4 Things Music and Language Have in Common that Will Blow Your Mind

When you think of a foreign language, what comes to mind? French, Spanish, German, Italian, or even sign language. But what about music? Inexperienced or amateur musicians and non-musicians may think that music is merely picking up a guitar and plucking a few strings, or making some noise on a drum with a couple of sticks, or even hitting a few keys on a piano. But well-versed musicians understand it's not that easy. Reading, playing, and even speaking music is a language all on its own.

Don't believe me? Studies have shown that the way the brain functions and interprets music—by the way it hears, interprets, and responds—is similar to that of learning a language. And probably one of the only areas in humanity where art and science actually agree with each other...

So what are the elements that are needed to learn a foreign language? I've outlined a few right here, and how each corresponds to music.

Reading. When learning any language, whether that's your native language at age four or five, or whether you are forty-five and finally picking up that second language you've always wanted to learn, language fundamentals begin with reading and writing.

To musicians, reading musical notation and nomenclature is the most fundamental of fundamentals when first picking up an instrument or learning to read music. This is similar to learning vocabulary words in another language, which could be words as simple as "food", "blue", "cat", or "car". In music this could "translate" to A, E, B flat, or C.

Listening. Listening is a key aspect in learning any new language, obviously, because being able to respond in a new language requires being able to understand and interpret what another is saying. Then, acquiring fluency to be able to respond with ease.

Listening and music go hand-in-hand. No surprise here. But when it comes to music, listening is different from hearing. Hearing plays an important role as fundamental ear training is a key aspect in any ensemble or in formal musical education. However, listening involves a deeper understanding and maybe even churns a level of emotion that the brain then is deciding on a response based on the feeling or emotion that is taking place. This is what is meant when people listening to performing musicians claim that they can hear the emotion in his or her song or in his or her voice.

Fluency. If you have ever tried to learn a foreign language, then you may already know that once you are able to subconsciously dream in another language, you are becoming fluent. The same is true for music. Once fluency begins to take over, a musician is able to "fluently" read and understand notes in both treble and bass clefs with ease. At this stage, not only is the brain reading and understanding musical notes, a physical movement is also happening simultaneously...whether it is strumming strings at a certain rhythm with one hand while moving along frets on the neck of a guitar with the other, using both arms to hit drums, or using one or both hands to hit keys. There is intense eye-hand coordination taking place.
As the brain processes what each note means, the output here—instead of words and phrase—is a series of melodic progressions or harmonies.

Speaking. Eventually the language learner moves from "fluency", which describes how easily vocabulary, dialect, and understanding come to a language learner, and actually speaking and communicating what he or she thinks or feels.

Improvisation, or commonly referred to as "improv", is a way for musicians to communicate to one another via a certain sound or particular key. The listener or other musician may respond to what he or she hears with his or her own sound in that same key, but what and how he or she hears, and how that sound is interpreted to the individual is entirely unique and particular to that musician. While this "conversation" is happening between a group of musicians or ensemble, the audience is listening to the music and forming their own interpretations, blithely unaware a conversation is taking place, or that a "language" is being "communicated".

So before you think that music isn't a "real" language, think again. As mentioned above, the brain processes the same information as well as takes the same developmental steps to reaching fluency when learning to read, write, and "speak" music just as it would with any other language. Kind of gives you a whole new appreciation for music, doesn't it?

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Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J.H. Language Solutions

Local Business Shout Out: MusicMan DJing

The first significant snowstorm of the season brought over ten inches of snow in some areas of Worcester county. While this meant closed roads, power loss, and downed trees in some areas, this was no match for Music Man DJing risking some good tunes at their client’s 30^th birthday party.

While the inches of snow were quickly accumulating outside, DJ Tom and his assistant, and love of his life, Allie, were rocking the house inside at the Knights of Colombus in Whitinsville, MA. Despite the severity of the snow, Music Man DJing was on time, set up, and ready to rock right at the party’s scheduled start time of 7pm.

