Two days from now, on November 11, we will celebrate Veterans Day, which honors US veterans past and present. We salute them and thank them for their service. Like cities and towns across America, New York will hold its own parade – the largest celebration of veterans in the country. Every year since 1919, when the 369th Infantry – just back from fighting in WWI – proudly marched up Fifth Avenue, thousands of veterans and other participants re-trace the same route.

This year’s parade will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the 25th anniversary of Desert Shield. We think one of the best ways to remember the sacrifices of our veterans is to look back at the music that accompanied them into the battlefield. From the bugles, pipes, and drums of the Civil War to the protest songs of the Vietnam era, the music has been an important part of American history.

Songs of glory

At 239 years, America is a relatively young nation. The first armed conflict it engaged in was the one that actually served to lay the cornerstone of our country – the American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783. Of course, there are no original recordings of any pieces of music from that era (or until WWI, for that matter), but we do know that one of the most popular songs at that time was “Ballad of the Green Mountain Boys.” During the Civil War (1861 – 1865), the only other battle that was fought on American soil, “The Liberty Song,” originally written in 1768 by Founding Father John Dickinson, was popular, as was “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” And then there was the famous Confederate tune “I Wish I Was In Dixie Land.” By the end of the 19th century, there was another conflict involving the United States – Spanish American War. Even though short-lived (from April to August 1898), it produced patriotic music by John Philip Sousa, such as “Hands Across the Sea.” In the next century, WWI spawned a number of songs, several of which were written by George M. Cohan, including “Over There.” During WWII, Big Band music got the civilian population dancing, but the soldiers fighting overseas were not forgotten. “Remember Pearl Harbor” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” were big hits. Unfortunately, WWII was not the last conflict of the 20th century. The Korean War of the 1950s sparked songs like Jimmie Osborne’s “Victory in Korea” and Wilif Carter’s “Good-bye Maria, I'm Off to Korea.” “Ballad of the Green Berets” was released at the height of Vietnam War in 1966, followed, three decades later, by “God Bless the USA” during the years of the first Gulf War.

Patriotic spirit right in your home

The above-mentioned songs are just a few of many written and performed during various wars. We can only hope that these tunes had provided moral support and some pleasure to our soldiers. You too can learn to play or sing any of these songs. Just get in touch and one of our teachers will march right into your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office to give you lessons.

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The day after tomorrow, New York will be, almost literally, a ghost town! That’s because Halloween’s traditional creepy and spooky creatures will take over the city – ghosts, of course, but also monsters, mummies, zombies, witches, goblins, black cats, and other scary apparitions that will go bump in the night. Once the kids are back from trick-or-treating and are getting their sugar rush from all the candy, you can have a Halloween celebration of your own.

It doesn’t require costumes, a witch’s brew, or howling sounds . All you need to create a Halloween-ish environment in your own home is some classical “mood” music!

On the edge of your seat…

Long before the custom of trick-or-treating appeared in the United States in the 1950s, several classical composers wrote some pretty scary music. We can’t think of anything more appropriate for a dark Halloween night! For instance, in 1886, Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote a series of compositions titled “Night on Bald Mountain.” His frightening ghouls wreaking havoc on a mountain village in the middle of the night were depicted in Disney’s 2009 movie “Fantasia” Watch, listen and shudder! Then there is no less scary piece called “Dreams of a Witches' Sabbath” the final movement of “Symphonie Fantastique” written by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. If you can stomach allusions to witches, sorcerers and monsters assembled at a funeral, this piece is for you! Okay, let’s move on. By some accounts, Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was obsessed with all things macabre, as is evidenced in his ominous-sounding “Totentanz (Dance of the Dead)” . The piece was several years in the making and finally completed in the mid 1800s. Are you sufficiently spooked yet? We hope not, because there are two more pieces of music you absolutely must listen to on Halloween night: Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov’s 1908 work “The Isle of the Dead” and Camille Saint-Saëns sinister tune “Danse Macabre” which the French composer wrote in 1874. We hope all this music will not give you nightmares!

We are harmless!

No matter how frightening it is, Halloween only lasts one night. By the time you wake up on November 1, you will hopefully be fearless! Of course, most classical music is not scary at all; in fact, it is soothing and uplifting. Another thing you should never be afraid of are our teachers. That’s because when they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, they will never use scare tactics!

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On August 3, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set sail from the Spanish port of Palos. He was in command of three ships – the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. The goal of this historic journey was to find a new sea route to China, India, and other parts of Asia.

More than two months later, on October 12, Columbus’ ships found the “New World” – the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. But despite the myth that had persisted for hundreds of years, Columbus didn’t “discover” America — in fact, he never set foot here. Of course, in the 15th century, America was already settled by Indians; historians are not sure who actually discovered the continent, but we do know it was named after another Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Still, October 12 is observed in the United States as Columbus Day, which celebrates the contributions Italian immigrants have made to our country.

Music of the Renaissance

There are some songs that commemorate Columbus’s discovery of the New World . They are decidedly modern, but what about the music that was in vogue in Columbus’ home country of Italy, as well as in the rest of Europe, during his lifetime? The music of the Renaissance era is not as widely known to us as the styles that developed in the next century. Baroque had given us Johann Sebastian Bach, George Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi, whose music is still played and loved to this day. But that is not to say the Renaissance compositions are not worth listening to. A lot of the music from that period, both religious and secular, is based on modes, has a rich texture, and harmony . Among the most popular Renaissance instruments were the cornamuse, cromorne, shawm, clavichord, and virginal. None of them is still commonly used; the only instrument of that era that remains popular to this day is the recorder. We have no idea whether Columbus listened to music while he sailed the ocean blue, or, for that matter, whether he was a music aficionado. But we do know that the music played in churches and royal palaces during his lifetime was really beautiful! That’s the kind of music Europeans were fond of. But what about the inhabitants of North America, which Columbus allegedly discovered? Native American tribes of the 15th century were quite evolved and their music often included drums, rattles, flutes, wood whistles.

That’s amore!

As we said, Columbus Day is a holiday in the United States, a celebration of the rich Italian heritage. In New York, where approximately 1.8 million people of Italian descent live, a parade takes place today (as it does every year) along Fifth Avenue. As always, it’s lots of fun! Even if he didn’t actually discover America, Columbus still went down in history as an explorer and an adventurer. Learning to play a musical instrument is also an adventure of sorts – your curiousity will help you discover new sounds and other musical elements that you never knew before. That’s where our teachers can help. When they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, your music lesson will be smooth sailing!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.”

~ Rudyard Kipling

That’s certainly one thought nobody can argue with – we all know that moms have eyes in the back of their heads. Just like Santa Claus, they see you when you’re sleeping, they know when you’re awake, and they know if you’ve been bad or good (so be good for goodness sake)!

This brings us to this blog’s topic: Mother’s Day. Traditionally – at least in the United States – this event is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, which this year falls on the 10th.

