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Last month I read a news item in the New York Times, describing the devotion that Condoleeza Rice, our current Secretary of State who has been on a mission to promote the Iraqui war, has to playing the piano with a weekly chamber music group. Being a violist myself, and a regular in my own amateur chamber music circuit, I was, quite frankly, surprised. I know that is a strong word, but the story almost came across as an oxymoron–Condoleeza Rice and chamber music in the same sentence?

For me, playing chamber music is pretty close to sacred–or at least special in an intimate and spiritual and listening and cooperating sort of way. Actually, in my smugger and more idealistic moments, I have even believed that playing chamber music holds the key to future peace in the world. Yes. Seriously…

Which brings me back to Condoleeza Rice. I hear that she plays well; beautifully in fact, with sensitivity and a good ear. It takes a lot of practice–and I mean a lot–to be a good chamber music player. First there is the sheer mastery of your own individual instrument. And then there is learning your unique part. Only after that comes listening, looking, feeling, sensing the subtle, but powerful nuances of rhythm, intonation, dynamics, phrasing, the breath… It is such an organism, a chamber music group and the piece of music being played. By its very nature, chamber music playing requires give and take, listening, compassion, courage, intuition and hard work.

There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Rice is intelligent, talented and a very hard worker. But how is it possible to hear the pathos of a Beethoven piano trio, the depths of despair and longing, the agony of dissonance, and warm comfort in the resolution of that final chord–without also hearing the screams of civilians bombed, and feeling the terror of families made homeless by GI’S following the orders from her generals “to bomb”.

I know, she didn’t actually say “bomb” those people, but that is my point. Anyone who appreciates chamber music and especially those who play it, gets how the theme has variations, and that it can sneak in at the most unexpected moments, and that it gets traded off by different members of the group, in each of their solos and duets. In other words, every member of the group is responsible for the outcome, and each voice is integral to the entire system.

If Condoleeza Rice only got that her voice, like her piano, is integral to the system, and any change in one part, automatically affects the other parts and can lead to a completely different outcome…

Which brings me back to the chamber music effect. I say, put down your arms, and pick up your cellos. Even a scratchy, untrained string player sounds way sweeter to me than a gunshot.

And then it’s only a beginning, not an end.

By: Rebecca N Morgan

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Today, the 11th of March 2010 is the 8th birthday of the BBC digital radio station, 6 Music. In a few days we will hear if the plans to axe the station will go ahead and I thought I’d share my thoughts with you.

I have always been a supporter of the BBC and the license fee. It is still true that the BBC is the envy of the world for its broadcasting. However if this decision goes ahead, the one thing that the beeb stands for; i.e originality will die.

The point of the BBC is to provide content that is unmatched by the commercial sector.

If you analyse many of the BBC’s stations, this clearly is not the case. Radio 1’s playlist is obviously found everywhere in commercial radio. Ditto Radio 2 and 3. When it comes to TV, the BBC’s most recent channel, BBC3’s content can be found everywhere from E4 to Dave & Bravo. Indeed, BBC3 is just competion for the aforementioned channels.

6 Music on the other hand along with radio 4 is totally unique. There is content that you will not hear anywhere else in the commercial sector. There is material that you won’t hear anywhere else in the whole world, let alone the UK! This isn’t an exaggeration. Last week I was listening to 1960’s Brazillian psychedilia!

Not that I’m into that…but that’s not the point. Where else in the world could I ever hope to hear a retrospective on 60’s Brazillian psychedelia?…Nowhere except BBC 6 Music.

It is a fact that 6 Music is the only BBC station whose listening figures have consitently increased every year since its start, 8 years ago.

It is also a fact that if 6 Music were on FM and not DAB, its audience would be much larger than radio 3, 5 Live and any of the regional county radio stations, all of who enjoy FM status.

It seems to me that if 6 Music is to go we will lose the very heart and soul of the BBC with it. The bedrock of originality and excellence that it has always stood on will crumble and we will be left thinking that if they are prepared to do this, who will be next?

By: John A Hamilton-G

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Older believers have to be careful how they talk, I’m told. So let me first say, yes, there are some great new songs around. The music and the words both.
Now let me tell you how I really feel…

Since the “established” church seems to have trouble with the old hymnbooks, I sing out of one most every morning. In private. I love even the poetry of these songs. I was raised on them, what can I say? There was majesty and beauty and downright sense to the words.

Take this one. I have never sung it in my life, couldn’t whistle the tune if I tried, but while skimming through a particular songbook (Hymns of the Christian Life, 1936! -before even my time) , I have run across this song often. I decided to do a read only. Oh my, I was touched more than I have been in a month of Sundays in the established place. And I mean no offense to my home church. I just have trouble feeling at home during song-time. Check out these words:

1. Jesus and shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of Thee?

Ashamed of Thee Whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days?

