Studying Music Affects IQ
New Research Provides The First Solid Evidence That The Study Of Music Promotes Intellectual Development.
I think it’s widely agreed that children who study arts tend to have higher IQs and perform better in school than those children who don’t. The question has always been whether there is just a correlation or if this is [...]
A Concept Without Words
If a society has words that translate to “black” and “white,” but has no words for any other colors, do the people who speak that language understand the concept of color? There were studies that originally concluded that language determines thought; if there are no words for a concept in a certain languages, its [...]
Education Secretary Stands Up for School Arts
Last Month, Education Secretary Rod Paige gave a strong boost to arts education when he sent a two-page letter to America’s school superintendents (approximately 16,000 nationwide) urging them not to cut art programs.
If you visit the Music for All Foundation online, you are urged to forward a letter of “Thank You” to Secretary Rod Paige [...]
DrumCorpsWiki, The New Project
DrumCorpsWiki will be officially entering “Phase 1″ next Monday. “Phase 1″ is our term for the state where we are still looking for contributors to add to the preliminary store of information. Press releases will be sent out to interested organizations. If you happen to be a fan of the marching arts, [...]
New Project on the Horizon
I’ve been working on a new project over the last few days, and I’m ready to present a preview to the readers of this site. The project is called Drum Corps Wiki.
Wiki is a system that allows all visitors to add and edit information on all website pages quickly. Once I’ve [...]
An Explanation for Young Apathy
It has been said that my generation is largely apathetic when it comes to issues that confront today’s world. This apathy is related to the generational cynicism—the idea that no matter how hard we could try, even in large numbers, to change those things about the world with which we are unhappy, “we” activists [...]
Material Wealth and Worshipping the Idle
In an article entitled Buyer’s Remorse, Daniel Akst discusses American materialism. The comments that follow the article are just as interesting as the article.
If guilt and materialism are two sides of a single very American coin, it’s a coin that has achieved new currency in recent years, as hand-wringing and McMansions vie for our [...]
Last Drum Corps of the Season
Tonight, I’ll be viewing my third (and final) drum corps show of the summer— at a movie theater. The Regal Commerce Center 18 in North Brunswick will be showing the top 17 quarter-finalist groups in high-definition wide-screen and surround sound. I believed they’ve opened another screen for the live event, and tickets are [...]
Portability of Music Cheapens Its Meaning
Norman Lebrecht is not a fan of the Sony Walkman and its descendents.
25 years of Walkman usage has destroyed any sense of a piece of music having a place in the world, in time, in our personal lives. Music, made portable, is removed from any frame of reference. It becomes a utility, undeserving of more [...]
Steven Bernstein’s Jazz Laboratory
Slightly related to my earlier posting, here is a nice program I found. I’ve never really been a big fan of jazz, but like many other interests, my focus tends to shift towards new things. National Public Radio, on a program called All Things Considered, produced a story on Steven Bernstein, a jazz [...]
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