t the risk of shooting ourselves in the foot but in the interest of full disclosure, we are telling you here that some historical evidence shows musical instruments to be harmful and even deadly.

Yes, you heard us right: HARMFUL AND DEADLY.

Now let us explain.

Mass Frenzy

American inventor Benjamin Franklin was a very clever man and one of his creations was a musical instrument he called “glass armonica” — a series of glass bowls of different sizes that produced beautiful sounds. The instrument became popular across the big pond, where Mozart and Beethoven composed music for it.

But some doctors of yore insisted that listening to it could kill women and anyone else who had fragile disposition. In other words, according to the 18th-century physicians, glass armonica was an instrument…of torture, affecting the nerves and causing a multitude of health problems.

According to a recent article on this subject, “in 1808, people attributed the death of armonica virtuoso Marianne Kirchgessner to the instrument’s eerie tones. Some psychiatrists went so far as to say it drove listeners to suicide.”

Eventually, as the article points out, this instrument “was relegated to the great big concert hall in the sky.”

You’d think people had wised up in the 19th century but even then, some medical professionals and scientists insisted that listening to music in general (and not just to glass armonica) was a potentially deadly pursuit.

Specifically, they said music caused hysteria, premature menstruation, homosexuality, and even death.

Then and Now

What a huge difference two centuries make!

No longer considered to be dangerous to our health, music is a big and important part of our lives — in a positive way, of course. In fact, we now know for sure that it has numerous benefits on our physical and emotional wellbeing.

And we also know that no instrument could cause you any bodily harm — unless, of course, you try to swallow your flute or attempt to carry your grand piano on your back.

So we hope you will not be discouraged by the warnings of the 18th-century doctors and give musical instruments a chance!

Photo courtesy of Vince Flango and Wikimedia Commons

The post A « Deadly Pursuit ? » Music That Got a Bad Rap appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Oh, what a difference a few centuries make! Today, we know for a fact (having had abundant scientific evidence as proof) that music is good for humans, animals, and other living things as well. However, it has not always been like this. As a recent article in the Smithsonian magazine tells it, some 19th century physicians thought music could actually infect the brain!

As a matter of fact, there are many instances throughout history when medical profession warned the public about the dangers of music. As the article states, “By the time the 1800s rolled around, music was a full-blown pathogen.” Physicians of yore warned that music was especially risky for women because of their supposedly fragile nerves: “The fairer sex had weak nerves and were prone to fainting. They also warned that excessive keyboard playing could aggravate such issues. Gynecologists thought music might be too sexy for women or that it could lead to heavy menstrual cycles. On the flop side, others linked it to infertility and reproductive problems.” Of course, in those long-ago days, doctors often made flawed judgment calls. For instance, it was believed that a woman’s womb could wander throughout her body, spreading disease in its wake, and that epilepsy and mental illnesses were “demonic possessions.” Seen in this context, is it any wonder that music was regarded as evil?

We’ve come a long way, baby!

Today we know of just one potential danger: hearing loss resulting from prolonged exposure to very loud music. As for everything else mentioned above, all these warnings, myths, and pseudo-science are downright hilarious! Far from inflicting diseases and other medical conditions, music is actually a health booster, both physically and mentally: it can lower our blood pressure, relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and lift our spirits. In other words, there is no doubt (and plenty of scientific evidence) that music improves our lives in countless ways. Who are you going to believe: modern science or old superstitions?

Fit as a fiddle

If anyone witnesses first-hand the true advantages of music training, it is our teachers. They have yet to see any students – young or older, male or female – whose brain was “infected” by music (though they have seen lots of students become “infectious” – spreading the love of music to others)! All this is to say that when a teacher comes to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, you need not fear any health consequences. You or your child will learn to play the guitar, piano, or any other instrument in total safety. We are happy that, at least in this case, history doesn’t repeat itself!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post A Clean Bill of Health, With Brooklyn Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Did you know that March marks the International Women’s Month, not only in this country, but also all over the world?

