for peak performance. This will include determining what works in your routine that you can control in an audition setting for your body and mind. Choose foolproof fingerings. Make certain you are using standard bowings, tempos, phrasing, and dynamics for each excerpt.

Practice with a metronome. Intonation is of course essential but rhythmic steadiness and accuracy are crucial in an audition.

Study the music making certain you are not missing indications in the score such as dynamics, crescendos, accents, and phrasing, as well as interpretive musical terms. You should play Mozart differently than Strauss; Debussy differently than Brahms, but also a dolce passage differently than a passage marked espressivo; poco marcato differently than lebhaft. When an audition isn’t imminent become familiar with and practice the excerpts that show up at auditions time after time such as Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade movement II, K to L for the horns, Mahler Symphony No. 3, the opening of the second movement for the oboe, or Brahms Symphony No. 3 movement III the opening melody for the cellos. 

Do your research. Listen to the excerpts. Where does your line fit in? What can you learn about the style of the orchestra you’re auditioning for? Who is their conductor and what can you glean about his or her approach? Every bit of knowledge will help you.

Most important play musically and try not to get discouraged if you don’t succeed initially. Winning depends on so many factors both internal and external. Whenever you play your best it’s a cause for celebration.

Some Advice to Young Musicians

By Janet Horvath, Interlude

One of my adult students, who happens to be a heart surgeon, came to a lesson last week with an idea. For his upcoming birthday, during the gathering at his home, he’s thinking he’d like to perform three or four cello pieces with the piano accompaniment for his friends. “Tell me if I’m crazy!” he said. I told him I thought it was a terrific plan. Not only would it give him the incentive to prepare and polish some pieces, but I was certain his friends and family would no doubt be delighted and proud of his accomplishments. And what could be more special than sharing music?” We selected music we thought he could play beautifully in six months, music that is pleasing to an audience—Enrique Granados Orientale, Rachmaninoff Prelude, and the first two movements of Haydn-Piatigorsky Divertimento, with piano. 

© Minnesota Youth Symphonies

Several of my adult students are passionate about their playing and are dedicated to setting aside time each day to make music, nurturing a lifelong passion, no matter their level of accomplishment. It got me thinking. What advice would I give young musicians, so they will always love playing music, wherever life takes them? Here are ten suggestions:

1. Play everything beautifully, even scales and exercises, with a warm alluring tone. Your sound quality is your voice, which should please you and your audience.

2. Always try to play with ease. Release any and all tension. Your music will flow if your body feels free. Think about breathing, and use the least amount of effort to execute a phrase.

3. Experiment with the way you express the music. Search for better and more meaningful ways to communicate. Avoid playing a phrase the same way twice. Change something—the phrasing, the dynamic, the fingering, the bowing, the bow speed, the sound quality.

4. Study the music away from your instrument. Attend performances of great music and outstanding musicians. Listen to a variety of artists’ masterclasses and recordings, including historic recordings. Compare their approaches, but never imitate. Try to find your unique interpretation.

5. Practice consistently and carefully. One hour a day is better than three hours every three days. Never let a passage go by that is out of tune, poorly executed, or sounds ineffective. Consistency will lead to fluency. Listen for interruptions in the musical line. Analyze what didn’t work and go back over the passage with questions—was it due to a fingering, a shift, a bow-change, a breath, a string-crossing, the position of your hand or arm?

6. Seek out excellent teachers and colleagues. Learn from as many of them as you can. Be a good colleague and collaborator. Be willing to play with others, and to listen to others.

7. Play for people and perform often—at your place of worship, in your home, at community centers, or recital halls. Join a community orchestra or form a small ensemble that gets together frequently. One learns very quickly what works and what doesn’t in the performance situation.

8. Musicians are constantly criticized. Heed constructive suggestions but try not to take them personally. Learn to incorporate useful information to improve your playing.

9. Perfect pieces within your capabilities. Work on the techniques, which will help you play a piece skillfully, and will allow you to focus on communicating the music. Avoid struggling with a work that is beyond you at the moment.

10. Have confidence. Playing music is a process. Celebrate every milestone. If your goal is to move people emotionally not playing “perfectly” you will have succeeded. It’s a privilege to learn to play music. It’s an even greater privilege to share music with others. Remember, your audience and the colleagues with whom you are playing are there for the collective experience, for beauty, for transcendence.

