United Sound of Music

Music Helps Stroke Victims Recover Memory

Music hits the right note after a stroke

A little Beethoven is good for the brain, according to a Finnish study published today showing that music helps people recover more quickly from strokes.

And patients who listened to a few hours of music each day soon after a stroke also improved their verbal memory and were in a better mood compared to patients who did not listen to music or used audio books, the researchers said.

Music therapy has long been used in a range of treatments but the study published in the journal Brain is the first to show the effect in people, they added.

Managing Ringing in the Ears with Music Therapy

Bill Guhl was initially skeptical about using music therapy to manage his tinnitus, a progressively worsening hearing condition commonly described as ringing in the ears, that he developed serving in noisy Vietnam War battlefields.

Four months into treatment, though, the Weston, Ohio, man said his hearing has improved by about 60 percent, according to the Toledo Blade.

Hearing loud noises, which used to cause pain to shoot down into his shoulder, no longer hurts, Guhl said recently. "Taking the pain out of this whole thing has really helped," he added. For the first time in years, he can go to restaurants and social gatherings without wearing earplugs.

They're Playing My Song. Time to Work Out.

Fitness magazines and Web sites love to ask readers about their favorite workout music while presenting their playlists or suggestions from celebrities. Self.com features the " '80s cardio playlist," which includes the short-shorts video classic "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! On Fitnessmagazine.com, the singer Rihanna reveals her favorite workout songs -- immodestly recommending four of her own for "when you have to pick up the pace on the treadmill."

The playlist fixation has a scientific basis: Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. But are certain songs more effective than others?

Little Kids Rock Experiences Record Growth in 2007

Little Kids Rock knows that music is a critical component of a first-rate education. We inspire children to express themselves through music, building the creativity, confidence, and self-esteem that are critical to success in school and beyond. We accomplish this by:

- Pioneering innovative teaching methods that are rooted in children�s knowledge of popular music forms such as rock, rap, blues, hip-hop etc.
- Preparing practitioners such as teachers and youth workers to offer classes utilizing our methods and materials.
- Providing free musical instruments and trained instructors to children, especially to those children who do not receive music education.

The Power Of Music

Dan Ellsey, 33, was sitting in his wheelchair in a soulless room at Tewksbury Hospital, his virtually useless arms and weak torso strapped to the chair for safety.

Suddenly, as soon as we were introduced, he arched his back, grinned broadly, and aimed the riveting power of his dark brown eyes at me, as if eye contact were his only means of transcending the prison of his body.

But it isn't. In the last few years, Ellsey, who was born with cerebral palsy, has discovered another, almost miraculous, way of expressing himself: music. Not just listening to country and soft rock, as he has done for years, but composing music himself with a special computerized system called Hyperscore, developed by composer-inventor, Tod Machover, professor of music and media and director of the Opera of the Future group at the MIT Media Lab.

MusiCares Launches New Online Addiction Recovery Videos

MusiCares and the MusiCares MAP Fund have produced a compelling new series of informational videos with artists. These short pieces cover a variety of topics � from addiction and the challenges of getting sober to life on the road and the benefits of sobriety � and offer intimate portraits of successful music people dealing with their own recovery or that of their band members. The videos feature Bob Forrest, Dave Kushner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slash, as well as manager Bill Siddons. In addition, the page features Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney with Metallica's James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo performing "Them Bones" at the 2006 MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert.

Fighting Alcoholism With A Pill

A major shift is under way in the treatment of alcoholism.

Since the disease was first recognized by the medical establishment more than a half century ago, alcoholics seeking treatment have essentially had two options: traditional psychotherapy or abstinence support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Although a handful of medications have been available -- including Antabuse, which makes people nauseous when they drink -- they have had limited success and are prescribed to a fraction of patients seeking treatment.

Now, a new wave of drugs is poised to radically change the way doctors approach the disease. Over the past decade, neurobiologists have been decoding the brain's addiction pathways, paving the way for a crop of targeted medications that act on brain receptors to blunt cravings, ease withdrawal symptoms and dull the euphoric effects of alcohol. In one of the most controversial developments, the new drugs may help alcoholics simply cut back their drinking, rather than give up alcohol completely, which some doctors say may be a more realistic goal for many patients.

AUTISM ACTION ON YOU TUBE

(London, UK) The beautiful and moving song for autism, 'Open Every Door' sung by Sri-Lanka born superstar Nimal Mendis and British musician Rozagy who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome has been featured in a film on You Tube. Rozagy is raising funds for Professor Simon Baron Cohen's Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. 'Open Every Door' is the cry of every parent who has a child with autism.

Genius and Madness

Creativity and mood: The myth that madness heightens creative genius

There may be a link between creativity and mental disorders, but it is probably not in the way that you think. There is a widespread highly romanticized belief that madness somehow heightens creative genius among artists, writers, and musicians. And that may be because we romanticize the idea of artistic inspiration.

As with mental disorders, there is something mysterious and unexplainable about the creative process. But all significant creative leaps have two very important components�talent and technique. By far the most universal and necessary aspect of technique is dogged persistence, which is anything but romantic.

Rosagy's Cover Version of Autism Song 'Open Every Door'

Rosagy, the British musician, has recorded a cover version of the Nimal Mendis song for autism, 'Open Every Door.' The song will be available for download from Tuesday 17th July 2007.

Professor Simon Baron Cohen of the renowned Autism Research Centre in Cambridge University has welcomed the news that a cover version of 'Open Every Door' the song for autism sung by Rosagy, a musician who has Asperger's Syndrome, is due to be released in London.