Champions for Change!

Siblings Jennifer and Jonathan got up one day and got ready for school, not knowing that this day would have such a drastic impact on there lives. Both of the children went through their morning routines – taking all their medicines, eating their hamburgers for breakfast, and immediately calling their beloved mother to check on her. She had been in the hospital for two weeks after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. They listen intently to her voice and linger upon her words, because they know that any moment could be her last. Unfortunately Jonathan felt sick and decided to stay home all alone while his sister Jennifer walked to school all alone, because her father wasn’t there to take her. He passed away two years ago – when Jennifer was ten and Jonathan was eight – and not one day passes without them missing him. Not one day passes without these two caring siblings worrying about their parents, not to mention worrying about their own health. This is their day-to-day reality, which is unfortunately common throughout their community and beyond. Not all families may experience this quite as harshly as Jennifer and Jonathan, but they may come close. This is an all-too-familiar sounding story, and we need to prevent these stories from happening, from the roots up. Thankfully, there is a solution – Champions for Change. 

The effects of mal-nutrition and lack of exercise are staggering. Every 20 seconds, a person in the United States has a heart attack, and nearly 2,500 Americans die from heart disease each day. An estimated 145,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer each year. It is predicted that, if we continue in the same unhealthy directions, then we will be the first generation ever to not live longer than our parents.

Obviously, this epidemic needs to change.

Champions for Change takes a stand by empowering and educating communities, rather than enforcing restrictive corporate plans. They promote eating more fruits and vegetables, and being more active in our kitchens, homes, schools, neighborhoods, etc. There are plenty of causes we could be supporting, but you must help yourself before you can help others. With Champions for Change, you can help not only yourself, but also many others. They undeniably supporting the elimination of what is probably the biggest epidemic in our country – cancer. It is said that cancer kills more people than alcohol, drugs, and tobacco combined. There are heaps of solid information that proves that the ultimate cancer-fighting foods are fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies not only prevent cancer, but also prevent many other diseases and everyday illnesses – by building up your immune system. It is simple. We are from this earth and our bodies are designed to live off of what grows naturally from this land; not what has been processed, altered, and denaturalized. The other part of the equation is exercise. It gives us more energy and endurance during the day, it builds our muscles for whatever we may need them for, and it helps our body systems function drastically better. By eating healthier and being more active, we are improving peoples’ lives from home and beyond.

People often may think that eating healthy and getting more active costs too much money and time. On the contrary, not doing these things costs more. The price for medications, surgeries, and other treatments definitely outweighs the cost of staying healthy. Also, if more people make these changes, then the cost of doing so will go down – supply and demand. We wouldn’t have to be paying for all of the extra fillers and chemicals, and we could be healthy for less.

Picture a world where children are missing less days of school (because of being sick), less people getting life-threatening diseases, less people are having to pay for expensive medical treatments, people know how to take better care of themselves, people have more energy to reach their goals at school and work, people are stronger and can therefore do more, and most importantly – people have a longer and happier lifetime with the people they love. Why wouldn’t you want all of these great effects? Making these changes are completely possible and completely worth it.

With the power of Champions for Change, we can give homes, kitchens, and entire communities exactly what they need – health. We can give Jennifer and Jonathan better lives, and prevent those things from happening to our loved ones and ourselves.

Sources:

http://www.cachampionsforchange.net/en/index.php

http://www.cancer.org/index?gclid=CJqcsvTf_agCFQQ-bAodTzK0TQ

http://www.jackmedina.com/

http://www.mamashealth.com/Heart_stat.asp

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080502063443AASjt7k

Music Power

Think of a song. Any song that you have ever heard. How does it make you feel? What does it express? Whether you like the song or not, it has a rippling effect on you and all of society. Every song has a message – whether it has words or not – that changes how we think, how we see the world, and how we treat others. Listening to music is one half of the experience, but being able to play music yourself gives you the ability to change the world on a personal and collective scale. 

