Chronology of Internet music

To mark this change in decades, it is interesting to take a moment and turn around to observe what was the history of music and internet over the last thirty years ... It certainly takes a little time to gather this information, but it is instructive ...

1980: invention of flash memory.

1987

The first patent for the MP3 format is taken. More than sixty patents have surrounded the famous music format. the former have already expired, others still remain valid until 2017, those of the pro version, much less popular, will still be in force until 2023, see 2027.

1990

InterTrust is created. At first, this company sells patents for the development of DRM (security features on music CDs). The company made an IPO in 1999 and was bought by Sony and Philips. Today, InterTrust is considered one of the main holders of patents related to DRM. She owns several patents example of Blu-ray.

1991

MP3 is accepted as a standard compression / decompression by ISO.

1983

released the Pentium first processor to decode the mp3 in real time, a prelude to the influx of music on a new device: the PC, use music has yet been very limited. Firstly because most computers were not equipped with a sound card performance, and partly because of space constraints memories. First portable mp3: the RIO with 10MB of memory.

1994

The Rolling Stones are the first band to broadcast live their music on the internet using Real.

1995

Creation of RealNetworks, the first start-up whose purpose was (and still is) to provide a suite of compression / decompression for playback of music via Internet. REAL subsequently (in 2001) launched Rhapsody music service online.

1997

Launch Site mp3.com that was to become the bane of the music industry.

1999

June: Opening of NAPSTER ... Who will close its original form (the pear-to-hard-pear) in July 2001 ... crumbling beneath the complaints from the RIAA (the equivalent of our SNEP) and pursuant to an order of Ninth Circuit Court (the equivalent of our Court in summary proceedings) of Washington.

September: 3G licenses are awarded to France Telecom Mobile (Orange) and SFR. Across Europe, the functions relate more than 71 billion Euros!

2000

March Musiwave (initially Musiwap) is based.

July: SIRIUS satellite is the first musical ever launched. It broadcasts on the territory of U.S. music in CD, her first client HERTZ

September Kaaza starts.

2001

May: VIVENDI Mp3.com bought for $ 372 million

October: Apple launches its first iPod, 5GB initially in February, has launched a 10GB. ITUNES, without e-Commerce, was launched a few months ago.

2002

NAPSTER files for bankruptcy, they will eventually be taken over by Roxio.

2003

September: the RIAA sues 261 people for violating the rights of distribution (used in pear-to-pear). The view hitherto indifferent, is rapidly taking up the cause of the alleged harasser.

April: ITUNES version launches e-commerce. Two months later, one million of securities are sold. in December 2003, 50 million shares have been sold.

August: Launch of LastFM.com

November merger of Sony and BMG. MP3.com was sold at Cnet.com

2004

May: iTunes e-commerce launches in Europe.

That year, the ringtones (phone ringtones) reported more than 3.5 billion dollars.

2005

December: launch of Youtube.

2006

January: Foundation Ilike

February Musiwave is sold to Openwave for $ 141 million

July: Microsoft launches Zune. a competitor to the Iphone.

October: Foundation of MXP4

December: Google bought Youtube for 1.6 billion dollars ... Glups.

2007

January: Launch of the Iphone

April: Apple today announced that it sold 100 million iPods

August TERRA FIRMA bought EMI ...

October: Amazon launches its online music. Radiohead released their album "In Rainbows" at pay-as-you-like "(pay what you want).

November: Foundation SAWND.

2008
(January) Apple announced that it will gradually remove DRM from its iTunes platform.

2009

June: the death of Michael Jackson causes an influx of requests so important Internet slowed in many regions of the world, particularly Japan and Germany.

October: The RIAA and in France, SNEP made the same finding, announced that the market for recorded music fell about 2 / 3 since 2000.

December Apple buys Lala.com

and the story continues ...

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Merry Christmas Music

Many of you do not know, but Jesus was not born in Provence, he was not born in Navarre, just AC, is like Lustucru (those who have read the small story in The Witch of the Rue Mouffetard), it's lost in history (with a capital H, ho lady!)

