In fact, it has a lot going for it. For instance, its impressive architecture, including tracts of 19th century row houses ranging in style from Greek Revival to Queen Anne, are reminders of the area’s history as a fashionable Manhattan suburb.

These well-preserved brownstones, most of which are three-bay, three-story buildings, date from between 1845 and 1890.

These gems are not difficult to spot in the small neighborhood, which is only about seven blocks long and eight blocks wide. A stroll along Dean Street is a journey back to the 19th century. The row houses that stand there are designed in Italianate style, with large arches, ornate cast-iron railings, and other elaborate architectural details.

But before it had become an elegant and genteel neighborhood in the second half of the 1800s, Boerum Hill looked quite different.

It All started with a Farm…

Today, Boerum Hill’s boundaries are defined as Court Street to the west, Fourth Avenue to the east, Schermerhorn Street to the north, and Warren and Wyckoff Streets to the south.

Lying just south of Downtown Brooklyn, this area is both urban and residential, but back in the Colonial times it was a farm settled, as much of New York was, by the Dutch. The family’s name was Boerum, which explains how the neighborhood got its name.

As Manhattan continued to grow and develop in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, Boerum Hill retained its small-town feel, attracting Italian and French immigrants who gave this area a distinctly cosmopolitan feel that stretches to its sister neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens.

Never a Dull Moment

As mentioned above, Boerum Hill is not boring at all. For outdoor activities, there is the green expanse of waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park, which offers organized activities, including guided tours, kayak polo, and zumba classes.

And Barclays Center at 620 Atlantic Avenue has a multitude of sports events and music concerts. In-home music lessons are also available in Boerum Hill – it’s easy to get started.

As you can see, there are many reasons to love Boerum Hill!

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The post Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill is Teeming with History appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Wherever you happen to be during the holiday season, chances are you will be hearing plenty of Christmas songs. We bet you know most of the lyrics by heart and maybe you are even singing or humming along.

Are you as familiar with Hanukkah songs?

Celebrated this year from November 27th until December 5th, Hanukkah (sometimes also spelled Chanukah) celebrates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the victory over the Syrian-Greek invaders in 165 B.C. It also commemorates what many consider to be a miracle: when Judah and his followers entered the Temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one night, but it lasted for eight nights.

That’s why Hanukkah is called “the festival of lights” and is celebrated for eight days. That is also the reason why the menorah holds eight candles, and one is lit on each night of Hanukkah.

A musical celebration

It is true that Hanukkah songs are not as generally well known as Christmas carols. But there are quite a few of them, each evoking a different mood, from serious and solemn to lighthearted and funny.

One of the more popular songs is called “I Have a Little Dreidel”, referring to a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. It is an upbeat and melodious tune that is traditionally played during Hanukkah.

In fact, a dreidel is not merely a child’s toy, but a symbol of what Hanukkah stands for, as reflected in the lyrics of this song, entitled “Sivivon, sov, sov, sov:”

“Dreidel, spin, spin, spin.
Chanuka is a great holiday.
It is a celebration for our nation.
A great miracle happened there.”

Another solemn song, which evokes the historical importance of Hanukkah, is called “O Rock of My Salvation” and goes like this:

“Restore the Temple where we will bring offerings.
When you will eliminate our enemies,
Then I shall sing at the rededication.”

Hanukkah can be cheery too!

Just as some of the Christmas songs are funny or at least light-hearted, so is a least one Hanukkah song that we know of. It’s called, appropriately enough, “The Hanukkah Song,” and was written and originally performed by comedian Adam Sandler, and later recorded by Neil Diamond.

This song goes to prove that even the most serious of commemorations which, like Hanukkah, are filled with deep historical significance, can have a touch of levity!

Let us do the walking (through the snow)

First things first: we don’t know how to spin the dreidel (though we can probably learn), but we do have experience in teaching all kinds of music – spiritual, secular, and anything in between.

Our Manhattan music lessons cover all kinds of instruments, as well singing and songwriting. And good news is that you don’t have to trudge with your tuba or upright bass through snow and sleet – we’ll come to you and give you lessons in the comfort of your own home or office.

So when you are done celebrating your eight nights of Hanukkah or 12 days of Christmas, give us a call!

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Photo Credit: RonAlmog

The post Light Up Your Hanukkah Celebrations with New York City Music Lessons! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

What kind of fool are you?

No, we don’t mean to offend you. But, you have to admit, this is a very pertinent question to be asked in a blog about April Fool’s Day.

Fortunately, April 1 comes but once a year so being silly or quirky for a day might be fun (and there is no age limit for silliness – anyone can do it!)