Celebrations of motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans – all of whom, of course, had mothers. In the United States, this holiday started only at the beginning of the 20th century when a West Virginia woman named Anna Jarvis campaigned, after her own mom died in 1905, to set aside one day each year to honor all mothers.

Her efforts had not been in vain; in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May as a national holiday. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Singing praises to mom

There are many ways to celebrate Mother’s Day, beyond the usual gifts of flowers and chocolates. We are referring to music!

You may think that moms are not your typical muses for songwriters but, in fact, there are quite a few pieces of music that pay tribute to mothers’ love, advice, and devotion.

Take, for example, The Supremes’ 1966 hit song “You Can’t Hurry Love” , which talks about a mother’s wise advice:

“I need love, love to ease my mind
I need to find, find someone to call mine
But Mama said
You can’t hurry love.”

One of the most heartwarming “mom” songs is the Beatles’ 1970 hit, “Let it Be.” As Paul McCartney told it, back in 1968, as he was going through a particularly difficult time in his life and career, he had a dream about his late mother, Mary. “There was her face, completely clear, and she said to me very gently, very reassuringly: ‘Let it be.’”

And how sweet it was when the Backstreet Boys dedicated their 1999 song “The Perfect Fan” to their moms.

A more recent mom tribute is Taylor Swift’s “The Best Day” (2008), where she remembers her childhood and tells her mother, “you’re the prettiest lady in the whole wide world.”

There are, of course, many more songs dedicated to mothers, as this playlist from Billboard magazine demonstrates.

Mom says…call Hey Joe Guitar!

As you can see, Mother’s Day could be a truly musical celebration. But we don’t have to tell you that playing music is not an activity that’s limited to any particular holiday or celebration. Music really is perfect for any day and any reason.

It doesn’t matter whether you want to play the guitar piano, or any other instrument, or perhaps sing your heart out (figuratively speaking, of course). We have great teachers, who can come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, give you music lessons – and maybe even mother you a little!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Unless you are a fan of musicals (as we are), you may not have realized that this year marks a momentous anniversary: 50 years since the release of the film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music.”

The 1965 Academy Award winner that has popularized whiskers on kittens and warm woolen mittens is a poignant tale of an Austrian family forced to escape Nazi occupation of their country during WWII. The film is based on the real-life von Trapp family, though, as it often happens in movies, some parts were fictionalized.

“The Sound of Music” is not only a heart-warming story, but it also has some beautiful and memorable songs – for instance, “The Hills Are Alive” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” But perhaps one tune that has stuck in most people’s minds is the catchy “Do Re Mi Fa.” In fact, a few years ago this upbeat song was presented in a massive flash mob at a Belgian train station.

All we can say is happy birthday, “The Sound of Music,” and thanks for the memories!

Some of our favorite things

“The Sound of Music” is one example of classic film musicals and the memorable songs that made them famous. Of course, it’s impossible to mention them all here, but here’s a partial list of the most popular ones:

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939). Who could forget young Judy Garland’s voice as she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“Singing in the Rain” (1952). Gene Kelly makes it look so easy!

“West Side Story” (1961) features Leonard Bernstein’s famous song, “Maria.”

“Mary Poppins” (1964). A year before she starred as Maria in “The Sound of Music,” Julie Andrews was a nanny with a magic touch, as demonstrated in this cheeky song, “A Spoonful of Sugar.”

“Grease” (1978). It’s difficult to choose just one song from this original “high school musical,” but we’ll go with “You Are The One That I Want.”

As we said, we can’t list all the wonderful musicals here, because there are so many of them. But you can get a more comprehensive glimpse from the American Film Institute.

Our own sound of music

Whether they are “oldies but goodies” like the ones mentioned above, or born out of more recent films , we at Hey Joe Guitar love show tunes! A movie like “The Sound of Music” and others listed here combine melodies with a theme – a plot, if you will – and this combo makes the whole listening / watching experience all the more interesting.

Now, we are not filmmakers so we can’t really set a story line to music. We leave this task to those who know this field. What we do best is stick to the “music” part as it pertains to an instrument or your voice.

So if you want to learn to sing or play any show tunes on the guitar, piano, saxophone, or any other instrument, contact us. Alas, we don’t offer lessons (as much as we would love to) in the Austrian Alps or at Rydell High, but we will happily come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office. In other words, we are…Hopelessly Devoted To You !

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“I see trees of green, red roses, too, I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself What a wonderful world.” What better way than Louis Armstrong’s famous tune to remind you that in a couple of days, on April 22, we will be celebrating the Earth Day – an annual event that brings global attention to the importance of protecting all our natural resources.

Chances are that, like most people, you care about certain issues more than about others. But we all have a vested interest – and a role to play – in preserving and improving our environment. There are countless ways in which everyone can contribute to a “greener” and more sustainable lifestyle – even those of us who live in a notoriously polluted city like New York. Although written in 2008, this article outlines how each individual can make a positive and meaningful difference on the environment. Having said that, we’d like to commemorate the Earth Day in a way that is befitting a music school – by bringing you Mother Nature’s own music. What does She sound like? The answer, my friend is blowin’ in the wind – literally!

Earthly sounds

When we think of music, we think of man-made melodies. Many of us are not attuned – so to speak – to the sounds of nature. For instance, the chirping of the birds – though raw and unscripted – is truly amazing. Then there is the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and waves crashing against the shore . Many people don’t take the time to listen to and enjoy this “natural” music, and that’s a pity. But here’s something you may not have known: natural phenomena like the wind, waves, and even rock formations, produce beautiful music of their own. Take the soothing sounds of a wind chime , for example – how cool is that? You might say that a wind chime is a “natural” musical instrument, in the sense that it needs no human intervention – just the forces of nature – to produce sound. But it’s not the only one. For example, over in Croatia, there’s an organ that is played by the sea – its pipes are under the water’s surface, so the waves and wind create random – but beautiful – harmonic sounds . Another organ, which, by the way, is the world’s largest musical instrument, is located deep under the ground in Luray Caverns in Virginia. Called the Great Stalacpipe Organ, it produces music when its rubber-tipped mallets tap the cave’s natural mineral deposits. And what about the aforementioned musical rock formations? This geological phenomenon occurs at Ring Rocks State Park in Pennsylvania. When struck by a hammer , these “magic” stones make some real …“rock music!” These are just a few examples of what Mother Earth is capable of. Isn’t She marvelous?

Worldly music

Like every holiday, Earth Day comes and goes, but we believe it’s important – crucial really –to take care of our natural resources each day of the year. How can you and your family celebrate Mother Nature with music? You could learn to play a woodwind instrument of your choice – the flute or recorder, for instance. But any music on any kind of instrument will be a fitting tribute because music is – in one form or another – everywhere in our environment. One of our teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home and office and give you or your child fantastic lessons. After all, teaching music is …second nature to us!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Roses are red, violets are blue, I like poetry and you do too.