2. Ashamed of Jesus! sooner far let evening blush to own a star;

He sheds the beams of light divine o’er this benighted soul of mine.

3. Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend on Whom my hopes of heaven depend!

No; when I blush, be this my shame, that I no more revere His Name.

4. Ashamed of Jesus! Yes, I may when I’ve no guilt to wash away,

No tears to wipe, no good to crave, no fears to quell, no soul to save.

5. Till then, nor is my boasting vain, till then I boast a Saviour slain;

And O may this my glory be, that Christ is not ashamed of me.

OH how wonderful those words of Joseph Grigg. I can only imagine that Henry Oliver’s tune enhances the beauty. Because that’s how the old songs were, for the most part. Great lyrics, supportive music. Not the other way around.

Here’s a suggestion for Mother Church, the Body of the Lord Himself. If we so desire novelty for our youth, let’s teach them some of these great old songs that they have never heard. To them, they will be new. To us they will be precious. And we’ll all be happy.

Suggestion two, while I’m on a roll. The Church was not created for the world, but for the saints. Let the Church remain holy and draw all men to Christ through the preached cross. Let the saints feel comfortable in their own home. The world has its own.

Did I just change the subject…? not really. Music that appeals to the flesh is of the world. Music that effects bodily changes is fleshly. Music that makes me want to cover my ears is an offense. Music that, like alcohol and tobacco, takes some getting used to needs to be eliminated before all ears are polluted and people will not even want to go to a church that does not rock.

By: Bob Faulkner

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The music download industry keeps evolving, as more players enter the game and alliances are formed within a blink of an eye. We’re all aware of AT&T partnering with giant Apple Inc. to promote the iPhone, which of course uses iTunes for its ringtone capabilities. As more mobile phones encompass multimedia functions, the music and telecommunications industries are realizing their unfolding opportunities to meld together.

AT&T and Napster, one of the original music download services, are joining together and providing direct download capabilities, according to CNNMoney. In an effort to avoid mobile-to- PC connections to transfer music files, direct downloads are growing in popularity. More mobile phone owners are using their cell phones as MP3 players, not to mention the added benefit of using downloads as ringtones.

Similarly, in Australia, Nokia is stepping up to the plate in music downloads, providing free Wi-Fi zones for Nokia Nseries customers. They plan to launch a music download service of their own sometime this year, and with their free Wi-Fi campaign, more and more Australian-based Nokia users will be more apt to try it out come launch time.

Telecommunications companies and mobile phone service providers aren’t the only ones switching up the music download industry. Amazon’s newest service, AmazonMP3, is offering lower prices on individual songs and albums than some of their competitors, such as iTunes.

Their 2-million some music collection stands out in that its music files are DRM-free and iTunes and Windows Multimedia Player-compatible. Though competition amongst music download providers is inevitable, anyone with a mobile phone or MP3 player will continue to be exposed to countless options.

By: Kelly Liyakasa

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Do you remember the days when it was almost impossible to be able to listen to a good mix of the music or other radio programming that you wanted anywhere and anytime? I do, and believe me if you value your news and talk radio the way that I do it is a time that you do not want to return to. In those days I spent more time flipping channels and between AM and FM to try and be able to access the content that I desired than I did listening. Since Sirius portable satellite radio entered the mix a few years ago this is no longer a problem.

I absolutely love being able to have instant access to news, music, or talk radio at any time. I personally use the Sirius Stiletto 2 which provides me with more features than I could ever use. This thing brings me all of the programming crystal clear no matter where I am. This Sirius portable satellite radio makes the trip from my house to my car to my job everyday.

The whole family enjoys the satellite radio when it is at home. My wife enjoys listening to Martha Stewart Radio, my kids love the Disney programming, and on the rare occasion that I get my hands on my Sirius portable satellite radio at home I get the news and talk radio that just is not available on the FM or AM dial.

This thing is also priceless on the commute. I spend at least 2 hours per day in my car on the way to and from work driving through mostly rural areas. If it were not for this Sirius radio I would have to change radio frequencies several times to find the programming that I want, if I could find it at all.

My favorite feature on this Sirius portable satellite radio is the built in mp3 player. Like most people I have my favorite talk radio hosts and newscasts that I feel like I have to hear everyday. With the Sirius Stiletto 2 I do not have to be by the radio when they are on. With this Sirius portable satellite radio I can record up to 100 hours of programming! So if I have to be in a meeting or doing honey dos I just set my Stiletto 2 to record my favorite programs so that I can come back and listen to them when it is convenient for me.