So Jesus was actually born December 24, but as the time in Navarre it was already big déconneurs, it was 5-6 times that they had good big joke (the rest of the world), and the coup, they have not believed (hence the myth of Peter and the Wolf, if you follow). So, time to take us seriously, it leads to 26, the boy still had two days already, not to pass for badgers, they put it on the lack of communication that does Navarre had not warned early enough. And crank it up a little too far, they said that Christ was born on 25 (a day late on a donkey that seems plausible).

Thus, Navarre was ostracized from the global society - but kept his humor - and they appropriated Jesus.

All that to say, difficult (just a myth to explain again anyway) that it really falls on a Thursday, uh sorry, a December 24, and so Twilight-Navarre offers his gift today, 24 December, then!
Ooh la la, I'm tired all alone.

Here, he is the trailer of Twilight-Music 2. Point of disappointment, the final assembly in its entirety is the gift season. Come on, less than a week is not the sea to drink. Besides talking sea, soon I will restore the truth about Moses, who was also of Navarre, and major déconneur his condition (but that, history does not say)



I want to thank those (and they were many) who sent us songs, and sometimes even highly structured lists, be sure they were appreciated.
If you can not find the songs you suggested, do not panic, final assembly will be much longer than that. However, as you can easily imagine, we could not remember all the songs. So, sorry if yours are not. But who knows, we may finally (probably) by making a third...

And for fun (as said Juuuuuuuny), you receive the first!

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CHRISTMAS IN SOLIDARITY on World Jazz

Jazz for a cause to support. Why not? Jazzfriends for Emergency is all here, but goes further. On the one hand, the CD is a snapshot of Jazzfriends Festival which takes place five years in that of Porto Potenza Piceno, a town in central Italy on the Adriatic coast.

Second, this publication aims to raise funds pro-Emergency, the non-governmental association founded in 1994 that aims the care and relief to victims of war and landmines. Not only that: the work of dozens of volunteers is also designed to cope with serious consequences in health care in countries where armed conflicts are ongoing.

That's why, the many artists who have long appeared on the stages of the festival have decided to offer their performances to the cause of the association which has among its volunteers, Gino Strada. (Michele Chisena)

To order this CD-sponsored and published by Winitalia Philology Jazz, write to :

info@jazzfriends.it

The total donations collected for the CD will be donated to Emergency.

Here's the tracklist


1) Samba Em Preludio (Baden Powell) Irio de Paula

2) Prelude to a Kiss (Duke Ellington) Teo Ciavarella Trio, special guest Antonio Marangolo

3) What story down there (Marco Fermani) Odd Times Quintet

4) Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? (Louis Alter) Stefano Bollani

5) Ludmilla (Kristian Sensini) Odd Times Quintet

6) Scrapple from the Apple (Charlie Parker) Alessandro Lanzoni and Julian Oliver Mazzariello

7) Sur (Annibal Troilo) Trio Lunfardo

8) Soul Bossa Nova (Quincy Jones) Dams Jazz Orchestra

9) Canto de Ossanha (Baden Powell) Irio de Paula

10) Arianna (Matteo Ciavarella) Teo Ciavarella Trio, special guest Antonio Marangolo

11) Play If it rains (Piero delle Monache) Piero delle Monache 2004 Quartet

12) Bongo Bongo Bongo (Bob Hillard, Carl Sigman, Deville) Brothers Brookolino with the participation of Elio

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Harmony and Unison

The other day at choir practice, our director was trying to decide if she would prefer a certain hymn in our Christmas program to be sung in parts or in unison. In a sort of offhanded way, she asked, "I wonder if the heavenly choirs will be sung in parts or in unison?"

I responded to the effect that I didn't dare open that particular can of philosophical worms in a choir practice...

I mean, there's all kinds of levels here. On the musical side of it, there's plenty of fodder for both sides. Parts bring lush and rich harmonies, counterpoint, and fullness to a piece. There's a depth to it that you simply don't get with one single melody line.

But there's a power to unity, too. For example, when I was in high school, as a cellist in our orchestra, we played a piece, an arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". I don't even remember who did the arrangement. After the exposition, it went into so polyphonic explorations, typical of a good development section, but the recap was absolutely amazing. The entire orchestra, including the winds, all played the entire thing. Loud, slow, and in unison. Maybe it was the contrast that made it feel so big and powerful.