Okay, we know we won’t win any literary prizes for this little ditty, but this is just a way to let you know that the Academy of American Poets has designated April as National Poetry Month.

Not only does this event highlight “poetry’s vital place in our culture,” but it also encourages private and public readings as a way for people of all ages and walks of life to get to know this art form.

We love this initiative, especially considering the very close relationship between poetry and music. What could be more poetic than this?

Common ground

If you think that there is no correlation between the two art forms, we beg to disagree. They are tightly intertwined, like a close-knit family, and not only because both are creative and inspirational forms of expression.

One might be communicated through words and the other through sounds, but music and poetry both rely on the same elements: flow, rhythm, expression, and emotion. And speaking of emotion, there is actually a British study, which demonstrated that listening to music and reading poetry produce the same strong, shiver-in-the-spine sensations, thoughts, and imagery.

As the 17th century English historian Thomas Fuller said, “Poetry is music in words and music is poetry in sound.” We couldn’t have put it better – or more poetically – ourselves!

Songs inspired by poems

There are quite a few songs whose lyrics had been inspired by poems. For instance, “My love is like a red, red, rose,” and “Auld Lang Syne” are based on poems by the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Browning.

“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by our own Emily Dickinson was also set to music , as were some of her other poems, such as “If You Were Coming In The Fall” and “Hope.”

Many of William Shakespeare’s poems provided lyrics for songs as well, among them “Under the Greenwood Tree,” and “Double Trouble” from the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban soundtrack.

There are many more examples: lyrics to “Hail to the Chief,” came from a poem, “The Lady of the Lake,” written by Sir Walter Scott. And the words to “America the Beautiful” are from a poem of the same title by Katharine Lee Bates.

We’ll stop here, but there are numerous other examples of poems that were set to music, proving that the two art forms seamlessly converge.

Artistic expression

Now, our music teachers are not poets in the traditional sense of the word, but their music lessons are poetry in motion.

We don’t mean to wax poetic, but when one of our music teachers shows up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, he or she will make sure your fingers perfectly strum the strings of the guitar or flutter gracefully over the piano’s keys.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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If you are a guitar player or just someone who loves to listen to the sounds of the guitar, you’ll be happy to know that April is the International Guitar Month. The annual (since 1987) celebration is dedicated to recognizing this universal stringed instrument, as well as all the talented musicians who play it.

Now, you may think that we at Hey Joe Guitar are responsible for the creation of this holiday. It is a totally legitimate supposition and we don’t blame you for thinking this. However, we’d like to clarify that this month-long celebration is the brainchild of the Guitar Association, a New York organization whose goal is to “bring together and grow the guitar community by promoting greater access to learning and playing guitar.”

We think it is a very worthwhile objective, don’t you?

Different strokes

If you are rolling your eyes just about now, thinking that we will give a long tutorial about the types of guitars out there (classical, acoustic, and electric), or their sizes (¼, ½, ¾, and full), relax! There is so much more we want to share!

For instance, let’s look at some interesting guitar -related stuff:

1. A really cool electric guitar orchestra .
2. Some guitar humor .
3. Rock’n’roll history expressed through 100 famous guitar riffs .
4. North Korean kindergarten students in concert .
5. A talented young guitarist right here in the United States.

Right at your fingertip

One way to celebrate the International Guitar Month is to get to know this wonderful instrument.

A while ago, we wrote a blog about how various orchestras run community outreach programs allowing young children to touch and handle a wide range of instruments. The same is true for the guitar – by holding and strumming it, you literally get the feel of what this instrument is all about, from its smooth and curvy body, the fretted fingerboard, and, of course, its sound!

Once you or your child decide to learn to play the guitar, we’ll be here to help. We have many excellent guitar teachers and will be happy to match you up with one best suited to your level and needs. He or she will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office and teach you to…strike a chord!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Ah, St. Patrick’s Day – what great fun, even if you are not Irish. Now, you might think that this holiday, which falls on March 17, is all about eating, drinking, dancing, parading, and lots of merriment. That it is, but there is so much more to St. Patrick’s Day that you may not know about.

Before he became patron saint of Ireland (which is called “Eire” in Gaelic, Ireland’s native language), Patrick was credited with bringing Christianity to his native land in the 5th century AD. Throughout centuries that followed, his life has been shrouded in legends and mysteries –including the famous tale about Patrick banishing all the snakes from Ireland. This and many other stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick are just part of the folklore, as well as rich storytelling traditions the Irish are known for. What history does tell is that Patrick, a son of the wealthy British, was kidnapped at 16 by Irish outlaws and brought to Ireland, where he was a slave until his escape to France six years later. However, he later had a vision in which he preached gospel to the Irish, so he eventually returned to Ireland, where he built churches and spread the Christian faith.

True colors

When we think of St. Patrick, we think of green. After all, leprechauns and shamrocks are green, right? And, Ireland is also known as The Emerald Isle, all of which may explain why we believe that green is that country’s national color. It is not! In fact, it is royal blue, though the green is the color of Irish Catholics. As legend has it, St. Patrick supposedly used a three- leaf clover to teach the Irish about the Trinity, so the shamrock’s shape and color came to symbolize the Irish Christianity and became associated with St. Patrick’s Day. As for the explanation behind the name “Emerald Isle,” it has more to do with Ireland’s climate than with history. Relatively mild winters and plenty of rain turn the country’s abundant pastureland a bright emerald green color. So now you know!

When Irish eyes are smiling

As New Yorkers, we at Hey Joe Guitar love the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. That’s because a significant number of our fellow NYC residents are of the Irish descent. Although the biggest wave of Irish immigration to NYC occurred in the late 19th century, when Ireland suffered a devastating famine, the first Irish immigrants arrived here during the colonial era of the 18th century. In fact, New York’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade dates back to 1762. According to the official website of NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, that first event “was held on lower Broadway by a band of homesick Irish ex-patriots and Irish military, who served with the British Army stationed in the American colonies. This was a time when the wearing of green was a sign of Irish pride and was banned in Ireland. The parade participants reveled in the freedom to speak Irish, wear the green, sing Irish songs and play the pipes to Irish tunes that were very meaningful to the Irish immigrants who had fled their homeland.” What a difference three centuries make: today, our city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is the largest in the world – bigger than even in Ireland!

Celtic thunder

Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter Lullabies, dreams, and love ever after. Poems and songs with pipes and drums A thousand welcomes when anyone comes. That’s the Irish for you! Talk about the luck of the Irish! You didn’t think we’d talk about St. Patrick’s Day without mentioning music, did you? Numerous musicians of Irish descent have made their mark on the American music scene: bandleader Tommy Dorsey, and singers Judy Collins, Alice Cooper, Sinead O’Connor, and Kurt Cobain, among many others. What about the traditional Irish songs? Many typical ones are ballads and folk songs, and quite a few are…drinking songs! All of us have probably seen images of hearty Irish town or village folk sitting in a pub and belting out tunes while raising their glasses of frothy Guinness. It’s possible that one of those songs is “My Wild Irish Rose” or “Danny Boy” , which are among the best known in the United States. Are you a fan of Ireland’s music? With our Manhattan, Brooklyn and Riverdale music teachers, you can learn to play any Irish song on any instrument, and be the life of the party by the time next year’s St. Patrick’s Day rolls in. In the meantime, we wish all our Irish friends Lá Fhéile Pádraig shona dhui!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs.
I look around me and I see it isn’t so.
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs.
And what’s wrong with that?
I’d like to know.

