Research

 
The Ensemble seeks to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change.

Cultivating Gratitude

09-07-2021

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed placerat condimentum blandit. Pellentesque eu metus varius, mattis dolor id, mattis neque. Aenean tempor erat eu consequat sagittis. Phasellus eu arcu gravida, ultricies purus ut, consequat enim. Sed suscipit eros consequat felis vehicula finibus. Cras ac lorem sagittis magna laoreet feugiat quis et sem. Aenean aliquet sem nec convallis placerat. Sed ut ultricies dolor. Duis quis odio rutrum, rhoncus enim id, iaculis nisl. Morbi in varius nibh. Donec ut enim massa. Etiam pulvinar felis ullamcorper felis mollis accumsan.

Moving Forward from the Pandemic in the Arts

09-07-2021

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed placerat condimentum blandit. Pellentesque eu metus varius, mattis dolor id, mattis neque. Aenean tempor erat eu consequat sagittis. Phasellus eu arcu gravida, ultricies purus ut, consequat enim. Sed suscipit eros consequat felis vehicula finibus. Cras ac lorem sagittis magna laoreet feugiat quis et sem. Aenean aliquet sem nec convallis placerat. Sed ut ultricies dolor. Duis quis odio rutrum, rhoncus enim id, iaculis nisl. Morbi in varius nibh. Donec ut enim massa. Etiam pulvinar felis ullamcorper felis mollis accumsan.

Over 200 Ways to Advocate for Music Education (With Science!)

08-18-2021

Are you in need of some fresh material for grants, or some strong talking points for meetings with potential donors? Take a look at this article that summarizes over 200 different scientific studies on the advantages of music education. Published on Stars & Catz, “Benefits of music education statistics (200+ studies)” sorts those aforementioned benefits into unique categories, helping you search for the points that most support your advocacy. Interestingly—and perhaps helpfully—the resource shares that “80% of the studies carried out on this topic have been published in the last 12 years.”

Celebrate the Work of Composer Florence Price at Price Fest 2021

08-18-2021

Over the course of this year, many works by composers of color are being celebrated and performed on the global stage. One such celebration is this year’s International Florence Price Festival (Price Fest) 2021: A New Black Renaissance, happening this August 20–23. Sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Music, the virtual celebration of composer Florence Price will be led by a creative team that includes Jonathan T. Rush (MM ’19, Conducting), Daniel Sampson (MM ’19, Voice), and Jordan Randall Smith (‘14, Conducting). The festival will also include the premiere of My Lisette, a documentary on the evolution of Haitian folk song. There is a small registration fee to attend; register on the Price Fest website.

What Do We ‘Hear’ During Rests?

08-18-2021

You know that you are still listening in the pauses between notes—but what does silence sound like to the brain? An article from Technology Networks seeks to answer that question. “The Sound of Silence: What Happens When Our Brains Imagine Music?” shares findings from two studies to demonstrate how the brain stays active during moments of silence, or rests. Using Bach’s melodies, researchers found that brain activity is very similar when both imagining and listening to music, producing similar patterns and brain wave responses that demonstrate the complex nature of processing music, notes, and sound.

Free Online Notebook Explores ‘Ethics and Participatory Art’

08-18-2021

What has the field of participatory arts for social change learned about ethics in its decades of growth? We have, in fact, developed best practices—do you know them? There is a new, free, digital notebook, written by two leaders in the field and edited by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, called “Art and Community Notebooks.” It follows a January workshop hosted by the Foundation’s PARTIS program, which included nearly 100 participants from both sides of the Atlantic discussing “Ethics and Participatory Art.” Available in both Portuguese and English, the notebook is written by colleagues with decades of experience: cultural activist and visual artist Arlene Goldbard, who lives in the U.S., and writer, researcher, and community artist François Matarasso. Download the notebook via the Gulbenkian Foundation.

Los Angeles Musician Records Duets with Unlikely Partner: The Golden Gate Bridge

08-18-2021

Ever wondered what the largest wind instrument in the world sounds like? Look no further than the railings of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. During periods of high winds, the newly renovated railings produce an eerie humming sound that has caught the attention of locals and tourists alike. That includes Los Angeles guitarist and musician Nate Mercereau, who was inspired to record a series of duets with the world’s biggest wind instrument. Read more about composing a duet for musician and bridge, and listen to his project, Duets | Golden Gate, via this Guardian article.

Suggested Reading: Developing Your Musical Mental Map

08-03-2021

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed placerat condimentum blandit. Pellentesque eu metus varius, mattis dolor id, mattis neque. Aenean tempor erat eu consequat sagittis. Phasellus eu arcu gravida, ultricies purus ut, consequat enim. Sed suscipit eros consequat felis vehicula finibus. Cras ac lorem sagittis magna laoreet feugiat quis et sem. Aenean aliquet sem nec convallis placerat. Sed ut ultricies dolor. Duis quis odio rutrum, rhoncus enim id, iaculis nisl. Morbi in varius nibh. Donec ut enim massa. Etiam pulvinar felis ullamcorper felis mollis accumsan.

New Research on Music and the Brain

07-21-2021

Music has long helped to bring communities and cultures together. A recent study by neuroscientists from Bar-Ilan University and the University of Chicago collected data to demonstrate just that. Its findings, shared in a paper titled “The Social Neuroscience of Music: Understanding the Social Brain through Human Song,” outline the five areas of the brain that contribute to social connection through music: empathy circuits, oxytocin secretions, reward and motivation, language structures, and dopamine.

Using Music to Treat Alzheimer’s

07-21-2021

Imagine receiving a prescription to simply listen to music. This is exactly what’s happening for some Alzheimer’s patients, who are participating in trials at the NHS. During trials, an algorithm is created based on each patient’s background in order to suggest which types of music might reduce the patient’s distress and heart rate.

Share

© Copyright 2022 Ensemble News