There are numerous reasons to honor women past and present, because they have made significant contributions to arts, humanities, sciences, politics, as well as many other areas. And not just the famous ones, mind you, but also the so-called “unsung heroines” who, through their efforts and dedication, have made a meaningful impact on our lives.

We at Hey Joe Guitar would like to celebrate the women of the world by honoring female composers. Yes, you heard it right – FEMALE COMPOSERS. If you think that composition is strictly a man’s domain, prepare to be surprised!

Out of the shadows

We know that there are many women songwriters, but, throughout the centuries, there had also been women composers of classical music. They are not as well known as their male counterparts (historically, women always had to struggle for recognition),
but their contributions to music have been remarkable.

Obviously, we can’t list all of them here, but we are pleased to introduce you to several who had composed beautiful pieces of music that remain largely unknown. We think this is a great opportunity to present some of these gifted women who have lived in the shadow of male composers far too long.

Lack of recognition

The names Mendelsshon and Schumann are familiar to music lovers, but we are not talking about Felix and Robert, respectively. Rather, we are referring to Felix’s sister Fanny and Robert’s wife Clara.

Let’s start with Fanny (1805-1847). Although she showed musical aptitude from an early age, she did not get as much encouragement and support as her brother did. In fact, in an 1820 letter to her, Fanny’s father wrote: “Music will perhaps become his [i.e. Felix’s] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament.”

In her short life (she died at 42 from a stroke), Fanny composed 460 pieces of music, many of which were published under Felix’s name. To those who had an opportunity to hear her work , there’s no doubt that Fanny was a talented composer in her own right.

What about Clara Schumann (1819 – 1896)? A child prodigy who performed recitals around Europe from an early age, Clara’s deftness at the piano won her an admiration of composers like Frederic Chopin and Niccolo Paganini, among others. Her most fervent admirer, however, was a man who would become her husband, Robert Schumann.

While Clara was a successful pianist, she was not widely recognized as a composer, even though she composed a number of piano concertos and other pieces of music . As she once explained, “Composing gives me great pleasure… there is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound.”

However, since Clara never received any popular acclaim for her works (even though her husband was supportive), she eventually gave up composing. “I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea,” she said. “A woman must not desire to compose—there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?”

Sadly, Clara’s music, like that of so many other women composers of her time, had never been taken seriously.

Prolific composers of yore

Of course there had been many other women composers throughout history, and most of them had no family ties to male musicians. Marianne Martinez and Louise Farrenc were among them.

Marianne (1744 – 1812) frequently performed with Mozart (they were both Austrian) and worked in the shadows of famous male composers of that era. However, she went down in history as the creator of the only symphony written by a woman during the Classical period.

Louise (1804- 1875) was a French composer who wrote music not only for the piano, but for chamber ensembles and orchestras as well.

To know them is to love them

At our NYC music school we are happy to honor women composers, songwriters, and musicians in general – past and present. In fact, we are open to all kinds of music, even to the works that have been little known by general public.

Our excellent teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you or your child music lessons on an instrument of your choice – whatever gender (or age) you are.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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You may not have realized it (unless you are a history buff), but 2014 marked the centenary of the beginning of the Great War, aka World War I (1914 – 1918).

Why are we talking about this historical event in a music blog? That’s because we just came across a very interesting article published by the National Public Radio (NPR) that talks, very compellingly, about the music created during that time, and how it reflects the moods of musicians caught up in this devastating conflict.

As the article notes, “The extraordinary level of destruction inspired them in myriad ways. Some composers captured the war’s violence while others seemed to counteract it by writing music that soothed.”

We’d like to share with you some of the music composed during and after this terrible war (which, unfortunately, wasn’t the last one).

Music from the trenches

Ravel’s “Le tombeau de Couperin” During the war, the French composer drove a truck near the front at Verdun. The six-movement “Le tombeau de Couperin” is dedicated to Ravel’s six friends killed in the war.

