Marching Mocs

Should you only play baby music and lullabies like Twinkle Twinkle to your baby or should you play Tchaikovsky?

What is the best music to play for your baby?

Popular opinion states that babies brains can only process simple sounds and melodies, and if you listen to most of the baby music CDs that are out there you would probably believe the same thing. But new research shows that babies can recognize complex and unfamiliar musical rhythms and harmonies far more easily than adults can.

Infant brains are more flexible in processing sounds and musical structures than adults. But as they get older they settle on those that are most common and meaningful to their culture. This is the reason why children find it much easier to learn a foreign language than adults.

Studies at Cornell University and the University of Toronto show that six-month-old babies can detect subtle variations in complex rhythm patterns that their parents would find extremely difficult.

Beatriz Ilari at McGill University in Montreal gave two pieces of complex classical music to parents, the “Prelude” and “Forlane” from “Le Tombeau de Couperin” by Ravel and had them play one of the pieces to their baby 3 times a day for 10 days.

After 2 weeks of not hearing the music the babies were tested. Researchers found that babies listened 20-30 percent longer to the piece they had heard at home compared to the unfamiliar piece. The same test on babies who hadn’t heard either piece of music showed they had no preference for either selection.

The results were compared to an earlier study where infants were played a simple piece of music by Mozart. The comparison showed that the preference effect (the difference in listening time to the familiar versus the unfamiliar) was stronger for the simpler piece of music. So, simple music may be easier for babies to process than complex music. But they can learn and remember both simple and complex pieces.

Playing all kinds of music is important. Many studies have shown that music is a crucial part of an enriched environment. Babies take in information even while in the womb, and can perceive music and rhythm up to 3 months before they are born.

Exposure to complex sound patterns develops an important part of the brain. The more complex the sound, the more brain ability is developed. And the more the environment is enriched, the more developed the brain becomes.

So if you are wondering, should you play baby music like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or should you play Tchaikovsky…

The answer is both!

Yamaha founder, Torakusu Yamaha, began producing reed organs in 1887. Since that time, Yamaha has developed and manufactured high quality Yamaha musical instruments to high worldwide acclaim.

Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (currently Yamaha Corporation) was established in 1897. Yamaha has accumulated a wealth of expertise in the production of Yamaha musical instruments for more than 100 years. The company relentlessly follows its mission which is: contributing to a richer life for all, via innovative, quality products and technology which is a de facto standard.

Pianos were first produced by Yamaha in the year 1900, the company has created a full line of quality pianos that have won the trust and support of dealers and customers around the world. In 1991, Yamaha’s piano production passed the five million mark.

In 1986 Yamaha developed the Disklavier piano, a combination of acoustic piano and electronic technology. In 1993, the epoch-making Silent Series Piano debuted, acoustic pianos capable of playing in complete silence. Yamaha is making efforts to create new demand in the piano market.

Yamaha developed an educational Music System back in 1954. In 1966, the Yamaha Music Foundation was established, generating a wide range of global activities designed to disseminate music. Over 800,000 students are currently enrolled in Yamaha Music Schools in Japan and in over 40 countries worldwide; over four million have graduated.

Yamaha’s Junior Original Concert (JOC) program sets the stage for those educated at Yamaha Music School to perform their original compositions.

Since the development of the electronic organ, Electone, Yamaha musical instruments has produced products with its state-of-the art electronic technology, seeking tonal color and musical expression that appeal to the human mind. The myriad advances in this technology are reflected in electronic piano, portable keyboards, synthesizers, computer music equipment and professional audio (PA) equipment.

Yamaha Wind Instruments have been created in partnership with some of the world’s greatest artists, and can be found in almost every major symphony orchestra. In addition, a large number of top jazz and studio musicians have chosen Yamaha musical instruments. Besides woodwinds and brass, Yamaha’s percussion — including keyboard percussion, timpani and a full range of drums — and guitars, have had a major impact on raising the standards of such instruments, and thus have earned an enviable reputation among leading professional musicians.

An exceptional sound quality is evident from all the audio products produced by Yamaha Successful advances in LSIs, acoustics and materials continue to win critical acclaim for Yamaha Audio components.

Portable keyboards “Portatone” was launched in 1981.Yamaha’s Protatone can be played and enjoyed by anyone. This is the instrument that brings music to all.

