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

Playing Music Can Help Boost Your Memory

Thank goodness I started playing music when I was a kid, probably around 10 years old. If I hadn't begun reading music and playing the trombone in the 4th grade, I probably would have a worse memory then I already have :) Previous research has shown that playing music can lead to better language processing skills and enhanced working memory. Now new research has determined that playing music also allows musicians to be better able to store that established knowledge for the long-term.

Dr. Heekyeong Park, assistant professor of psychology along with other researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington, measured electrical neuron activity in the brains of 14 musicians who had been studying classical music for at least 15 years. They had these participants play memory games with both words and pictures while hooked up to an EEG (Electroencephalography) machine. This EEG machine records processing differences in the frontal and temporal lobes, and the memory games were designed to test both working and long term memory.

The study results revealed that the musicians scored higher than the control group of participants on both the working memory tests and the long term memory tests. Currently, the research team is not able to determine why musicians score higher on these memory tests, however these findings provide hope that perhaps some type of musical training may help those who have difficulty with cognitive and other memory challenges.

The team at the University of Texas at Arlington presented their findings in November 2014 at the Neuroscience 2014, the international meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Washington, D.C. - For more information on their study please visit them at www.uta.edu/news/releases/2014/11/music-memory.php We first heard about this study from our friends at the www.huffingtonpost.com - Musicians-Have-Better-Memory

That's for today folks - Happy Monday and just two more days till New Years Eve 2014 and a new beginning in 2015. We'll be back with another post before the clock strikes midnight on 12/31/2014!

Peace, Love & Happiness

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

Stubhub Helps Raise $ 300,000+ for Music Education

We all know StubKub as that event ticket company helping us to buy or sell tickets to our favorite sporting events, concerts and pretty much any event you can think of. StubHub has become so popular in fact that even my Mom who is in her 80's uses it to sell tickets. I was surprised and pleased to learn that Stubhub's Next Stage Concert Series is also helping to raise money for the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation which in turn purchases musical instruments for under-funded schools all over the United States. To date, this concert series has raised over $ 300,000 (this year alone I believe) with the total instrument value reaching almost $ 600,000 (double your money which is pretty good, perhaps they are getting good discounts from instrument manufacturers we'll have to check that out).

Featuring bands like GroupLove, Trombone Shorty, Walk the Moon and more, these concert events help raise money and exposure for this very important cause. Giving kids an opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument early in life. All in all this program has helped 16,000 students start to learn an instrument who otherwise might not have. This opportunity will have a great impact on these kids both now and in their future.

I was first introduced to the Next Stage Concert Series by this Mashable article http://mashable.com/2014/11/07/stubhub-next-stage-concert-series/

To learn about StubHub's Next Stage Concert Series please visit them online at StubHub Next Stage Concert Series. To learn more about the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and the great work they do please visit them at Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation . I was very impressed to see how many schools that they donate music instruments to all over the country every year. I'll leave you with a very inspirational video that shows the impact of what this foundation does:

Have a great weekend and we'll be back to you soon!

Music, Love & Laughter,

Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com