~ Paul McCartney

Silly or not, nearly everyone has a soft spot for love songs. And this will become even more evident on February 14, when we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day.

Actually, there is a scientific answer to the question about why we are partial to love songs: research indicates that they bring back sweet (and sometimes bittersweet) memories of – to quote one famous song, “the way we were.”

In other words, love songs allow us to re-live the emotions associated with a particular tune. In a way, it’s like watching a favorite movie time and again: you never tire of the memories and feelings it brings out.

“Thy presence is my light”

Though Barry Manilow famously sang, “I’ve been alive forever,
and I wrote the very first song ”
we suggest you take these words with a pinch of salt.

There is evidence that the world’s oldest love song may be thousands of years old. In 2001, a team of archeologists discovered a 4,300-year-old tomb of an Egyptian nobleman, which contained hieroglyphs suggesting that it was probably a song of love, honoring the deceased man’s wife. We don’t know what the song was about, but we are we are fairly sure Barry Manilow didn’t write it.

In the 3rd century, when St. Valentine lived and died, music was mostly religious, but romantic love songs became very popular in the Middle Ages. Those Medieval songs reflected prevalent mores of that time, which centered on the notion of a “courtly” love – very chivalrous and gallant. In those days, the dating process included long-drawn phases such as “admiring a fair lady from afar,” followed, after a certain amount of time spent pining and suffering, by proclamation of eternal love to her, on a bent knee.
In those days, traveling musicians known as the troubadours would serenade the ladies with most fashionable love songs, such as:

“Be thou my vision, Oh Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.”

Don’t these lyrics prove that the more things change the more they remain the same, at least as far as romance is concerned? The language might be outdated but the sentiment rings as true today as it did back then!

That loving feeling

Literally thousands of love songs have been written over the years – sad, happy, and everything in between. But have you ever wondered which musical instrument is the most “romantic” one?

There is no scientific research that we know of, which would shed light on this question. It is a totally subjective matter of personal preferences and affinities. However, just for the fun of it, we have checked out some online discussion forums and informal surveys focusing on this topic.

The four instruments that the users of these groups find most romantic are the violin, piano, guitar, and saxophone (with the last one rated as “the sexiest” rather than merely romantic).

Fall in love – with Manhattan music lessons

It so happens that we teach all of the above-mentioned instruments – the violin, piano, guitar, and saxophone – and many more.

One of our teachers would…love to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office and give you music lessons on an instrument of your choice (or voice lessons, if that’s what you want).

We’ll help you bring the most beautiful love melodies into your life and the lives of people around you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The post Songs That Tug at Your Heartstrings – With Manhattan Guitar Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Do you know what today is? Yes, it’s Monday, February 2nd, but it is also a special occasion of sorts – especially for people who care about tradition, weather, and small animals.

Like every year, February 2nd is Groundhog Day, when – as legend has it – the furry rodent wakes up from winter hibernation and goes out to look at his shadow. If he sees it, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, good news: spring is just around the corner.

This custom is particularly “hot” in Punxsutawney, PA, where a groundhog named Phil has been predicting the early or late onset of spring since 1887. The tradition is based on Candlemas, the day that marks the midpoint between winter and spring. This is how a poem describes it:

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.”

We hasten to add that none of the above is based on scientific evidence, but there are plenty of folks out there who swear by the groundhog’s predictions.

No need to shiver

For the record, Phil has seen his shadow about nine times out of 10, and the predictions so far have been correct 39% of the time – make of this what you will.

Now, let’s assume that today Phil sees his shadow, meaning that we still have weeks of winter ahead. Does this mean you have to grudgingly put up with the continued cold weather? It all depends on your attitude and state of mind!

What we mean is this: February doesn’t have to be cold and dreary. Did you know that in 2002 and 2012 temperatures in New York City reached balmy 40s? (No, it’s not exactly tropical weather, but it’s not frigid either). And, February days are not all grey and bleak; on average, NYC has 17 sunny or partly sunny days during this month – certainly much more comfortable conditions than those in Alaska or North Dakota, the states which, according to National Climatic Data Center, have the coldest winters.

Heat up with music!

An important thing to remember as you slog through February is that each day is bringing us closer to spring – no matter what Phil would have you believe. After all, that’s the law of nature – seasons come and go (well, maybe not so much in North Dakota, but certainly in New York!)

In the meantime, you can brighten and liven up February days with upbeat music that reminds you of summer, but you can also learn to play your own “hot” tunes. We make it so easy for you – just contact us and we’ll send a friendly and…warm teacher to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office.

No need to leave the comfort of your house – we will do all the trudging through the snow, sleet, slush, and other winter obstacles.

In the meantime, we wish you a shadowless Groundhog Day!

The post Brooklyn Guitar School Helps You Weather the February Cold appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Quick: what was the best-selling album of 2014? Here’s a hint: winter weather. Still no clue? How about this: Walt Disney Records. And here is another one.

So now you know: the 2014 top seller is the soundtrack from the movie “Frozen”, which has become the longest best-selling Disney track, beating records set by “The Lion King” a decade ago, and “The Sound of Music” 30 years before that.

This has made us reflect on all the soundtracks from Disney movies of yore – so many wonderful songs and memories!

A sentimental journey

What is the happiest place on earth? If you think it’s New York City, we agree with you – it really is our kind of town. But actually, this title belongs to none other than Magic Kingdom, one of Walt Disney World’s theme parks in Orlando, Florida (but you already knew this, didn’t you?)

We are guessing that Magic Kingdom got this tagline for a simple reason that it really is fun for kids and adults alike. It’s a place where Peter Pan can fly, Cinderella can find her Prince Charming with the help of a glass slipper, and wooden Pinocchio can become a real boy. In other words, it’s a place where dreams really do come true (and to think that it all started with a mouse!)

It’s easy to be happy in this enchanting kingdom, one that inspired so many fairy tales, quirky and lovable characters, and, of course, a multitude of songs. In fact, music from various Disney movies is among the most recognized around the world.

When we say “multitude” of songs, we are not exaggerating – by some count, there are well over 800 of them. Obviously, we can’t list all of them here, but we’ll try to give you a run-down on some of our favorites.