Clavinova was launched in 1983. Current Clavinova models, CLP series digital piano is another popular Yamaha innovation that offers effortless playing with the timbre and touch of a full-scale piano, The upgraded CVP series provides a variety of additional features and is enhanced by an array of Yahama musical instrument sounds so the player can experience the sensation of performing with an orchestra or band.

Family Music

Going through music school for a short period of time learning primarily music theory early in my life, I didn’t get much of the actual bass training that I wanted. This led me to self-taught books and expensive one on one bass teacher for the longest time. I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on this sort of thing. You have to remember back in the 80′s and early 90′s that’s pretty much all there was. There was no Internet. Later on, I had a family and my bass playing had to go on the back burner for a while. One day we took a trip to Tom Lee Music and one of my sons showed an interest in playing guitar, on one of those 3/4 mini Fender Stats. My son and me love to jam to songs together him on guitar and me on bass. We don’t need a drummer, because they are hard to find so we, researched the Internet to resolve our problem. Whether the instrument is a guitar or a harp, music brings family together. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on an instrument. Think of the times your camping, and wouldn’t it be nice to play and sing around the fire, yes it would! If you are more serious about learning timing with other band member, like a drummer then you need something else to imitate that drummer with out the loud sound.

Music Together

We found a software product called quick beat. It was the next best thing I used to using a real drummer. It sure helped me groove, and it made playing alot more  fun. It also helps my son get better with his timing. It was not expensive at all. And I got a lot for my money. Family Music Well this sparked an interest in me to learn bass more and to take my bass playing more serious and to take it to the next couple levels. It’s too much fun playing in front of people. I took good advice of other excellent young aspiring, as well as and more seasoned bass players; they introduced me to Music Master Pro. It is definitely the best music learning system on the Internet, I really want you to be inspired and motivated about music playing, if your thinking about picking up an instrument for the first time, or if your a professional. Even as a professional you can get in a rut for years playing the same songs, same licks, and you never fully master the instrument.

This is the biggest limiting factor for a lot of guitarists/bassists, and Probably 95% us have this problem. There is the number of reason why we don’t, and for each us it’s different. A good reason why we don’t bother with mastering an instrument is the element of life; we have lives, so unpredictable things happen that take dominion over our instrument playing. They could be things like children, death in the family, divorce, and so on, right? So I want us to get on track with your playing bass because this is your time now. Go down to your local music store just browse, do what ever it takes to get that feeling of excitement and drive.

Leading off the 121st annual Tournament of Roses Parade, the Farmers Insurance 60-foot tall marching band bugler turned heads all along Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard. Appropriately titled “A Salute to the Bands,” our float not only fit perfectly with our sponsorship of the parade bands, it also personified the parade’s theme: “A Cut Above the Rest.”

Not only was it among the tallest parade entries, it was one of the most colorful. Our giant bugler wore a vibrant band jacket made of whole red carnations with trim created with yellow strawflower and gold clover seed. In his hand was a glimmering brass bugle accented with clover seed, flax seed, silverleaf, ground lentil and blue statice. At his feet were eye-catching floral depictions of streamers and bright red roses. And cannons shot confetti from the base of the float to start the parade with a bang. He was accompanied by the 200-member Riverside Community College Marching Tigers (renamed the Farmers Insurance Group Band for the parade).

Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the parade route to watch America’s favorite New Year’s Day tradition, and millions more tuned in on TV. In fact, our bugler put Farmers’ name and brand in front of nearly 40 million Americans in 16.5 million households on ABC, NBC, Univision, Travel Channel and Discovery HD. The worldwide exposure was also phenomenal, as the parade was broadcast live in 150 countries and territories around the globe.

Undoubtedly the best seats in the house, right on the float itself, were given to some special Farmers VIPs: Agent of the Year Al Candos, Orland Park, Ill., and District Manager of the Year James Hawkins, Belmont, Calif. Also onboard, Farmers’ top 2009 fundraisers for the March of Dimes: agent Jimmy Gary, Arlington, Texas; district manager Dan Siegfried, Johnston, Iowa; senior auditor Cathy Guevara, Oklahoma City, Okla., and state executive director of Arizona, the top fundraising state, Frank Soldano.

Did you know?

Farmers’ first Rose Parade float, a drum-beating clown, rolled down Colorado Boulevard in 1959. We also participate in the Portland, Ore., Rose Parade and the Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, Ariz.

The Tournament of Roses Rose Parade began as a modest line of flower-decorated horse-and-buggies in 1890.