This Sirius portable satellite radio can be purchased in a package that includes the home or car installation kit or can be purchase as a stand alone unit. I personally have found it well worth my money to purchase the Stiletto 2 with the available car kit. I also added on the home kit to complete my ability to use this great satellite radio everywhere. There are also many other great accessories available for this receiver.

As you know there is a small monthly service fee to access the Sirius satellite radio network but I have found it well worth my investment. For the price of about one and one half lunches at McDonald’s I am able to pick and choose between over one hundred channels that deliver content that you just cannot find on the AM FM radio consistently.

As this is a review I should point out the bad points of a Sirius portable satellite radio, but I honestly have no complaints with my device or service. I could not be more satisfied. If you are passionate about the quality of information or music that you receive on the radio this is the only way to go.

By: R. E. Peacock

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When I listen to the current noise that is called music, I find very little of pleasure to the senses, only a tremendous irritation as I’m put on hold to listen to rap music, or sitting in a doctor’s office with a very ill relative and forced to listen to loud pop music, or trying to concentrate while grocery shopping for a very diabetic friend.

What really got me on this rampage was a trip to the emergency room with a very sick relative, and BOTH televisions were on, with different programs on each! What is there in our psyches anymore that we can’t stand some SILENCE, even with the very ill? I actually had the unmitigated gall one day to ask a receptionist to please, please turn down the very loud “music” while waiting to see a doctor, and I was told it needed to be that loud because the folks behind the desk needed privacy! Huh? Too bad about the sick folks out there!

God’s Word assures us that quietness is our strength (what a blessed promise to those of us now searching in vain for a silent corner in this earth):

Job 34:29 KJV: “When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?”

Is 30:15: “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: `In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…’”

Is.32:16-18 TLB: “Then justice will rule through all the land, and out of justice, peace. Quietness and confidence will reign forever more. My people will live in safety, quietly at home.”

Jer.50:34 TLB: “But their Redeemer is strong. His name is the Lord of Hosts. He will plead for them and see that they are freed to live again in quietness in Israel.”

I love this little story:

“Why are you all so quiet all the time?” I say, still whispering at him in this hoarse voice.

“We are teachers and workers,” he says, “not talkers.”

“Workers, O.K.,” I say, “but how can a teacher be quiet all the time and teach anybody anything?”

“Christ was the best,” he says, thinking of something. “He lived thirty-three years. Thirty years he kept quiet; three years he talked. Ten to one for keeping quiet.” (Franc Smith, Harry Vernon at Prep)

By: Patricia Nordman

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Music Teachers can have a very stressful life. Of all teachers probably music teachers have the biggest load to do on a regular week by week basis.

Of course, many would argue with that supposition. Physics, Science and English teachers of course work very hard and no-one would say they don’t work extremely hard to bring brilliant lessons to their students.

Music Teachers however have to do a lot of extra activities that other teachers don’t have to: like running band and musicianship programs, preparing student recitals, coordinating instrumental programs and communicating with parents about practices and raising funds for instruments.

With all these activities taking the teachers energy, it is vital that they be extremely organized to make sure that their music sessions are both fun for students and trouble free for themselves.

There are a few practical tools that can help music teachers:

1) A diary. This simple thing can save all sorts of problems from double scheduling events if it is well managed. It is so easy to double schedule school events with personal events, as most music teachers would well understand! You can use a modern PDA or Mobile Organizer, or use the old fashioned paper diary for just a few dollars.

2) A location plan for all the school equipment. Even if you’re school has one well used xylophone and a broken guitar with three of the strings missing it is important that those two instruments have their place, and that your students come to learn and respect that when in the music classroom. When you are seeing lots of children every week and sometimes many hundreds of dollars worth of instruments it is important that it is put away with respect. Make a plan, commit it to paper and stick it on all the walls near the equipment. Being careful about this for a few weeks will make your teaching a lot less stressful in the long run!

3) A personal blog or website. What if you could have a place on the internet where you place news for your students, music parts for practice and assessments so they can get it done without you even being present? Its as easy as setting up a personal page on blogger or word press, and getting going. Just consider – if you put resources there that you ask students to access for additional work… once its completed this year you will never have to do it again!

4) Software tools. The latest software for music often has inbuilt assessment and worksheet creation tools, so you can create your own teaching materials in minutes. Prepared Lesson plans downloading instant print work sheets and lesson plans from the world wide web can save you lots of preparation, and there are many great sources of material available now.

Teaching Music can be a very rewarding and enjoyable choice of career, and with the right tools it is even easier.

