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Melody The Monthly
NOVI LOCATION: 43370 West 10 Mile Rd Novi, MI 48375 TROY LOCATION: 4000 Livernois Rd Troy, MI 48098 PLYMOUTH-CANTON: 9357 General Drive Suite 101 Plymouth, MI 48170
THE ENDLESS SEARCH FOR MY MUSICAL IDENTITY
As a musician, music teacher, and owner of a music school, I often get asked about the kinds of music I listen to in my free time. But, like many things in my life, such questions have more complicated answers than the asker usually expects. My musical identity has been inextricably shaped by my complicated upbringing and my experiences in college as I branched out to explore the world of music further. But, again, it’s not quite that simple. Anybody who knows me, or has read previous editions of the newsletter, knows my mother struggled with mental illness throughout her life. Beyond that, her worldview was dominated by an aggressively old-school Christian lens. Growing up, she adamantly steered us away from anything from the secular world. She’d tell us that kids who went to public school had been led astray by evil. She labeled the people who lived outside the stringent confines of her fundamentalist belief system “worldly,” or, as she was particularly fond of saying, they were “of the devil.” When my mother was angry, she would terrify us kids, turning into a different, darker figure, completely without mercy. We were always walking on eggshells around her, especially when we moved into our teens. Few things prompted her ire as quickly as the secular music that permeated American culture, especially rock music. So my sisters and I were exposed only to a narrow field of worship and Christian music—people like Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith. It’s worth noting this did not include Christian rock, though. That was still decidedly “of the devil.” When I was about 16 years old, I made friends with a boy who you might refer to as a more “worldly” Christian. He was the definition of cool, and admittedly, I had a huge crush on him. He introduced my younger sister, Rachel, and I to the world of Christian rock. He showed us bands like Kutless, with distorted guitars and loud drums. He burned us a bunch of mix CDs, which we spent hours listening to in the car. We always kept it hidden from my mom, a rare act of minor rebellion. When I was 18, my mom dragged us all to the weeklong Bill Gothard seminar, an event evangelizing Gothard’s crazy, skewed version of Christianity. He spent an entire day lecturing on how any music that bore the markers of rock, even so-called
Christian rock, was the work of the devil, and attracted literal demons into the family home. My sister and I glanced at each other, filled with shame.
A week after the seminar, we went to the park with our stack of Christian rock CDs and snapped every one of them in half. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good feeling.
“I hunted for anything with a big build, anything that punched through the repression of my youth and allowed me to truly feel something.”
Soon after, when I moved out to attend college, my mom’s mental health worsened dramatically, and her hold on us began to slacken. As I studied for my degree, I became immersed in the world of classical music, loving it more and more. I also, for the first time in my life, began turning on the radio and listening to whatever was playing. My outlook shifted quickly after that. But, regardless of the genre, I always gravitated to intense, dramatic, and emotionally charged pieces. I hunted for anything with a big build, anything that punched through the repression of my youth and allowed me to truly feel something. Now, I listen to a huge variety of genres, rarely finding anything I don’t like. But I still don’t know if I’ll ever find my real “musical identity.” There’s still a lingering feeling of shame and guilt that bubbles up occasionally, like something that likely will never be resolved. In the meantime, I’ll keep exploring by exposing myself to new and different things. No matter what, I can always find refuge in those songs that lift me up and out of myself, charged with feeling and meaning.
- Jessica Schatz
Novi Location: 248-773-8364 | Troy Location: 248-845-4611 | Plymouth-Canton Location: 248-480-9108 | 1
STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES
Picture a jack-o’-lantern — the glowing eyes, the nose, and the mouth made mostly of simple geometric shapes.You’re probably picturing a pumpkin, but that’s only because you were born in the last century. If you were born in the early 1800s, you’d be thinking of a different vegetable entirely. In earlier days, folks usually carved turnips.The original Celtic tale of Stingy Jack was about a man who ended up spending eternity with his spirit housed in a turnip, so the pumpkin is a deviation from the original concept. It turns out, turnips make excellent lanterns.They’re warty (great for the Halloween aesthetic), easy to carve, and less bulky, which means your kids can make individual lanterns without spending hours meticulously sculpting a large pumpkin. To carve a turnip, pick a large one. Most at the grocery store will probably be small, but you can head to a farmer’s market if they aren’t cutting it.The purple-top white globe turnip is a good, large breed.The largest ever, in fact, was a purple-top that weighed nearly 40 pounds. From there, it’s a lot like carving a pumpkin. TURNIP CARVING: BETTER THAN YOUR AVERAGE PUMPKIN? How to Make a Classic Lantern
Parents should give their children the privilege of learning the language of music, and the sooner the better. Music in early childhood creates a foundation upon which future musical learning is built. Our 10-year-old son, Benjamin, has been part of Expression Music Academy since he was 5 years old.
Music lessons are a great opportunity for any child, no
matter what their musical goals are. In fact, goals for music lessons do not have to be entirely musical. We do not expect Benjamin to become a professional musician. Instead, we want him to enjoy playing and making music, and empower him with a valuable skill for the rest of his life. Over the last few years, we feel Benjamin has become a proud and confident Piano player who has developed an appreciation for music. At school, his music grades are perfect, and, last year, he chose to pick up a new instrument, French horn! We believe, with music, Benjamin can express himself confidently, and his listening skills have improved. Like any other skill, learning music is a long and challenging process that requires the ability to follow directions accurately. The key is to be persistent and make music part of the daily routine. All that would not have been possible without the great program at EMA. Not knowing any instruments to play, we as parents were worried about our son’s progress in Piano lessons. However, the structured program at EMA and its fantastic teachers and staff make learning music fun and natural. What we like about EMA is consistency and quality of education. Benjamin has had three teachers over five years, and EMA has helped us find a good match from their awesome pool of musicians. Rather than getting a music tutor, at EMA we have access to an academy of professional musicians with a well-taught music program. At EMA, Benjamin has experienced solo playing, dual playing, state-wide competitions, and formal performances.