Another example. Many years ago, when I was still living in Indiana, my friends and I took a roadtrip to see Yes in concert in Champaign, Illinois. It was a great show, but one part stuck with me as a monumental moment in my life's ongoing musical experience. That was Chris Squire's bass solo. Now, typical bass solos are a time when the bassist really gets to show off his chops. Hands are dizzy and notes fly like snowflakes in a blizzard. And Chris Squire was certainly no slouch. He could match fury with the best of them.

But he comes out, and with a single light on him from above, plays "Amazing Grace". He plays it easily, slowly, and I might add, very loud and low. The house shook. No flashy embellishments. Nothing but the song.

And it was INCREDIBLE.

But then look how often a pop singer sings without accompaniment, or how often true unison orchestral performances happen. Look at great inspired works like "The Messiah", which expertly flips from monophony to homophony and polyphony at the drop of a baton.

So, the big philosophical question that is the extension of all this is: Does God want us lockstepping together or does he want us individually adding to the whole?

Personally, I feel that if he wanted us lockstepped, he would have backed Lucifer's plan in the first place. I like the thought of many different voices combining together harmoniously to add to the whole. But it seems that there are a lot of us Mormons who don't take to kindly to differences. To our credit, there are a lot of us who do, too.

And I also admit that, in music, there are times when a single melody can communicate very strongly.

Just a thought... or two...

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Free Christmas Music Download

Christmas music is some of the most fun choral music out there, both to sing and simply to drink in. Some of my favorites are more contemporary, but several have quickly become standards in our home. Yuletide celebrations are always incomplete without carols and Christmas music is always special. For some people who have sense of religious, they must be looking for free Christmas music. I know the place where you can get any kind of Christmas music at CarAngel.com. They provides free Christmas music download or Christmas Rock download which you will surely grab for free.

To prepare the best song for Christmas is very important. There are some Christmas Songs that are hymns as well. If you choose to attend a Christmas Eve service, you're likely to hear song like "O Holy Night," and "What Child is This?" Just thinking of these wonderful songs might be enough to get you in the holiday spirit! Standing there with your family while you sing these familiar tunes might be just the thing you need to take all of your worries away. Christmas songs and songs in general have a powerful effect on people. They have the ability to bring back memories and create new ones. Share your favorites with your family, or even create your own new Christmas songs. The fun you have will live in your memory forever.

Visit CarAngel.com to get more Christmas song for free.

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Is It Hard Or Easy To Write A Song?

Do you feel that it is easy to write songs? Can anyone be creative? A song is the end product produced by stimulating your song writing powers in many different ways. Let's take a look!

Here are some tips on how to stimulate and develop your song writing abilities:

Listen

An obvious tips of course! You have to listen to songs to find and develop your taste. But don't just listen to the music you usually listen to. Listen to things you don't normally hear on the radio. It will help your unconscious to create more interesting songs.

I recall that John or Paul in the Beatles talked about the music they heard on the radio when they were young. The radio channels in those days played many different types of music and they were inspired by the melodies heard on the radio like evergreens, jazz, folk music and classical music and so on.

On commercial radio channels nowadays you'll often find very niched music but I think it is important to find music that differs a lot from your normal taste. All these musical ideas will hopefully mold into interesting new melody lines. A form of fusion music.

Chord progressions

Sit down with your guitar or at your piano just playing chords that loosely seem to fit together. Don't worry about the quality of your progressions. It is important to have moments when you play without evaluating things, otherwise you will not dare to take the step into the unknown.

Song melodies

Humming melodies as you play chords on your guitar or piano in a relaxed manner will stimulate your creative powers. If you find it hard to improvise melodies, it might comfort you to know that it is a talent but also a skill that can be dveloped by practice. It can become a form of meditation that will clear your mind, stimulate your imagination and improvisational skills.

Lyrics

Well, what do you expect me to write here? Right, humming melodies with nonsense lyrics is a great way to stimulate and actually write a song. Nonsense lyrics might not be the apropriate term as every word you sing can trigger ideas that will lead you to a phrase that might be the beginning of a great song.