 

Making music allows you to speak the universal language that connects people on a global level. Journalist Daniel Pearl noticed the potential of music to bridge differences among people and wanted to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, he was killed in 2002 but his message lives on through his father Judea Pearl and the Daniel Pearl World Music Foundation. Their message is simply about bringing the world together with expression through music. Anyone and everyone can experience music in their own way, but there’s also a mutual understanding in the emotions of music. You can relate and understand the emotions of anyone from next door to across the globe just by listening to some chords or notes. Not only is it a universal language, but the act of making music it’s self also brings people together. It is a beautiful thing to see people who would normally be enemies make music for and/or with each other. People who would normally be total strangers, colleagues, or friends can suddenly have a stronger bond with you while experiencing making music together. If even more people would speak this harmony of mankind (and in a wise way), we could improve a significant part of the world’s problems.

In addition to working miracles with the rest of the world, music can also do marvelous things to us on a personal level. Many people may believe that learning to play an instrument can be a waste of time and all play with no work – but it is just the opposite. In today’s society we are told mostly to do things that involve our left brain (see picture), while many people are often lacking in right brain function. Both hemispheres of the brain are equally important, and the brain functions optimally when both sides are being exercised. According to the Journal of Brain and Cognition, “musicians are particularly good at efficiently accessing and integrating competing information from both hemispheres...” According to the study, musicians are better at divergent thinking, thinking creatively, expressing themselves verbally, and have higher IQ scores than their non-musician counterparts. It has also been found that “music therapy” (and other forms of art therapy) can drastically help people of all ages with mental disorders such as depression, epilepsy, alzheimer's, and many others ailments. Many studies even show that music can improve athletic performance in children, and alleviate physical pain.

Before we decide to eliminate music programs from our schools in order to better fund "core" subjects, we need to realize what we’re doing. Learning music drastically helps with other subjects in school. Loads of studies have shown that children who participate in music programs show improved spatial-temporal skills, enhanced academic performance, more out-of-the-box thinking and better social skills. Yes, taking on an instrument often requires vast amounts of money, but if you work hard, the results are worth more than the money put in. When someone develops skills on a not-so-expensive instrument, then they can play even better when they get to play a higher quality instrument. Also, with the ability to play music, you have a potential way to make money with it. In the long run, the money put into learning music is completely worth the results that come out of it.

One reason many people don’t learn to play an instrument is because they think they lack the talent for it or they “just can’t do it”. Many (if not all) experts would agree that talent is often only an extremely small part of the equation, if any part – the rest is determination, passion, and practice. Practically anyone can play music if they put their mind to it. Music is a very human language, therefore not perfect with its beauty often in it’s “perfect imperfections”. Creativity is all about breaking the rules and as a result, all music is unique. Anyone can make music.

In addition, playing music is FUN. It can be the perfect emotional escape from reality and it can express your reality within you. Enjoying your music is key to staying passionate and on track.

You can speak music no matter who you are. By learning to express yourself through an instrument, you can give harmony to yourself and the whole world. On a mental level you can feel happier and smarter, and societal level, you can change the world. Every note, harmony, tone, and melody has a rippling effect. It’s all in your hands.

Sources:

http://www.danielpearl.org/index.html

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

http://eric.ed.gov:80/PDFS/EJ682596.pdf

http://www.physorg.com/news142185056.html

http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/jan05_music.htm

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html

The Art of Taking On a New Instrument

 Everyone would probably agree that music has huge power in our lives. It can change your mood, it can bring people together, and it can even give you a whole new level of awareness. Though to listening to others’ music can be incredible, being able to experience and express yourself through music on your own can be even more rewarding. By taking on the challenge of a new instrument, you can open yourself up to a whole new world!

