BMO´s Articles

The 21st century will see children be born that are capable to build such complex thoughts that these will be the reflection of new ways to explain and understand a world that will be becoming more difficult for us to define.
We have to educate them well for the survival of our species, for an increased sensitivity towards other human beings, for increasing comprehension of diversity and for maintaining peace in our planet. All our efforts towards defending what belongs to us, our nations, and the Earth will be wasted unless we consider that mankind needs peace, internally and externally. What good does us to prepare our children other than for the evolution of our species, the advancement of arts and science, the increased understanding of the roles of different cultures, the search for spiritualism? Why prepare our children for other than developing the need for them to become better each day that passes? Philosophy, antropology, sociology, psychology, among other disciplines, highlight themes of importance, among them those that explain the importance of deriving meaning and increasing communication in interactions among men. Each one of our generations sees itself creating meaning for what was defined regarding the importance of life in society, and as the time passes, the new inhabitants of Earth create new ways in which to explain new meanings to facts and acts in which men find themselves involved in.

Men need to comprehend each other. One culture needs to value the others. The teaching of music can provide a favorable environment for a specific type of communication in society and this is why it is necessary to teach music to babies and infants. The earlier we start, the better!

Teaching music provides the learning of signs and/or symbols, which amplify the human capacity to know and create from systems and conventions that the child cannot find in other systems and/or disciplines. And this practice helps develop intelligence. In this opportunity, other concepts are developed. Objects and processes which are unconventional are developed and from this arises the opportunigty for the musical cognitive system to satisfy a specific type of human desire: that of creating with sound, utilizing and thinking with sounds. Communicating with sound!

To live musically gives the child the opportunity to develop meanings which go beyond those simply intellectual. Hence, the child exercises complex thoughts through experiencing music, by participating and integrating him/herself in this ‘difficult to define’ world. When the child is capable to communicate emotional needs, he/she exteriorizes aesthetic meanings, treating the abstract in a concrete way and assigning objective meaning to other types of communication that he/she can create. Practicing music in groups unifies children. To listen to music created by another exercises communication abilities. To have your own music heard by others improves self-esteem. Music is not, however, a language. It results from complex systems of sound utilization, which through form, structure, and the instruments it utilizes, concertizes itself through the works, and conveys meaning. This is why music has to be taught to be understood in all its complexity. The result for someone listening, or making music, is the exchange of emotions. And the exchange of emotions promotes simplicity in this interaction. This exchange also deepens communication. These manipulations with sound and structural models must be linked to the context in which the individuals involved in the musical experience are into. Therefore, each musical experience communicates the disposition, creativity, and traces of different cultures, which reflect themselves in the processes of musical production, appreciation, and reproduction.

In this manner, in order for us to defend the idea that it is necessary to promote internal and external peace for mankind, we need to foment learning and musical experience for our children, since an early age.

Music is life. It involves us since it is a human creation. It can be created and executed by us throughout many phases of our development. It is in the satisfaction of making music that children involve themselves cognitively with processes of creativity, problem-solving, and gaining the initiative to take risks, to express themselves, and to evolve as a thinker and innovator. Musical learning leads to interpersonal relationships, acceptance by the group, the desire to create, and the motivation to communicate.

In the following paragraphs we will suggest some ideas about how to promote teaching/learning music in our families:

1 – How to lead the musical experience?

First, babies or young children need a favorable environment. It is necessary to create success values in the family. In order to have success it is necessary that the parents have courage and take risks to live happy days and each day more satisfying moments for their children. We can enumerate 10 aspects that must be considered if we would like to improve our success in creating a more musical environment for our children:

1 – SUCCESS! Believe that your child is capable to understand and to make music! In the least this will create a person with music appreciation and will be part of an audience that will understand and will derive satisfaction from quality music. S/he will capable to appreciate our collective and historical musical culture of mankind and will be able to maintain it and promote it.

2 – OPTIMISM! Yes, it is possible to appreciate, create, live, and become highly satisfied with the musical activity and learning! Many are those who did and still currently do this.

3 – INITIATIVE! Have in mind an action plan. See how the child is going to be exposed or become into contact with music. Will it be through and/or from listening since in utero? What kind of music will s/he listen to? Only after birth will you expose the baby to music? Who might sing to the baby (nursery rhymes or other songs)? Have you selected them?
Have you found out whether music from a particular musical instrument pleases the baby more? One must remember that any and all initiative must lead to experiencing music daily, and always in an environment of satisfaction and appreciation for music of good quality.