Our world today has unique challenges. Economies are moving further away from traditional employment. In a world where innovation and originality are so important, where logical thinking and the ability to innovate are sought-after talents—imagination, inventiveness, tenacity, and creativity have become coveted skills. Learning a musical instrument enhances these skills and uses your head, as well as your heart. Making music will always enrich everything you do in life.

Why Musicians Enjoy Puns and Quips

By Janet Horvath, Interlude

Musicians, like so many others, enjoy jokes, especially those that are puns related to music, composers, and musicians. Backstage, even onstage during rehearsals, these anecdotes, puns, and gags fly. Perhaps it’s because we spend so much time in a practice room, we get punchy and resort to joking about it. As students we start out with simple short quips:

Why is a piano so hard to open?
Because the keys are on the inside.

What is the difference between a fish and a piano?
You can’t tuna fish.

Want to hear the joke about a staccato?
Never mind. it’s too short.

How do you fix a broken tuba?
With a tuba glue.

While gleaning knowledge of the finer points of theory, as we develop as musicians, and so do our jokes, becoming more sophisticated. Perhaps it’s less likely that the uninitiated will “get” the joke immediately. Like this one:

Arnold Schoenberg walks into a bar, “I’ll have a gin please but no tonic.” 

This jest is a favorite among musicians:

C, E-flat, and G go into a bar. The Bartender says, “Sorry. We don’t serve minors.”

But there’s much more to this story! (With a few additions from me…)

So, E-flat leaves, and C and G have a fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation but is not sharp enough. D enters the bar and heads for the bathroom saying, “Excuse me; I’ll just be a second.”

Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, “Get out! you’re the seventh minor I’ve found in the bar tonight!” The bouncer is asked to take a stand, and he doesn’t let the quavers into the bar because they are slurring.

The refrain continues tempo rubato.

E-flat returns the next night, all gussied up, in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender notices, “You’re looking sharp tonight. Come on in! This could be a major development.” Sure enough, E-flat soon strips taking off his suit and everything else and suddenly he is au natural. Just a second, “says the bartender, “I’m going to prevent you from walking into another bar. That would cause difficult times and lead to repercussions!” The tenor of his remarks is all too clear.

Eventually, C sobers up and realizes in horror that he and E-flat are under a rest. E-flat gets into treble and C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility. This noteworthy opus is a cue for other minors.

All types of musicians and artists like to mutter wisecracks. American comedian and actor George Carlin came up with a good one:

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked. Doesn’t it follow that electricians can be delighted and musicians denoted?

And artists criticizing other artists is not new:

“Wagner has beautiful moments but bad quarters of an hour.” Gioachino Rossini.

“A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo – and doesn’t” Mark Twain.

Several of the conductors I have worked with wouldn’t hesitate to tell a few good jokes. Leonard Slatkin loved to tell stories and Neville Marriner engaged in plenty of practical jokes. I recall a children’s concert when we played Manuel de Falla’s Three Cornered Hat. Instead of a baton he whipped out a long-legged rubber chicken and proceeded to conduct waving the prop. Most of the orchestra lost their grip. 

But musicians love to poke fun at conductors. This “accusation” is a case in point, from The Onion, “America’s Finest News Source,” “maintaining a towering standard of excellence,” and notorious for their satirical articles:

Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Receives 8-Concert Suspension For Using Corked Baton
Published June 15, 2022

BOSTON—An investigation into the musician’s suspiciously powerful work concluded Tuesday as Boston Philharmonic Orchestra conductor William Ness reportedly received an eight-concert suspension for using a corked baton. “We have a zero-tolerance policy against cheating, and Mr. Ness knew that, which is why we believe that a long suspension that will cause him to miss the summer concert series in the park is necessary to ensure we maintain integrity in our philharmonics,” said National Orchestra Association spokesperson Leonid Radzinsky, adding that Ness had been under investigation after an anonymous member of a competing orchestra alleged that the maestro’s baton sounded corked as it whirled through the air. “We’re disappointed that it had to come to an investigation, but Mr. Ness’ recent sharp increase in keeping the woodwinds coherent and controlling the volume of the timpani did raise some eyebrows.

