It’s been a busy summer, and I’m just now coming up for air after spending a few months getting my new business going. This blog has been sorely neglected – for which I apologize. But along the way, I’ve made a number of very cool and fun discoveries, which I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks.
Filed under Personal Journey
This hit my e-mail today. Music is just one of the arts encouraged here:
San Francisco – May 20, 2010 – Ever wondered why creativity and learning are so important for the older brain? National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) will answer this question and highlight innovative lifelong learning arts programs at the “NCCA-MetLife Foundation Creativity Matters: Lifelong Learning Through the Arts” symposium. The one-day event will be held in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, June 15 from 9am – 4pm at the Community School of Music and Arts Finn Center, and will focus on the benefits of utilizing arts programs throughout the later years of life, as well as how to develop lifelong learning programs in various art mediums, including storytelling, theater, and music.
Check out more details at http://creativeaging.squarespace.com/lifelong_learning/.
Filed under Events and Calendar, Music and Aging
This past week, 60 Minutes did a piece on the new artistic director of the Los Angeles Symphony and his drive to bring more music into urban schools. There were a lot of claims made about music providing discipline, hope, and a way out for children who live in seemingly hopeless situations.
A quick search on the web turns up a lot of studies about the effect of music on older adults. One, published a few years ago jointly by professors at the University of Miami and Michigan State University, found that participating in group keyboard lessons caused Human Growth Hormone levels to skyrocket in older adults. HGH is one of the new “wonder compounds”, given credit for making people feel better, have better muscle tone, and fighting the visible signs of aging. Check it out at http://www.amc-music.com/musicmaking/wellness/hormone.htm. Now that’s a cheap alternative to plastic surgery!
If you are looking for more incentive, check out www.WannaPlayMusic.com, a website that defines midlife musicians like me as “recreational music makers” or people who enjoy “playing musical instruments alone or in a group without the goals of mastery or performance.” They have links to teachers and other resources to get your juices running.
The site is affiliated with Making Music Magazine, which has a pretty nifty website of its own at www.MakingMusicMag.com. Southeast Michigan’s own Mitch Albom is featured on this month’s cover. Be sure to check out their interactive map of summer music camps. Also, check out the Hollywood stars who are also “recreational musicians.”
And keep playing. The weather is better — so take it outdoors!
Filed under Inspiration, Music and Aging, Opportunities to Play
Orchard Lake Philharmonic Society - April 16, 2010
The recent concert of the Orchard Lake Philharmonic Society Community Orchestra is now available for viewing on local access cable. Continue reading
Filed under Events and Calendar
Three local concerts of note the week of April 12, 2010. Continue reading
Filed under Events and Calendar
Lang Lang played in Ann Arbor last night for the University Music Society, appearing with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach.
From the moment Lang Lang walked on stage, it was clear that the audience was full of his fans and that a rock star had come into the room. Continue reading
Filed under Musicians of Note
It’s official.
I left CBS last week after nearly 20 years.
Today, the State of Michigan approved my LLC. So as of today, Herbert Media Strategies, LLC has been born. Continue reading
Filed under Personal Journey
Leonard Slatkin
For the past week, I’m hearing from a lot of people about Leonard Slatkin “bombing out” at the Metropolitan Opera. Slatkin withdrew from the Met after only one performance of La Traviata. According to his blog, it was a miserable experience from the start.
If you’ve missed this moment of high drama in the classical music world, here are a couple of places to get caught up. Continue reading
Filed under Inspiration, Musicians of Note
Midlife Musicians 