Music to Your Ears? Music for Your Heart, Too

By Maggie Fox, Reuters (Story about the study was picked up last night by ABC’s World News)

WASHINGTON

Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels dilated in much the same way as when laughing or taking blood medications.

“We have a pretty impressive effect,” said Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

“Blood vessel diameter improved,” he said in a telephone interview. “The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise.” A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins and ACE inhibitors. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6233406

I also love the way the study came about. Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center: ”I asked myself what other things make us feel real good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. … It makes me feel real good,” he said. 

Seems like common sense right? BTW, that comfort level with the creative process of innovation –– “I wonder what would happen if we tried…” –– is also one of the benefits of music study. Notice how many innovators, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs had musical training.

A couple weeks ago I was at an Education Innovation panel in DC (w Harlem Children Zone’s Geoffrey Canada, Harvard Education Innovation Lab Economist Roland Fryer, NYT Mag Editor Paul Tough and CAP Senior Fellow/MNSi Board member, Robert Gordon) 

Roland raised one of his central questions – in short, and in general (unrelated to Obama), how do we get kids to believe “Yes, I Can?” This CNN piece from a few days ago addresses one approach: 

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible…tonight is your answer.”

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.”

“And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.”

“I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”

“To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you.  To those who seek peace and security – we support you.  And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. ”

“…where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.”

– President-elect Barack Obama, Chicago, November 4, 2008

Victory speech video

And here’s the full text

President-elect Obama’s words and sentiments remind me those crafted by a small team assembled under Eli Segal to bring President-elect Clinton’s vision for national service to life:

The AmeriCorps Pledge

I will get things done for America -
to make our people safer,
smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together 
to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, 
I will take action.

I am an AmeriCorps member, 
and I will get things done.

  South Philly where you at?

Photo courtesy of Obama Arts Policy member, Damian Woetzel.

Studs Terkel participated in the Artist Corps precursor, the WPAs: Federal Writers Project

Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago author and radio broadcast personality Studs Terkel, who let America’s common people tell their tales in such books as Working and The Good War, died Friday at his home, his publisher said. He was 96. 

Mr. Terkel, who once described his life as “an accretion of accidents,” joined the Federal Writers’ Project. Funding musicians and artists was a key part of FDR’s New Deal program, the Works Progress Administration. 

He returned to Chicago in 1938 and launched a radio show. For 45 years, Terkel’s weekly music program, The Wax Museum, allowed him to play whatever he wanted. While it was primarily a jazz show, Mr. Terkel also loved country music, folk, opera and gospel. He was one of the first to promote artists like Mahalia Jackson, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Big Bill Broonzy and Burl Ives. On occasion he would invite composers or performers to sit down for an on-air interview.  

His passion for jazz led to his first book, “Giants of Jazz” (1957), a collection of biographies. This was followed by a succession of oral history books on the Great Depression, the Second World War, race relations, working, the American dream and aging. His last book, And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey, he’s collected interviews with Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Ravi Shankar and others that reflect his diverse taste in music. 

Working, one of his most famous volumes, was banned in many schools because it included an interview with a prostitute.  As a senior in high school, I performed in the Broadway musical adaptation of Working by Stephen Schwartz. One of my favorite James Taylor songs, Millworker was written for the show –– sung by a girl, the millworker’s daughter. I played the construction worker who tells his story about playing a part of something larger than himself (a building). He expands on this theme in a song called “Fathers and Sons,” about the legacy parents pass on to the next generation.

Studs on civic engagement:

“I was among those blacklisted for my political beliefs. My crime? I had signed petitions. Lots of them. I had signed on in opposition to Jim Crow laws and poll taxes and in favor of rent control and pacifism. Because the petitions were thought to be Communist-inspired, I lost my ability to work in television and radio after refusing to say that I had been “duped” into signing my name to these causes.”

“But I always feel uplifted by this: Given the facts and an opportunity to act, the body politic generally does the right thing.”

Material above taken from these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studs_Terkel

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/books/01terkel.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

http://forum.bcdb.com/forum/Working_Chicago_writer_Studs_Terkel_dead_at_96_P100292/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_(musical)

Hey, music and the arts are not about partisanship or divisive politics. Former Governor Huckabee rocks the bass, Senator Hatch from Utah considers music and song writing to be at the core of who he is and, see the below, from Obama. It’s hard not to be inspired by growing recognition that music and the arts have a central role to play in addressing our civic, social and educational challenges.

Below is taken directly from Anne-Marie’s blog post at “My Readable Feast”: http://www.myreadablefeast.com/2008/10/26/the-importance-of-an-arts-education/#more-1592

Obama:

“Part of what arts education does is it teaches people to see through each other´s eyes. It teaches us to respect and understand people who are not like us. That makes us better citizens and makes our democracy work better.”

What´s so funny ´bout peace, love and understanding?

He´s talking about empathy, and Obama´s not the only one advocating using art education programs to do this. In a 2006 Lancet essay, Development of children´s creativity to foster peace, Dr. Ashfaq Ishaq wrote:

The arts can aid a child´s holistic development, especially empathy… A RAND study noted that the communicative and personal nature of creative expression, accentuated through collective arts activities, can forge social bonds while supporting identity formation and cultural transmission.

By teaching empathy through music and art programs, we give our children the skills to succeed and live peacefully in a diverse world.

The arts also promote academic achievement

Did you know that children who receive art and music education are more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, win an award for school attendance, participate in a math or science fair, or be elected to a school class office? Children who actively engaged in the arts are more likely to read for pleasure or perform community service, too, according to a study conducted by Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts.

Yes, reading, writing and arithmetic are important, but as Obama said, “Kids whose imaginations are sparked by the arts are more engaged in school.” An engaged child is a successful one both academically and socially. That is why it is important to make sure your school district places an emphasis on academic achievement by supporting art and music programs as part of the curriculum and as extracurricular activities.

Musicians Use Both Sides Of Their Brains More Frequently Than Average People
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172542.htm

Former colleague (from the Corp for National Service) and good friend Jennifer Tabola sent this link and message from Science Daily:

“Supporting what many of us who are not musically talented have often felt, new research reveals that trained musicians really do think differently than the rest of us. Psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called divergent thinking, and also use both the left and the right sides of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.”

So…if Richard Florida, Ken Robinson (see TED video on PeaceLabs homepage), David Brooks, everyone and their mom (including Huck!: http://zedc3test.techprogress.org/events/2008/09/musiced.html/email.html) is talking about the importance of cultivating right brain thinking to heal not only our education system but the great challenges of the day, then we MUST get more music to our youth.—–

Kiff did a two-day residency at the University of Michigan to discuss MusicianCorps and the intersection of arts, entrepreneurship and public service. Later he joined Oxfam, PETA, IAVA and band “The Greater Good” on the Music for Change panel at CMJ in NYC.

http://www.bashomosko.com

Congrats on the new record dude! Let’s go get a cocktail.—–

Leaders for Music National Service has a new member! (seriously, you go girl)

My Uncle Mark used to play James Gallway records. It really bugged my dad…he used to say, “this music gives me a dose.”—–