With a smile and a song

Nearly everyone who believes in magic knows such timeless classics as “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, “Some Day My Prince Will Come” from Snow White, “Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping Beauty, “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins, and “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

But, there are so many more! We don’t know which one is the fairest of them all, but we dare say all of them are …superfragilisticexpialidocious:

“A Whole New World,” Aladdin

“Colors of The Wind,” Pocahontas

“Part of Your World,” The Little Mermaid

“The Bare Necessities,” Jungle Book

“You'll Be In My Heart,” Tarzan

“I’ve Got a Dream,” Tangled

Let the magic (and music) begin

Did you know that Donald’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie play the trumpet, accordion and bass, respectively? One of the seven dwarfs, Sleepy, plays the flute, and Goofy is a whiz at the trombone, flute, tenor saxophone, and trumpet (though not simultaneously).

Whether you’d like to learn to play one of the many Disney songs, or just master an instrument and make your own music – hakuna matata, your wish will be granted!

Our teachers are skilled at all of the above-mentioned instruments, and then some! And they don’t need a magic carpet to show up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office for a private lesson – they will take a subway.

To quote Jiminy Cricket, “the most fantastic, magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish!”

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Let the Memories Begin, With New York Music School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

A spectacular end to the holiday season in New York occurs on December 31, when a gigantic ball slides down a pole to ring in the New Year at the strike of midnight EST. One million people gather in Times Square and a billion more watch the countdown in all corners of the world.

From its maiden voyage down the flagpole just over a century ago to the present day, “the ball drop” has been a cherished symbol of our city’s New Year celebrations. Not even NYC’s notorious cold winter weather can keep cheerful revelers from participating in what may well be the jolliest public New Year’s party in the country.

There is a lot you may not know about the ball drop beyond what you see on television, so here is a little “tutorial” to get you into the celebratory mood.

A New York tradition

The first ball, which was dropped in 1907, was built by a young Russian immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr. For most of the 20th century, the company he founded, Artkraft Strauss, was responsible for lowering the Ball. In all, seven different versions of the ball – including one made of wrought iron – have been used in the past.

By the way, the first ball was made from wood and iron, was 5 feet in diameter, weighed 700 pounds, and featured one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. It was impressive by 1907 standards, but today’s version is far more advanced : constructed from aluminum, it weighs in at over five metric tons, is covered with wedge-cut crystals and more than 32,000 light-emitting diodes, and is capable of creating billions of kaleidoscopic color patterns.

All year round, the ball sits on top of One Times Square, getting ready for its December 31 one-minute drop: it starts at 11:59 pm and makes its spectacular 141-foot slide to the cheers of the crowds below.

Let us “drop” in!

Of course, no New Year’s celebrations would be complete without live music. The countdown show, “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” is a big part of the Ball Drop festivities. Since its beginnings in 1972, many famous artists had been featured; this year 38 musical acts are scheduled, including the headliner, Taylor Swift.

We at Hey Joe Guitar will also celebrate the New Year’s Eve with music. That’s because music is an integral part of our lives – not only on December 31, but also all throughout the year!

No matter what season, month, or day it is, our amazing teachers are always on call and they will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office to give you lessons. Whether you or your child want to learn to play the guitar, piano, flute, or any other musical instrument, leave it to us – we’ll get the ball rolling!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post When it Comes to Music Lessons, New York Piano School is on the Ball! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Here in New York, when we think of Christmas, we visualize snow – and lots of it. In fact, all the traditional depictions of the holiday season in the city almost invariably portray powdery and glistening snow blanketing the sidewalks, buildings, and red-cheeked children. (Interestingly, the tableau never shows blizzards, sleet or slush).

On the East Coast and in much of the country, that’s how we want our Christmas to be – a white and magical winter wonderland. But have you given any thought to other places in the world, where Christmas is celebrated in a hot and sometimes even sweltering weather? Can you imagine Santa wearing shorts and sunglasses? And what about this: instead of roasting chestnuts on an open fire and drinking hot cocoa, people cozy up under a palm tree and sip a margarita ?

We personally know some people in Florida, who not only have no idea what real snow looks and feels like, but also can’t imagine shivering on Christmas Day in thick coats, hats, and gloves.

“Hot” music

Obviously, in Florida Christmas is celebrated pretty much the same way as it is here up north – minus the cold – but in other parts of the world, the ambience is much more tropical.

In Hawaii, for example, Christmas is “green and bright” . In the Southern Hemisphere, where December 25 is smack in the middle of summer, barbeque, ice cream and cool drinks are more common than our traditional Christmas fare. And in Polynesia, families often hang out around a lagoon on Christmas Day, roasting a pig for dinner.

What about the Christmas music popular in those tropical climes? It has a totally different beat and vibe than the sounds we are accustomed to. Just listen to some of them:

“Reggae Christmas” – Bob Marley

“Calypso Christmas” – Mark Knauss

“Drink a Rum” – The Merrymen

“Polynesian Christmas” – Tupulaga

Warm up to our teachers!

As mentioned, New York is not exactly a tropical paradise during Christmas, so we are pretty sure that when our music teachers go to give lessons in the dead of winter, they won’t be wearing a Hawaiian hula costume. Their instruments – guitars, saxophones, and such – will also be well protected from the elements in sturdy cases.

However, you can be sure that when a teacher of ours shows up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, he or she will radiate warmth and good cheer even in the coldest weather!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Manhattan Music School Will Never Leave You Out in the Cold! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

During the holidays, a magical, fairylike aura envelops New York – from downtown to uptown, from East River to the Hudson, the city sparkles and glows.

NYC has many cherished holiday traditions: Santa’s arrival at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NYC Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” at Lincoln Center, the train show at the Botanical Gardens, and lots of others.

But among the best-known NYC holiday traditions are those that take place around Rockefeller Center – the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree and Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas show.

Oh, Christmas tree

Every December for the past 83 years, a giant Christmas tree has been overlooking Rockefeller Center, its tens of thousands of lights twinkling amid snow flurries.

A symbol of holiday joy, the tree was actually borne out of grim circumstances: on Christmas Eve 1931, in the midst of Great Depression, a group of construction workers put up a 20-ft. tree on the muddy site of what would soon become one of the city’s best-known landmarks: the Rockefeller Center.

Over the years, through good times and bad, the tree has morphed from a humble fir to a magnificent Norwegian spruce that reaches the heights of between 70 and 100 feet. From the first days of December to the first week in January, the tree – which, these days, is decorated with energy-efficient LED lights – is a symbol of what a NYC Christmas is all about: joy, hope, and goodwill.

Christmas extravaganza

Just around the corner is another landmark associated with a cherished holiday tradition: Radio City Music Hall’s annual Christmas show.

Just as the tree, the theater too was erected during the Depression and opened for its first show on December 1932. (Interestingly enough, the area around the Radio City and Rockefeller Center, now a prime piece of real estate, was known back then as “the speakeasy belt”).

Today, it is the largest indoor theatre in the world – its marquee is a city-block long, its auditorium measures 160 feet from back to stage, and the ceiling reaches a height of 84 feet.

