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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Maybe you think that all the events happening in December are related to the holiday season. It certainly seems this way, doesn’t it – the decorations, lights, and that special ambience are reminders (as though we could forget) that Christmas and Hanukkah are here.

It is understandable that with all this holiday spirit we forget another important event that occurs three days from now. December 18 marks the winter solstice, which is not only the first official day of winter, but also the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Of course, more often than not the winter season in our city starts well before the official date as New Yorkers bundle up to brave the elements. Good thing that we are such a sturdy lot!

Warm up with music

You might be wondering what you can do to bring a bit of warmth into your life. There is a lot you can do – for instance, crank up the heat, put on a thick sweater and fuzzy bunny slippers, wrap yourself in a soft blanket, and sip some steaming hot chocolate.

You can also fantasize that you are in Australia right now, enjoying the Down Under summer, and strolling along the sun-drenched Bondi beach.

And this is where music can help!

Let’s be clear: we are not saying that music has any impact on climate control, but it can make the inclement weather more bearable. Your natural inclination right now might be to listen to songs from the movie “Frozen,” but you should put them on the back burner until summer, at which point you will probably crave a blast of arctic air!

For now, let’s focus on heartwarming, not bone-chilling songs. Here are some of our favorites:

“Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles

“Kokomo” – The Beach Boys

“Summer Breeze” – Seals and Croft

“Island in the Sun” – Weezer

“Hot Hot Hot” – Arrow

“Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer” – Nat King Cole

“Summer” from the “Four Seasons” – Antonio Vivaldi

These boots were made for walking

Bad weather is no reason to discontinue (or not to begin) your music lessons. We can promise you that our “all-weather” (and not just “fair-weather”) teachers will show up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home – an instrument in (gloved) hands, heavy boots or galoshes on their feet, and a tune in their hearts.

Whether you want to have guitar lessons or learn another instrument, just contact us and we’ll send one of our weatherproof teachers to you right away!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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What’s in a name? A lot, actually. Whether it’s old-fashioned and traditional or unusual and funky, each one reflects who you are – or, in the very least, your parents’ taste at the time of your birth.

Often, newborns are named after a member of the family but at other times, names are figments of their parents’ imagination and creativity – maybe derived from places they had lived in, like Brooklyn, or cities they visited, such as Rio or Paris (we don’t know of anyone named Cincinnati, do you?)

Of course, you can end up with a name that lands you in trouble , or, even worse, with no name at all!

Speaking of unusual names, we like – which should come as no surprise to anyone – the ones that derive from music. Let’s look at some of them.

Not just Tom, Dick and Harry

One of the more popular music-related names for baby girl is Melody. It needs no explanation – it sounds soft and…melodious.

Then there is Allegra, which, in musical terms means a brisk movement. So it is easy to imagine that a girl named Allegra would be active and happy. And you may be interested to know that this name has become more popular in the United States in the past few years.

Another one we really like is Aria. It’s easy to imagine that any female lucky enough to have this name has a beautiful singing voice. And even if she doesn’t, it still sounds light and sweet.

Then there is Octavia. In music, an octave is the interval between one pitch and another, so we are guessing that an Octavia would have a strong voice. What about Viola? It comes from Latin and means “violet.” We really like this one too.

Let’s go to boys’ names. There is Rock, Piper, and Reed, all of which impart strength of character (at least in our interpretation). And, believe it or not, Banjo is also a real name – actress Rachel Griffiths gave it her son.

Do you want to see more music-related names? You might be surprised to see how many there are.

We are a household name

Musical-themed names are great fun, but even if you were given the most ordinary name, you can still have an extraordinary ear for music. After all, who knew from day one that a boy named Wolfgang Amadeus would become a musical genius, as had Johann Sebastian, Ludwig, and scores of others.

What we are saying is this: your name defines your identity, not your affinity for music. After all, our school is called Hey Joe Guitar, and not Hey Rock or Hey Banjo.

The same goes for our teachers: some of them have quirky names and others don’t. But you can be certain of this: the one who shows up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale doorstep deserves to have his or her name in lights!

Photo by unknown, available under a Creative Commons License.

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

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

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

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

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

Beyond the pow-wow

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

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

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

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

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

Then and now

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

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

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

Photo by: California State University

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