When the fourteen-year-old Joe Satriani learned, during high school football practice in 1970, of the passing of his musical hero Jimi Hendrix, he walked over to the coach and quit to become a guitarist. Over the next sixteen years, he taught guitar lessons,...
“When I need to feel like I’m in a beautiful place, that is the music I go to.” This is how one listener described the experience of listening to music by Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi. His music is elegant and simple, yet innovative. Although he...
In today’s busy world, having fun life-enhancing hobbies can drastically improve one’s quality of life. Dance is one such hobby for me. It has always fascinated me because it uses human movement as a means of artistic expression. Dance is everywhere: formal ballet...
Learning another language can have many benefits: cognitive, emotional, and social—and it doesn’t have to be the chore it used to be. Learning foreign words with no direct translation in English can help you identify and articulate experiences that you otherwise...
Great musicians can inspire students of music to improve their own playing and artistry. I experienced this myself in 2017 when, as a novice piano student, I went to see the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang on tour. I was awestruck by his technical skill, fluidity,...
You might think fantasy sports aren’t for you, especially if you’re not already a sports fan. But if you enjoy a challenge and want to sharpen your thinking skills, or even if you’ve just gone mad from months of lockdown, fantasy sports can be great fun. Among...
Taleeb Starkes, having grown up in a public housing project in Philadelphia, has unique insights into the problems plaguing black, inner-city communities. These insights, combined with a desire to share his message, led him to pen a #1 Amazon bestseller, Black Lies...
There are few things as wonderful to watch as musicians playing live and clearly loving every moment of it. A great musical performance, especially in an energetic genre like heavy metal, requires far more than just going on stage and playing a song. It’s a...
Many of us listen to music as we work, study, exercise, or read, and this can enhance our enjoyment of these activities. However, when I want to truly enjoy a song, especially an instrumental piece, I sit back and listen to it with my eyes closed. Focusing on the...