I strongly believe that anyone can play music. If you have ever been told that you can’t, then keep on trying. Talent is only an extremely small part of the equation, while determination and hard work is the biggest. I have been playing piano for about eight years and violin for less than a year. I also like to diddle around some with guitar and singing. There are heaps of options when it comes to deciding on an instrument. Here are some of the infinite possibilities: accordion, agogo bells, bagpipes, banjo, baritone, bass drum, bassoon, bell, bongo, bugle, castanets, celeste, cello, chimes, clarinet, clavichord, conga drum, contrabassoon, cornet, cowbell, cymbals, double bass, dulcian, dynamo phone, euphonium, flugelhorn, flute, flutophone, french horn, glockenspiel, gongs, guitar, harmonica, harp, harpsichord, jaw harp, calliope, lute, mandolin, maracas, marimba, metallophone, musical box, oboe, ondes-martenot, orchestra bells, piano, piccolo, recorder, ride cymbal, saxophone, scraper, shawm, snare drum, sousaphone, steel drums, tambourine, tenor drum, trumpet, timbales, timpani, triangle, trombone, trumpet, tuba, ukulele, vibraphone, viola, violin, voice, xylophone, and zither. Things called “rules” are only subjective when it comes to playing music. Your possibilities are endless.

If you have already learned to play an instruments(s) than learning a new one will most likely come easier for you. You’ll have more experience with musicality, reading, theory, interpretation, etc. depending on what you’ve already learned. If it is your first time learning an instrument, then all the more adventure is welcome for you! 

When you start a new instrument, the first thing to do is explore the instrument and learn it’s physical mechanics. You may ask, “How do you explore an instrument?!?” Bang on it, blow into it, bow it, pluck it, scream it, or whisper it in any way imaginable. Some things in music cannot be taught by a textbook but merely by experimentation. Next, learn the parts of the instrument and how they function, learn how to do simple things that when practiced, can go into muscle memory. For example: with piano, learn scales and how to position your hands. For violin, learn how to bow. For voice, learn warm ups and scales, etc., etc. Basically learn the parts of the instrument and how they work, but in simple and realistic steps. Learning the mechanics of your instrument is key to being able to express yourself in sound.

One of the most useful attributes a musician can have is the ability to read. It allows you to not only play practically anything, but also to understand the subtleties that the composer intended. This is generally when you would need someone like a teacher to pass on this language to you. If you’ve already learned to read music for one instrument, then relating that knowledge to your new instrument will help you read faster. Often different instruments will have some new markings that are related to the instrument. The more you read, the more you can read. For example, one Summer my dad and I spent hours and hours rocking out and sight-reading tons of simple Beatles songs. After hours of practice, I could suddenly play more (not all) music right off of the page. It doesn’t matter exactly what you’re reading as long as you keep on trying.

On most occasions, practicing is the one and only way to enhance and expand your musicianship skills. The more you do something, the better you become at it – simple as that. According to conductor and music scholar Benjamin Zander (see video link below), the longer you have worked on a musical piece, the less you will have conscious impulses. The impulses become subconscious, rather than focusing on every single little detail. You gain the ability to make not only notes on a page or single movements of your fingers, but true expressive music.

Something to help you become a well-rounded musician is music theory, which gives you a better understanding of the behind-the-scenes science of music. Learning music theory can help you understand what is being expressed by a composer (which later helps you express yourself in many ways), it teaches you the mechanics of how music works and how it’s come to be, and it helps refine your listening skills.

Last and most importantly, you must enjoy your music. This will keep your passion alive and keep you determined. You can even make goals to be able to play your favorite songs. It is an incredible feeling to be able to play what you’ve always loved to hear.

Through much open mindedness, experimentation, practice, determination, passion, and enjoyment, you can learn to speak the universal language of music. You have the potential to possess everything that makes music so fantastic.

Check out this great video of Benjamin Zander:
http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Sources:

http://musiced.about.com/od/musicinstruments/a/instruments.htm

http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/lists/c/words.php?f=musical_instruments

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/music/

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html

http://silversouledbeatle.tumblr.com/