How do you listen to music? Is it more of a passive experience – for instance, you hear “background” music while you go about your daily business, or do you get really immersed in each sound? There is nothing wrong with the “peripheral” approach – as long as music is a big part of your life, lifts your spirits, relieves the stress, and generally improves your well-being, it’s all good!

But there is also another way to let music into your life and allow your brain to absorb it more fully. It’s called “mindful” or “active” listening. Basically, it means that you don’t just “lend an ear,” but actually listen with all your senses. This kind of “active” approach will help you develop not only better listening skills, but also a deeper appreciation of music.

Mind the music

In 1939, American composer Aaron Copland wrote a book titled “What to Listen for in Music.” Yes, this work is more than 70 years old, but, like music itself, it is timeless and as pertinent today as it was back then. If you are interested in this fascinating topic, then the book will provide an insightful resource. With “mindful” listening, you will not only hear different rhythms, pitches, variations, instrumentation, etc., but will also be able to “see” (in your mind’s eye) the figurative color and texture of music. But while there are several ways through which you can enhance your music listening experience (see below), how you actually interpret each piece is deeply personal. It’s just like looking at a painting or another piece of art – you may learn how to distinguish one technique from another, or understand various artistic influences, but only you know what this piece means to you.

What makes music tick?

This very interesting National Public Radio piece explains very well how to hear more in music. How do you go about it? Choose your favorite piece of music and focus on its rhythm and meter, melody, harmony, and overall dynamics. Look for these elements in various styles of music: classical, jazz, pop, rock, and whatever other genres you like listening to. With time, you will develop a much deeper appreciation of music. Now, you might be wondering how to foster this skill in children, so that they develop interest in music. The good news is that kids are naturally curious and open to new experiences, so exposing them to various music genres, as well as a variety of musical instruments, will lay a solid foundation for the future.

Listen up!

To understand how music works and how it is put together you should learn music theory; it will really open your eyes to many different aspects of music. When our teachers come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, they will show you not only how to play your instrument, but also how to “understand” the music. Think of this experience as a deep ocean: it’s fine on the surface, but once you explore what lies beneath, a whole new and exciting word is opening its mysteries to you!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Recently we came across a fascinating article, which shows how truly smart whales are.

As the article states, they have learned to target the boats of black cod fishermen and swipe their catch off their lines. The whales are alerted to the fact that fishing is taking place from several miles away by the sound of boat engines shifting gear. There is actually footage showing how one sneaky creature’s long jaw creates tension on the line, which, in turn, snaps fish off the hooks.

What sparked our interest in this article is not just the sheer spunkiness and undeniable intelligence of these mammals, but also the fact that they, along with many other aquatic creatures, know how to sing!

A rousing chorus

Okay, let us clarify: we don’t mean “sing” in human terms. But the fact is that deep under the ocean’s surface, there is an aquatic orchestra of different sounds.

The underwater environment is very noisy: heavy rain, volcanic activity, toadfish calls, burbles, grunts, croaks, buzzes, clicks,
and other sounds emanating from the sea can be so loud as to be audible to a human ear. According to a New York Times article, the sea reverberates with “fish barks, chatter, groans, drones, and cries.”

Do these disparate sounds fall under the category of “music?” Certainly not the kind we are used to hearing on dry land. But one definition we found describes music as “a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.”

Perhaps we humans are not able to relate to this cacophony of noises, but who is to say that these sounds are not beautiful, harmonious, or emotional to the creatures that emit them?

The seas are alive with the sound of music

Let’s start with the aforementioned whale songs. Interestingly, a song helps a humpback male explore the seas around him and adjust to the new neighborhood: when he moves to a new place, he literally changes his tune to fit in with other nearby whales.

Then there are mating calls – songs to attract female whales. Either way, we find these haunting sounds really beautiful.

Now, let’s talk about dolphins. These friendly creatures can also belt out a tune .
They do this with their mouths open, and songs express their mood – happiness, sadness or anger (though it’s difficult to imagine a dolphin angry, they always seem to be cheerful and good natured).

What about the manatees? These creatures also communicate their feelings through squeaks, chirps, or grunts: however you want to call these sounds , it’s music to their ears!

Neither fish nor fowl

Needless to say, when our voice teachers come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, they won’t teach you to squeak, chirp, grunt, or groan. While they are nature lovers and appreciate a good whale or dolphin song, you can rest assured that they will train you in HUMAN voice only.

The same goes for learning to play any instrument – the teachers will put all their “people” skills into the lessons!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Does your child take to music like the proverbial duck to water, or does he / she find an excuse not to take lessons and practice in between – excuses like “the dog ate my flute,” or “a big bird flew in through my window at night and stole my guitar?”

Well, kids will be kids and very often they don’t know what’s good for them. But parents do, and that is why you’ll be interested in these new findings.

A multitude of benefits

This is not the first (and probably not the last) time we are sharing with you scientific discoveries about the benefits of music. A while ago we wrote about studies demonstrating how music training can boost your children’s academic and social skills, and help them develop emotional strength to deal with whatever curveballs life may throw at them.

We also noted how playing an instrument makes you (and the kids) physically fitter.

You’d think these are sufficient arguments in favor of music education and nothing further needs to be said. But wait – there is more good news.

Long-lasting benefits

Recent research published in scientific journal PLOS One shows that children who had regular private music lessons for at least two years showed boosted activity in the areas of the brain associated with executive functions that enable people to process and retain information, solve problems, and regulate behavior.

Not only that, but the study also indicated that the increased brain function lasts throughout the rest of their lives, which means that effects of early music training endure beyond childhood. And it doesn’t matter which instrument is involved – they are all good!

To us, these findings are not surprising – we have been giving private music lessons in New York City for a long time and have seen the impact this training has had on lives of people of all ages.

Of course, not all music lessons are created equal, and not all instructors have the experience or technical ability to be a positive influence on their students.

Benefit from us!

We don’t mean to toot our own trumpet (or maybe we do!) but we believe that our Hey Joe Guitar music teachers are the best in NYC. And don’t take just our word for it – we have (no pun intended) scores of happy customers who (another pun!)