The message here is this: act the fool! There is actually some scientific evidence suggesting that people who are intentionally silly on occasion live longer. So, if you ever wanted to engage in a bit of buffoonery such as kissing the rain, chasing a flock of geese (probably difficult to do in New York) or carving your initials into a tree, go ahead – on April 1, nobody will fault you for being wacky. But please, please, don’t use April Fool’s day as an excuse to get a tattoo of snakes and dragons on your arms!

Do you feel foolish yet?

It had to start somewhere

The origins of April Fool’s Day are not known, though historians suspect that a fool initiated it. Seriously though, some theories have it that it started in 1582, the year France adopted the Gregorian calendar, shifting the observance of New Year’s Day from the end of March to January 1.

However, some traditionalists boycotted the revised schedule and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1, becoming the laughing stocks of their entire villages (we are not quite sure, so don’t quote us on that, but we suspect that’s how the expression “which village is missing its idiot” started).

These holdouts became the butt of jokes, and the name “April’s Fool” stuck. Needless to say, this was not a politically correct era!

It’s no joke!

The only “celebrations” that take place on April 1 are assorted pranks, hoaxes, and other tomfoolery. As long as they are funny and harmless, it can be great fun.

Of course, NYC is not immune to a bit of foolishness, as evidenced by the annual April Fools’ Day Parade, which starts at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street and winds down at Washington Square Park. The only rule is to dress and act as foolishly as possible.  This is, after all, New York!

Now, you might think that you will never be on the receiving end of an April Fool’s prank because you are too clever.  However, many people have been “hoaxed,” not necessarily because they are gullible, but some of these fictitious tales are so elaborate and, at least on the surface, credible, that lots of people are fooled.

There are too many of these “tall tales” to mention here, but one famous one dates from 1957. A British TV station produced a short documentary about spaghetti harvest in Switzerland.

Unless you know for a fact that pasta doesn’t grow on trees, it’s easy to get caught in this plot.

Tricks AND treats

Are you in the mood to have fun on April 1? If you are, here’s a suggested playlist for your celebration:

“Guess I’m Dumb’” Glenn Campbell or Beach Boys

“What a Fool Believes,” The Doobie Brothers

“I Started a Joke,” Bee Gees

“Seven Day Fool,” Etta James

“How Sweet to be an Idiot,” Neil Innes

Do you want to learn more “foolish” songs? With our Manhattan music lessons you can. Even though our repertoire includes serious pieces of music as well, we’ll be happy to come to your home or office and …play the fool! (Remember though – this is your idea, not ours).

Oh yes, one more thing: in the spirit of this holiday, we’ve inserted a little hoax in this blog. Can you spot it?

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Photo Credit: www.Photobotos.com

The post Just a Silly Love Song? You can Play or Sing it, with Manhattan Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

In New York City, the week leading up to Easter (unlike the days before Christmas) is mostly quiet and laid-back. Not so in Spain and Latin / South America, where the Semana Santa, which commemorates the last week of Jesus’ life, is a big and jubilant celebration.

In fact, the Semana Santa (the Holy Week), which starts on Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and ends on Easter Sunday (Pascua), is one of the most important religious observances in the Spanish-speaking Catholic countries. There is plenty of food, music, dancing, colorful costumes, as well as elaborate processions with ornate floats, which depict scenes from the Bible.

Since the Semana Santa, which dates back to the 4the century AD, is such an important holiday, many New Yorkers of Latin and South American descent head south of the border to celebrate this event and take part in all the festivities.

Any way you look at it, the Semana Santa is a very special fiesta!

Pomp and circumstance

In nearly every community in the United States, Easter Sunday is associated more with Easter bunnies, elegant bonnets (as seen in NYC’s annual Easter parade), and egg hunts, than with religious celebrations.

In South America, however, the emphasis is on the religious context and significance of this holiday, which is one of the most important ones in the Roman Catholic Church because it commemorates Christ’s resurrection.

But even though the Semana Santa is celebrated in a similar festive fashion throughout the entire region, each individual country has its own unique twists. For example:

• During the Semana Santa, Ecuadorians eat a special soup called fanesca, made from a fish base, beans and grains.

• Young girls in the Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, wear bride-like white dresses for the procession that takes place on Good Friday. In another city, Cadereyta, boys carry streamers during the procession.

• In Peru and El Salvador, rugs beautifully made from colorful flowers decorate the streets.

Sacred music

When we think of Latin and South American music, we think of salsa, calypso, rumba, merengue, tango, as well as other  “hot” and often fast-paced rhythms. Or, maybe we conjure up images of a traditional Mexican mariachi band.

But the Semana Santa music is different – it’s both joyous and sad. During the processions, musicians often play slow brass tones interspersed with heavy drum sounds, aptly expressing Easter’s solemnity and its religious meaning .