4 – GOALS! It is necessary to know where the family wants to arrive. It is necessary to ask whether experiencing music leads to increasing music appreciation in the family, community and county, or whether it is to develop musical performers/musicians. You should establish goals and follow the development of music cognitive skills and then this will lead to a decision of whether or not the child should dedicate him/herself to professional performance. If the child decides, between 6 and 10 years of age, that s/he wants to deepen his/her knowledge as a performer, new goals will have to be developed and implemented. We have to embrace the idea together with the child if this makes them happy and indeed encourage them to play and pursue the mastery of their favorite instrument.

5 – WORK! Work means regularity, seriously dedicating yourself to the compromise of providing the child with the opportunity to experience music everyday. Work means to develop, through music, habits and attitudes of musical execution. This means that there has to be dedication to learning music theory, vocal, instrumental, and improvisational practices. And that there must be a commitment to theoretical learning (musical concepts) and musical elements essential to the utilization of musical structures and schemes in the process of musical experiencing and creation .

6- COMMUNICATION! Music is an excellent medium for teaching us the importance of communication. A baby’s cry already is an element of communication and it is composed by notes and musical intervals. Many children sing, hum melodies long before they begin to speak. Therefore, when music is already being exercised and played, musical improvisation becomes an example of sophistication reached by those executing the process. It is possible that different culture see themselves through similarities of esthetic emotions promoted by listening to different songs, which bring in their scope similar musical ideas. It is possible for people from one culture to love and admire another due to their music. Music creates communication links and bridges the distance among men.

7- ATTITUDES! It is necessary to believe in the importance of teaching music in order for children to develop in a rich and healthy way. The alignment of the parents’ attitudes to that of valueing music, is understood and assimilated by the children. Parents that dislike classical or popular music, or any other type of music, pass this attitude down to their children. What matters is to help our children by giving them the opportunity to evolve, become better than ourselves, for the benefit of all of humanity.
In this context, attitude means to pass down to your children the family values of musical appreciation.

8- PERSISTENCE! Musical learning only becomes reality when the child has a desire/disposition to make music. In order for us to find our whether s/he has this disposition, s/he has to be exposed and has to experience music. Hence, it is necessary to give time and continuity to the exposure to music so that the cognitive development system can go through the appropriate stages. In order to develop cognitively in a musical context, it is necessary for the parents and children to remain persistent, which will result in the succession of levels which lead to each day deeper knowledge and complex specialized learning.

9- PRACTICING! All the steps above lead to a system of how to experience music. The child that experiences rewarding musical practice goes on to practice music, in a routine of instrumental study which will lead s/he to aesthetic expression through execution of his/her works or works of other composers.

10- CONCLUSION: The child’s process of experiencing music, with parental support, will lead to a unique reality: A dream has been visualized, goals have been set, and the participants have been persistent. There has been practicing of communication, training to reach the goals outlines, and a conclusion about what should be done at each step lived. To “live” and experience music and learning “how to make music” adds much to family life and this increment in quality provides improved communication in society. The overall result is a quest for the evolution of humanity, through the cultivation of art, intelligence, and emotion.

Dr. Eliane Leao is a native of Brazil, South America. She has a background in Education from Purdue University (Masters) and a PhD in the Department of Educational Psychology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)/Purdue University (Ph.D.). Dr. Leao has also three Bachelor’s degrees, one in Piano, another in Musical Education, and a third in Voice. Dr. Leao is currently a professor of Music Education and Music Therapy conducting research on the influence of Music in Early Childhood Learning.

Her ‘babies’ have grown to become productive members of their communities. Dr. Leao hopes that the trials and successes of her family may inspire and convince other parents to stimulate their children during early childhood so that they may enjoy a rich, stimulating, integrated, and happy life always.

Visit our website http://www.baby-can-read.com for free ebooks on education and learning music and much more! Special free ebook with holiday music for children!

People like to talk about how the music industry as a whole is in the tank. Truth is, the current situation is no radical departure from historical precedent; in fact it’s cyclical that our industry has its ups and downs. There are old and new reasons for it’s pitiful status and in my humble opinion, it sorta serves itself right to suffer. The painful decline, decay and deformed artist/label relationship has been ongoing for decades and is now beyond antiquated – it’s borderline criminal. The typical ‘old model’ record deal consists of the label owning basically 90% of the worldwide rights and demands that the artist be perfectly happy with a thin slice of 10% – and that’s with the label doing the accounting – which I have always found to be more creative than the most of the music.