Since the day it opened, Radio City became home to the legendary Rockettes and its “Christmas Spectacular” extravaganza, a mega-show attended by more than 1 million people annually. Some elements of the production have remained the same since the beginning, such as Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and the Living Nativity scene .

Festive music lessons – all year round!

As New Yorkers we are really lucky to be surrounded by all this holiday spirit. Likewise, we should not take for granted all the wonderful concerts and other performances our city has to offer – at Christmas and year round.

We at Hey Joe Guitar are happy to be part of New York’s vibrant music scene and to have such talented teachers of the guitar, piano, and many other instruments in our midst. We love sending just the right teacher and instrument to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, and spreading good cheer all year round!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post At Manhattan Guitar School We Love New York’s Christmas Landmarks! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

December is filled with numerous festivities. But some of these events have nothing to do with the holiday season, and everything to do with beautiful music. We are talking about the National Violin Day, which is celebrated every year on December 13. (Interestingly enough, Dec. 13 also marks the National Cocoa Day and the National Day of the Horse – but while we like both cocoa and horses, we are focusing solely on the violin here!)

We don’t really know how or when the idea for a day dedicated to the violin began, but we are glad it did. Such a smooth and graceful string instrument capable of making sweet, mellow, and passionate music surely deserves to be celebrated!

From the 16th century Italy, where the first “vitula” (as this instrument was then called) was created, to the present day, the violin has been the smallest, highest-pitched member of the string family, which also includes the viola and cello.

For big or small, a great fit!

“A sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The famous detective was a violin player and often performed for his sidekick, Dr. Watson. But many famous (non-fictional) people were fiddlers as well: presidents Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, physicist Albert Einstein, and actress Marlena Dietrich, among many others.

They may or may not have realized it, but aside from the beautiful music, playing the violin offers several other advantages: increased arm strength and flexibility, improved posture, as well as better coordination and motor skills.

However, you don’t have to be big and strong to love the violin. Because of its size, it is one of the most popular string instruments for children – certainly easier to handle for small hands than a huge and heavy instrument.

The ease with which kids “take to” the violin is demonstrated by these child prodigies: a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old who are, despite their young age, true virtuosos.

Let’s fiddle together!

Obviously, this kind of proficiency doesn’t just happen overnight. As with every endeavor – musical or otherwise – achieving success requires practice and patience. When it comes to mastering the violin (or any other instrument for that matter) you or your child can benefit from the guidance of an excellent music teacher.

An instructor will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office for a private lesson. And while learning to play the violin is certainly a great idea, we also offer guitar and piano lessons, as well as many other instruments.

So this December 13 celebrate the violin – and, if you want, the cocoa and the horse as well!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post The Violin Never Plays a Second String appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Looking at all the lights and decorations, you might think that the holiday season is only about Christmas. Yes, Christmas is a huge part of all the celebrations, but let’s not forget about Hanukkah, which this year falls between December 16 and 24.

There are plenty of events and festivities in New York celebrating the Festival of Lights, as Hanukkah is called – and not just all the delicious, crispy latkes served in restaurants around the city.

Let’s have a look at what interesting, family-oriented Hanukkah activities you can enjoy.

Dress warmly!

The world’s largest menorah is located right here in NYC, at Grand Army Plaza (Fifth Avenue and West 59th Street, across the street from The Plaza hotel). And it really is huge – 32 feet tall and 4,000 lbs. Made of gold-tinted steel and protected from the wind by specially designed glass chimneys, it is a truly impressive sight.

On each of the eight days of Hanukkah, the menorah’s oil lamps are lit at 5:30 pm. The only exception is before and after the Sabbath – on Friday the lighting takes place at 3:45pm, and at 8:30pm on Saturday.

Since Hanukkah commemorates, symbolically at least, the triumph of light over darkness (the rededication of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC), it is not a somber holiday. That’s why the lighting of NYC’s gigantic menorah is a joyful celebration, which includes live music, folk dancing, and, of course, great food: latkes and sweet sufganiyot jelly donuts, among other delicious offerings.

Another fun outdoor activity for the whole family is the traditional “Hanukkah on Ice” skating party on December 16 from 6 to 9 pm at Wollman Rink in Central Park. There will be music, food, and the lighting of a giant ice menorah.

More festivities…

What else is there to do during the Festival of Lights? If you prefer indoor activities, the Jewish Museum is organizing, on December 14 from noon until 4 pm, the Hanukkah Family Day for children 3 years of age and up. Participants can make a Hanukkah menorah from wacky objects (a Jewish Museum tradition), dance, sing, watch the Hanukkah story, and explore the Museum’s world-famous collection of Hanukkah lamps.

There’s more: the National Yiddish Theater is putting on two free Hanukkah concerts, on December 14 and 17, which will feature holiday music, including traditional “klezmer” tunes, which are usually played during joyful celebrations.

Celebrate with music!

The above is just a quick glimpse of Hanukkah events around New York City, but there are many more interesting things going on.

All the concerts and performances will hopefully inspire you and / or your child to start making some music of your own. Your first step will be to choose an instrument – guitar, piano, violin, or whatever else “speaks” to you – and to find an experienced teacher who will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office and give you lessons. Please contact us so we can get started!

The year may be almost over, but your exciting musical journey is just beginning!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Heads-Up on Hanukkah Festivities From Manhattan Guitar School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Can you imagine the holiday season without the music? We can’t! Fact is that music makes Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations all the more special and meaningful.

Of course, when we listen to the holiday music, we love to hear the sound of different instruments. You may not have given it much thought, but certain instruments are very prominent in Christmas and Hanukkah festivities. Some of them have roots in religion and history, while others are borne out of tradition, art, and even pop culture.

Then and now

In Renaissance art, some of the Nativity paintings depict musical instruments. One such 17th century piece of art, “The Adoration of the Shepherds” by Italian artist Domenico Zampieri features a shepherd playing his bagpipes for the Infant Jesus. In another, by Piero de la Francesca, musicians standing over newborn Christ play guitar-like instruments. Other Nativity paintings of the era feature harps, tambourines, as well as instruments that resemble violins and flutes.

All of the above instruments are still widely used today, in one form or another. Others, however, are mostly relegated to history – or perhaps a museum. For instance, at Christmas time, families in the 18th century America gathered around the piano-like spinet and the hammer dulcimer . And modern-day re-enactments of the colonial era show the popularity of fife and drums .

Some still-popular Christmas songs, like “12 Days of Christmas” (which includes “Eleven Pipers Piping”) was written during the colonial times as well, while another instrument –related song, “The Little Drummer Boy” was composed much later, in the 1940s.

Need other examples of “Christmas-y” instruments? Look no further than the Rockefeller Plaza and its dozen trumpet-playing sculpture angels – wonderful symbol of Christmas in our city.

And as this musically versatile family demonstrates , several different instruments can be included in a Christmas celebration.

