Is it causality or correlation that young music prodigies are gifted in both musicianship and intellect? Either way, it appears that some relationship exists between intellectual and musical achievement. Teachers stress the developmental advantages of learning to play an instrument when trying to convince students to take lessons, but now scientific proof supports these instructors’ claims. Recently, the BBC reported that a new study shows “learning a musical instrument at primary school can boost a child’s confidence and learning in other areas.”(1) Whatever the exact cause, it seems there exists a some sort of positive relationship between music study and IQ.
Music Can Make You Smarter
January 29th, 2010
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Chris Bell’s I Am the Cosmos, Deluxe Edition
January 27th, 2010
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In 1978, at the age of only 27, Memphis-born guitarist Chris Bell passed away in a late night car accident. Even though his life was taken at an early age, Bell managed to influence the music world with two popular singles, “I Am the Cosmos” and “You and Your Sister”. His British-Invasion-like alternative rock music that he created as a member of Big Star inspired 80’s bands like R.E.M. and Teenage Fanclub.
5 of the Hottest Links from the Music Blogosphere: II
January 25th, 2010
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Welcome to our second edition of the Hottest Articles in Today’s Music Blogosphere. From around the world we have some of the best links in the music world from the last two weeks.
music news
Madeleine Begun Kane presents Simon, Say It Ain’t So!, an article about Simon Cowell’s decision to leave American Idol. Posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
Clay Butler offers us a way to Produce Indie Music Videos via the Web, a service that helps striving artists jump-start their careers. Posted at Butler Productions Blog.
Storm makes us aware of a New Song Added, “Iridescent” from Floopsy’s upcoming Hyperdimensional Rabbits. Posted at Floopsy.
John M. presents Avenue Q meets Wicked | jpmblog.com, a hilarious video featuring the hit song “Popular” from Wicked. Posted at jpmblog.com. John M. says, “A funny one, what happens when 2 popular broadway musicals cross over.”
Peter Kimmich previews Seven 2010 Albums That Have the Panties in a Bunch. Posted at Monitor Down.
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Is Piracy to Blame for Falling Music Sales?
January 22nd, 2010
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Music piracy has been a hot topic ever since A&M Records sued Napster in 2000. For the last ten years, stories have run rampant about individuals paying thousands of dollars to record companies for distributing copyrighted material. Moreover, record companies have had an increasingly difficult time turning profits from sales, especially as listeners buy more singles and fewer albums. The resulting struggles led to policies that sometimes hurt the music industry more than it helped it. Apple’s DRM made managing libraries, burning CDs, and using mp3 players a nightmare, so the Cuptertino based company dumped the idea in 2009. All the while, leechers have been downloading hundreds, sometimes thousands, of recorded songs for absolutely nothing. Are they at fault?
Fender Takes Rock Band to the Next Level
January 20th, 2010
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Both kids and adults have been drawn towards the music based video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The obsession with living the rock star dream has captivated gamers for hours as they nail tough guitar licks and earn worldwide credibility. If you’ve never picked up the iconic Fender Strat look-alike guitar, then you’re missing an easy alternative to spending hours practicing scales and chord changes. On the other hand, if you’re a musician, is there any reason to throw down $200 to purchase a video game that only emulates what you do in your free time anyway? Perhaps touring the world is exhilarating, but “playing the guitar” in one of these games is grossly over-simplified.