In other areas of the arts there is a fair system in place to value the creative source and provide incentive on the distribution/promotional side as well. For instance, the visual arts, it’s a 50/50 model (give or take) – half to the artist and half to the dealer. Call me simple, I understand that split! Art and commerce in harmony…it can happen.

The current slump in the music industry is often blamed on illegal downloads and the free peer-to-peer Internet access to copyrighted materials. I respectfully disagree with that presumption. There is absolutely no data to back up this huff, in fact more new artists have been discovered through these sources because they are able to reach listeners and build fan bases on their own. New careers are taking flight by virtue of the simple fact that the music is being heard. Where else can you find new music?

The fine folks that are against peer-to-peer based systems are the same people that are denying promotion for untried new artists (usually at the major label level). People always want to hear new music, so let them go and download songs. Truth is, if they really find stuff they love, they will buy it, go to the shows, buy merchandise and everybody gets what they want. In this world where it’s next to impossible to get radio play and there are too often only one or two good songs on any given release, why blame consumers for wanting to hear it first, before they buy it? You get to try on the cologne before you go around smelling of it, right? Same thing…

Some may say that sales are down because the music that is being spoon fed through monopolized pay-to-play terrestrial radio is too safe, too redundant and yes, boring. They have a point – quality control is not what it used to be. There was a time when I would have long, in-depth discussions about music with A&R people at record labels – not about numbers, bottom lines, demographics or cosmetic surgery – about MUSIC. A&R does not stand actually for ‘afraid and running’ as one might assume but you would barely know it by the way some of these terrified execs act.

In 2007, I view the basic problems in our industry as lack of vision, intuition and willingness to follow through with new artists. If a major label signing doesn’t post huge numbers for the company’s shareholders upon it’s initial release, there is little to no chance of a follow up record. Too much money is rolled out for the first shot deal and if it doesn’t nail the bulls-eye, the money is gone for that all-important second shot. Talk about pressure…what artists do their best work under these conditions?

For the exact opposite case scenario, think Warners or A&M in the ’70s and how many deserving (and sure, some undeserving) artists were given second, third or fourth chances to prove their point and build their followings. Those artists that caught on have never stopped selling because they are timeless. Great music was born and supported – now great sums of money continue to pour in from catalog sales because the music lives on and those companies own the valuable copyrights. It’s time to get back to the long view, not just desperate quarterly sales from cookie cutter trends or year-end superstar releases.

A couple of years ago Bono accepted U2s introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a call to arms for the music industry to believe in and stick with the artists they sign. He firmly stated that if U2 came out today with their first record, they would be dropped and have no chance of a career. The same can be said for most recording artists that have had long, distinguished careers in the industry.

Don’t get me wrong, I am pragmatic and understand the need for bean counters in any business. It just seems to me that as long as our business is run by fear based people that don’t know (or genuinely love) music, little should be expected of the music today or in the future. Money management and math is rarely music. So, why is the old model music biz spiraling down? The monkeys are running the zoo!

Call me crazy, but I miss the visionaries that were once sitting in the big chairs. Where are the passionate, modern record company leaders that had taste and guts? You know, visionaries like John Hammond and Ahmet Ertegun who found unknown geniuses that went on to change the world. They knew that quality counted if the beans were to be counted.

A former President of Warner Brothers Records recently told me that his job had nothing to do with music. For instance, he was asked routinely (by the shareholders of his parent company) how many records a particular artist would sell on their next release when the band hadn’t even written the songs yet!

So why am I still in the game? Am I helping rearrange the proverbial deck chairs on the Titanic? Sorry, I say let it sink. Somebody’s gotta stand up for the quality and integrity of the music (as well as the music makers) and I believe it’s my job as an independent record producer to do just that. I know first hand that music providers are treated like bottom feeders. Remember several years ago when Universal bought up Interscope, A&M, Geffen and a couple other labels? I had three major projects lined up back to back at that time. In studio time, that amounted to well over one years worth of bookings (even longer on the production schedule with pre-production, meetings and such). When the big merger went through and one of the labels dropped an artist I was scheduled to produce, I was not even called. Maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked by that…what, notify the producer the project has been canceled? Nah. I guess they just figured I would read about it in the trades. Hhmmm…

After all that, I suddenly redefined my role and shifted my paradigm considerably. I realized the music had never, ever let me down so it was the music I was going to serve if I were to keep on. The business of music would follow the music – not the other way around. No more tail wagging the dog.