By: Kevin F Tuck

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Pop music is usually comprised of happy, upbeat rhythms with simple melodies and lyrics that relate to love, relationships, sex and dancing. It is not a genre that is meant to bring deep and serious world issues to the fore, nor is it meant to invoke introspection and reflection. It’s there simply to bop around to, and join in the rousing chorus at the top of your lungs. Its feel good music, designed for fun and lighthearted entertainment.

Unlike other music genres such as rock and hip hop, where the songs are often written by the artists themselves, pop songs are usually written by professional songwriters. In order to generate as much exposure as possible, artists create music videos and stage extravagant live performances to attract media interest. Music videos are particularly important as they can enjoy international commercial success and thus reach an extremely wide audience. This has made pop, arguably the world’s biggest music genre.

“Popular music” has been around since the 50s, with people such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley falling into the category. Pop music, as most of us know it, really came into its own in the 80s with the rise of artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna.

Michael Jackson had nine no.1 singles in the US alone during the 80s, and sold over 136 million albums even though he only released two, Thriller and Bad. This ensured that he became the most successful artist of the 80s and earned him the title “King of Pop”.

Madonna was another emerging 80s artist who reached iconic status. Widely regarded as the “Queen of Pop”, Madonna has experimented by blending pop with a number of other music genres and has sold over 230 million albums globally. Her album, Like a Virgin achieved Diamond status; one better than Platinum and her single Vogue is one of the biggest selling singles in history. It has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

The 90s was not a good decade for pop. It saw the emergence of boy bands and girl groups resulting in the Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC and that fascinating UK phenomenon, the Spice Girls. Groups were assembled more for their looks and appeal to teenage audiences than any real singing talent. Towards the end of the 90s we saw a rise of bubble gum pop and aspiring divas, Britney Spears and her competition, Christina Aguilera. Christina experimented and evolved; Britney stagnated in the sex kitten look and had a breakdown. Australia’s Kylie Minogue, a former 80s icon, experienced a revival that carried her through to the next century. Latin pop burst onto the scene with Ricky Martin swinging his hips and Shakira shaking everything else.

The 2000s have seen a lot of artists take time off from their bands to record solo albums such as Gwen Stefani, while others simply left their bands to pursue solo careers like Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams. We’ve seen the rise of Teen pop, who’ve been given a boost by the Disney Channel, as well as Pop Punk like Fall Out Boy and pop rock like Pink. The popular reality show American Idol has changed the way in which many people achieve fame and commercial success in the music industry. Some artists have proved that it is possible to successfully blend pop music and R&B, artists like Nelly Furtado and Rihanna.

Some modern day icons include:

Justin Timberlake, who rose to stardom on the tails of one of the more successful boy bands, N’SYNC. He chose to leave the band and pursue an independent solo career and in 2002 released his debut album titled, Justified. After a break of about four years, in which he recorded with other artists, began a movie career, started a fashion label, William Rast, and established his own record label, Tennman Records, he returned to the studio and released his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds. He has sold over 15 million albums worldwide.

Nelly Furtado first came to our attention in 2000 when she released her debut album, Whoa, Nelly. “I’m like a bird”, her breakthrough single from the album, won her a Grammy award and established her as an artist to watch. In 2003, after taking some time off to have her first child, she released her second album, Folklore, which didn’t fare as well commercially as Whoa, Nelly did. However, her latest album, Loose, which she released in 2006, has put her firmly back on the hit parade. It has had several hit singles, most notably, “Promiscuous”, “Maneater”, “Say It Right” and “Do It”. Nelly is not afraid of experimenting with her sound and often incorporates different instruments, sounds, languages and vocal styles into her music. She claims to have attributed her new youthful sound on Loose to the presence of her two-year old daughter.

Kylie Minogue has one of the longest standing and most successful careers in pop music history. She’s seen out the 80s, the 90s and has enjoyed huge success in the 2000s. She is primarily famous in Europe and Australia, although her popularity in the US is growing. She is one of the world’s most easily recognisable celebrities and earned herself thousands of new fans by the brave manner in which she battled breast cancer and dealt with her resulting hair loss. In January 2007 Madame Tussaud’s in London revealed a new waxwork of Kyle, the fourth one. The Queen is the only person in the world to have had more models created.

This November Kylie will release her much anticipated 10th album, her first in four years. For most of her career Kylie has been regarded as a gay icon, which she encourages with good humoured comments such as this one, “I am not a traditional gay icon. There’s been no tragedy in my life, only tragic outfits.” She acknowledges and appreciates her gay support base by openly supporting AIDS and gay rights causes.

Recommended Site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music

By: Sandy Cosser

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