Festival of lights

What about the Hanukkah? First, let’s go back to ancient times and the instruments musicians used during religious observances. The Temple orchestra consisted of 12 instruments, including the lyre, harp, trumpet, three varieties of pipe, cymbal, as well as ram’s horn called the “shofar.”

Modern-day renditions of traditional Hanukkah songs often feature a regular piano ,
a guitar , or a medley of instruments for the less traditional (but inspiring nevertheless) songs.

(Your) home for the holidays

At Hey Joe Guitar, we love all the instruments and teach many of the ones mentioned above – and then some: guitar, piano, drums, trumpet, trombone, brass, reeds, saxophone, clarinet flute, violin, viola, cello, strings, accordion, ukulele, banjo, recorder, mandolin, and voice.

Just think about all the beautiful music you can make with any of these instruments – during the holiday season and all year round.

Not sure how to strike the right note? That’s not a problem: one of our awesome teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you or your child lessons.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Learn the High Notes of the Holidays – With Brooklyn Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Thanksgiving – a time for good food and great company. It is also an opportune moment to ask this question: if you could invite any classical composer to your Thanksgiving dinner, who would that be?

You may have favorite composers, but would you want to sit at the table with someone – no matter how famous and gifted – who is not a good conversationalist or, for that matter, ill-mannered?

Miles Hoffman, music commentator at National Public Radio (NPR) weighed in on this topic and came up with a list of composers who, in his opinion, would be terrific dinner guests.

Have a look and see whether you agree:

A VIP Thanksgiving

Are you a fan of Beethoven’s music? As talented as he was, the great composer would likely not make a good guest. As Hoffman noted, Beethoven had “a little too much tendency to be rude and crabby.”

What about Mozart? “He would be fun,” Hoffman says. But he points out that the composer’s “off color” sense of humor might not be to everyone’s liking. So there is no clear opinion on the, um, Mozart effect at the dinner table.

Does this mean you’d have to miss out on having these two geniuses over for Thanksgiving? Not at all! “I’d invite them for lunch instead,” Hoffman says. “Turkey sandwiches on the weekend after.”

What about musical greats who would be the life of the party?

The first on Hoffman’s list is Johann Sebastian Bach – “he drank a lot of beer, so I think that probably he was pretty jolly.”

Then there is Felix Mendelssohn, who Hoffman would place next to Bach “because he was almost single-handedly responsible for the revival of interest in Bach’s music.” But that’s not all. Mendelssohn “was generally brilliant, extremely well-read, and incredibly nice guy. Plus, he spoke English.”

Next would be Hector Berlioz – “a fascinating man in every way, clever, witty, and filled with passion and personality.”

The American contingent would include Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and Ernest Bloch – the founding director of the Cleveland Institute of Music and first director of San Francisco Conservatory.

Gobble up!

We are thinking that any person – including a composer – who loves food is bound to be a decent party guest. Even if he is not socially adept, jovial, or a masterful conversationalist, in the very least he will be a good eater. According to the website of BBC Music Magazine, these are some of “foodie” composers:

Gioachino Rossini, whose love of food, the magazine claims, “was evidenced not just by his ever-expanding waistline, but also the number of dishes named after him, including Tournedos Rossini and Eggs Rossini.”

Richard Wagner. His wife, Cosima, reportedly said that the composer was “a vegetarian in principle but in practice, neither his health nor the orders of his physician allowed him to be.”

Frederic Chopin was a fan of “zrazy,” a Polish dish made of thin slices of chopped beef and stuffed with vegetables and eggs. Not exactly your typical Thanksgiving meal, but anyone who can eat “zrazy” will probably not be averse to the turkey either!

After dinner, stretch your fingers!

While you are thinking about which composers you’d like to have at YOUR Thanksgiving celebration, consider inviting someone else into your home – one of our teachers.

We are not talking about Thanksgiving dinner per se, but about all-season, year-round music lessons in your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office.

Whatever instrument you’d like to play – small ones like the flute, violin or guitar, or larger ones such as the piano, cello, or base – please contact us to get started.

Thanksgiving comes but once a year, but the joy of music is timeless!

Photo by unknown, available under a Creative Commons License.

The post NYC Guitar School Helps You “Compose” Your Thanksgiving Guest Wish-List appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Are you reading the above headline and thinking that we overdid it just a tad with the clichés? Yes, we did, but that was intentional to set the mood for this blog’s topic: musical idioms. As you know by now, the subject of music really…strikes a chord with us.

Most of these idioms are well-worn and you have heard them – and maybe even used them – yourself. The interesting thing about them is that they are actually not so much about music per se as about real-life situations.

Let’s explore some of them, but first, here’s a challenge: can you spot all the idioms that are interspersed throughout this blog?

All that jazz

Jam session: No, it has nothing to do with making preserves (but you already knew this, didn’t you?) It simply means improvising music in an informal setting “Jam Session.”

Fit as a fiddle: You are in good shape (hopefully because you play the violin!)

Play by ear: This expression conjures comic images of someone playing an instrument with his / her ear, but that is not the idiom’s intended meaning. Rather, it refers to handling a situation in an impromptu manner, or, in the musical sense, playing an instrument without annotation.

Tickle the ivories:  If you are a linguistic purist, you may take this to mean touching an item made out of ivory, but this actually refers to playing the piano. We hasten to reassure you, however, that these days no animals are harmed in the process – modern piano keys are made of plastic.

Hit the right note: This idiom hasnothing to do with a wonderful singing voice; it means you have a positive influence on people.

Call the tune:  Make an important decision and control the situation.  And if you change the tune, you change your mind or actions.

For a song: Buying or selling something very cheaply – singing is not actually required.

These are just a few musical idioms. There are, of course, many more…

We’ll make beautiful music!

Idioms aside, we are totally serious about making sure that you or your children get the best possible music experience.

We don’t mean to sound like a broken record but we do like, on occasion, to toot our own horn. And the message we want to convey is that our excellent teachers play second fiddle to no one.

Whether you want to play guitar, piano, drum, or any other musical instrument, one of our awesome instructors will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and pull out all the stops.

This may sound like a lot of bragging, but it’s true – when it comes to teaching music, our teachers sure know the score!

Photo by Kelly B.

The post Face the Music, at Our NYC Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Have you ever heard of a New York resident named Bill Wasik? Those in the know will recognize him as a senior editor of Wired Magazine and former senior editor at Harper’s Magazine.

By now you might be wondering what a journalist has to do with the topic we cover in these blogs, which is music. Actually, Wasik does have an indirect role in bringing music to people all over the world: he is the creator of a 21st century phenomenon known as a flash mob, which he started in 2003 as a social experiment of sorts. Even though the first one he organized that year at Macy’s on Herald Square was a flop, since then the trend has grown, gained popularity, and gone
viral.

In a nutshell, a flash mob is a sudden gathering of a group of people in a public place to perform some act of artistic expression, to the surprise of unsuspecting onlookers and passersby. The flash mobs we love most are the ones that feature music. We would like to share with you some of our favorite ones and hope you will find them as uplifting as we do!