It was at this point in time that TikiTown studios came to be. Hit or Myth Productions found a lovely house on the edge of San Francisco Bay that provided the perfect home away from home for artists from all over the world. The building and museum-like interior offers a feeling that both inspires and relaxes people who have spent a lot of their lives in studios that feel like well appointed caves. Having built studios from the ground up enough times, I decided this time I would find an atmosphere where music could be born and just load in the gear, which is exactly how we did it. Experimenting with different rooms and sounds we eventually hit on the best of both worlds – creature comforts and state-of the-art acoustics.

Now, after working with most of my musical heroes, I have developed a company that carves out careers with new artists that we believe in. These artists are my new heroes. When it comes to styles of music, we go with the Duke Ellington school of thought; “There are only two kinds of music – good and bad.” My skills as a music producer allow me to be able to work with a variety of different types of artists and types of music. This year alone, I have produced a hard rock project, an opera and quite a few other genres in between. At our company, we follow and trust our instincts. And as it turns out, our instincts don’t stink!

Success for new artists today means getting a fighting chance to make an actual living making music. From that point on, it can grow into something much bigger and more rewarding in other areas. When a new artist proves himself or herself in the studio and provides an incredible product, they are in a position of strength when it comes time for taking their work to the masses. By having the finished goods and not owing a huge recoupable sum to a label, it provides the necessary evidence needed to seek a fair and equitable deal for distribution.

We are always seeking artists who are different, because we believe they stand the best chance of creating their own unique careers. If somebody is doing something different from other people, then they’re the sort of artist who might stand the test of time. If you look at my track record, nobody pops up as being a flavor-of-the-month type of artist. They are by and large lifers, much like myself.

Scott Mathews, 2007
Mill Valley, CA

SCOTT MATHEWS is a music producer who has worked on several Grammy and Oscar winning projects and has had Top 10 releases in Pop, Alternative Rock, R&B and Country. He has combined sales of nearly 15 million units. Mathews has worked with such recording artists as; The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, George Harrison, John Lee Hooker, Mick Jagger, Patti Labelle, Huey Lewis, Steve Miller, Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt, Joey Ramone, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, Brian Wilson and Neil Young.

1. Being a team player:

Is about playing together, getting along and having fun. Being a great musician is good, but unless you are a Jimmy Page and in constant demand, then it’s really more important, when playing in a music band, to know how to work with a group of people and get along, be able to trade idea’s and have some fun.

Some musicians are the, my way is the only way type, making your life miserable and a little more difficult. Working with a good team can be real good and very rewarding. When you pull off that near perfect gig together and then reflect after the show, it’s a feeling that always gets to me. The team effort from everyone is what makes playing in a music band rewarding.

2. The people and place

Associating with people outside your band is very important. Get to know your bartenders because if they like you, they can be a big promoter of yours, and also the owners (the ones with the cash) and your patrons and followers (the ones that are there to watch you). Always try to find out what kind of bar or establishment it is, so you know what king of genre it is before your get there so you are prepared. At your breaks, talk to the people, and treat them as friends. Your audience will notice not only your music but also your demeanor and the way you socialize with them. It is great to get that reward of your audience liking your music but when you hear that they also think you are also just a nice bunch of guys, then you can say that playing in a music band is really worth it. When playing in a band, there is a few things to consider:

1. Your stage presence (begins at the start of the gig whether you look like a bunch of amateurs

or whether you look like you know what you are doing).

2. Playing with feeling (you know when you have it and know when you don’t). Even an easy song

played with feeling will sound awesome when you’re all together.

3. Association with the crowd (do not snub your audience, talk to them, they are the ones that will

come back to see you the next time).

4. The music itself (how it sounds, your song selection, how you play together (that team thing).

5. Stay in your comfort zone (if a song is not ready to play out, don’t play it and risk the band’s

reputation) and if someone requests a song that you do not know, then be honest and tell them.

Playing in a music band is about giving. I think the guideline above is a great start for any band that is looking to enhance their performance. If you really enjoy the music you play, you will find getting the feeling of playing together gets easier all the time, and when the feeling is there your stage presence will follow. Stay in your comfort zone.

3. Practice

Practice is time, but very rewarding. If you want to get that feeling, practice!! With the internet and all the magazines today, there are a number ways to learn new things. Online programs are one of the best learning tools, because you can learn and watch on your own time whenever you want. Magazines have all kinds of great articles and also the cheap guitars today are very playable and an excellent value. It does not cost a lot of money to get started playing in a music band. “So belly up to the bar”, as they say, and get that first guitar and an online lesson program and get started today. So practice, practice, practice, if you aren’t making mistakes you’re not learning.

