What is your favorite vacation destination? Wherever it is, chances are it’s somewhere on this earth.

Well, get ready! We recently came across an article that mentions significant milestones being made in developing a robot that can safely land us on the surface of the Moon! (But don’t start packing just yet – it will take two or three decades before we’ll be able to board private spaceflights to the lunar surface).

This article made us think about a truly momentous occasion that took place just over 45 years ago: the first lunar landing.

On July 20, 1969, millions of people around the world were glued to their TV sets when Apollo-11 landed in the Sea Tranquility. And they held their collective breath when the spacecraft’s hatch was opened, the ladder was lowered, and astronaut Neil Armstrong slowly climbed down onto the Moon’s surface, which he later described as being “like powdered charcoal.”

As he put his left foot down and became the first human in history to walk on the Moon, Armstrong (who passed away in 2012) uttered the famous phrase: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

All in all, Armstrong and two other astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, spent a total of 21 hours on the Moon, two-and-a-half of them outside the landing module collecting data, jumping across the lunar landscape, and planting the American flag to mark this historic achievement.

Upon returning to Earth, the astronauts spent three weeks in quarantine to detect the presence of alien organisms (none were found). The following six manned missions to the Moon – before the NASA stopped the program altogether in 1972 – were perhaps anti-climatic, but they, as well as other space treks, have not been in vain. As NASA points out, each journey helps us “discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system.”

Star trek

In view of this epic anniversary, a question that has crossed our minds is whether, on the way to the lunar surface, the astronauts listened to music.

It turns out that they did.

As an NBC News article reported, Neil Armstrong – who, in his teens, played the baritone, a large, valved brass instrument shaped like a trumpet – “found his music soothing and a perfect fit for the occasion.”

Perhaps it was so fitting because the record he listened to in the spacecraft was a mixture of easy, relaxing tunes appropriately called “Music Out of the Moon” .

The third Apollo-11 astronaut, Michael Collins, reportedly brought with him a tape of Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” .

There’s no word on what Aldrin might have listened to, but we do know that he recently asked Snoop Dogg to create the song “Rocket Experience” to promote space exploration to young people.

“Out of this world” music

Twenty or thirty years is a long time to wait for your lunar vacation, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get your playlist ready. Here are some of our favorites:

“Fly me to the moon,” Frank Sinatra

“Rocket man,” Elton John

“Walking on the Milky Way,” OMD

“Venus,” Frankie Avalon

“Blue Moon,” Billie Holiday

“Ground control to Major Tom,” David Bowie

“Across the universe, ” The Beatles

“You are the one who’s out of this world,” Alf

“Twinkle, twinkle little star,” Jewel

When you wish upon a star

Our NYC music instructors are Earth-bound, but when it comes to their experience and abilities, they are…out of this world!

Whatever instrument you or your child would like to learn – whether it is the guitar, piano, drums, or any other instrument– we have excellent teachers for you! When they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, they will move heaven and earth (figuratively speaking, of course) to give you the best lessons on the planet!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post Reach for the Stars, With Manhattan Guitar School appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

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.

The post NYC Guitar School Knows the Name of the Game! appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.