Category: music

Harvey Atler, health, melodic intonation therapy, music, New York Times

A stroke victim learns to speak through song

Christa Avampato

I find is fascinating that speech is formed by the left side of our brain, while singing, though it uses the same muscles, is formed on the right side of the brain. That division may have saved Mr. Harvey Alter, a stroke survivor, from never being able to speak again.

After his stroke, and the resulting Broca’s aphasia that is caused, Mr. Alter could say only short words after month of therapy. Now, the conversation is flowing with much less difficulty thanks to melodic intonation therapy, a therapy that helps stroke victims learn to speak again by first teaching them to sing.

In today’s New York Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/22stro.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1208867443-SaFTSaS+Lm2ZuHy3sjUsiw), the details of the therapy, as well as Harvey Alter’s dramatic recovery are both touching and inspiring. “Happy Birthday” opened the door to a new life for him, the confidence to believe that he could heal himself. So while music may be good for the soul, melodic intonation therapy makes it also good for the mind.

creativity, music

Derek Paravicini – a musical marvel

Christa Avampato

I receive a daily email from an organization called Daily Good. I’ve blogged about them before – they’re about sharing inspirational stories across many different topics. I believe they provide a greater service than their humble mission statement states – they give me a big fat wake-up call, jolting me out of even a twinge of self-pity I may be feeling. They make me grateful.

Today, Stephen Moss writes about an incredibly special musician, Derek Paravicini. 27-years old, Derek has severe mental challenges that make him incapable of caring for himself. Still, his musical creativity is not only intact but far superior than nearly the entire human population. Play him a song, any song, once and he will repeat it back through the piano perfectly. 
To read Derek’s inspiring story, visit http://music.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329797892-122426,00.html

apple, music

Soundtrack for life

Christa Avampato

David Sedaris once wrote about how his Walkman helped him survive in New York – it gave him a soundtrack to live his life in, a way for him to drown out any of the noise around him on his walks. I feel the same way about my ipod. I suspect most people in New York with the signature white ear buds do, too.

This past weekend I had a great group of buddies from Darden in town. A bit of a reunion. Our semi-annual sixth month club has begun. I was talking about my birthday with my friend, Kelly, and telling her about how my birthday is really my New Year’s. I was wondering how I would commemorate a new year. And Kelly suggested a soundtrack for my year.
I’ve been thinking about the project. Considering songs here and there. Some people put together scrapbooks (which I never even thought of doing), others keep a journal (which I used to do). I write in this blog, and now I’ll be compiling yearly soundtracks.    
music

Michael Feinstein

Christa Avampato

I’ve been hearing about Michael Feinstein for many years. My friend, Dan, is his publicist. Last night, Dan took my to see the “By Request” show at Feinstein’s at the Regency Hotel. Walking in, I felt as if I was stepping back in time to old world New York. No flashy lights, sets, or costumes – just an honest, warm performance by a man who is a generous, exceedingly talented artist who loves his audience.

Most of the songs were standards – Cole Porter, Gershwin, Sondheim. There were legendary musicians in the band – Bucky Pizzarelli (http://feinsteinsattheregency.com/bio.php?id=27) and Ken Ascher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Ascher). It was a celebration of times gone by, and musicians working very hard to keep the music that they love alive. Of all the requests that were done, my favorite was a simple ballad, “Old Friend” that Mr. Feinstein performed solo, sitting at the piano. I learned from Dan that this is a staple that he has performed for decades. It’s become one of his hallmark performances.

I had never heard the song before, and found myself getting more choked up as the song went on. Even after so many years, its lyrics continue to resonate with people of all ages. It’s one of the things I love best about music and art – it lets those across generations share a common expereince. I googled it and found a You Tube video of Mr. Feinstein performing the song, the same way he did last night. A beautiful performance that renewed my belief that all of the flashy elements of so many of today’s shows are unnecessary so long as the talent on stage is at the level I saw last night.

See the video of “Old Friend” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsoJQeyyIbg.

music

A Fine Frenzy

Christa Avampato

At first the title above sounds to me like a perfect subtitle to my life. Instead, it is a really terrific singer / songwriter, Alison Sudol, who has written music that I cannot stop playing on my ipod. The album, One Cell in the Sea, has a five-star rating on Amazon and is flying off the shelves, for good reason.

Her arrangements, lyrics, and voice have an enchantment to them. There are few albums that I can listen to from beginning to end and love every single song. This is one. Stop reading this blog post and get your hands on a copy.