4. Knowing the material

When playing in a band, there’s more to learning a song than working out the chords, solos and lyrics. It is all about the feeling, whether a song is easy or hard Know what the songs are about, and tell the story.

You have everything you need at your disposal to create the feeling, and make each song unique. Effects are ok for short periods; subtle effects are good for long periods. I am partial on this as I play in an acoustic band and like the clean sound. Using a little reverb and chorus on the vocals is fine.

5. Don’t Blame Anyone

Always Remember that playing in a music band is a team effort and nobody is to blame. Don’t be upset or put blame if your audience does not dance or if they do not applaud. Do not blame if you do not get asked back, because it could be list of different things. Do not blame other band members if something goes wrong or a mistake is made, because it does happen from time to time and ends up just creating tension which you do not need at a gig. Do not blame anyone for equipment problems or the way it sounds in the monitors or mains, because everyone is trying to do their best. All of these things will happen and putting the blame on anyone will just make everything worse. All of these things can be solved in a positive manner that also can be a learning experience for the next show or even learning a new song.

6. Have Fun

It is all about the fun and enjoyment, the chances are good that you are having fun or you would not be doing it. One of the biggest things in showing your audience you’re having fun, is looking at them and making eye contact and maybe even give them a little smile, its ok. If you’re have fun, so will the people around you and you will feed off of their energy and they will feed off yours and that makes for a successful show. The practices should be fun because you’re getting together with the band and friends for some socialization, to talk about songs, learning new ones or just thinking about how playing in a music band is what you always wanted to do. Having fun just pushing yourself to be better at what you love to do.

7. The Song List

When playing in a music band your song selection is very important. For instance, if you are a dance band playing covers then your song list should be:

1. well known songs that the audience can relate to

2. have a danceable beat

3. songs that you, yourself, like to play, because the feeling is a lot easier to capture when you enjoy the song.

Deciding what songs to play is, again, a team effort and if anyone in the band has a problem with a song then you should come up with a different song. It should be a band decision. The front man or lead singer will know if he or she can sing it or if it should be changed to a different key to be sung or if it is a song that he/she do not think they can sing, then the band should take a look at the song because it will show to the audience. If any player has a rational strong objection to a song, then find another song, it is not worth trying to sell it to him because it will just end up being a song that will not capture the feeling.

8. Mix While You Play

When the band is playing and singing all together, listen to what you’re doing and see if it fits into the total band sound. If you think that you can do whatever you want and have the sound man fix it, then you are not playing as a team, you are playing solo. Nothing can fix an over played guitar or an over played keyboard. You have to listen to the band sound and make adjustments as you go. Some things to think about: am I leaving enough room for the other musicians to do their thing, am I turned up too loud making it hard for the rest of the band to hear themselves, is what I am doing fitting in with the band sound. There is a lot on this subject, but you really have to listen to the band sound as a whole and do a little mixing as you go. Playing in a band is not easy when you have to try to listen to everybody and just not yourself and the sooner you can do this, the sooner you will be playing in a music band together. When you achieve that, who knows where it will go. Remember it is all about the feeling and the music as a band.

9. Be Positive

You only have to prove this to yourself. Just like being physically fit, this is also about being mentally fit. Just like you run your life, you try to be as positive as you can, and work toward your goals and I know it is not as easy as me writing this article. You have to trust yourself to do what you have to. When playing in a music band you also need to keep positive, this is what will keep you moving forward. Don’t get discouraged when you cannot get the gigs you want or when you want. The positive way of thinking is that we now have more time to practice and learn more songs before the next gig. Life in general is too short to not be positive. Everything tends to work out in its own way. If you try this approach, I hope it helps you as it has helped me. Think about the old saying, the glass is half full, and don’t think of it as half empty.

10. State of Mind

If you are serious about your music and playing in a band, know your own state of mind and what is good for you. Some people have to have a drink before they start because they say it relaxes them, others may need a smoke, but the point is know your limitations your gig depends on it. Playing is more physical that many people think. They always say why are you so tired all you did was play music, but the fact is playing in a music band is very physical and you need to be able to be in the right state of mind and physically fit enough to get through the gig. Speaking for myself, I am in good shape but at the end of a gig I am exhausted, and sometimes sore, from the banging on the floor with my foot or just kind of dancing around and getting into the feeling. The more you give the more sore you get, but it is a good and satisfying sore.

“KEEP THE SHINY SIDE OUT”