🎶 Activities

• 🌱Rethinking one’s own position as a creator

  Brian Eno explores the idea of composers as gardeners, nurturing music rather than controlling it.

• 🎶Mix CD | Wisconsionable!

  This mix, set within the context of Wisconsin, navigates the challenging landscape of musical influences while keeping dairy mentions at bay. From the **50 States!** series of CDs, it showcases a variety of artists while including a nod to Liberace's significant contribution to pop music from the state.

• 🎶Mix CD | NY/ROBI

  An exploration of the connections between Africa and New York through music, including a unique take on Babatunde Olatunji's "Akiwowo."

• 🌸Mix CD | Marylanderful!

  This post celebrates the Maryland bar exam with a unique mix of cultural references and design elements related to Baltimore.

• 🎶Performance’s magical mix

  Quoting Yo-Yo Ma.

• 🐦Mix CD | Birdsongs/Songbirds

  A heartfelt gift for a passionate birdwatcher, this 60th birthday compilation includes 60 songs celebrating various bird species and offers a unique auditory experience of the avian world.

• 🎶Grocery Store Musical

  A delightful exploration of spontaneous joy in everyday places, exemplified by Improv Everywhere's charming "Grocery Store Musical" in Queens, NY.

• 🎶Music, walking, and the power of presence

  Exploring the profound connection between movement, music, and empathy in Parkinson's disease.

• 🕺Powers of three

  An analysis of how a simple dance becomes a lively celebration through group dynamics.

• 🎶Mix CD | Hope Is Just Another Word for Love

  A mix CD of uplifting songs designed to inspire and support walkers participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

• 🎶The slightly universal language?

  A study reveals the nuanced relationship between music and emotion across cultures, highlighting its effectiveness in conveying feelings with some limitations.

• 🎸Monastic fantastic

  A look at the Monks, a groundbreaking band that fused punk music with monastic aesthetics in the '60s.

• 🎶A dirge revival

  A reflection on the cultural decline and potential revival of traditional funeral dirges in the Volta region of northern Ghana.

• 🛒If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe’s, by Carl Willat

  A whimsical tribute to a beloved supermarket, blending nostalgia and humor through music and creativity.

• 🎶Have yourself a Sufjan Stevens Christmas

  My favorite songs on Sufjan Steven's 5-disc album, "Songs for Christmas Singalong," beautifully blend hymns with a touch of Christmas spirit.

• 🎄Sinatra songs and the Salve Regina

  A sublime cultural moment captured in Walker Percy’s reflection on Christmas, blending the everyday with the transcendent.

• 🎶Now That’s What I Call Not Music 2!

  An exploration of audience reactions to Edgard Varèse's "Hyperprism" and the dichotomy between concept and substance in modern sound compositions.

• 🎶“Gaviota,” performed Amália Rodrigues

  A lovely performance from the late diva of fado, Amália Rodrigues, showcasing the longing-infused essence of this Portuguese music style.

• 🎨Slides, by Kirsten Tradowsky

  I enjoy many of Kirsten Tradowsky's paintings that capture the essence of childhood activities, like band practice and swim lessons.

• 🎶Portland Sacred Harp

  I just enjoyed a great segment on Portland Sacred Harp, a community group nurturing shape-note singing traditions.

• 🎹The practice of practicing

  From Mark Slutsky, a reflection on rekindling a childhood dream of becoming a pianist.

• 🎻Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

  Reflecting on the cultural tapestry of the Silk Road, here's a remarkable in-studio performance by Yo-Yo Ma and his ensemble from 2005.

• 🎶Beyond Bollywood - Shillong’s love affair with western music

  Reflecting the rich musical heritage of Shillong, where rock and gospel blend seamlessly in a unique cultural tapestry.

• 🎵Mix CD | Hold On

  For a while, I've been interested in the ways that repeating a word over and over can change it—sometimes it loses meaning, becoming a simple babble of repeated sounds. In other cases, the repetition increases the strength and depth of the word.

• 🎶Mix CD | Georgious!

  Celebrating Georgia's rich musical heritage, this inaugural mix from the **50 States!** series is dedicated to my friend Elizabeth, who moved to Atlanta in 2007 to begin work at the CDC.

• 🎶Mix CD | Roxbury Dispensary

  A reflection on a friend's relocation and a creative tribute through music.

• 🎶Mix CD | Planes, Trains and Autorickshaws

  A nostalgic reflection on creating a mix to celebrate the friendships and memories made during a trip to India, filled with inside jokes and cherished music.