Welsh lyricist and composer Ivor Novello wrote a heart-tugging song, “Keep the Homes Fires Burning (Till the Boys Come Home”) in 1915. Irish tenor John McCormack recorded the song in 1917.

Perhaps the best known WWI song on this side of the Big Pond was composed by New Yorker George M. Cohan, whose statue graces the Times Square. “Over There” “Over There” was written two days after President Wilson declared war on Germany; according to the NPR article, it was “a morale booster, an incentive for men to enlist and the first in a string of patriotic hits that later earned Cohan a Congressional Gold Medal.”

These and other songs, though from another era, beautifully express the emotions and perspectives of those who participated in the war or observed it first-hand.

And even many decades after the war ended, composers continued to commemorate this event, which forever re-shaped the landscape of Europe. One such example is the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Silent Night by Kevin Puts.

We come to you in peace!

Obviously, our Hey Joe Guitar teachers are much too young to remember the wars our country had fought in, but they can certainly relate to heart-felt music, whether written during the war(s) or in peacetime.

What is most important to you is that our Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale teachers can relay their love of music to each student, so that your child will have the best instruction possible – no matter what instrument he or she plays.

Photo by The Happy Rower

The post It’s History: NYC Guitar School Commemorates Wartime Music appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

When you think about Thanksgiving, do images of a succulent Butterball turkey with all the delicious trimmings jump to mind?

To most people, that is what Thanksgiving is all about – good food, good company, a good football game and, of course, expressing gratitude for all of life’s blessings.

But wait. Have you ever thought about what our country was like when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on a blistery December day in 1620? That historic event, and a harvest celebration that followed, eventually spawned the Thanksgiving holiday, as we know it today.

When the Mayflower docked and the colonialists disembarked onto dry land, they were met by Samoset, a Native American from the Wampanoag tribe. There was also Squanto, a member of the Patuxet nation, who helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter in the New World. By bringing the settlers corn and turkey, the locals had unwittingly started a Thanksgiving tradition that is still observed today.

Yes, Native Americans formed an early version of the “welcome wagon,” and yet their story is often left untold during the Thanksgiving celebrations.

Beyond the pow-wow

When the Mayflower sailed to the New World, science, philosophy and the arts thrived in post-Renaissance Europe. Native Americans, meanwhile, lived in far more primitive and perilous surroundings.

Yet, they had their tribal music, which – no pun intended – played a major role in their religious and ceremonial rites. Unlike their European counterparts, who played (or listened to) music for the enjoyment, indigenous American music had a specific, utilitarian purpose, such as the healing of the sick, the bringing of rain, or the success in battle.

Drums, flutes, rattles, whistles, and other instruments were (and still are) routinely used, producing a plaintive and poignant sound.

Then, there are Native American songs, which – by our Western standards – may sound monotonous, flat, and even off-key. But that unusual sound reflects the true spirit of the indigenous people and the many struggles and hardships they have had to overcome in order to survive – all of which make the music so special.

For the past decade and a half, these unique sounds have been celebrated at the annual Native American Music Awards ceremony, which not only recognizes outstanding musical achievement among Native Americans, but also gives indigenous musicians a greater – and much deserved – exposure.

Then and now

Have you ever wondered what our city looked like at the time of the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock? It certainly didn’t resemble the vibrant metropolis it is today. Called New Amsterdam at the time, it was a Dutch settlement and only the southern tip of Manhattan was inhabited. The rest of the territory that now forms New York City was wilderness where deer, bears, and coyotes roamed.

Aren’t you glad those days are over? Our NYC music teachers certainly are, because they go where no early settler had gone before – all over Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn, as well as Riverdale section of the Bronx. Needless to say, they wouldn’t want to encounter a coyote on their way to give an in-home or in-office music lesson because all they have to defend themselves is an instrument!