Photo Credit: Manx James/wikimedia commons
1. Cut off the stemmed top.
2. Scoop the middle out with a little spoon.You’ll find it a lot easier to deal with than the gloppy, smelly innards of a pumpkin.
3. Use a pencil to outline. It shows up nicely on the turnip’s skin.
4. Carve with a small knife found in your average carving kit.
We look forward to Benjamin continuing his education at EMA for years to come,
5. Illuminate with a small tea light. Large flames won’t get much oxygen in there and will literally cook the turnip.
-Amir and Mahnaz Kharazi
Unlike pumpkins, the short-term decay of the turnip will actually add to its aesthetic appearance. Outdoors in a cool environment, they have a porch life of about five days.
2 | www.expressionsmusicacademy.com
for Developing Brains!
YES, MUSIC IS GOOD
Can music make your child smarter? A few years back, many parents answered with a resounding “Yes,” playing Mozart’s piano sonatas in the background of their babies’ nurseries.This idea of “the Mozart effect” was spawned from a 1993 study by researchers at UC Irvine. It reported that college students gained a boost in their spatial intelligence for around 15 minutes after listening to the wunderkind composer. Since then, the study has been debunked time and time again. New findings suggest that, while listening to the dulcet tones of “Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major” may teach your child to appreciate classical music, it’s not going to magically turn them into a genius. Likely, it may not have much of an effect at all, besides maybe calming them down. Then what do we make of the claim that musical training, early in life, rewires neural pathways that bolster the development of young brains? Well, unlike the imaginary “Mozart effect,” the idea that learning music spurs widespread improvement in academic intelligence has actually been shown to be remarkably true— though it’s not quite that simple. According to an influential 2014 study by Nina Kraus, director of Northwestern University’s auditory neuroscience laboratory, simply sitting in a music class and keeping your ears open isn’t enough. “We don’t see …biological changes in people who are just listening to music, who are not playing an instrument,” she told Time
magazine three years ago.“We like to say that ‘making music matters,’ because it is only through the active generation and manipulation of sound that music can rewire the brain.” As time goes on, more and more studies are finding that, indeed, active engagement with music, especially learning to play an instrument, results in improved neural processing.This is particularly true in students that start in the early stages of their development. Kraus’ own research has shown that musical engagement results in increased ability to process speech and improved reading scores, among many other benefits. Again, it’s worth noting that the greatest improvement is shown in those students who practice a specific instrument.After all, as Kraus puts it,“... you’re not going to become physically fit just by watching sports.”
Laugh Break
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH SAUSAGE Looking for an easy, delicious Thanksgiving side dish? This gem requires only a few ingredients.
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons olive oil 3 1/3 ounces fresh, hot Italian sausage
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1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
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Salt and pepper
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1/2 cup water
Instructions
1. Trim sprouts and cut in half. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, 3–5 minutes. 3. Add sprouts to skillet. Add 1/2 cup water. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until just tender. Check them periodically and add a bit more water, if necessary. 4. When sprouts are just about done, remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring just once or twice, for a couple more minutes. The liquid should evaporate, and the sprouts should start to brown. 5. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or warm. Serves 4.
(Recipe courtesy of tasteofhome.com
Novi Location: 248-773-8364 | Troy Location: 248-845-4611 | Plymouth-Canton Location: 248-480-9108 | 3
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43370 West 10 Mile Rd Novi, MI 48375
Inside
Exploring Music
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Ditch the Pumpkin —Carve This Instead Student Success Stories How Playing Music Spurs Brain Development Brussels Sprouts With Sausage
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Iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons
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ICONIC MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE BALLOONS
Thanksgiving is a holiday full of traditions, from turkey and stuffing to football and naps. Since 1924, the Macy’s Parade has grown to become not only a Thanksgiving staple but also the world’s largest parade. Over 3.5 million people attended the parade last year, with another 20 million tuning in from home.The main attraction is always the massive character balloons, which first graced the skies in 1927. Over the decades, some of these balloons have become nearly as famous as the character they depict. Felix the Cat When the Felix the Cat balloon appeared in 1931, it set the standard for all characters to follow. Sadly, the original balloon got tangled in wires and caught on fire, so it has been lost to history. Felix’s influence on the parade is so immense, however, that when Macy’s brought him back in 2016 for the parade’s 90th anniversary, they recreated his original design. Without Felix’s debut, the parade might look a lot different today.
Snoopy When it comes to balloon characters, none is more famous than the classic “Peanuts” beagle. His first balloon floated through the sky in 1968, and he’s been a regular fixture ever since. Charles Schultz’s famous pooch holds the record for most variations in a parade (eight) and most total appearances (40). Though Snoopy doesn’t come out every year, he usually closes the show when he does. Pikachu The Pokémon mascot didn’t appear until 2001, but he’s become a star attraction, showing up every year since. Bright, expressive, and impossible to miss, Pikachu checks off all the boxes for a successful balloon character. For 16 years, those who predicted that Pokémon was just a fad have gotten a big, yellow reminder of just how wrong they were.
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