The Farmers journey began in 1928, when two men who shared a dream of providing a quality insurance product at a reasonable price opened the doors to the Farmers Automobile Inter-Insurance Exchange in Los Angeles. In the eighty years that followed, we’ve grown and adapted to meet the changing needs of Americans – but one constant has remained. We have an unwavering commitment to upholding the ideals with which we began by providing industry-leading products and services to the customers we’re privileged to serve.

Today, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is the country’s third-largest insurer of both private Personal Lines passenger automobile and homeowners insurance also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers operates primarily in 41 states across the country through the efforts of approximately 20,000 employees. Farmers exclusive and independent agents, along with Farmers employees, are responsible for servicing more than 15 million customers.

For more than eight decades, Farmers has been helping Americans get back where they belong after life’s unexpected events. Our story began with the simple goal of insuring the vehicles of rural farmers, but as the world changed, so did we. Our co-founder John C. Tyler once said, “The measure of our worth is not what we have done for ourselves, but what we have done for others.” Farmers agents, district managers and employees make up what we call the Farmers Family, and as a family we’re proud to give back to our communities.

I am sure you are aware of the nationwide trend of downsizing, even eliminating, art programs in schools.

What is not entirely known is the impact of removing the fine arts from the education of children.

‘Champions of Change, the Impact of the Arts on Learning’ is the most comprehensive study on the subject of students involvement in the fine arts and how it relates to academic success.

The study builds a strong for students achieving higher levels of academic success and in higher overall numbers when involved with fine art.

Per the study;

- 82.6% of 8th graders earned mostly As and Bs who were involved heavily in fine arts versus 67.2% earning As and Bs who were not.

- 30.07% of the respondents who participate in fine arts performs community service where only 6.28% of the respondents who do not participate in fine arts perform community service.

- Students who are not heavily involved in fine arts have more than double the chance of dropping out of school by the 10th grade.

- 56.64% of the respondents who participate in fine arts read for pleasure where only 34.Chances are you will a handful of musical instruments in good condition gathering dust in a garage or attic.

These are only some of the findings in this study.

Fine arts help teach students far more than how to draw roses in a vase, or how to play the violin.

They help stimulate the creative part of the child’s mind, teach discipline, instill a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth.

These attributes not only help students do better academically, but do better in their adult life, with their career, their new family, their emotional well being.

So what do you do if your child’s school has had major cuts in their art program?

Your first option is, of course, private lessons. You need to be cognizant of the pros and cons in this option.

Lets look at the pros first.

First, due to budget cuts and pressure for schools to ensure their students score well on standardized testing (oddly enough the students who are involved in the arts score better on average) the arts get less attention that other subjects in school. Thus the quality of instruction suffers.

Meaning your child has an excellent chance of getting better fine art instruction in a professional fine art instruction environment. The classes are smaller, sometimes even one on one. The instructor only has to teach that particular art form.

Another plus in private fine art education is that your child’s success is directly tied into the instructors income.

A public school teacher who has half of their art class receive failing grades will still be paid the same at the end of the week.

The equivalent in the private art instruction world would mean a bankrupt business in a very short order.

Providing private art classes is a business. They must produce a good product or risk not being around in the future.

The major con to private lessons is of course if you cannot afford them for your child.

Private lessons cost money. Knowing the benefits of a child being educated in the fine arts, I would happily drive a less luxurious car, or eat out less often to ensure their fine art education.

However if you are living on a fixed income this may not be an option.

To wrap up this point, private lessons are great, often better than what is provided even in schools that have ample art and music budgets.

An alternative solution may be needed if you you are on a limited budget.

There are things that you can do to help your local school raise money for their art programs.

First and foremost is fund raising. This can be gone about in a variety of ways.

For example in my high school in Burbank California a parent spoke to executives at NBC studios. Weeks later, NBC donated high-end production and editing equipment for our high school. Everything for the fine art of film making was at our school.

Long short or no, local businesses or celebrities should not be ignored when trying to solve this problem. In return they get good PR.

Of course you have the traditional events to raise funds. A car wash, garage sales, silent auctions, etc.

The real make break point for the above types of fund raisers is having the right person in-charge to ensure that all the details are taken care of and everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing.

If no one shows up to the car wash because no one knew about it, it won’t do anyone much good. Nor will the dozen cookies at the bake sale.

Organize and communicate.

I know a good amount of people. More pertinently I know people who know more people than I could ever hope to know.