Prior to agreeing to DJ the party, DJ Tom spent hours meeting and speaking with his client, discussing music preferences, style, and other details to make sure the event exceeds his customer’s expectations…and more. He spent hours prior to the vent putting together and analyzing playlists and testing the equipment.

MusicMan DJing has been up and professionally running since 2005, but their experience doesn’t stop there. DJ Tom has over sixteen years of music experience, including and not limited to playing in various music groups and DJing for family functions. DJ Tom quotes:

“I remember DJing a family birthday party when I was about 13, using my home stereo with a CD walkman plugged into the audio jack, so I would play a song on one, and program the next song on a CD in the other. Talk about feeling old! Then in my senior year of college (2006) we did a school Valentine's Day dance, "Frost Fest," that I organized for the Marketing Association…those two events made me realize how much I could do with it!”

In addition to demonstrate extreme excellence and professionalism in DJing birthday parties, weddings, and other formal and casual events, they come equipped with professional equipment complete with state of the art technology, lights, costumes, and their one of a kind, friendly personalities.

While the party turn out was a little on the light side due to the weather, that didn’t stop the party attendants from drinking, mingling, dancing, and having a good time. DJ Tom and Allie played some oldies, some classic rock, some of today’s hottest hits, some dance, and even some 90s grunge and hip hop, and met all of the client’s music preferences and requests.

And while the client was disappointed with the party turn out, they still were very pleased and happy with Music Man DJing’s performance. They awarded DJ Tom and Allie with smiles, hugs, and thank you’s upon leaving for the evening. All in all, despite the weather, the party was still a success, thanks to Music Man DJing.

So if you are looking for some tunes to accompany and help you celebrate your event, contact MusicMan DJing today. Tom or Allie Smith would be happy to provide you a free, no obligation quote, or even talk to you about options or even give you some guidance as to what music would best suit your event. All in all, you can count on Music Man DJing being there and providing your event with all your favorite tunes, rain or shine.






 © Photos taken and courtesy of J.H. Language Solutions.

 © 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Content written and owned by J.H. Language Solutions. Usage by written permission only. Posted and written by third party permission.

Death to Musicians

This is for all the musicians who have passed on so far this year. There's been a few significant ones. I think we are just reaching a point in time where many of the great music legends are dying out. Musicians that have left their marks in the last thirty to forty years, and some even longer.

So far in 2012 we've lost...

Davey Jones, The Monkees, died this past February after battling cancer. He was in his 60s.

Whitney Houston, died at 48, after what was believed to be as a drug overdose.

Adam Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, The Beastie Boys, died earlier this month after also battling cancer. He was only 47.

Donna Summer, "The Queen of Disco", died late last week from lung cancer. She was 63.

Robin Gibb, The Bee Gees, also died this month after also battling cancer. He was 62.

So what does this mean for the music world? Is it just that we are reaching a point in time where the artists we remember are starting to die out? Are we really left with the Lady GaGas, the Justin Biebers, and the Miley Cyruses of music? Is that what we got left to define music? Is it even music? Love em or hate em, you have to admit music has changed.

The world of music has transformed greatly from Jim Morrison who used to make love to his music to Avril Lavigne who doesn't even know who David Bowie is. It's embarrassing. It used to be that musicians, *real* musicians would write and compose their own music. There are bands that still exist today that began by sleeping on the cold, hard floor of recording studios just to try and get a demo album recorded. What about the artists and bands who once began homeless? Or those that stole music instruments from stores just to try and play?

Today that is all unheard of. The passion for music and creativity no longer exists. Today writers area hired and paid to write songs for other artists. If that's not bad enough, now artists don't even have to be talented to make the big time. Just like computers have the ability to Photoshop a poorly looking photo or image, computers also have software that can enhance or improve wrong or flat notes, or just horrible singing. It's said that one of the ways you can tell if a musician is really and truly talented is to see the person live. If a particular artist or band can put on a great live show then you know they are the real deal.

