Five Different Ways to Look at MUSIC:
1. In Deric Bownd's MindBlog, he discusses the chemical processes that give music the ability to elicit reactions from us.
2. Seth Rudetsky is a Broadway accompanist, performer, and "music deconstructor." He will focus in on the most minute details of someone's performance, analyzing sometimes half a second of a note. I've seen him conducting deconstructions live, and he's both hilarious and very knowledgible. Here's one of my favorites.
3. Music (spoecifically musicals here) is a way to interpret other media. Books, movies, historical events, and even people have served as the inspiration for a full-on stage spectacular. Some stories fit seamlessly into musical format... But then there's Jekyll and Hyde (the ROCK musical), Spiderman: Turn off the Dark ($60 million budget WHAT?), Moby Dick, and soon, an adaptation of American Psycho.
4. Ever heard of aromatherapy? Like, lavender makes you sleepy, grapefruit perks you up, etc... Well there's music therapy, too! I discovered this when I was searching for college majors to pursue. Involvement in music actually can benefit patients! In a sense, music can be considered medicine!
5. How YOU see music. What purpose does music serve to you? Has it helped you?
GREATTTTT topic mel! In terms of #5, music has been huge in my life. I am typically a fan of quiet, acoustic, indie stuff but I also love musicals, rock, some country and pop -- just a wide array of music. I think music is incredible because, like poetry, it speaks to you. There's no wrong way to approach music. And music can be by your side with pretty much whatever you do. I am always listening to music when I do my homework, drive, or just chill and think. I think music is incredible and I'm excited about all the links and resources you provided here!
ReplyDeleteReeeaally nice post, Mel. You've covered a lot of insightful material without getting bogged down in those sometimes distractingly fascinating details. I especially dug the link you gave to the chemical workings of music in our brains. We all seem to know that music affects us somehow, but it's something that I find becomes much more interesting and complex when we discover the body's "why and how."
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, a Moby Dick musical??? Heh!?! I kind of want to see that...
Again, great post, Mel!
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ReplyDelete