Music
Questions
1. Can you play a musical instrument?
2. If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be?
3. Do you like singing karaoke?
4. Do you listen to music while doing your work?
5. Have you ever been to a concert?
6. How does music make you feel?
7. How much time do you spend listening to music?
8. Where do you usually listen to music?
Videos
Being a composer for a television show is tough. But scoring the oddball, alien-themed cartoon series that is “Rick and Morty”? WAY more challenging. Luckily, the creative team has Ryan Elder and his out-of-this world tunes
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to help give the show its intergalactic quirk. From an alien bondage dream sequence, to an alien band annihilation, to a David Bowie-esque original song, Elder has proven himself capable of handling anything the show throws at him. Join us for a personal jam sesh (sort of) with the genius behind the score for “Rick and Morty.”
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Category: Art
While New York City’s subway riders are glued to their smartphones, a small group of singers is bringing light to the underground with opera. Opera Collective is a group of around 30 New York City opera singers who
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perform in a rather unusual venue: subway platforms. Every week, these talented sopranos, altos and tenors take their voices underground to awe thousands of subway riders.
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Category: Art | Geography & Travel
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. What’s going on? Anita Collins
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explains the fireworks that go off in musicians’ brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.
Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.
Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.
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Category: Art | Psychology
Who can you relate to Veronica or Vanessa? Here is a cheesy song called It’s Valentine’s Day!
Category: Art | Psychology
Tim Linhart was sculpting ice in Colorado when he decided to try something new: creating a giant, frozen violin. When a friend jokingly asked how Tim thought his violin would sound, it sparked an idea. Why not make an entire,
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functional orchestra out of ice? That was 21 years ago. These days, Tim is based in Sweden and gathers his icy ensembles to play in cosmic igloos. Grab a seat, and best don’t forget your coat.
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Category: Art
Don’t make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer. Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between
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artist and fan.
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Category: Education & Language | Psychology
It’s more than just dancing around.
If you’ve ever seen an orchestra perform you’ve probably had a difficult time looking away from the person
If you’ve ever seen an orchestra perform you’ve probably had a difficult time looking away from the person
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dead center on the stage – the conductor. It’s hard to miss someone as they swing their arms around pointing at the musicians that seem to be focused instead on their music stands. So what exactly is the conductor doing?
We decided to ask James Gaffigan – a conductor who recently guest conducted the New York Philharmonic in Central Park – just what it is that makes a conductor so necessary and how their actions shape the performance.
We decided to ask James Gaffigan – a conductor who recently guest conducted the New York Philharmonic in Central Park – just what it is that makes a conductor so necessary and how their actions shape the performance.
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Category: Art
Keywords: Leadership | Music
Disco, DJs, and the impact of the 12-inch single.
In the early 1970s, a musical sensation took over New York City. It was called Disco. Before Disco
In the early 1970s, a musical sensation took over New York City. It was called Disco. Before Disco
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became synonymous with Saturday Night Fever, Rod Stewart, and celebrity-fueled parties, it was an underground movement powered by the innovations of young DJs challenging themselves and each other to throw the city’s most adventurous dance parties.
By 1973, their influence as musical taste makers became apparent, and a handful of unconventional dance tracks became pop crossover hits. With barely any radio airplay, songs like “Love Theme” and “Girl You Need a Change of Mind” became defining tracks of the disco era.
These songs were repetitive, hypnotic, and funky, and they were also pretty long compared to other pop hits. That presented a problem for DJs using 7-inch 45rpm singles, which fit only 3:30 minutes of quality audio on them, during their night-long sets. They needed a vinyl record that could make their most popular tracks sound powerful on a dance floor and last the whole night.
In 1976, an accidental studio discovery by Disco pioneer Tom Moulton provided the solution: A 12-inch single. By stretching one song across 12 inches of vinyl, a format typically reserved for full-length albums, those extended dance tracks had room to breath.
By the 1980s, the 12-inch single dominated pop music. It not only changed the sound of records, it allowed for music producers to experiment with length and structure.
By 1973, their influence as musical taste makers became apparent, and a handful of unconventional dance tracks became pop crossover hits. With barely any radio airplay, songs like “Love Theme” and “Girl You Need a Change of Mind” became defining tracks of the disco era.
These songs were repetitive, hypnotic, and funky, and they were also pretty long compared to other pop hits. That presented a problem for DJs using 7-inch 45rpm singles, which fit only 3:30 minutes of quality audio on them, during their night-long sets. They needed a vinyl record that could make their most popular tracks sound powerful on a dance floor and last the whole night.
In 1976, an accidental studio discovery by Disco pioneer Tom Moulton provided the solution: A 12-inch single. By stretching one song across 12 inches of vinyl, a format typically reserved for full-length albums, those extended dance tracks had room to breath.
By the 1980s, the 12-inch single dominated pop music. It not only changed the sound of records, it allowed for music producers to experiment with length and structure.
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Category: Art | History & Culture
Keywords: Celebrating | Music