We are BACK! I'm going to get a little personal for a moment.

No, we did not go anywhere. It has just been many months since posting anything to our BLOG. So long, we did not even realize that Blogger has updated their look and style a bit! 

Why such a long time between posts? Family. Sometimes you just have to take a break and take care of family. And that is exactly what we did. Specifically, the absence was due to me needing to help take care of my parents needs, mostly my dad. Dad passed in May and I am beginning to catch my breath.....at least I think I am. Daddy had dementia for almost 30 years. 

I bring up my Dad because he was the beginning of what I now do. Daddy was a musician. Actually a very good musician. But he never had a lesson in his life. He played multiple instruments, guitar, western steel guitar, mandolin, piano, a little bit of banjo. And he played them all by ear.

Daddy would sit next to me at the piano and watch me practice. He would look at the music books I had in front of me and would say, "Looks like chicken scratches to me."  Then he would play the piano with me. Me playing from my books and Daddy adding chords. He is the one that taught me chords before I was even ready to learn them from Mrs. Evans, my first piano teacher.

Music was always in our house. From my uncles, aunts and cousins gathering at our house on the weekend to join in  the playing of music, to Daddy listening to his Gospel records on Sunday mornings. Music was a big part of our world, an important part of our world.......we just did not realize it at the time.

When Daddy started having to walk with a walker and was slowing down some, I got the idea to build him a Pandora account with all of his old country musicians he loved so much. I would turn it on when we would walk in the house. He and I would circle around from the living room to the dining room, then the kitchen and hallway that lead back to the living room. Some days, he would only walk four or five times around. Other days, he would walk as much as thirteen to twenty two times around ( I would write down each day how many times so it could be given to his physical therapist that visited him at home.). 

Daddy actually started getting stronger in his legs and would walk in tempo to the music, which made us laugh. When a quick two step would come on, I actually had a hard time holding onto his safety belt due to him walking to the tempo! Daddy really loved music. And I really love music, but I loved my Daddy more.

At his funeral, during the COVID-19 pandemic with so many regulations concerning safety at funerals, they played recorded music of Johnny Cash singing Amazing Grace and Alan Jackson singing I'll Fly Away. The morning of the day that Dad passed, he was in his wheel chair listening to music and I'll Fly Away came on. Daddy started nodding his head and tapping the beat with his fingers. When the song finished, he looked at me and smiled a crooked little smile. I said to him, "You really like that song." He responded with "Yeah". 

Early that evening, while setting in his recliner, my Daddy was sleeping and he took his last breath. No lengthy hospital stays or nursing home. He stayed home with mom, my husband and I,.............and his music. Music was his special drug that made everything bearable. It helped when he was in pain or could not sleep. It expressed when he was sad or happy. For many months it was the only way he could walk any distance.

Music has always been a part of my life in my home growing up, at school in the Junior and Senior High Schools, and in  my studio. I listen to music more than I even watch TV. Now music has even a more special part in my life. It holds the memories of my Daddy.

Mary Myers is the Owner and Director of Academy of Fine Arts in Woodward , Oklahoma.

A Workout Program For Your Brain

A recent article in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian Newspaper, stated that Sylvain Morena, a neuroscientist at Baycrest's Roman Research Institute, has focused his efforts of training the brain. He recently reported the results of a study in which children aged 4-6 years learned about music- the basics of rhythm, oitch and melody, in a computer based cognitive training program that involved games and cartoon characters. After 20 days of instruction, the children performed significantly better on a verabl IQ test compared to scores before the training.

Why would studying music lead to gains on verbal IQ? "Music and language share brain processing and structure", Dr Mareno says.

Benefits Of Learning To Play An Instrument

All a person has to do is Google “Benefits of Music” or “Benefits Of Learning To Play An Instrument” and you will come up with a very long list of articles to select from. After some research and reading, what the articles have in common is a list of five to eight benefits for children and adults in learning to play an instrument.

At the top of each list of benefits is the one that many teachers of music have repeated for generations and there is some documentation over the years that suggest it is true that learning to play an instrument can help to develop better confidence and higher self esteem. This comes about by experiencing a task that may be difficult and challenging in the beginning and turning it into a creative outlet that allows the musician to feel a great sense of achievement in completing the work. Some studies are now saying that this in itself leads to better school skills for children and better work skills for adults.

School skills that parents may be most interested in is that learning to play and read music does appear to raise math scores with children. Especially if the child has been taking music classes from a young age and continuing through high school. These lessons can be in a private setting or a group or band setting. Children as young as pre-kindergarten and kindergarten have been shown to reap many benefits such as better focus and cognitive skills when introduced at this young age to keyboard or piano.

The social benefits of learning to play an instrument tend to lean to the suggestion that it leads to a social circle of friends with something in common. This is evident if you have ever been on a band trip and notice the camaraderie between the band members when in a relaxed setting. This also seems to hold the same with adult musicians as well. It has been documented that junior high and high school age students are less likely to be involved with drugs and alcohol when they are in band.

Being in a band can have its own benefits such as learning high cooperation skills and learning to work with others. This then leads to better work environment skills as an adult. Adults who play an instrument, or took classes and was in band as a child, have reported being able to be more creative and focused at work. They continue to say that the skills they learned in playing music in a band setting helps them to follow through with difficult projects without abandoning the work. Some have said that being in a regimented setting such as marching band has helped them to be able to see the “big picture” of the difficult task and thus helps them to continue even when they would prefer to quit. Continuing through the difficult times then transfers to high achievement levels at work and in their personal lives.

Playing an instrument also appears to have some possible health benefits as well. Along with the high sense of achievement may come less stress. People have known for years that listening to soothing music can help a person to unwind, lift their mood and relieve stress. Some studies have indicated that listening to music can even lower blood pressure. Learning to play an instrument can also bring these benefits to a persons life. It is common these days to see a keyboard or even a guitar sitting in the office of a CEO of a fortune 500 company.

Once again, a parent can spend time researching the many different articles written by professional musician, professional teachers and university studies that can be found on the internet. Be sure to allow much time and follow through because there is a lot to read and take in. Focus will come in handy as you sort through the articles and research as well. Or you can spend some time experiencing and observing band members and their families. Also talk to musicians you know personally and get their answer as to why they play an instrument.

A parent can also visit our website at www.academyoffineartsok.com to find out more about music classes and instruction or book a tour of our school and visit with a teacher of music. On the FAQ page of our website, you may find most of your questions answered, but if not we do look forward to meeting you and giving you the information that you need.

Academy of Music

580-256-3262 (Woodward Location)
580-747-4799 (Enid Location)