Causing a scene (but it’s all good!)

What is so cool about this phenomenon is that it started in NYC (as so many cool things do) and, in the past 10 years, has spread around the world like wildfire. Just look at these examples:

Spain: We really love this rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony, which is one of the most famous works in the history of classical music:

Canada: You don’t expect to hear Handel’s “Messiah” at a mall food court, do you? It just shows you that you should always keep an open mind:

Mexico: An even more unlikely venue for a rousing chorus is a public library, where total silence is de rigueur. This, however, is one instance where a librarian didn’t hush the crowd:

Great Britain: What a joyful scene at the arrivals terminal at London’s Heathrow airport. Wouldn’t you like to be welcomed like this?

Belgium: We really like this spunky dance-and-song flash mob at a train station:

New York: Of course, we can’t bring you flash mobs from around the world and neglect to mention ones from our own fair city. This particular one at a Queens grocery store is off-the-wall, which is why we like it so much:

The power of music

What is so special about these flash mobs? We think the answer is pretty obvious. Just watch how the spectators react to these performances: the delight, pleasure, and sheer enjoyment are written all over their faces. This response shows that music has a positive impact on people’s moods and emotions – wherever in the world they live.

At Hey Joe Guitar music school, we consider ourselves lucky to share our love of music with our students. We can’t promise that our teachers will perform a flash mob or create a new social phenomenon at your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office (in fact, we are certain they won’t), but they will give you …phenomenal music lessons nevertheless!

Photo: Ray Tyler Images

The post Learn To Play Guitar – And Other Instruments – In A Flash, At A NYC Music School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

It’s that time of the year again – Christmas spirit is in the air. With Thanksgiving over, the holiday season is officially under way.

But before you start thinking about all the festivities, there is another celebration that is perhaps lesser-known in this country, but nevertheless very important in the Catholic and other Christian churches: the Advent. It starts four Sundays before Christmas and this year falls on December 1. (The Eastern Orthodox Church observes a similar season from November 15 until Christmas).

The lead-in to Christmas

Simply put, Advent is the new year of the Christian church, a time of preparation for Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth. It is, therefore, a time of spiritual reflection and anticipation – an aspect that is often forgotten in the pre-holiday frenzy of shopping, eating, and other merrymaking

.

It is not certain when exactly Advent observances had begun, but historians believe it was in the 4^th century. At that time, it was considered to be a time for Christians to devote themselves to prayer and fasting.

While the churches mark this liturgical observance, it is not perhaps as common among families in the United States as it is in Europe and other parts of the world, where Advent is viewed as an integral part of the Christmas season.

There are two Advent traditions that are observed in many homes: the wreaths and calendars.

The advent of Advent

The origin of Advent wreaths can be traced to folk traditions of northern Europe, where people lit candles on circular arrangements of evergreen branches, bringing light and warmth to the darkest and coldest nights of winter.

To this day, wreaths are an important part of Advent observances, with candles lit on each of the Sundays leading up to Christmas Day.

What about the calendars? They first appeared in Germany in the 19^th century and quickly spread across Europe and North America. This calendar has 24 small doors (representing the December days preceding Christmas), which are opened by children every morning.

In the early versions, the doors opened to reveal images from the Bible. These days, however, most Advent calendars have no religious content and often contain pieces of chocolate.

Celebrating with music

We can’t talk about the Advent without mentioning the music (especially since we are a music school!)

We all know Christmas carols and other traditional holiday tunes, but what about the Advent songs?

As you can imagine, most of them are, for obvious reasons, religious in nature, such as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,”

“The Angel Gabriel,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pliqObTHxUQ and “Waiting in Silence”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-9s_oG4W9U&w=500&rel=0

But there are also plenty of other songs that are a good fit for this holy season. Here are just some of them:

“Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant

“Here With Us” by Joy Williams

“The Candle Song”

and, for a lighter and more upbeat tune,

“Getting Ready for Christmas” by Paul Simon

Get ready for Christmas

Whether you want to learn to play Advent songs, or any other kind of music on any instrument, our NYC music school is the right fit for you or your child.

Hey Joe Guitar’s excellent teachers will brave the cold of December and come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office to give you lessons.

So – light the candles on your wreath and start your lead-in to Christmas with beautiful music!

Photo by kosi2801

The post Drum Up Some Advent Tunes with New York City Guitar School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

In Mexico and some other countries, this holiday (El Día de los Muertos in Spanish), focuses on the remembrance of and prayer for departed family members, so it is certainly more touching and solemn in nature than the spooky events associated with Halloween. Yet, as many other celebrations that take place south of the border, the Day of the Dead has a cheery vibe to it. We will tell you about it in a moment, but for now, let’s have a quick look at the history behind this holiday.

A cultural legacy

Mexican traditions connected with this holiday include building of private altars honoring the deceased, and visiting, as well as decorating, their graves.

It is believed that the modern-day El Día de los Muertos celebrations have their origin in centuries-old indigenous observances and traditions, including an ancient festival dedicated to the Aztec goddess with a tongue twisting name of Mictecacihuatl, who was the ruling queen of the underworld and afterlife. With time, as Catholicism became the dominant religion in Latin America and Europe, the native Mexican customs associated with El Día de los Muertos spilled over to the commemoration of All Saints’ Day on November 1. In the United States, especially in areas with a high concentration of Mexicans, the Day of the Dead is also celebrated. In NYC, Mano a Mano, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Mexican culture, is planning a variety of activities for this week’s celebrations, which everyone, Mexican or not, is welcome to attend And there are festivities for children as well. El Día de los Muertos is such as big part of Mexico’s native traditions that in 2008 this festival was recognized by UNESCO as part of its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which honors “traditions or living expressions passed down through generations in the form of oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, or knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.”

Grateful dead

As we mentioned before, even though it commemorates the decreased, there is nothing morbid about El Día de los Muertos. Black is not the dominant color in this celebration – in fact, the altars and graves are decorated in vibrant colors, including elaborate floral arrangements and even the departed person’s favorite food. And what about music? Forget gloomy tunes usually associated with death and funerals – Mexico’s Day of the Dead melodies are upbeat, with distinct drum, chime and guitar sounds, like these two folk songs: “La Calaca Flaca” by Oscar Chavez “Viene La Muerte” by Amparo Ochoa

Go “live” with Manhattan music school

We at Hey Joe Guitar love all folklore-rich festivities, especially the ones that feature great music. Not only do these events expose us to melodies we may not normally get to hear, but they also show how important music is in all kinds of celebrations. Hopefully, by hearing these sounds you will be inspired to make beautiful music of your own. Starting is easy – just contact us and we will send one of our excellent NYC teachers to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office. It’s going to be muy caliente!

Photo Credit: Felicity Rainnie

The post ¡Hola Mexico – with Manhattan Music School! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.