Documentation

A very boring and bureaucratic word indeed but somehow you have to find a way to remember all nice words and melodies. A recording device like an mp3-player, mobile, digital recorder or tape recorder might do. The simpler the better. You can of course do as I do, write sheet music and lyrics on scrap paper. However, this requires you to know sheet music notation unless you have invented your own notational system.

Using a computer

Personally I have discovered the advantage of using a word processor at this final stage of creating the song lyrics. I usually write down the text with a font size that will fill a printed page. This makes it easy to see the text on the screen and taste the lyrics with my heart.

This might sound a little weird but I guess that you want the listener to feel the same as you feel when you sing the song. You have to be touched by you own song first.

When you have the lyrics on your computer you can change a word here, a word there and and read the words over and over. One day you will realize that the song is complete and you can relax and be proud over your creation.

A song is not a song until it is sung

Well, this means that you have to give your song a chance to shine by singing it, working on your way to perform it and learning it by heart. By singing a song often, even in front of other people, it will most likely mature and the performance will develop and convey the message of the song better and better.

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Choosing a Piano For Your Home

A piano graces a house like no other piece of furniture. Much like a television it provides a focal point for a room. A piano provides an extra dimension while entertaining, or simply in entertainment. It is a place to express one's creativity, to relax and unwind, a kind of modern-day medication. The purchase of a piano is not something to be taken lightly. Due to its expense and size, the piano really becomes a part of the family. The piano can spend many generations with one single family, so getting the initial choice right is vital. In this article I aim to tackle the issue of buying a piano and examine the number of variables that one has to take into account.

The initial consideration when one comes to purchase a piano is that of space. In modern houses space is something of a commodity. The piano is going to be with you a long time so it's important that it sounds and plays exactly as you would like it to. There are a number of types of piano on offer, these include:
# Grand pianos

# Baby grand pianos

# Upright pianos

# Digital pianos

The best piano in any specific situation is wholly dependent on the variables already mentioned. If one has space in which to put it, a grand piano is a great option providing a true air of sophistication. It is true to say however that there are not many homes that could accompany such a large piece of furniture. In which case one might consider a baby grand piano. Like the traditional grand piano, a baby grand piano has the same action and sound but can take up considerably less space in the house. The baby grand piano can fit quite comfortably into a modern home. Then we have perhaps the most common of all home pianos, that of the upright piano. The upright piano sits snugly up against the wall and has a much smaller profile than a grand or baby grand piano. This type of piano however produces a different sound from that of a grand piano and provides less of an impressive focal point for a room. Lastly we have digital pianos. These pianos come in the grand, baby grand and upright varieties. They run on electricity and therefore require less maintenance than traditional pianos. Where as a traditional piano will require tuning, a digital piano will always sound just as great as the day it was bought. It's fair to say however that the digital piano lacks something in the style department. Many people consider buying pianos not simply for their sound quality, but also for their beauty; a digital piano doesn't provide this to the same degree.

The Difference Between a Grand and an Upright Piano

Generally speaking, the way we interact with both types of piano is identical. They both have standard keyboards. The main difference comes internally in the way the piano translates the key stroke into a physical sound. The piano is effectively a hybrid between a stringed and percussion instrument. When you press the key on the piano, a small hammer inside the piano is released and then hits the corresponding string. The string then vibrates and is left to do so allowing the sound to resonate. For this to happen, when the hammer hits the string it must immediately bounce back giving the string the ability to vibrate. The way a piano does this is quite interesting and varies between the styles of a piano. The upright piano relies wholly on gravity for this action. The strings in the upright piano run vertically meaning that when the hammer hits a string, the piano relies on gravity to take the hammer away again. In a grand piano however, the strings are laid horizontally, this creates an interesting engineering problem. In a grand piano the hammers hit the strings from the side and so cannot rely on gravity to take them back to the starting position. Because grand pianos rely not on gravity but on the quality of their internal mechanism, the build quality of a grand piano is very important.

New or Used Pianos?