We mean it when we say that our Manhattan, Brooklyn and Riverdale music lessons are danger-free. Try us and see for yourself!

Photo by: California State University

The post Go “Native” With New York Guitar School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

These cheerful words were spoken by former President Ronald Reagan, and he certainly knew what he was talking about because he was an avid harmonica player.

The 40^th president of the United States reportedly learned to play this instrument while recovering from the assassination attempt in 1981, and his repertoire included songs like “Git Along Little Doggie” and “Streets of Laredo.”

Perhaps his playlist choices were not exactly presidential but, when it comes to music, Mr. Reagan was in good company: many of the former U.S. commanders-in-chief enjoyed playing an instrument too.

As the Election Day 2012 is getting closer and the contentious campaign is gaining momentum, the two current contenders for the Oval Office are facing a different kind of music: mutual accusations, criticism, and mudslinging.

But politics aside, a lot of U.S. presidents – Democrats and Republicans alike – had at least one point in common: they loved making music.

Hail to the chiefs

Let’s start with America’s first president: it is said that George Washington played the zither. We have no proof of this other than hearsay, but given that Mr. Washington could not tell a lie, we are assuming that he did indeed play this flat stringed instrument and that it was not made from the cherry tree he reportedly chopped down.

Drafting the Declaration of Independence apparently still left Thomas Jefferson enough time to play not one, but three instruments: cello, clavichord, and violin.

John Quincy Adams studied the flute at Harvard but, by his own admission, he wasn’t exactly a virtuoso. In his dairy, he conceded that he was “extremely fond of music, and by dint of great pains have learnt to blow very badly the flute. But could never learn to perform upon the violin, because I never could acquire the art of putting the instrument in tune.”

We are happy to report, however, that Andrew Jackson, the commander-in-chief- who was elected after Adams, was quite proficient at both guitar and banjo.

As for Abraham Lincoln, saving the Union and freeing the slaves – not to mention his daily four-mile walk to school as a boy – still left him enough time to learn a harmonica-like instrument called the jaw or mouth harp. It is said that he played it during the 1858 Illinois state election campaign (which he lost).

Other presidents also had their favorite instruments: Woodrow Wilson played the violin, while Franklin Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Harry Truman were partial to the piano.

And talk about being prolific: it was said that Warren Harding could play any instrument with the exception of the trombone and clarinet.

The most recent president whose musical skills are renown is, of course, Bill Clinton. His mastery of the saxophone is legendary. When asked why he continued to play the sax during his presidency, he replied: “Well, I don’t have much job security.”

No, he can’t!

By now you might be wondering what, if any, instruments the present occupant of the White House plays. Alas, while he is an ace on the basketball court, music remains on Barack Obama’s “to-do” list. As he said in a December 2011 interview with ABC-TV, he “would love to be able to play an instrument.” (We take it to mean that he currently doesn’t).

So it must be a measure of relief for the President that his opponent, Mitt Romney, is not known to play any instruments either, although the company he created, Bain Capital, owns the Guitar Center – the largest retail chain of musical instruments in the world.

That should probably come as good news to the voters, since both candidates in the 2012 election appear to be on equal footing when it comes to musical skills – or lack thereof. So it is safe to assume that musical tastes will not be a divisive issue in this race.

Act presidential!

Why do so many presidents enjoy playing an instrument? At least part of the answer may be that this activity has been shown in various studies to reduce stress and soothe the soul.

Nobody can deny that the presidency of the United States is one of the highest-pressure jobs on the face of the earth, so we can only hope that the above-mentioned presidents were able to harness the beneficial effects of playing their instruments.

But listen – you DON’T have to be a president (or, for that matter have a stressful job) to enjoy playing an instrument. If you would like to learn any of the instruments -or their modern versions – that our presidents played, we’ll be happy to come to your Manhattan home or office (even if it’s not Oval), and give you music lessons.

Because no matter which party you belong to, playing an instrument is always politically correct!

***

Photo Credit: Theresa Thompson

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