Today some artists are selected for music careers solely for their looks. What will sell more fake albums and fake magazine covers? And this world has the audacity to wonder why our teenagers groin up with eating disorders or poor self esteem. Also the portrayal of sex in the media involving artists and celebrities is higher now than ever. Who cares about their music, as long as they look good. But that's a blog for another day.

So where's the talent? Where's the art? Music is art, right? Or is music, the real definition of music, dying out with the real musicians that we remember? Maybe the concept of "music" is changing and transforming into the more modern form of business it has already become.

Whether the favorite, then and now, was rock 'n' roll, disco, or hip hop, a crucial member has died from each. So here's to the musicians who have passed on so far this year. Here's to your timeless music, your various contributions to various genres and musical styles. Here's to your memories, both good and bad, and your creativity, and your innate talent. Here's to the passion that once drove you to make it. Here's to your devotion to your fans and your faithful efforts. Here's to your once enriched lives. Thank you for enriching ours.

MUSIC'S SHADOW
© Martha Bayona | Dreamstime.com

Why Music Appreciation is Important For Musicians...No Matter WHAT You Play

As a music fan, you probably have your own genre that you prefer. Your favorite band, your favorite song, or your favorite sound. Everyone that enjoys music has their own preference. However, the well-rounded musician can also appreciate other musical styles and genres.

As a musician, maybe you are thinking about pursuing a career in music. While music may seem like a small industry, or a difficult one, and in part this is true, unless you know already that you are destined to become a rock star, a popular choice is music education. You get all the benefits of becoming a teacher (salary, tenure, summers off, etc.), but you are teaching one of the greatest gifts...music.

However, as a teacher, you must teach music appreciation to your student musicians. Music teachers have very different styles in going about this. Some teachers will teach the basic characteristics of each music genre and decade. For example, Baroque, classical, jazz, Baroque, right up through 50s rock and roll, the 60s “free love” movement, and into Disco and 80s hair bands. While this is all well and good, you always have the luxury of incorporating music through, well, music. You could incorporate old rock and roll songs into choral sections, or write out famous jazz pieces for your students to play, or even let them study and write reports on their favorite musicians and why. The possibilities are endless.

There was a time when I was a diehard musician. Well, I still am, but I used to play ALLL the time. I was constantly attending rehearsals, playing and singing at gigs, competitions, concerts. It was a lot of fun. For fifteen straight years I was heavily involved with music. Now that I’m old, have a family and work full time, I don’t have the capacity to play as much anymore. Although I do attempt to keep my piano skills alive from time to time. Music was my life. When I started college in 2003, I was doing a double major in Spanish and Music. It was really tough and I’m not kidding when I tell you that I took 10 classes each semester...it was a ton of work. Unfortunately, halfway through, due to schedule and financial restraints, I had to choose one major...which was Spanish.

Anyways, my point is in all those years of taking music class after class, I think there was only one real teacher who really taught music appreciation. Don’t get me wrong, from fifth grade right through college, I had a lot of great teachers and professors, but there is only one that comes to mind that I can say I really learned a lot from... and he knows who he is. I find that music teachers like him are hard to come by. He reminded me a lot of Mr. Holland, from Mr. Holland’s Opus. He taught music we could listen to and really get into playing. I mean rock and roll, blues, and genres of the like. I mean, traditional music is great and all, but I find that SO many teachers are very “by the book” and teach traditional music and skip the rock of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s just because it was so controversial...but you HAVE to teach it. Those decades defined modern music. You can’t ignore it.

All in all, whether you decide to become a teacher, or become a solo artist, a music therapist, or you really become a famous rock star (“because we all just wanna be big rock stars”, right?), music appreciation is key. A well-rounded and intelligent musician should be able to discuss and appreciate music of all forms. It doesn’t mean you actually have to like it, because let’s face it, a lot of music out there is, well, questionable...but you should be able to appreciate it and all its forms.

However, no matter which career you choose, it is no doubt that as a musician and artist, you will incorporate your talent and your love for music and music appreciation in your musical “Journey”.