Normally you don’t see that much of a leap in precision unless the baton’s been tampered with to become lighter. We can’t end up in a situation where an audience member questions whether a conductor bringing in the cello section at the perfect time is due to skill alone or due to modifications that give them an unfair advantage. We need to ensure that the product we offer our fans is above suspicion…”

We musicians, although we’re very serious about our music-making and the dedication it takes to be successful in this wonderful field, can’t help these moments of levity. Who can?

Who Says Music Shouldn’t be Political? Trailblazing Composer Jennifer Jolley

by Janet Horvath, Inteerlude

Composer, conductor, and professor person, Jennifer Jolley believes her music can and should address current and provocative subject matter such as political issues. Consider the 2017 piece The Eyes of the World Are Upon You. The titles of her works indicate what this composer is about. Jolley lives in Texas. The piece bubbled up for her as a direct result of the 50th anniversary of the University of Texas tower shooting and the new campus carry laws allowing those with concealed handgun licenses to carry concealed handguns on public university campuses across the state of Texas.

Jennifer Jolley © Liz Glenn

The Eyes of the World Are Upon You is written for massive forces—huge numbers of brass and winds, and multiple percussion instruments. A mournful English horn opens the piece. Gradually Jolley increases the layers of sound by adding more wind instruments. The brass gradually contributes to the volume. An abrupt cut-off clears the air for the chimes to toll alone, arrhythmically, but the entire band interrupts fortissimo destroying the vigil with dissonance. The calm returns. At the end of the piece, the conductor stops to allow the lone English horn to plaintively finish leaving us to ponder the sorrowful message. 

In 2018 Jolley wrote Prisoner of Conscience, a collaboration with librettist Kendall A. It comprises fourteen movements for vocal ensemble. The inscription “a crude homage to three heroes unjustly incarcerated, fighting a corrupt system…” powerfully evokes the detention of innocents. This is a highly unusual and unique work. The piece, for female voices only, a cappella, is spellbinding.

Prisoner of Conscience addresses Vladimir Putin directly in a series of searing indictments especially in the spoken movements such as Pussy Riot’s Performance. Each movement utilizes different techniques. The first segment, The Eve of Destruction sets the stage in a snappy rhythm with the lyrics, “Biting an apple, over and over again…”. With rich harmonies and an arresting message, the movement becomes a round. Then This Trial is Highly Typical, an intense denunciation, spoken by one of the performers, precedes a beautiful and religiously charged movement in the style of a Gregorian chant. I recommend a parental advisory for some of the next movements that include profanities. Oh Bondage, Up Yours! 

In Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest, one of the vocalists reiterates a pulsing propulsive accompaniment “Sh-Sh-Sh”. A spoken voice enters alongside the vocal harmonies, and a lone soprano sings a gorgeous melody over repeated rhythmic hums. One last movement is spoken, “open all the doors… taste freedom with us…” before the finale Prisoner of Conscience a contemplative conclusion that fades out humming. As a performer myself, I know that performing this work—at almost 30 minutes in length and requiring so many diverse techniques—is very challenging. The recording is a highly effective rendition of this mesmerizing composition and I can only imagine how effective it would be in person.

Some compositions by Jolley © Jennifer Jolley Instagram

Jolley’s eloquent and riveting music written for concert bands dispels every notion of what we typically might imagine band music to be.

March! was commissioned by the American Bandmasters Association. Imagine all the marches written to galvanize citizens during war. Jolley has used this form to illustrate ongoing political conflicts between North and South Korea. It has all the features of a typical march—a stirring rhythm, cymbals crashing, snare drum smashing, and brash brass wailing. The Sousa-like opening gradually decompensates. There are several abrupt stops, and suddenly an eerie audio announcement interrupts. The effect, combined with high pitched electronic dissonances, makes our stomachs churn. A melodic chorale follows, lovely human voices gently undulating. But that too is brutally interrupted and drowned out by the insistent snare drums. March! raises questions in an enthralling fashion. 

In the mix of Jolley’s works is a fabulous solo cello piece entitled Compulsive Bloom brilliantly played by cellist Matt Haimovitz. Much of it consists of vehement octaves, played ponticello or on the bridge so the sound has a harsh edge to it. Alternating sections of high whistling sounds in harmonics give it contrast. It’s a fine addition to the solo cello literature. 

Jolley is currently an assistant professor of music theory and composition at CUNY Lehman College, has been a composition faculty member at Interlochen Arts Camp since 2015, and she held positions at Texas Tech University and Ohio Wesleyan University. She has written a blog full of thought-provoking ideas and is a contributing writer to the new music news site I CARE IF YOU LISTEN powered by the American Composers Forum.