When confronted with the difficult task of refitting your schools classical music program with instruments, it can seem overwhelming.

On the other hand, with a group of hundreds of students and adults it looks like this.

An email/phone call/mailer goes to your network about the problem.

Get your network to scourer their homes and the homes of people they know for instruments to donate. Last year I gifted a nice classical guitar that had been idle for years to a school.

Perhaps you find a few instruments in great condition that have been sitting in closets and garages untouched for 20 years.

Then invite everyone with a pulse and $20 to a bowling fund raiser. You make $20 for everyone who shows up. 50 people show. There is a $1000 right there for new instruments.

The following week target local businesses and parents in your network to gift items of worth for an auction. You get kids to pass out fliers and put up posters around town, put up announcements in craigslist, your local paper, and of course make sure everyone in your network knows and that they are telling everyone else.

The auction is a success raising $3,000.

When you have enough money for the instruments have the kids study hard and put on a fund raiser concert, charge $10 and put the money aside. Somehow someone will manage to lose a tuba.

It is plain to see, a dedicated group can accomplish much more than an individual.

What happens if your school is so strapped for cash and so over crowded that they cannot afford the fine art teacher let alone the space for art classes?

And what if there are no reputable private fine art instruction schools local, or you cannot afford them at this time?

At this point you have to take matters entirely in your own hands. However you are not entirely alone!

There are products on the market, that for a low cost, can still help educate your child in the fine arts.

Here is an example, for a onetime payment of $30 you can have you child take online violin lessons with Violin Master Pros.

There are also online lessons and DVD instruction programs for other musical instruments, writing, drawing, and more.

Any will be far more productive than another evening of video games or cable TV.

Beware of asking uncle John – who plays the piano – to teach your child. If someone demonstrates knowing how to do something well, it by no means demonstrates they can teach it well!

Bad lessons can very quickly turn your child off to the arts. Even if a huge donation is made to the school and the arts are saved, it will do little good if your kid is sour on the arts.

All in all our societies viewpoint must be changed in regards to how important the arts are to our children and our future.

It is irrefutable, children perform better on standardized tests when involved in fine art. Yet many schools will cut art and music to focus on getting better scoring results!

A small fraction of this nations defense budget could easily pay for art and music programs nationwide.

Many parents have the viewpoint, ‘if it is not reading or arithmetic then what real use is it my child’?

Yet in the top science schools in America all have a extensive fine art programs in their universities for a reason. It helps students perform academically!

It is our job as parents, budget cuts or no budget cuts, to ensure that our children receive the fine art education that they need.

If we don’t do it for our children, who is going to?

In the world of music, there are endless possibilities for creativity in production. But when it comes to sitting down and listening to your favorite artists, what is the best way to do it? Most people don’t think about it, but throughout the course of this article, you will obtain possible life-changing strategies to listen to your favorite music. There are 3 main methods for listening to music; perceptive listening, casual listening, and background listening. Each method will be outlined, and benefits will also be discussed. Now is the time to experiment with all of the ways you can listen to your music!

When in the state of perceptive listening, you are fully aware of your music; that is the lyrics, rhythm, all of the instruments and components of the track. This state may be difficult to achieve if you have never been a perceptive listener before. It is the most rewarding listening experience, clearing our mind of everything but the pure sound of music. We cannot achieve this state if there are other thoughts racing through our head; your mind must be completely blank, letting the music take you away. How do you know when you are in a perceptive listening state? You will become unaware of your environment (closing your eyes is strongly recommended), focusing on nothing in your life but the music going through your head. Your mood will be directed by the type of music you are listening to, and some will experience a state of Euphoria. When in perceptive listening mode, always aim to be in a Euphoric state, as it will make the music that much more enjoyable. This can lead to becoming more relaxed, having less stress, and an overall improvement in life. If you haven’t given perceptive listening a try, do it right after you finish this article. What have you got to lose?

We spend a lot of time in the Casual listening mode, which is the line right between Perceptive and Background listening. You are fully aware of the lyrics/rhythm, and auditory elements are comprehended. We are usually performing some task that distracts us from the full perceptive state, so euphoria cannot be experienced. When listening casually, our mind only donates part of its attention to the music, so only part of us is affected while listening. Our mood does change along with the music, but it is generally a weaker feeling than perceptive listening. While we listen to music casually for a long period of time, our subconscious processes the information, and songs have a tendency to get stuck in our heads. Unfortunately, you cannot be fully immersed in the music, and that takes away a key element of enjoyment. Since we spend so much time casually listening to music, we think this is the most involving method of listening. Practice perceptive listening, and you will see the vast difference.