With some products it's always better to buy new, with pianos however this isn't necessarily the case. Many people agree that older pianos resonate a richer and more mature sound than their newer counterparts. For people on a budget, the used piano may well be the option. So whether it be digital, traditional, grand, baby grand or upright, I hope I've given you all something to consider.

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Stop Frustration While Practicing Music

Step away from that sheet music. No, really, step away for a moment. You don't need frustration right now. You need to learn a musical piece quickly, without encountering roadblocks. Perhaps looking at the problem (or opportunity) from a different perspective will help.

For instance, what are you really trying to do? You're trying to create, or recreate, music. Music is definitely not paper. It's sound; sound with intelligence. Music also soothes, not frustrates. Let's move into that soothing zone by playing real music.

For starters, what is your key signature? Is the song written in the key of 'C' or 'F'? What is the time signature? Is it in a four or three denomination of time? Is it slow or fast? What style is it? Now, begin playing notes in the exact same framework as your piece. It doesn't matter what you play. Make sure it's the same key, time, and style.

Furthermore, invent some melodies of your own. Think of the rhythms you want to play. Predict what sound comes next as you play. Get carried away in your melodies. Create music!

Now, go back to the part in the sheet music you hated. It's not your enemy. It's someone else's melody they created, just like you did with your own. Fake it, by playing what you think it should sound like. Make wrong notes. Make shorter phrases. Make it your own.

Finally, let those sixteenth notes, those crazy rests, those dots and trills and tonal leaps - go. Come back another day, or, in 30 minutes. Give yourself, and your subconscious, time to digest the musical ideas you have fed on.

In addition, letting yourself be free, and having fun making the art of music, gives you positive feedback. This unique process definitely will help you learn another's transcribed musical idea. Never be afraid to fail, or get frustrated, since music provides entertainment, notably for you.

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Learn To Play Piano: A Digital Or An Acoustic Piano?

If I have to choose between buying an acoustic piano or a digital piano what is the best choice? let's take a look at the different choices if you want to learn to play piano.

Personally I haven't been forced to make the decision between buying a normal upright piano and a digital piano as I have both in my home. I can see advantages in both types of pianos when practicing the art of learning to play piano.

A normal upright piano produces sounds with hammers that strikes the strings. A digital piano on the other hand tries to duplicate the feeling of playing an acoustic piano.

Most people are familiar with the normal upright piano but what advantages has a digital piano?

First let us describe a digital piano.

A digital piano consists of a keyboard with weighted key action, sensors that detect the velocity when you play the keys and a set of sounds you can choose from. To make it possible to listen to the piano when you play you have an amplifier and loudspeakers and headphone jacks.

Here are some advantages with a digital piano:

1. A digital piano doesn't need to be tuned. A normal acoustic piano you should tune once or twice a year. If you can't tune a piano yourself you have to turn to a piano tuner. It can be quite expensive of course. Even a piano tuner has to pay his bills.

2. You can practice silently. A digital piano usually has a headphone jack so by using headphones you can practise as much as you want without disturbing neighbours or family members.

3. Midi interface. A digital piano usually has a midi interface which makes it possible to connect your piano to a computer and use music software like notation programs or a sequenser program or a software synthesizer.

What then are the disadvantages of having a digital piano?

1. The sounds in an acoustic piano are produced by strings vibrating and the different pitches interact in ways that you cannot copy on a digital piano. The sound quality of the sounds produced by digital pianos are becoming better and better but it is still a completely different way of producing sounds.

2. A digital piano is limited when it comes to producing different tone colors by different ways of playing. An accomplished pianist might feel limited by the sampled sounds.

There are many more things to say about choosing a piano but this is a beginning.

As you can see it is not so easy to decide what's best for you. If you can't decide what type of piano to buy you can do as I have done. Have both types of pianos and keep smiling.

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Music Therapy: A Peaceful Revolution

You’ll be in trouble with the law if you play your music too loudly in Rochester, New
York. Anyone found violating local and state noise ordinances by means of overly
loud “boom boxes,” stereos, motorcycles, automobiles or loud partying will be
ticketed.

