We began our show with a tribute to our soldiers. As we sang “Thank You Soldiers” the audience was reminded of our great fortune to have such a diverse group of people able to gather and share our freedoms of creativity and speech. Because of the brave men and women serving all over the world doing their enormously difficult job of protecting our country, we have the privilege to express ourselves freely and openly – especially in the arts.

Then, the first student began their performance and as the show continued multiple generations of friends and family members watched and listened in amazement. What they felt, observed and celebrated inspired in us a sense of awe at the power of music. With a sense of confidence and delight, the students performed for this familiar audience. They ranged in age from 4 to 16 years. Some of them were playing in their very first recital and some were coming back for, perhaps, their 20th. Of course, even with years of experience, the preparation time, fear factor, the necessary poise, etc. never really changes.

So many benefits are derived from the experience of performing live. First off, as their instructor, I gain an enormous sense of pride. Yes, it’s sometimes very difficult work – however, I have a deep belief and passion in the importance of performance for each and every one of my students. It takes commitment, focus and belief in their abilities to achieve, on all of our parts. I also must enlist the help of the parents in making certain the students are spending the right amount of time practicing and preparing to ensure their readiness to present their music in the best possible light. Little by little, a sense of confidence is gained by the student. It is my hope that these children will not become one of those adults terrified of public speaking because they will already have gained so much experience in facing an audience.

Another very important benefit is the pleasure that everyone derives from them sharing their music. Music can be a very personal experience, so some are not always eager to share. However, I encourage this sharing because I have seen the joy this brings to so many. But, most of all, the joy and satisfaction the student feels.

Now the big concern is “performance perfection” or the ability to flawlessly execute their chosen piece of music. The reality it that as a teacher, my job is to prepare my students to make errors in their performances. I also teach them how to handle those errors which, in my opinion, is just as important as practicing to perfection. Under stress our bodies will react in ways we might not imagine. Our hands and pedal foot might shake, our minds might blank with memorization of music and throw the student into a panic (which can be quite unsettling). My job is to provide them with the guidance and confidence they need to overcome this almost certain event. And, I must say, my students handle these stresses fairly well. If mistakes are made, they realize that they’re not alone. They definitely hear others making mistakes and they realize this is not the end of their musical world. They realize that they are students and the word “student” means they’re supposed to be learning and not expected to be perfect.

I deeply believe in the performance process and will always continue sponsoring students in this experience. My job is to be creative, find new venues, themes, music and exciting moments that keep the audiences fresh and alive. I want my students to smile when they hear of the next upcoming event. I want them to feel invested in this experience. They need to know their efforts are providing pleasure to the lucky audience recipients.

In conclusion, for all of you teachers out there reading this piece, I’m sure you can relate, but mostly I would be so pleased if you try to bring creativity and energy into your performances. These recitals don’t have to be dry and boring for anyone involved. Have fun, be joyful and mostly share THE POWER OF MUSIC.

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About two years ago, a close friend of mine recommended I contact Ms. Marlene Cooper-Williams, best known as Founder and CEO of iplaymusiclive.com, but she is also a private local piano and voice instructor. After a brief discussion with her, I decided to try both of my children at the piano. However, my youngest (then only about 5 years old) was not really ready to begin this experience. So we decided to wait about one year when she was showing the interest again and ready to make the commitment. However, my older daughter was deeply drawn to her lessons.

Their instruction moved along fast and from time to time, we would wonder how we could fit their practice time into an already tight schedule. But, their love and interest in music propelled them along. They were beginning to create lovely sounds, astonished at what their own hands could accomplish.

The piano is a very humbling experience for most students. The challenges of learning the fundamentals are very real, but so are the rewards. Children that play, especially the piano, are almost always in the top half of their academic classes. Also, it builds coordination, concentration and confidence.

The subject of confidence leads me to share our experience of our most recent piano recital. Ms. Cooper-Williams hosted a performance for her young students not long ago. I was so delighted that our family could be part of this concert. It all began several weeks ago while the girls were preparing to perform their pieces of music. They even went as far as practicing how to walk to the piano, how to bow or curtsy, how to play their pieces with poise and confidence and then conclude their performance with another “thank you” bow or curtsy.

