By Helen T. Gray MYRTLE BEACH, SC — To the slave owner, the melody was just keeping his slaves happy as they worked. He paid little attention to the words. But the slaves, they were getting ready to steal away all right – steal away from the plantation. They were to start on a dangerous […]
News and Notices
Hitting the High Notes in ‘A Symphony of A Thousand’
By Prosy Abarquez Delacruz LOS ANGELES — “The symphony must be like the world— it must be all-embracing.” – Gustav Mahler “Music has to be recognized as an agent of social development in the highest sense, because it transmits the highest values—solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire […]
Choirs strike a chord with students
By Emily Hendrick CHARLOTTE, NC — Sports may grab most students’ attention, but to a vocal segment of Charlotte’s kids and teens, choral singing is where the action is. Even before hit TV shows “Glee” and “The Sing-Off,” choral singing was on solid ground, say music educators. But these shows have solidified choirs’ popularity. “It’s […]
With a song in their hearts
By Barrie Hudson SWINDON, UK — THAMESDOWN La-dies Choir is looking for its own Gareth Malone. Ideally they’re looking for Gareth himself, but as the celebrity choirmaster’s schedule almost certainly rules him out of the running, they promise a warm welcome to anybody with the right qualifications. Thamesdown Ladies Choir, or TLC for short, was […]
Former figure skating pro and singer leads high school choir
By Tammy Hansen BRENTWOOD, CA — Call it the optimism of youth, but Laura Carreon is taking her first year teaching as Liberty High School’s choir director in stride. It can be daunting to be the new teacher, especially when the last teacher retired after three decades of building a successful program. Carreon, thrilled […]
Singing ‘rewires’ damaged brain
Teaching stroke patients to sing “rewires” their brains, helping them recover their speech, say scientists. By singing, patients use a different area of the brain from the area involved in speech. If a person’s “speech centre” is damaged by a stroke, they can learn to use their “singing centre” instead. Researchers presented these findings at […]