Russian Artist directs a 12 Robot Orchestra

Yes you read the headline right, Russian artist and composer Dmitry Morozov has been working on his robotic endeavors for several years and has now come up with a 12 piece Robot Orchestra that he personally conducts. The project is called Nayral-Ro and the "musical" sounds are derived from scientific algorithms. The robots performances are then controlled by hand movements made through a motion controller.

The result of this technological wonder is not exactly what you were hoping for, at least not yet. For anyone that remembers dial-up internet from the 1990's, you'll definitely recall the sounds your modem made when connecting you to the internet. The combined result of the this robot orchestra sounds a lot more like a Modem Symphony than a musical piece. What Dmitry Morozov has created so far is an elegant way to direct and conduct a dozen machines playing what I'll call "bits and bytes" music. While it's not exactly pleasing to the ear, it is a step towards eventually being able to have a human conduct multiple robot musicians performing a musical piece we'll recognize and perhaps someday enjoy.

We originally came across Dimitry and his Nayral-Ro project in thie article: Muse.org - Russian-Artist-Conducts-a-Robot-Orchestra/. Check it out and you'll be able to listen to the sounds of his latest creation.

The obvious question now is, are we ready for a robot orchestra? Are we ready to have human musicians replaced by machines?? I hope the answer is a resounding no, however I fear the future on this topic has already been written. I'm all for technological advances, but when it comes to expressing human feelings through music and art, I don't see how machines however well programmed can compete with the human heart and soul. We'll check back in from time to time on advances in this field and we'll see where it's going. Hopefully they will find a way to retain the human element in futuristic machine performances of music.

Wow I can't believe it was 12 days from my last blog post, we are really slacking :) Actually we've been working very hard on our Keep Music Alive Mission and looking for stories for our upcoming book "88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life". If you'd like to learn more about mission and how you can contribute a story or quote for the book please visit www.lovesongs.com/KeepMusicAlive. Have a great day and we'll be back soon - sooner than 12 days this time :)

Music, Love & Laughter

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

"Eye Play the Piano" Helps Physically Impaired Children Play the Piano

The power and reach of technology grows every year, and now a Japanese company has created a way for disabled children (and adults) to be able to play the piano using only their eyes. The company FOVE has teamed up with the University of Tsukuba to invent a headset that tracks the eye movement of the user. This of course has many possible applications, but in this case it is being used to play the piano. The wearer of the headset simply looks at panels on the virtual reality headset and this triggers piano notes and even chords.

The system appears to have at least 3 different modes, one where the user can play single notes, a second mode where they can play chords with accompanying bass notes, and a third where they can play a melody and a chord and/or bass note is played along with their melody.

How amazing and awesome is this! Now children who could previously never dream of playing the piano, can now do so and not only play existing songs, but also learn to write new songs utilizing this technology. This opens up a whole new world of playing and creating music for an audience who will immensely benefit from this capability. Take a look at this short 3 minute video demonstration that shows a young boy playing the piano accompanying a choir of physically impaired children singing "Joy to the World".

We first read about this amazing invention though an article in The Guardian here: The Guardian: "Disabled Play Piano Using Virtual Reality Headset". In the article they explain a bit more about the technology and where its leading to next. FOVE and the University of Tsukuba are now seeking funding to help distribute this technology to schools for the physically impaired. Presumably this will start in Japan and hopefully soon spread to the rest of the world. Personally I can't wait to see what future capabilities develop through this as the technology continues to evolve and becomes available to more children and adults who can benefit from it.

That's our musical tech tidbit for the day. We hope you all had a great week and will be back with another post early in the week. Stay warm (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) and stay safe!

Peace, Love & Music,

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

How Do You Keep Teenagers Interested in Music Lessons???

Many times children will start out learning to play an instrument when they are in elementary school. Very often it will be piano lessons at home, or perhaps a band instrument at school including trumpet, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone and drums/percussion being the most popular. However, by the time these same children become teenagers and begin entering high school, their interest in music and music lessons often begins to fade.