When performance time came, the audience was receptive, eager and attentive to each and every performer. We were so proud of both girls, but especially in awe of our oldest who performed a rather lengthy medley of music from the movie “Twilight.” Ms. Cooper-Williams decided at the last minute to add an impromptu accompaniment part to this piece. My daughter played her part intently while her teacher played the improvised counter-melodies to a piece that she had struggled to learn for months. Without hesitation or distraction, we watched our child embrace this improvised, fuller arrangement, feeling every note, every phrase. The audience was truly impressed with her obvious gift and she experienced the joy of sharing music.

My youngest child, even though in the beginning stages of study, played a blues piece with Ms. Cooper-Williams. She did a splendid job, especially when it came to the required, encouraged curtsy.

All in all, this was a delightful experience for us all and I eagerly promote the concept of music education for all children. I feel it’s the responsibility of parents to make music education a part of their children’s curriculum, even though most public schools across the country have eliminated music.

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The success of IPML sometimes seems like a daunting task to me, but meeting with and listening to all of your valuable input helps me see the importance of our work. I also see a clearer path to success now that I am more familiar with each one of you and your talents.  I am posting this recap (sort of like the minutes of a parlimentary procedure) so that we will remember our discussions about our goals and we can begin working toward achieving them.

The meeting began by introducing everyone, especially our newest Affiliates and a couple who were thinking about coming aboard. People present were:

Adena Surabian, Director of Public Relations and marketing expert to public schools and young families;

Bob Millard, professional photographer and liason to the Los Angeles arts community;

Gary Vincent, poet/novelist tied into the Santa Barbara arts community;

Lisa Folkes, educator working with English as a Second Language students in Korea and Japan and involved with Native American programs;

Beverly Folkes, Curator of the Chumash Indian Interpretive Center and also involved in Native American issues;

Dr. Sandee Saurman, a Ph.D of Audiology and is top consultant in our Music Therapy Department and Homeschooling Departments, and esteemed hostess of our bar-b-que;

Angelo Sink who was just 14 years old sat in our meeting as a teen consultant (I’ve always thought it was important to get a teen’s perspective);

Robert Sink, Vice Present, CTO/IT Manager of IPML;

David Cooper, professional photographer and Director of Marketing;

and myself, Marlene Cooper-Williams, Founder and CEO of IPML. The only local Affiliate not present was Eliot Brown who is in charge of our Boy Scouts of America program.

We discussed all the different programs currently in development including: Music Therapy, Boy Scout Merit Badge, Homeschooling, Public Relations push, Social Networking, Interns, “Musinars,” obtaining grant money and asking for inspirational writing submissions from friends and patrons. We discussed adding more visuals on the website to help users and prospective clients better understand how to use the site.  We talked about reaching out to the National PTA for inclusion in their newsletters and distributing flyers to public schools. To that end Angelo reported that he spoke with the music department in his high school (Pacific Palisades High) and they’re interested in knowing more about our program after school starts. I also spoke about getting non-profit status for our music therapy program and we announced our involvement with Boy Scouts of America jamboree coming up October 15-17 where we will have a booth.

These have been some of the most active and energetic discussions we have had and when we finished the meeting we proceeded with a barbecue filled with music, food and fun.

Now that’s the way to do business.

Thank you guys and now let’s get to work.

Marlene

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Of course, we’ve known all along that the internet would provide new avenues for service businesses like music lessons and music therapy, but it’s good to know that the L.A. Times has figured it out too.

Video chat technology extends professional service providers reach – latimes.com.

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“Music has a direct line to the emotional part of the brain, and when people listen to music that they enjoy, it is definitely going to have an emotional impact on them,” said Anne Howard, a neurologic music therapist.

via Shakiras music helps keep Wilton man alive, family says – Sacramento Living – Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee.

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The article points out that due to the variety of possible root causes of Tinnitus the efficacy of various treatments can vary widely from case to case.  From the article:

Now, German researchers claim that personalized music therapy may be beneficial for people suffering from tinnitus.

