LINK: Carly Rose Sonenclar - Stole My Heart Carly Rose Sonenclar , now age 23, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. In December 2012, she became the runner-up on the second season of the U.S.version of The X Factor. Carly started singing at the age of two. Carly made her Broadway debut at the age of seven in Les Miserables as Young Cosette (singing “Castle on a Cloud”).  She made her television debut as Gilda Flip in Season three of The Electric Company.  Screen cr

A young child says to his mother, “Mom, when I grow up I’d like to be a musician.” She replies, “Well honey, you know you can’t do both.”...

Kurt Elling is my (Charissa’s) favorite jazz vocalist of all time (sorry Ella).  I first saw him live 7 years ago at the Green Mill Jazz Club in Chicago, where he got his start.  He performed in LA in 2012 and gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen, with a small 3-piece ensemble of high-end musicians who were so tight and advanced that it felt like a whole new level of music. Miamiartzine.com has a great description of his voice.  “Elling has a weapon in his throa

This is a funny and interesting video of a science experiment demonstrating how two female monkeys react when treated unfairly.  “Only female capuchins were tested because they most closely monitor equity, or fair treatment, among their peers,” said Sarah Brosnan, lead author of the study.  Looks like unfair treatment is disliked in any species!  This can be interesting information for parents in the human species, who have all observed the unpleasant reaction between siblin

NPR recently did a story on the saxophone trio , S.O.S., noting them as “underappreciated.” The English trio S.O.S. — saxophonists John...

Though for many, Fantasie Impromptu is a college level piano piece, this student has learned it beautifully at age 8.  She has extremely developed finger dexterity and strength for someone her age.   A long hand span is also needed to reach the octave (8-note) stretches in this piece.  And the song definitely requires a sophisticated understanding of the subtle musical nuances in the dynamics and phrasing. Does that sound like a normal 8-year-old??! A neat example for beginn

The New York Times reports on a study showing that children who took music lessons at a young age had advanced development in their...

Every year the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in West Hollywood presents over one hundred concerts featuring leading...

Alive Inside is a documentary that follows social worker Dan Cohen as he creates personalized iPod playlists for people in elder care facilities, hoping to reconnect them with the music they love.  Despondent patients come back to life after listening to familiar songs that they connect with.  Long lost past memories come back to them.  Their mood is lifted and they become more conversational.  In this clip one of the patients receiving the music therapy, Henry, is asked “Wha

Across religions and countries, chanting has often been used to create spiritual and meditative results for the listeners.  This is another way music has been utilized to create positive effects on our human emotions – in this case to calm the mind and encourage introspection. Catholic monks created the “ Gregorian” chant. “The Gregorian chant originated as a form of plainsong in the Roman Catholic church under the auspices of Pope Gregory the Great. Gregory is depicted in e

Umi Garrett is a child prodigy classical pianist. In May 2009, 8-year-old Umi appeared on NBC’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show as her first public broadcast performance . Since then, she has been receiving requests to perform worldwide and appearing regularly with symphony orchestras in the US and around the world. Umi also challenges herself in the international competitions regularly. Now, at the age of 23, Umi has released three solo albums and is set to release her most recent

Los Angeles was recently introduced to French concert pianist Hélène Grimaud, when she graced the Hollywood Bowl stage in early August with two nights of piano music.  As an amazing pianist, and an activist, “she could be called a Renaissance woman for our times.  Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrum

Think levitation is only a magician’s trick? Although you may not have learned this in your high school science class, the ability to make tiny particles float in the air is possible. The ability to rise in the air through the power of sound, also known as acoustic levitation , is not new. Scientists have been performing this act since the 1940s. However, a group of Japanese researchers have recently mastered three-dimensional levitation, making it possible to float an object

Initially a concert musician, Victor Borge soon developed a style that combined comedy with classical music. In 1940 he immigrated to the U.S., where he achieved fame appearing in various venues, including radio, films, concert halls, Broadway, and TV. Though he performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, his pianistic talent was often overshadowed by his humor. To discover more about his fascinating life and career, check out his biography . Interested in lessons

4-year-old Kai gives a riveting performance of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” on his youtube video sensation, and then again in front of a live audience on this Ellen show.  This boy has an impressive handle on language and expressiveness for his age.  These are some of the skills young people can build in singing lessons, along with intonation, breath control, tone, and broadening the range.  But besides developing a pretty-sounding voice, voice lessons are a great way to help child

“ The Most Unwanted Song ” is a song created by artists Komar and Melamid and composer Dave Soldier in 1997. The song was designed to incorporate lyrical and musical elements that were annoying to most people. These elements included bagpipes, cowboy music, an opera singer rapping, and a children’s choir that urged listeners to go shopping at Wal-Mart. Komar & Melamid and David Soldier‘s list of undesirable elements included holiday music, bagpipes, pipe organ, a children’s c

Jackie Silberg is an Early Childhood Specialist.  Her expertise is in brain and literacy development for young children and developmental...

With the way that schools in California (and other states) have been gutting/removing their music programs, you would think that people...

A lot of folks believe that if they sing out of tune it can never be corrected – they either “have it” or they don’t.  This is simply not...

Gizmodo.com reports that biological anthropologist Leslie Seltzer of the University of Wisconsin held an experiment where 7-12 year-old...