There a number of reasons for this of course, not the least of which the number of distractions now presenting themselves these days. Teenagers now have computers, laptops, tablets, cell phones, cable TV, Netflix, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumbler, and the grand daddy of all social media Facebook. With all of these entertainment options and distractions now available is it any wonder that teenagers today have a hard time wanting to stay focused on music and continue learning their instrument.

I can think of several ways to try and rekindle the interest of your teen (or perhaps yourself) in music lessons and music in general. Not in any particular order, here are a few:

• Try learning a new instrument you haven't played before - Sometimes we get stuck in a rut playing the same instrument for years, and if we just try learning how to play something new maybe an instrument you've always wanted to play this would do the trick.
• Consider learning songs in a different genre - If you've been taking classical piano lessons for years and perhaps you're tired of it, try beginning to learn how to play popular songs from the radio and YouTube. This is a whole different experience and playing songs that are more familiar to you may help recharge your musical batteries.
• Try learning from a new teacher - It can be difficult to tell a teacher you've had for a while that you want to move on and try something different but sometimes that what you need to do. Get a new and different perspective from someone else who will undoubtedly have a different style of teaching. In fact don't be afraid to take lessons from several different teachers over time as you'll be amazed what different techniques and tips you'll learn from each one.
• Start learning how to write your own songs or instrumental compositions - If pop, country or R&B music is your favorite style then try your hand at writing some original songs; if jazz or classical is your specialty then write a few instrumental musical pieces in those genres. Learning the process of how to write your own music will open up your eyes and musical hearts to so many different possibilities.

That's all the ideas I can think of for now, but I'm sure we will add to this list over time. I got this idea for today's post from an article in the Irish Times about how to keep teenagers interested in music. One major theme they discuss is to share with your music students the social importance and impact of playing an instrument. Playing music with others either in a band, an ensemble or any type of musical group can be one of the most satisfying experiences you will ever have. To learn more about what Music Generations and Limerick Voices are doing over in Ireland to help teens stay interested please read Irish Times - How to Stop Teenagers from Tuning Out of Music Lessons

That's all for today boys and girls - Stop back in a few days for our next post. In the meantime go find a quiet spot and play some music, or better yet call some bands and do a jam session.

Music, Love & Laughter,

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

Preserving Nashville's Music Row for Future Generations

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced that it is placing Nashville's Music Row on its National Treasure list of historically sites that are threatened by development. Along with New York City's Tin Pan Alley and Brill Building, Music Row in Nashville is where so many of America's treasured songs were written and first recorded. The preservation efforts in Nashville came into focus last year when a developer was looking to demolish one of the historic RCA Studio buildings in Nashville. This studio was originally developed by country legend Chet Atkins in 1964 and has been used by a multitude of artist legends over the years including Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. The Trust working along with Music Industry Coalition, the Mayor's office and several other groups were successful in saving the studio which for the last dozen years has been rented by singer-songwriter Ben Folds.

As the future of music and technology continue to change, many of the buildings and facilities that were once necessary to create the music of the day are no longer relevant. But that doesn't mean that the historic legacy of some of the most important sites should not be preserved for future generations to see and learn about. RCA Studio A was about to become victim to the development of more luxury condominiums. Similar size recording studios in other cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York as well as international locations have already met this fate with their physical history now gone forever.

Here is the original article where we learned about these preservation efforts: ABCNEWs: Coalition-Announces-Effort-To-Preserve-Nashvilles-Music-Wow. To learn more about the National Trust for Historic Preservation and their efforts to save many of our treasured buildings, please visit them at www.PreservationNation.org/

What musically history sites do you think should be preserved for future generations? Drop us a comment to let us know your thoughts. Until next time, have a great night and we'll be back sooooon with another musical post-it note for you :)

Music, Love & Laughter

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

What if the Beatles NEVER existed??

What do you think music would be like if the Beatles never existed? What if Elvis, Elton John, Billy Joel, Madonna, Taylor Swift or [Insert Your Favorite Artist] never wrote or sang a single song? What if most of the artists you grew up listening while growing up never played a note?? Can you imagine never hearing those songs that meant so much to you? Can you imagine what living in a world without all the music we've ever loved would be like?? Well neither can we!!