If you are not heading south in the week before Easter, but would like to learn to play some of the hymns and other sounds associated with this holiday, our Manhattan music lessons will help you get started. Whether you would like to try typical tunes of the Semana Santa, or any other music on any instrument, we will be happy to come to your home or office and teach you.

We can also help you play Easter-related music from this side of the border, including this classic!

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Photo Credit – Mind’s eye

The post Celebrate Easter in Latin American Style – with Manhattan Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

In the small Austrian village of Oberndorf stands a little, quaint chapel. On a cold and snowy December day in 1818, a local minister and a schoolteacher wrote a song there, which was to be performed at the Christmas Eve Mass that year; it was entitled “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Since that day nearly 200 years ago, this song has been translated into nearly every language and has conquered the world.

Some three decades later, across the big pond, Edmund Hamilton Sears, an American Unitarian minister in Wayland, MA wrote a poem, which he called “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” When the composer Richard Storrs Willis set it to music, it too had become a much-loved Christmas carol.

And in 1865, after a trip to the Holy Land, an Episcopalian rector Phillips Brooks wrote the words to “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which was then set to music by his organist, Lewis Redner.

And here’s one more interesting tidbit, something you might not have known: James Lord Pierpont wrote “Jingle Bells” (originally called “One Horse Open Sleigh”) in 1857. Though it was intended as a Thanksgiving song, it had become associated with Christmas instead – perhaps because there isn’t much snow for horses to dash through in November.

Why are we bringing up these seemingly disparate pieces of information? Because, even though we tend to refer to these songs in general terms as “Christmas carols,” each one has its own unique history. But no matter how they came to be, they have survived and transcended centuries, and continue to bring us glad tidings each holiday season.

The happiest season of all

These and so many other songs that we sing or listen to year after year are an integral part of the Christmas celebrations.

Whether they are religious or secular, solemn or lighthearted, holiday songs have never lost their popularity or magic. The same old standards re-emerge each year, in good times and bad, among people of all age groups. There are some things that never change!
We bet that nearly everyone has his or her favorite Christmas song, even if it’s comical, like “Grandma Was Run Over by a Reindeer ” (seriously, how often does that happen?)
We hasten to say that choosing the all-time favorite holiday song is not a precise science (actually, it’s not a science at all), but just for the fun of it let it be known that the biggest selling Christmas single of all time is … TA DA!!!!…Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” More than 30 million copies have been sold in the past 58 years. Now, that’s what we call a classic! (Interestingly enough, this song was written by Irving Berlin, who was Jewish).
While we are on the subject of holiday music, you might be wondering what are some of the popular Hanukkah songs? We’ll give you a hint: a song called “Chanukah Bamba” is among the top 10, at least on this list:

Do you hear what I hear?

Whatever holiday songs are your favorite, we have good news for you: if you start learning to play an instrument or take voice lessons right now, by this time next year you’ll be able to play or sing Christmas carols for your friends and family.

Of course, playing an instrument or singing is an enjoyable and relaxing activity all year round, not just when it’s time to rock around the Christmas tree.

Our Manhattan music lessons make it easy and convenient: we will come to your home or office and teach you – comfort and joy all in one!

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Photo credit: Kyle Taylor

The post Joy to the World – With Manhattan Music Lessons appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

“Where words fail, music speaks.” 
– Hans Christian Andersen

The Danish author might have had a somewhat idyllic view of the world (after all, he became famous by writing fairy tales), but he was right on this one: music does speak louder and more eloquently than words.

In fact, music is an excellent, though much underused, diplomatic tool, certainly more effective in taming hostilities and bringing people together than harsh words, threats, or use of force.

Yes, music has the power to create peaceful and friendly dialogue among people of various – and sometimes widely divergent – cultures, beliefs, or political systems.

Joy to the world

How is music used to promote tolerance and goodwill – let’s call it “cultural diplomacy?” A recent article in the Washington Post talks about Maya Azucena, a singer from Brooklyn, who is performing in several parts of Russia, a country where anti-U.S. feelings are on the rise.

Azucena, who tours on behalf of the U.S. State Department, reports that audiences from Moscow to the deepest reaches of Siberia were moved by her renditions of rhythm, blues, soul, reggae, and hip, “all quintessentially American with a deeply American message.”

“It’s apparently still okay to encourage justice and love, freedom and self-expression in Russia, as long as you do it with a song in your heart,” the article states.

This is one of many examples of how music can break down the barriers and make a positive difference in uniting people.

Melodies of love

Earlier this year, Peyton Tochterman, a folk singer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, was asked by the State Department to travel to Afghanistan to show how “diplomacy can be shaped by the musical arts.”

As he relates in his blog, armed with only two hand-made Rockbridge guitars, he and his fellow musicians toured the war-torn country, singing in “most difficult, dangerous and inhospitable places on our planet.”

