Using Music as Therapy - A Growing Trend

The prescription (pictured) is real and was written for DSM/MusickEd student Toni Vogel. You might remember Toni from our May 2010 blog Music Plays a Role in MS Patients' Recovery.  She has become an ambassador of sorts for the power of music, for what it has done in her life, and how it has affected those around her. "The sphere of influence is huge" she says, "my immediate family members have noticed a change, but so have friends, members of my support group, and most importantly, my doctors."

This prescription represents a big step toward bringing awareness of music therapy options to doctors, patients, and organizations like the MS Society and their support groups. Toni hopes that she can pave the way for other MS patients interested in using music to better their condition, and we're  thinking she will be quite successful.

Music as therapy is a growing field that according to the American Music Therapy Association is "the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship..."

Friend of MusickEd Kimberly S. Moore (aka the Music Therapy Maven) tells me that music therapy "is typically divided into 4 'types' of music experiences: performing, composing, improvising, and listening with learning being a part of performing. In simpler terms: playing, writing, improvising, and listening."

-we all know that music holds special powers...

Music therapies can be designed to promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain, express feelings, enhance memory, improve communication, and promote physical rehabilitation. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in a wide variety of health-care and educational settings. Check out this video from our friend Rachel Rambach a certified music therapist on how she uses music as therapy in her home studio.  Her original songs have helped autistic children more easily communicate, both in and out of the studio.

We've experienced first-hand the power of music via lessons on campus at DSM and again with Kore Series users online.  In the past 20 years we have seen music and music education; play a vital role in the recovery process from traumatic injuries, used in the maintenance of debilitating diseases such as MS, and even prescribed to help ease the effects of asthma.

Interestingly enough, many of our "healthy" students admit that time spent 'musicking' is the highlight of their week and a welcome reprieve from life's daily challenges. But we're preaching to the choir I'm sure - we all know that music holds special powers, that's why we're here!

Send Us Your Video!

As we continue to record and publish professional musicians performing our songs this year, we'll also be accepting and adding user submitted videos into our Step 3 Song pages.

"Videos can be useful and certainly play a part in the learning process" said Bob Lawrence, president of MusickEd.com, "but they are not the 'be-all and end-all' component.  There has to be a healthy balance in the learning process whereby material and information is understood conceptually before it can be applied to your chosen instrument".

We hope you'll share your videos with us and other users, teachers, and learners from around the world.  


CLICK HERE to submit your video.  Keep in mind the following items:

1. Video you or someone you know performing one of the 9 songs from any Kore Series lesson. There's no need for excess production or perfection - just smile and enjoy your playing.

2. You may play along with the melody only, melody and background , or background only tracks. You may even perform solo with no background.

3. Be sure to include the name, location, and age of the performer so we can give accurate credit!

4. MusickEd retains all rights and privileges to said recordings.

5. Videos may (or may not) appear on our site or any site within our community (i.e. our blog, facebook, or twitter pages).

"There has to be a healthy balance in the learning process whereby material and information is understood conceptually before it can be applied to your chosen instrument"

Here are two user videos that were recorded on campus at the Dallas School of Music with a simple 'flip' camera.  The 1st is Tanya S. who proves that having fun and enjoying the process is the main goal!





And here's Jack P. He's an electric guitarist who is actually reading music! Wow, what a concept!





Look for these and other user videos to start popping up soon!.  And come one - be brave - share your stuff with other users from around the world! CLICK HERE to submit your video. 

Finding Inspiration Part 2: Between the Folds

We're continuing the "finding inspiration in unusual places" theme by bringing to your attention an amazing documentary about (of all things) origami, called Between the Folds.  I've seen this program twice before and remember being overwhelmed with inspiration.  Interestingly, I was not in a hurry to try origami, but rather, I was inspired to be better at explaining my ideas about my work in music and in particular, teaching music. 

In the same way that a few great movies suck me in, (The Godfather, Napoleon Dynamite, and Annie Hall to name a few) if I happen to catch just a few moments of any scene, I am then completely rapt and usually there for the remainder.  Such was the case last night with this amazing Independent Lens piece on PBS. I decided to make a few notes while I watched and wondered why I found it so engaging, inspirational, and addicting.  Here are some thoughts:

First,  each person who spoke about origami spoke passionately.  There are origami "artisans" of course, but there are also doctors, teachers, and "folders" of all sorts who relate their passion for the art so eloquently that it makes even the casual observer take interest.

Next, each interviewee was able to explain very complex ideas in relatively easy to understand soundbites. This really struck home with me as I remembered that our mantra during the creation of the Kore Series was, "if you can't articulate a musical concept in a few sentences, then you don't know it well enough". 

If you're making mistakes, you are actually in the process of learning.

It was also surprising to learn that folding failures were often saved or filed both literally and in memory banks as building blocks for future successes. I promised myself that I would share that information with more students.  If you're making mistakes, you are actually in the process of learning.

Lastly, almost every folder said it was the process of making or doing that is important.  It reminded me of musicologist Christopher Small's philosophy of musicking - that music is a verb, it is the act of doing and making music that is important. 

So if you're ready for a visual feast and a ream of inspiration - make it a point to see this film.  I promise you will not be disappointed! Check out the trailer below.
 

Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places

One never knows where or when inspiration will strike and when it does it's sometimes difficult to sustain or duplicate.  But if you keep your eyes, ears, mind, and heart open as you slog through every day life, you may just find inspiration in the most unusual of places.