New York City has also begun to oppose the bombardment of noise. Its Department
of Environmental Protection has a Quality of Life Hotline. 70% of the calls received
concern noise. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has established a Council on the
Environment. There is a citywide group (with a somewhat unfortunate acronym)
called Friends Against Noisy New York. On April 25th, there were observances of
International Noise Awareness Day. The mayor also established Operation Silent
Night, a citywide quality of life initiative to combat loud and excessive noise in New
York City.

It’s not that the state of New York is less tolerant than the rest of us. It’s that
they’ve realized something a lot of communities don’t know yet.

We all know that we’re exposed to more excessive noise today than at any other
time in history. Modern life can seem like an ongoing struggle to rise above the din.
Home life fills our ears with barking dogs, air conditioning units, televisions, boom
boxes and the kitchen vent-a-hood. When we leave the house or office, we yell to
be heard over construction projects, car alarms, traffic and other people’s music.
The list goes on and on. The US Census Bureau has reported that noise is
Americans' top complaint about their neighborhoods and their main reason for
wanting to move.

What New Yorkers have found and the rest of us need to know is that noise
pollution is more than just annoying; It can be dangerous. One Rochester police
officer explains that when blasting music in neighborhoods goes unchecked, it
indicates that respect is not required. “This type of environment is friendly to other,
more serious types of crimes,” he says. That’s why police officers and neighborhood
residents have decided to crack down on excessive noise in their community. Police
and concerned citizens have been walking the streets together, knocking on the
doors of noisy neighbors and warning them about possible fines and legal action.

Noise is not only a health issue for communities, but also for individuals. Research
has shown dramatic physiological effects from exposure to excessive noise. In
addition to its damage to the ears, Dr. Luther Terry, former U.S. Surgeon General
identifies a host of other negative health effects due to noise. A partial list includes
cardiovascular constriction, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, more
labored breathing, measurable changes in skin resistance and skeletal-muscle
tension, digestive system changes, glandular activity that alters the chemical
content of blood and urine, vestibular effects, balance sense effect and changes in
brain chemistry. It bears repeating that this is just a partial list. Terry details the
negative effect of noise on fetal development, as well.

The Surgeon General echoes the voices of many health professionals. Researchers
have found that after extended exposure to high noise such as aircraft flyovers or
workplace noise, blood pressure rises as much as 30%. Increasing the negative
impact is the fact that blood pressure stays at that elevated level for a significant
period after the exposure ends. So if you’re close enough to a landing plane that
your blood pressure rises, it stays up and affects your body long after the airplane
noise is gone.

You don’t have to live near an airport to be affected by traffic. Even noise that we
might consider moderate has its effect. A German study found that those living on
busy streets were 20% more likely to have a heart attack than those living on a quiet
one.

Studies have also linked learning problems to noise. It affects the ability of children
to learn to speak, to read, and to acquire knowledge in schools. These effects have
been documented near airports, train tracks and major roadways. The inability to
hear and understand all that a teacher is saying can translate to poor grades and
could even lead to a higher dropout rate in schools.

Moreover, noise pollution has impact on the behavior of both children and adults.
One study looked at how passers-by responded to a person in need in the presence
of noise. While a noisy lawn mower roared nearby, a woman with a broken arm
dropped some books and tried to pick them up. No one stopped to help her. When
the lawnmower was turned off and the scene repeated, several people stopped to
help her retrieve her books.

With all that being said, it’s no wonder that Americans have more problems with
sleeping, concentrating and dealing with stress in our noise-polluted environment.
Fortunately, there is more to sound than the negative effects of noise. The opposite
of noise is music. The ability of music to repair and encourage health and harmony
is as powerful as noise’s ability to destroy them. So powerful, in fact, that there is an
entire field called music therapy.

The full benefits of music therapy are still being studied, but we know of quite a few
already. Studies in mental health, for example, have shown that music therapy is
effective in relieving anxiety and stress, promoting relaxation and treating
depression. Music therapy allows people with emotional problems to explore
feelings, make positive changes in mood, practice problem solving, and resolve
conflicts. It has been used successfully by mental health institutions during group
therapy sessions.

