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Music and Student Development

Music educators feel, and have observed, that student involvement in school music has a positive impact on other areas of their lives. These educators will tell you that musical involvement improves a student’s self-discipline, dexterity, coordination, self-esteem, thinking skills, listening skills, creative abilities and personal expression. Most music educators, however, are not aware of specific research that ill support these feelings and observations. The Gemeinhardt Company conducted two major surveys in the 1980’s about the school band movement. They interviewed band directors, music dealers, parents (band and non-band) and students (band and non-band). In the first Gemeinhardt study, the responses indicate that the majority of people surveyed in all categories recognize many of the benefits a student can receive from being in a band program. Those benefits are: accomplishment, appreciation, discipline, fun, active participation and maturing relationships.1 The survey of

The Best Study Music: What to Listen to While Studying

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Whether you listen to any of these recommendations, Miley Cyrus, Tupac, or whatever else, it really doesn't make a difference - as long as it works. If you like to listen to music while you study, choosing the right type can be vital to your overall productivity level. Listening to music can calm you down, leading to more conscientious studying, elevating your mood, motivating you to stay focused and studying for longer periods of time. While it can be a challenge to stay away from the hottest hits, selecting the wrong type of music can distract you from your studies and become counterproductive. So, what type of music is considered “music for the mind?” The following types of music are recommended for studying, along with tips to help you choose which genre will keep you most focused on your objective – studying. Below each genre there’s a recommendation so that you can test out the genre and discover which type of music works best for you. Happy listenin

Music Articles to Read

While musicians read music most of the time, we also read good articles about music! Care of the Voice Duke Voice Care Center Vocal Health Tips Voice Check: 10 Tips for Healthy Singing Why Music Is Important Music Brain Science Why music makes us feel The Benefits of Music Education Music Dopamine and Happiness? Is Being Left Handed a Disadvantage? Cross Cultural Research and the Nature of music Music Listening and Overall Happiness Why Music, Why band? ​ Music Education’s Role in a Culture of “College Preparedness” 3 Things Parents Must Tell Their Children When They Begin a Musical Instrument Why Does Music Education Matter? My View: Everything I need to know, I learned in music class More evidence that musical training protects the brain Science Just Discovered Something Amazing About What Childhood Piano Lessons Did to You

We will, we will rock you About the importance of music to a growing child

Old-fashioned versus essential In their introduction to their 'Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes', UK nursery rhyme gurus, Iona and Peter Opie, quote a Roman lullaby, more than 2,000 years old – Lalla, lalla, lalla, aut dormi aut lacte (literally ‘Lalla, lalla, lalla – either sleep or feed’) – whose sounds alone sum up the ageless frustration of parents trying to settle a fretful baby. Back in the 1950s, when their dictionary was published, the Opies were confident in stating that ‘wherever the English word is spoken, children become joyful and wise listening to the same traditional verses’, such as 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' and 'Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake'. If however the Opies were conducting their studies today, they would uncover a very different story. Research recently commissioned by toy firm John Crane Ltd, reveals that parents are rejecting traditional lullabies to sing their children to sleep, in favour of chart-topping pop songs. Half of the 2,