I am a musician and teacher, not necessarily a 'sports guy' (though the woman in my life might argue that point). For years I was an avid talk-radio listener but I found myself so anxious and uneasy during one contentious election cycle that I simply turned the dial.  By chance I stopped at sports radio 1310 The Ticket in Dallas, TX

The shtick and stats were just the kind of mindless drivel my topsy-turvy stomach needed and I welcomed the break.  But what got me 'hooked' on the Ticket was the fervor that almost all of the hosts displayed about a wide array of topics, not just sports.  In particular, the passionate musings of one Norman "Norm"  Hitzges continue to be both entertaining and inspiring upon every listen.

Norm is known for his unbridled enthusiasm, knowledge of sports, sports trivia, and all the minutia that drives most non-sports fans (or girl-friends) completely crazy. But listen for more than a few minutes and you'll learn that Norm has many interests and can speak knowledgeably about a wide array of topics. 

Norm loves to travel and often shares stories about the exotic locales, interesting vistas, harrowing outings, and wonderful food he has experienced as a veteran globe-trotter.  His bio page at the Ticket website includes an amazing slide show with pictures of some of the incredible places he has visited. It's worth a look.  The tales he tells of his travels are expressed so eloquently that he might easily earn a spot on any National Geographic special.

His interviews, though mostly sports related, are often sprinkled with cultural topics and he is equally adept at discussing baseball as he is breeds of dogs, fine wine, art, the Guinness Book of World Records, and even music. He is an amazing linguist and has a terrific vocabulary. His colleagues have deemed him the 'poet laureate of Valley Ranch' for the weekly verse he writes about the woes of yet another failed Dallas Cowboy season.  One of my favorite 'Norm-bits' is his recap of interesting and unusual names of players coming through the annual NFL Draft - it's pure genius.

What I find most inspiring about Norm is that he has seemingly reached a level of symbioses between his personal life and his professional career.  He has been a long-time supporter of the Texans Can! Academy, an organization that provides at-risk youths with education and training. And each year he hosts the 'Norm-A-Thon' that raises funds to support the Austin Street Centre for the homeless.  It's an incredible 18 hour marathon broadcast filled with a wide variety of topics, interviews, and of course, 'shtick'.  In my humble opinion, for entertainment purposes alone, it frankly puts the Jerry Lewis telethon to shame. 

I've never met Mr. Hitzges, but if I ever get the chance, I will be sure to tell him that his daily example is like inspirational fuel for me.  I can only hope to achieve the same level of expertise, comfort, and humility in my life and chosen profession.

Thanks for showing us that it can be done Norm, and keep up the great work!

Norm Hitzges is also an author and member of the Radio Hall of Fame. He writes a sports blog and can be heard weekdays on the Ticket from 10 AM to Noon.

A Look Back - A Look Ahead

There were huge changes at MusickEd in 2010, both behind the scenes and on the site.

Most apparent to our users is an entirely new design of the website from the main page to the interface within the software. There are so many levels and so much information available within each lesson that it became a challenge to create an intuitive, music learning experience for the end user...but we think we've  accomplished our goal!

We also moved from a download and install format to a subscription service.  This required a massive amount of tedious coding and detail work by our staff  - there are 3,960 secured links for each of the 39 instruments in the Kore Series!. Kudos to all of you for your patience, perseverance, and a job well done.

Finale Reader was added to our site this year as well.  It's a wonderful product that allows us to maintain the look and feel of the songs regardless of the browser choice of our users. And,oh by the way, Finale Reader is a FREE product!

We also added song titles to all finale pages through lesson 12.  The titles not only look great when printed, but they make it lots easier to keep things in order through the learning process.

In 2010 we moved from StoreFront (which typically services shopping cart transactions) to Pay Pal which could more easily manage our subscription service. PayPal was an obvious choice as it reliably handles over 150 million online accounts from all over the world.

In November we created and published an audio primer that helps users (and future users) better understand our product and how to best use the software to expedite the learning process.  We have had lots of positive feedback about this addition

We made a major push to make social media components a larger part of the  MusickEd  community and experience.  Our blog,  facebook, twitter, and youtube pages can now be viewed by members and non-members alike.  And we made our entire community (including the forums and webinars) more easily accessible from any of the pages within our software.

We introduced school, private organization, and church pricing plans as we began to see an increased interest from these organizations during the course of 2010.  We will be making a concerted effort to attract these groups by attending a few conferences next year, beginning with TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) in San Antonio this February.

Video production of the lesson songs ramped up in 2010. Some of the videos completed include Kore Series songs for cello, soprano sax, soprano voice, baritone horn, and all 20 lessons of alto saxophone. We will begin a robust schedule of recording this January with a goal of completing all 20 lessons for all instruments by the end of 2011.

We've also begun to incorporate user videos within the software and we look forward to receiving many more entries this year.  Users can send their video performances of our songs (with the background only track) and we will add them onto the appropriate lesson and instrument page.  Several videos have already been published thanks to some of the students on campus at DSM.

The Jazz Series has also begun to take shape in 2010. Mr. Finkel has completed writing the original songs for all 20 lessons.  He has also recorded each song and the background tracks through lesson 14.  Noted Jazz Educator Dan Haerle has finished writing the text for 19 of the 20 lessons and has decided that lesson 20 will be dedicated to common chord progressions that occur in Jazz Standards. This will be an amazing series that bridges the gap between play along only material and practical jazz education. We're hoping to make some of the Jazz Series lessons available by June with the entire series expected to be completed by December.

Phew... there's no more time to waste, I've got to get to work. Happy New Year!