Jennifer Jolley is not afraid to provoke, to address political issues, to experiment, and she is the composer to watch.

Playing Music Has Amazing Benefits for Young and Old

 by Janet Horvath, Interlude

Did you know that years of music training can dramatically shape our brains? Those of us who spend many years practicing—repeating passages, mastering scales, and working on studies and repertoire—know that we not only become better musicians as a result. Scientific studies show that learning a musical instrument, even late in life, improves brain plasticity. It’s one of the most powerful ways to preserve and increase our cognitive abilities.

© Newcastle Herald

Studies indicate that the effects of musical training are quite amazing. Music training even for a brief time, even after only one year, results in remarkable changes in the left hemisphere of the brain. Anatomical changes occur within minutes of practicing—and not only physical practicing but also with mental practice alone. As you’ll see in this wonderful TED Ed video produced by Anita Collins, a music educator, and Sharon Colman Graham, animator, if you want to give your brain a full workout: play a musical instrument! Play

Now that brain imaging has been developed, it is actually possible to view the brains of musicians and to compare them with non-musicians. If you look at the brain image of a musician, playing music has actually rewired their brains. In a recent study by Gottfied Schlaug at Harvard University, it was found that the corpus callosum that connects the right and left sides of the hemispheres of the brain is enlarged in musicians. Playing music engages both sides of the brain. In musicians who have perfect pitch, a part of the auditory cortex has an asymmetrical enlargement as well.

© drjonesmusic.me

In other words, there is increased volume of gray matter in the motor, auditory, and visuo-spatial areas of a musician’s brain. That means a musician’s brain is easily identifiable, whereas the brains of other artists such as writers or painters, or in people in other professions, such as in mathematicians, are not differentiated on an MRI. A musician’s brain has stronger structural and functional connections. 

Children benefit greatly from playing a musical instrument. As a result, they acquire improved verbal skills, increased fine motor skills, and enhanced social skills. The younger a student begins to play, the stronger their structural connections become. But even more important, youngsters who play in a group or who sing in a choir develop teamwork, empathy, and tenacity.

© drjonesmusic.me

Making music is an activity in which each musician must learn to work together; each player learns that they are responsible for their own part and if they don’t practice he or she might let the rest of the group down. Conversely, he or she learns how to rely upon and trust other members of the group to hold their own. It takes practice over a long period of time to perfect a piece of music and each young musician learns that their determination and effort reaps rewards. These are essential life skills going forward, whether or not the student becomes a professional musician.

Aging has many consequences. Perhaps the most worrying is the possibility of losing memory. How is it that at age 96 and in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, the jazz singer Tony Bennett was able to perform an entire concert, remembering all his songs and lyrics? How is it that we never fail to be emotionally moved when we hear something causing us to exclaim, “that’s my song!” Music therapists and neurologists are discovering that although language can be drastically impacted by dementia, music memory is frequently untouched.

Jazz singer Tony Bennett and pop star Lady Gaga © Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS

Elderly people with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be brought to life when they recall songs from their childhood, and for those who played a musical instrument, musical muscle memory also often remains intact. Singing songs or playing familiar music can help a Parkinsonian individual relearn how to walk; or a brain-damaged individual how to speak. Neurologist Oliver Sachs put it beautifully,

“Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears. It is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more—it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury but a necessity.”

“Music has a unique power to alter the brain in remarkable and complex ways, and we humans are a musical species no less than a linguistic one.”

I think no-one can remain unmoved after watching the following clips but well before dire diagnoses, it’s important to know that music-learning improves memory and boosts retention of memory. 

Elderly man, relegated to a nursing home quickens to music

Music is and has been ubiquitous—in elevators and boutiques, at funerals and celebrations, in theaters and concert halls. At every turn music gives us goosebumps, chills, smiles, and tears. Whether you are playing or listening, music is fundamentally rewarding. Playing music expresses a variety of emotions and it communicates wordlessly and deeply to others.

So why isn’t musical training more widely sought? I believe it’s a matter of perception and education. Music ought to be within our school curriculums but even when it isn’t offered, music education is often available within your community for nominal fees. Those of us who love music are responsible to spread the word: Playing music has amazing long-term benefits.