Music Made for Us!

This is just the coolest! In Bible class, we have talked about the role the internet has played in transforming the way we listen to music. I have also been interested in the field of music therapy for a while now and have considered pursuing it in university, so this video interests me.

Even if someone says they don't care or don't pay attention to the music they listen to, it still has an effect on them. Music can completely alter your perception of a picture or situation and can even change the biology of your brain.

It's amazing how bird songs and nature sounds are the ones that produce the most white blood cells and greatest positive results in patients in critical care. The only thing these guys got wrong is that this is a result of our connection to God through nature and not just our "biological connection to the world." I'm reminded of a Sunday School song from Isaiah 55:12 in support of the earth being connected to God's people as they are lead out of slavery in Egypt. "For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills before you will break forth in singing and all of the trees of the fields shall clap their hands... and it shall make a name for the Lord."

This is a great video about the Landfill Harmonics!
Another cellist from Paraguay is featured at 27 seconds :)

Tuning Up

The first challenge of this project was finding an instrument that I could learn on. My lovely aunt agreed to lend me her cello, but she didn't have a bow to go with it. Thankfully, a cellist from my church had an extra bow and was glad to let me use it. I got the bow a few weeks ago and was very excited to pick up the cello on Sunday.

I needed to do some research before I played the instrument even though I was raring to go!
Here are some of the things I learned from the First Year Technique tutorial videos:
- fine tuners work like screws (righty-tighty, lefty-loosy) and are used for minor tuning adjustments.
- pegs work the same way but are used for major adjustments.
- tighten the strings to make the pitch higher and loosen to make it lower
- open position plays C, G, D, and A
- the bow hairs need to be loosened in storage and tightened before playing

)