🎶 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. Based on the post content, the geolocation coordinates for Atlanta, Georgia are approximately 33.7490° N, 84.3880° W.

• 🎶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.