How is it that Beethoven, who is celebrated as one of the most significant composers of all time, wrote many of his most beloved songs while going deaf? Using the certainty of mathematics, Beethoven was able to convey emotion and creativity in his music.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and math: The genius of Beethoven - Natalya St. Clair
Animation by Qa’ed Mai
Today, we honor Beethoven on the 192nd anniversary of his passing.
In the mid-16th century, Italians were captivated by a type of male singer whose incredible range contained notes previously thought impossible for adult men. However, this gift came at a high price. To prevent their voices from breaking, these singers had been castrated before puberty, halting the hormonal processes that would deepen their voices. Known as castrati, their light, angelic voices were renowned throughout Europe, until the cruel procedure that created them was outlawed in the 1800s.
Yikes!
From the TED-Ed Lesson Why does your voice change as you get older? - Shaylin A. Schundler
Animation by @rewfoe
“I am large, I contain multitudes.”
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and creativity in Ancient Greece - Tim Hansen
Animation by Together
When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout.
From the TED-Ed lesson How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins
Animation by Sharon Colman Graham
Today is ‘Buy a Musical Instrument Day’! May we suggest taking up music?
Check out all the benefits playing music has on your brain by watching our TED-Ed lesson How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins
Animation by Sharon Colman Graham
Did you know that songbirds’ brains actually have so-called “song circuits” that are active when the birds sing. These circuits also respond to the song of a bird’s own species more strongly than to other species’ songs. The theory is that a bird’s genes guide development of brain circuits that relate to singing and the ability to learn songs. Then, exposure to songs shapes those neural circuits to produce the songs that are typical to that species.
Genetically encoded or innate behaviors aren’t unique to songbirds. They’re widespread in the animal kingdom. Other spectacular examples include the long-distance migrations of monarch butterflies and salmon.
So what does this mean for humans? Are we also born with innate information written into our genomes that helps shape our neural circuits, and ultimately results in something we know? Could there be some knowledge that is unique and intrinsic to humans as a species?
From the TED-Ed Lesson How do birds learn to sing? – Partha Mitra
Animation by TED-Ed / Lisa LaBracio
Did you remember to shine your dancing shoes?
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and creativity in Ancient Greece - Tim Hansen
Animation by Together
How is it that Beethoven, who is celebrated as one of the most significant composers of all time, wrote many of his most beloved songs while going deaf? Using the certainty of mathematics, Beethoven was able to convey emotion and creativity in his music.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and math: The genius of Beethoven - Natalya St. Clair
Animation by Qa’ed Mai
Happy Birthday Beethoven!
Fun Fact Friday!
In ancient Greece the study of astronomy was linked to the same physical principles as musical harmony. For example, many Greek thinkers believed that each of the planets and stars created their own unique sound as they traveled through the cosmos, thrumming like an enormous guitar string light-years long.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and creativity in Ancient Greece - Tim Hansen
Animation by Together
Light, bright, and cheerful. It's some of the most familiar of all early 18th century music. It's been featured in uncounted films and television commercials, but what is it and why does it sound that way? "The Four Seasons", by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, are famous in part because they are a delight to the ear. However, even more notable is the fact that they have stories to tell.
At the time of their publication in Amsterdam in 1725, they were accompanied by poems describing exactly what feature of that season Vivaldi intended to capture in musical terms. The birds welcome spring with happy song, but soon, a thunderstorm breaks out. Not only is there musical thunder and lightning, there are also more birds, wet, frightened, and unhappy.
In "Summer," the turtle dove sings her name "tortorella" in Italian, before a hail storm flattens the fields. "Autumn" brings eager hunters dashing out in pursuit of their prey.
The "Winter" concerto begins with teeth chattering in the cold before one takes refuge by a crackling fire. Then it's back out into the storm where there'll be slips and falls on the ice. In these first weeks of winter, the old year is coming to a close, and so does Vivaldi's musical exploration of the seasons.
Not until the early 19th century would such expressive instrumental program music, as it was known, become popular. By then, larger, more varied ensembles were the rule with woodwinds, brass, and percussion to help tell the tale. But Vivaldi pulled it off with just one violin, strings, and a harpsichord. Unlike his contemporary Bach, Vivaldi wasn't much interested in complicated fugues. He preferred to offer readily accessible entertainment to his listeners with melodies that pop back up later in a piece to remind us of where we've been. So the first movement of the "Spring" concerto begins with a theme for spring and ends with it, too, slightly varied from when it was last heard.
It was an inspired way to attract listeners, and Vivaldi, considered one of the most electrifying violinists of the early 18th century, understood the value of attracting audiences. Even in the composer's own time, Vivaldi's music served as diversion for all, not just for the wealthy aristocrats. 300 years later, it's an approach that still works, and Vivaldi's music still sounds like trotting horses on the move.
Watch and listen to the TED-Ed Lesson Why should you listen to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"? - Betsy Schwarm
Animation by Compote Collective
Mastering any physical skill, be it performing a pirouette, playing an instrument, or throwing a baseball, takes practice. Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence.