Most of the musical history we love and cherish so much was created by people whose very first experience learning to play an instrument or sing was in school. I believe our entire musical history past, present and future depends on continuing to keep music alive in our schools and communities. We need to keep as much music and arts education in our schools as possible. If we fail to do so, then the quality of new music we hear will diminish over time as young creative minds are no longer nurtured and encouraged to create.

As part of our “Keep Music Alive” mission, we are publishing a book on May 1st entitled “88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life”. We are searching for inspirational music stories, anecdotes and quotes to include, and I was wondering if you might have a story or quote you’d like to share with the world? Our goal for “Keep Music Alive” is to raise the awareness of how important music is in all of our lives: educationally, therapeutically and our overall happiness. The book “88+ Ways” will help us spread this message with inspirational stories & quotes, highlights of recent research demonstrating the importance of music education plus tips for schools and communities trying to save or improve their music programs.

"88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life"

Here are some questions that may give you some ideas for a quote or story:

• Did music help get you through a difficult time in your life?
• As a musician/performer or audience member, did you witness a particular touching situation involving music?
• Was there a particular song, or artist, that strongly resonated and influencing you while growing up?
• Was a there a person in your life who influenced you with their music?
• Did you learn to play an instrument or take part in your school's band or chorus and how did this experience affect you?
• Was music used to help you during a type of therapy, either to motivate you or to "just get you through it"?

When you look back now, how do you think your life is different, or has changed, because of music?

For more information on the book and story submissions please visit www.lovesongs.com/keepmusicalive or simply visit LoveSongs.com and click on “Keep Music Alive”. Our story submission deadline is Feb 28th, 2015 so still plenty of time to have your musical story included in "88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life".

Please also LIKE our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/keepmusicalivemission and if you have questions about the book or mission you can email us at MusicStories (at) LoveSongs.com.

We hope you all have a great weekend and we'll be back on Sunday with another pppppost!

Music, Love & Happiness

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

UK Artist Rumer: "Access to music should be every child’s basic right"

Greetings and Happy New Year 2015 to one and all! We've got big plans this year for LoveSongs.com and our "Keep Music Alive" Mission including publishing our book "88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life" and the 1st Annual Teach Music America week coming this spring. We are still looking for inspirational music stories and quotes for the book, so if you've got something you'd like to share please visit www.lovesongs.com/keepmusicalive and let us know.

While researching for our mission, we recently came across an article about music education in the UK, and the title of the article really got our attention. It simply states: "Access to music should be every child’s basic right" and the quote came from UK singer-songwriter Rumer. Up to this point I had not been aware of her music, so I did some digging and really liked what I found. Her voice is eerily similar to Karen Carpenter ("We've Only Just Begun", "Close to You"), not a complete match fortunately, but with many of the same warm and beautiful qualities.

Rumer was speaking at the Westminster Education Forum which was an event held in the UK to discuss the future of music education. While there was much debate on the progress of improving music education and how best to continue, it was Rumer's comments that held the audience most captive. We at Keep Music Alive could not agree more. Every child no matter where they live or where they go to school should have the opportunity to be exposed to both music and music education. They should have the chance to learn how to play an instrument at an early age. Doing so would help open up their creativity in so many ways that would benefit both them and society later in life. We need to find a way to somehow make music and arts education an integral part of every childs education experience. When we finally do that, I believe we will be amazed at what the results for our world can be.

Here is the article from The Guardian that first introduced us to Rumer The Guardian - Access to Music Education is every Childs Basic Right. We also discovered another article where Rumer talks about her latest album and her adventure from the UK to California and what the change in scenery (and climate) have helped do for her and her music. Huffington Post - Rumer, California and Into Colour

Finally we'll leave you with an Album trailer for Rumer's new CD entitled "Into Coulour". I have to say I had not heard of an album trailer before (movie trailers yes), but it certainly sounds like a really good idea. Please take a look and listen to the latest musical works from Rumer including her song "Dangerous"' which has landed her once again on the UK Music Charts.

I hope your New Year has gotten off to great start...we'll be back soon with another post and more details about whats happening in 2015!

Music, Love & Happiness

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com