His take on this musical diplomacy? “We are all connected through music and we must continue to celebrate this connection, this language that is so important not just to our own culture, but also to cultures around this fascinating world of ours.”

Four years before he performed in Afghanistan and Azucena sang in Russia, the famed New York Philharmonic performed a historical concert in Pyongyang, the capital of isolated North Korea, which has been closed to the outside world since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s.

This event marked the first such visit from the United States to North Korea. The groundbreaking performance aired on Korea’s state television and was watched live by an audience of thousands in the concert hall. Millions of people who had been indoctrinated to hate the United States listened with bated breaths as American musicians performed works by Wagner, Dvorak, and even Gershwin.  As Song Sok-hwan, the country’s culture minister said at the time, “We hope this will be a big step toward increased bilateral cultural exchange between our two countries.”

Reach out and touch someone

Have all these musical performances brought about a significant improvement in relations between the U.S. and other countries? You could argue that all these efforts were in vain: after all, Russia is still blaming America for many of its internal problems, and North Korea remains as hostile toward the United States as it has always been.

That may well be, but keep in mind that lasting and sustainable change doesn’t always (if ever) occur overnight and it doesn’t always come from the government. There have been many examples in recent years (one of them is the Arab Spring) of change starting at the grassroots level and spreading to the top.

By making an emotional connection with people across the world, music sows the seeds of tolerance and understanding, heals wounds, and inspires change. As singer Bono said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.”

Playing for change

Now that you know the powerful impact music can have on people and nations, you might like to learn to play an instrument too.

You are in luck: our Manhattan music lessons will take place in your home or office – we’ll teach you any kind of instrument you’d like to learn.

Remember Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words: “Music is the universal language of mankind.” And that is one message that will never be lost in translation!

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The post Manhattan Music Lessons | Diplomacy, or How to Make Friends and Influence People appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

The answer:  When it is a recorder!

True, to an untrained eye, the two instruments may look a lot alike and, in fact, they do have common roots – the recorder was a forerunner of the modern-day flute.

Although its heyday can be traced back to the late Renaissance and Baroque years (which is why Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and many other composers of that era featured the recorder in their music), it remains, to this day, a popular instrument with NYC Music School amateurs and professionals alike.  Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Billy Joel are among the world-famous musicians who play the recorder.

Should you?

If you like soft and melodious sounds more suited to a chamber orchestra or a solo performance than to a rock band, and if you are looking for an instrument that is relatively inexpensive and easy to learn, then the recorder may very well be a great fit for you. (And yes, we can definitely teach you to play it in your New York City office or home – but more about that later).

Whistling in the wind

You guessed it – the recorder is a woodwind instrument that features a tin whistle. These days the recorders are most commonly made of wood or plastic, but four or five centuries ago, when preservation of wildlife was not yet a hot-button topic, they were often carved out of ivory.

Though there is some evidence that a primitive version of the recorder (made from a sheep’s bone) existed already in the Iron Age, this instrument evolved, and reached its peak, in the 16th and 17th centuries.

If you listen to the music of that era, such as cantatas, sonatas and operas, you will understand why the recorder (and woodwinds in general, along with the strings) was a popular instrument for the composers of that time.

As larger orchestras started to gain popularity, the recorder, which was not loud enough to play “bigger” and richer sounds like the percussion instruments, was slowly phased out and replaced by the flute and clarinet.

But as it sometimes happens with temporarily forgotten artifacts, the recorder got its second wind (no pun intended) at the beginning of the 20th century, and never fell into oblivion again.

Did you know…

… these interesting facts about the recorder?

• Its name came from the old English word recorden, which meant to “sing,” “practice,” or “warble.”

• In the Baroque era, when they were at the height of popularity, recorders were used to mark events such as “miracles,” funerals, marriages and love scenes.

• William Shakespeare referred to music produced by recorders in two of his plays: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet,” where it was described this way:

“Govern these ventages with your fingers and thumb, give it breath with your mouth, 
and it will discourse most eloquent music.”

• After the recorder’s revival in the 20^th century, Led Zeppelin used it in their song “Stairway to Heaven;” Jefferson Airplane played the recorder on the albums “Surrealistic Pillow,” “After Bathing at Baxter’s” and “Volunteers;” and Rolling Stones used it in “Ruby Tuesday.”

Learn to play!

As we mentioned before, the recorder is an easy instrument to learn for children and adults alike. It might have become obsolete in the past, but one of the great things about living in the 21^st century is that you can find inexpensive recorders with no hassle, either in NYC music stores or online (if you are not sure where, just ask us!).

What about finding recorder lessons and music lessons in your neighborhood? We are glad you asked! We at Hey Joe Guitar will be happy come to your Manhattan home or office and teach you.

In no time at all, you will become a great whistleblower!

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