There are many theories that attempt to quantify the number of hours, days, and even years of practice that it takes to master a skill. While we don't yet have a magic number, we do know that mastery isn't simply about the amount of hours of practice. It's also the quality and effectiveness of that practice. Effective practice is consistent, intensely focused, and targets content or weaknesses that lie at the edge of one's current abilities. So if effective practice is the key, how can we get the most out of our practice time?
Below are 4 tips for practicing better for just about anything!
1. Focus on the task at hand. Minimize potential distractions by turning off the computer or TV and putting your cell phone on airplane mode. In one study, researchers observed 260 students studying. On average, those students were able to stay on task for only six minutes at a time. Laptops, smartphones, and particularly Facebook were the root of most distractions.
2. Start out slowly or in slow-motion. Coordination is built with repetitions, whether correct or incorrect. If you gradually increase the speed of the quality repetitons, you have a better chance of doing them correctly.
3. Next, frequent repetitions with allotted breaks are common practice habits of elite performers. Studies have shown that many top athletes, musicians, and dancers spend 50-60 hours per week on activities related to their craft. Many divide their time used for effective practice into multiple daily practice sessions of limited duration.
4. Finally, practice in your brain in vivid detail. It's a bit surprising, but a number of studies suggest that once a physical motion has been established, it can be reinforced just by imagining it. In one study, 144 basketball players were divided into two groups. Group A physically practiced one-handed free throws while Group B only mentally practiced them. When they were tested at the end of the two week experiment, the intermediate and experienced players in both groups had improved by nearly the same amount.
As scientists get closer to unraveling the secrets of our brains, our understanding of effective practice will only improve. In the meantime, effective practice is the best way we have of pushing our individual limits, achieving new heights, and maximizing our potential.
From the TED-Ed Lesson How to practice effectively…for just about anything - Annie Bosler and Don Greene
Animation by Martina Meštrović
In ancient Greece the study of astronomy was linked to the same physical principles as musical harmony. For example, many Greek thinkers believed that each of the planets and stars created their own unique sound as they traveled through the cosmos, thrumming like an enormous guitar string light-years long.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and creativity in Ancient Greece - Tim Hansen
Animation by Together
Oddly enough, the word ukulele, in its native Hawaiian, literally translates to jumping flea. Even more surprising, the instrument itself did not originate in Hawaii. So, how did a Hawaiian word come to describe a non-Hawaiian instrument?
Back in the late 1800s, King Kalākaua was the last reigning king of the kingdom of Hawaii. He was nicknamed "The Merry Monarch" because of his joy for life and, in particular, his love of music. In the King's court, there was a former British army officer named Edward Purvis. Though a small man, he was quite lively, and his nickname was "Jumping Flea”, "Ukulele" in Hawaiian. Like the King, he was a great lover of music. In 1879, a group of Portuguese immigrants arrived on the islands of Hawaii, bringing with them a small, four-stringed guitar known as a braguinha. Purvis was immediately taken with the instrument and helped spread its popularity throughout the King's court. As the story goes, it was not long before his nickname, Ukulele, jumped from the man to his favorite instrument.
As demand grew, several Portuguese families began to manufacture the minuscule guitar on the islands, making small modifications until it became the same ukulele we recognize today.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Mysteries of vernacular: Ukulele - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel
Animation by Jessica Oreck
Your favorite band is great at playing music…but not so great at being organized. They keep misplacing their instruments on tour, and it’s driving their manager mad. Can you solve the brain-numbing riddle their manager assigns them and make sure the band stays on their label?
From the TED-Ed Lesson Can you solve the prisoner boxes riddle? - Yossi Elran
Animation by Artrake Studio
When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain are lighting up at once as they process sound, take it apart to understand elements like melody and rhythm, and then put it all back together into unified musical experience. And our brains do all this work in the split second between when we first hear the music and when our foot starts to tap along.
From the TED-Ed lesson How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins
Animation by Sharon Colman Graham
As a guitar string vibrates, it sets surrounding air molecules into vibrational motion. Many factors affect the frequency of a vibrating string, namely the density, length, and tension. True guitar masters bend the physics of these waves to their wills, creating the music that we jam out to on the regular. Now, that’s what we call good vibrations.
Watch the TED-Ed Lesson The physics of playing guitar - Oscar Fernando Perez
Animation by Chris Boyle
Today is the 189th anniversary of Beethoven’s death.
How is it that Beethoven, who is celebrated as one of the most significant composers of all time, wrote many of his most beloved songs while going deaf? Using the certainty of mathematics, Beethoven was able to convey emotion and creativity in his music.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and math: The genius of Beethoven - Natalya St. Clair
Animation by Qa’ed Mai
Happy 245th birthday, Beethoven!
How is it that Beethoven, who is celebrated as one of the most significant composers of all time, wrote many of his most beloved songs while going deaf? Using the certainty of mathematics, Beethoven was able to convey emotion and creativity in his music.
From the TED-Ed Lesson Music and math: The genius of Beethoven - Natalya St. Clair
Animation by Qa’ed Mai