This innovative approach is based on recent findings that suggest reorganization of the auditory cortex, the part of the brain responsible for perceiving sound, may possibly cause tinnitus.

The treatment involves the patient listening to specially formulated music tracks for a couple of hours a day.

Feel free to register with iplaymusiclive.com and let us connect you with a board certified music therapist right in your web browser today.

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YouTube – The Heart Is A Drum Machine – Official Trailer.

This looks like an interesting film which explores the question: what is music?   We find surprising answers from working musicians.

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NEWS RELEASE

MAY 5, 2010      FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE

IPLAYMUSICLIVE.COM LAUNCHES UNIQUE MUSIC EDUCATION WEBSITE

http://www.iplaymusiclive.com (IPML), a division of MCWMUSIC, is announcing the launch of their unique, proprietary music education program.  This is being offered globally to allow a comprehensive, quality music education to anyone, any age, learning to play all instruments and voice, at all levels with a focus on affordability and convenience.

IPML’s online music lessons are provided by highly trained instructors located all over the world, thus their slogan “music without borders.”  The lessons are delivered by a live instructor via webcam on the student’s computer or laptop which could be located anywhere with an internet connection.

IPML is in the process of announcing the introduction and implementation of several new programs. One example is the “Musinar,” the first one to be held online Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 5:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time.  Host, Marlene Cooper, will be interviewing Kirk E. Smith, nationally renowned Orchestral Conductor and CEO of Smith Music Associates, about how music students can make their music pay off over the summer. Mr. Smith is an accomplished conductor with a 30 year history as a Conductor and Professor of Music at universities like Georgia State University and University at Albany. 

Registration for the Musinar is free and will include a question and answer session.

IPML plans to host regular Musinars to help educate students and musicians around the world about the latest techniques, news and happenings in the music industry and we invite all music organizations interested in participating to contact us.

For additional information and announcements of up-coming programs, please visit http://www.iplaymusiclive.com.

You may also contact:

Marlene Cooper-Williams, President

http://www.iplaymusiclive.com

877-343-8917

Marlene Cooper-Williams
President/CEO
marlene@iplaymusiclive.com

http://www.iplaymusiclive.com

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Online, webcam music lesson website, iplaymusiclive.com, has just announced the launch of its music therapy department which is actively hiring qualified music therapists to work with clients in need of music therapy.

Thousand Oaks, CA June 24, 2010 –– Online, webcam music lesson website, iplaymusiclive.com, has just announced the launch of its music therapy department which is actively hiring qualified music therapists to work with clients in need of music therapy.

This company provides online music lessons with live teachers on their website, iplaymusiclive.com. After a recent video podcast (archived online at: http://www.iplaymusiclive.com/?p=375) featuring an interview with Audiologist Dr. Sandee Saurman there was a marked response from the health care community seeking qualified instructors and therapists to apply the ground breaking techniques developed in recent years using music to help improve brain function and emotional health in people of all walks of life.

According to Dr. Saurman, one of the benefits realized from the act of reading and playing music is that it can help strengthen the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain known as the “corpus callosum” which has benefits not only for patients with severe brain function impairment but for perfectly healthy individuals.

Advances in the field of music therapy has resulted in a steady increase in its application to help treat a wide variety of ailments including Autism, addiction, depression and traumatic brain injuries. In response to a spike in demand for qualified music therapy providers from national rehab centers iplaymusiclive.com is aggressively seeking out teachers and clinicians with music therapy experience to service these clients.

Contact Marlene Cooper Williams, President of iplaymusiclive.com for more information at marlene@iplaymusiclive.com or call 877.343.8917

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Educational Activities, Inc. Music Contributes to Computer-Based Music Perception Assessment.

I am happy to bring attention to a most interesting and fascinating article regarding music therapy.  Please follow this link and read all about the benefits of music therapy with regard to pediatrics.

As  you will note, the American Music Therapy Association is endorsing this publication for use with current curriculum in helping young children understand many concepts.

iplaymusiclive.com will continue to bring articles of interest to the forefront.

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