West Music Staff Blogs
Our Mission: To enrich people's lives through the participation in music!
Tag >> Advocacy
 President Harry S. Truman claimed to have practiced his piano lessons for two hours every morning during his childhood. Likewise, President Warren Harding was said to be able to play every instrument except the trombone and the clarinet. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) played the organ. Of course, we all remember President Clinton and his saxophone, but did you know that President Nixon was an accomplished pianist?
The list goes on, but the real question is why do people with musical training tend to achieve more in life? There are a few differing theories about that, but studies have shown a direct correlation between music and the brain's ability to adapt to the world around it.
If you are a musician or vocalist and would like to be in a band, West Music has a program for you. Weekend Warriors is a nation wide program bringing amateur and professional musicians of all ages together. The Warrior program provides all the tools, including equipment, posters, a gig, and even a coach! We are inviting any one who would like to join a band, to attend our Meet and Greet session on Saturday January 16th at 2:30.
Posted by: Teresa Heitman in Print Music, Piano and Keyboards, Music Instruction, Music Education, Lessons, Drums, Combo, Christmas, Band and Orchestra, Advocacy, Accessories on
Dec 15, 2009
Having difficulty with those last minute gifts, or finding musicians hard to buy for? Here's a list that will make your shopping easy, provided by the blog of voice instructor Cindy Shadrick. - Gift Certificate for Sheet Music
Sheet Music Plus offers a variety of styles of music for anyone and allows the customer to purchase a gift certificate right from their website and have it emailed to your loved one. - Metronome
It's amazing the number of musicians, especially singers, who do not own a metronome. This is an ESSENTIAL piece of equipment for EVERY musician. They are relatively inexpensive (many for under $20) and there even metronome apps for the iPhone. Metronomes can be purchased anywhere instruments are sold or online. Amazon has a wide selection.
With interest in recreational music making at an all-time high, according to a 2009 Gallup Poll* conducted by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the holidays are the perfect time to share the gift of music by giving a gift of music lessons or instruments. NAMM's "Top 10 Reasons" illustrates just some of the many proven benefits of an untraditional musical gift that keeps on giving beyond the holidays:
 Ellis Kell, Terry Hanson, and six other local musicians performed at the River Music Experience in Davenport to benefit Rock Island's Thurgood Marshall school, raising funds to bring musicians and artists to students who lack creative outlets. Thurgood Marshall has students who have had family, behavioral, or truancy issues.
Teacher Linda Golden said exposing students to local artists does wonders for the students, many of whom have had a rocky start but are committed to turning their lives around. "That is an incredibly good way to fight truancy," she said. "Anything that helps students graduate helps our community." (Nicole Lauer, QC Dispatch-Argus, Nov 7)
 Come one, come all to The Mill in Iowa City for the Weekend Warrior concert THIS Sunday, October 18th at 7:00PM!!
Weekend Warrior concerts have grown so large over the last few years we can expect 100-200 in the audience. It has become a major event and is ridiculously fun! Come out and support live music and West Music! The food at The Mill is great, the bands have a great variety of music. Here’s a rundown of the groups you will see Sunday night:
 Never!
Most 91-year-olds are quietly spending their time at a peaceful retirement home. Not Californian Jerrie Thill, who spends her days beating the drums and recording new offbeat tracks while lugging around an oxygen tank. Jerrie Thill is a spunky percussionist from the Jazz Age who still performs regularly.
The following is a summary of research by Susan Hallam, Institute of Education, University of London. Recent advances in the study of the brain have enhanced our understanding of the way that active engagement with music may influence other activities. - Eight year old children with just 8 weeks of musical training showed improvement in perceptual cognition compared with controls.
- Eight year old children with musical training outperformed controls on tests of music and language.
- Musically trained participants remembered 17% more verbal information that those without musical training.
- Children experiencing difficulties with reading comprehension have benefitted from training in rhythmical performance.
 When learning to play a stringed instrument parents and students have the option of taking traditional lessons or Suzuki lessons. Most people understand what traditional lessons are, but what exactly are Suzuki lessons?
The Suzuki method was developed by Shinichi Suzuki after World War II. Mr. Suzuki desired to create beauty in the world again after the devastations of the war and knew that children would be the best place to start.
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West Music Staff Blogs