The healing effects of music therapy are not limited to mental health. They have
been observed in hospitalized patients with burns, heart disease, diabetes and
cancer. As a complement to rehabilitation care, music therapy seems to strengthen
communication and physical coordination skills, as it improves the physical and
mental functioning of those with neurological disabilities or developmental
disorders. Those with learning, speech and hearing problems may also find music
therapy helpful.

Music therapy reduces the need for medication during childbirth and complements
the use of anesthesia during surgery and dental work, especially when children
undergo medical and surgical procedures. It is useful in newborn care of premature
infants. Aside from these acute situations, music therapy helps ease chronic pain.

Music therapy can also improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients and
enhance the well-being of the elderly, including those suffering from Alzheimer's
disease and other forms of dementia. It has been used to complement the treatment
of AIDS, stroke, Parkinson's and cancer. At the same time, music therapy is useful in
the support of the families and caregivers of such patients.

Most of the reviews published on the subject have been published by the American
Music Therapy Association. The broad applications of this tool warrant more formal
reviews. We still don’t know just how many conditions could be helped by music
therapy. Still, changes are that you could enhance your mental and physical health
with music therapy.

If you consult a music therapist for a particular condition, the therapist will first talk
to you about your symptoms and needs. In addition, the therapist will assess your
emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities
and cognitive skills. Using this information, your therapist will design an appropriate
treatment plan that would probably include playing and listening to music,
analyzing lyrics, composing songs, improvising and/or using rhythmic movement.

During your regular sessions, the therapist may participate in these activities with
you or simply guide you. You may also be encouraged to talk about the images or
feelings that are evoked by the music. You and your therapist will select the music
used for your therapy according to your needs and tastes. You can choose any kind
of music, from classical or new age to jazz or rock. You do not need previous
musical experience nor any musical ability to benefit from music therapy.

Some music therapy is conducted in a group setting. You might perform music with
others who have the same condition as you, or you may just interact and relax with
others as music plays in the background. If you are in the hospital for surgery or to
give birth, your music therapy might simply entail listening to your favorite songs to
help you relax and reduce pain.

As you may have guessed by now, the presence of a professional is not always
required in music therapy, though you may need help in getting started. Westerners
are only beginning to use music as medicine, though it has long been used
successfully in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. To encourage you to create
your own music therapy sessions, I will share with you the basics of my own brand
of music therapy. Take what you like and leave the rest.

When I practice music therapy, especially for relaxation, the first thing I do is to find
a calming environment, where I won’t be disturbed or interrupted. Next, I light
incense or a scented candle, as I find that aromatherapy helps to calm my body.

Next, I choose the music, which becomes easier the more you learn about your
body’s response to different kinds of music. I then sit on the floor, in an upright
position with my legs crossed. I breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling very slowly
through my nose.

As the music plays, I listen intently to the instruments as if the players were right
there in the room playing to me. Often I position myself directly in front of the
speaker, so I can feel the vibrations as well as hear the music being played. Some
people use headphones. This is fine, but I recommend you feel the sound coming
into your body, and not just into your head.

Visualize the sound waves coming from the speakers and going through you. Not
only should you position yourself physically to catch the sound energy in your body,
but you should also focus your mind. Focus on where you want the healing
vibrations to go. Listen as you visualize the sound waves beaming through your
body and replenishing your cells, tissues, and internal organs.

As you practice music therapy you will develop the method that works best for you.
Once you know how your body responds to certain instruments, timbres, and
musical styles, you can design sessions in the sequence you find most beneficial to
you.

Ideally, you practice music therapy for at least 30 minutes to an hour per day,
although even a 20-minute daily session would yield positive results. It can take 10
minutes just for your mind to unwind, so I recommend 30-40 minute sessions.

Those are the basics. As you can gather from all of the above, music therapy can be
as involved or as simple as the situation warrants. The main thing is just to get
started. In this world of noise pollution, practicing music therapy may well be the
way to start your own peaceful revolution!

References:

American Academy of Audiology (Consumer guides)

World Council on Hearing Health (In the news)

Friends Against Noisy New York (2005 Newsletter)
National Campaign for Hearing Health

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