Sometimes, we have so many mind-numbing tasks to do, hitting the play button is the only way to keep our sanity. This is called background listening, and it helps us get through our challenging days. Casual listening is very common among teenagers who study for tests, and generally people who listen to music while working with their minds. This is when we are in the weakest state of music perception, and auditory elements aren’t usually comprehended. You can get so caught up in a task that you forget any music is playing. Because our mind is focused on so many things, our mood will be least affected by music. Obviously, this isn’t how music was intended to be listened to. So what benefits does this bring? Lets look at Johnny: Johnny is studying for his math test, and he is really struggling on a concept. He puts on his headphones on low volume background listening to help him relax, and suddenly he is able to comprehend his math problems. On the day of the test, he can actually play back the song in his head, then his subconscious will recall his studying, and that helps him recall the important math concepts. Johnny gets an A on his test….So you see where this is going; background listening affects the subconscious mind, which leads us to the final point. Memory. As shown in Johnny’s case, memory can be improved by listening to music in the background. So what are you for? Listen to more background music, improve your memory!

Perceptive Listening, Casual Listening, and Background Listening. Each one has its pros and cons. When possible, try all 3 techniques, and see which one you like the most. If you haven’t experienced the thrill of perceptive listening, you have to try it soon. If you haven’t relaxed to some casual listening, you might want to give it a shot. Some people, however, aren’t able to have music in the background while working. You know who you are. Give these techniques a shot, you never know what kind of amazing improvements could come about in your life. It’s the little things that can make a big difference. Rediscover your music, rediscover the way you listen to it!

While gifting your loving child personalized kids CDs you might hardly think that music, the most entertaining subject for kids, can be ever boring for him. But, it has been noticed that many children withdraw themselves from music following various significant reasons. Though parents make use of various types of kids personalized music, which play a significant role for children’s education, they fail to understand what kind of songs and rhymes are interesting for the kids. Once they can understand the factors that trigger boredom in children while listening to music, they can create a better platform for the kids.

Traditional Pattern of Listening to Music

Have you ever thought of creating the best environment for your child? What else have you done for your child in spite of gifting Kids personalized CDs to improve the interest of your kids for music? What your plans are of keep the interest of the child growing with his growing age? If you are sending your kid to music schools, are you sure about the lesson plans and the teaching methods that they are following? Have you discussed with your child regarding the genre of music that he likes or the kind of songs he wants to listen to? Have you ever thought of the reasons for which music gets boring for your kids?

If you analyze the answers to the question you can understand what distracts your kid from music. It’s crucial that children should enjoy music. Introduction of kids personalized music is a great way to keep the young learners from losing interest in learning and playing music.

Lack of Exposure to Diversified Genre of Music

Often, parents and at times, teachers in schools follow the traditional songs and singing pattern with the same old music for years together. They do not feel the necessity of introducing different genre of music which is more attention grabbing for the toddlers. The parents do not try to understand that not all kids have similar taste and, their child might not be interested in that particular stream of music. But they try to impose it on the kids. It makes the children withdraw themselves from listening to songs even if they are kids personalized music and customized in the most impressive way.

The best way to keep the children from getting bored of music education is to introduce them to different genres of music. Parents can get help from kids personalized CDs and introduce their children to different types of customized songs and rhymes so that the kids come to know about various types of music. It is in fact a great way for children to get rid of the monotonous songs that gradually becomes boring for the kids.

Lack of Positive Environment at Home

Most parents relax after sending their children to music classes and expect their children to become genius. This attitude has changed the musical taste of the children who lack necessary inspiration at home. Sometimes parents don’t have interest and time to know what kind of music their children listen to. Often, the busy schedules of the working parents have demotivated many children to generate interest in music. But, the truth is, it is the environment at home that triggers interest in the children.

You can create a healthy surrounding of music at home for your children by gifting your loving child with personalized kids CDs. They are not only inspiring for the kids but also educational and entertaining.

It is very natural that the children will get bored of any learning process, even if it is music. This can happen if they proper learning process has not been considered by teachers, coaches, etc. The teachers and parents should pay attention to every single aspect of music learning to make it an interesting part of their lives and not a forceful implementation of any learning process. With personalized kids music there are chances of developing kids taste for learning and playing music.