“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

The post At Manhattan Music School, Mom’s the Word 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

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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.