The Inner Game of Music

Author: Barry Green with W. Timothy Gallwey
Pages: 221
Rating: Non-fiction - G

Summary:
The Inner Game of Music is that which takes place in the mind, played against such elusive opponents as nervousness, self-doubt, and fear of failure. Using the same principles of “natural learning” Timothy Gallwey developed so successfully for tennis, golf and skiing and applying them to his own field, noted musician Barry Green shows how to acknowledge and overcome these internal obstacles in order to bring a new quality to the experience and learning of music. And for those who don’t play an instrument but who feel their appreciation of music will be enhanced if they understand more about the process of playing, this book is ideal.

In precise, easy to understand language, Green and Gallwey explain how natural skills can be nurtured and enhanced, and through a series of special exercises they demonstrate the ways in which musicians can achieve exact intonation, artistic phrasing, and improved technique.

There are also chapters on ensemble playing, improvisation, composition and creativity. All of these along with listening skills – an essential part of the Inner Game – are discussed throughout.
A methodology with a proven track record, The Inner Game of Music will be invaluable to anyone seriously interested in music, whether professional or amateur, composer, performer, or simply an appreciative listener.

My Thoughts: I found this book to be fascinating, both as a musician and a music teacher. It's been around for about 30 years so as I was reading it, I recognized several of the ideas and suggestions as things I've heard before in music lessons and ensembles, which was awesome! Reading this book also helped me realize WHY I hated my flute teacher so much. I started with him, then went to several other teachers, and when my mom sent me back to him, I bawled for like an hour. The reason? He was no fun at ALL! I didn't enjoy my lessons, I didn't understand what was wrong with how I played something, only that he would make me play it again and again until I "got it right" even though I still never could tell the difference. This book reminds us that first and foremost, music should be enjoyable, and there are lots of things you can do to make it more fun. Also, teaching works best when the student is led to their own discoveries, instead of being told "Do this, do that, that was wrong, that was right."

I particularly enjoyed the way the book encourages you to let feeling come into your music, to kind of let go and let your body take over, shove your mind to the side. I definitely need improvement in that area. There were so many awesome ideas on how to overcome nervousness, difficult musical challenges, etc. There's too much to even summarize!

There is one quote I really loved. In a chapter on improving the quality of musical experience, the author discusses the difficult of getting stuck in a rehearsal that is not challenging you. This has happened to most of us at one time or another. Here's what he said "I can always choose to find challenge in what would otherwise seem boring circumstances." For example, if your part is not interesting, memorize it, listen more carefully to the other parts and how yours fits in, etc. 

If you are a musician or music teacher, I highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a glance-through. You may learn something!

This is Your Brain on Music

Author: Daniel J. Levitin
Pages: 261
Rating: G

Summary:
What can music teach us about the brain? What can the brain teach us about music? And what can both teach us about ourselves?
 In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin (The World in Six Songs and The Organized Mind) explores the connection between music - its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it - and the human brain. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, Levitin reveals:

• How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world
• Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre
• That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise
• How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our head

Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin poses that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language.

My Thoughts: I felt that parts of this book were very interesting (basically the parts that expounded on the bullet points above) but a lot of it was very sciency and technical and I ended up skimming through it. Levitin does a nice job of putting everything into laymans' terms, it's still a rather complicated subject with a lot to explain. I had a hard time with all of that. One of my favorite parts was learning about how the songs that we like the most are also the ones that most surprise our brains and do things that we aren't expecting. Because they are at just the right balance between predictable and unpredictable, we end up enjoying those songs for years. The Beatles were able to find this balance, and that's why everyone still listens to their music. That chapter was really fun to read. All in all, this book wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was still interesting, and I felt good because I was learning something. 

What A Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music

Author: Various
Pages: 193
Rating: PG-13, but only because one story drops the F-bomb twice. But other than that, it's extremely clean. If you don't want the F-bomb, just skip the story entitled, "Riffs"

Summary: This compelling collection of stories explores the powerful impact that music has in our lives—especially in the lives of teens. Each story strikes a new note: Ron Koertge introduces us to the boys in the band—the marching band; Joseph Bruchac contributes a Native American boy with no rhythm whatsoever; Jennifer Armstrong writes about what was perhaps the first battle of the bands—during the American Civil War; and David Levithan offers up a love song that speaks powerfully to an unintended audience. But while each story is different, they combine into a harmonic song of praise—for the depths music can reach in us, and the power it has to bind us together.

My Thoughts: I'm not normally one for short stories, but I'm a sucker for anything musical, so I picked this one up. I actually really enjoyed each story in this book. They were all very well written and were touching in their own way. One reason I don't usually like short stories is because I want them all to be longer stories. I don't like how they end so quickly. I want them to be full books so I can really get to know the characters and read their ENTIRE story, not just a segment of it. But I liked each of the stories. Like I said in the rating, avoid the story called "Riffs" if you're not comfortable with the fact that it drops the F-bomb twice. I think my favorite story was probably the first one, "Variations on a Theme" which is basically a collection of one pages little bios from each instrument in a band. I loved that. I also liked "Tangled Notes in Watermelon" about a girl who has something called synesthesia, which causes her to see shapes and colors when she hears music. It's pretty interesting. The book wasn't life-changing or anything, but then, I'm not a short-story person, so give it a read anyway. It's nice and short, so you won't be wasting time, I can promise that.

The Sky Is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

Pages: 288
Rating: PG-13 (two F-bombs and hints about sexual activity, but it doesn't get graphic.)

Summary:Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

My Thoughts: One of my new favorite books! I couldn't believe this was a first novel. It's so moving. She writes incredibly well, and there's a poem at the beginning of each chapter, written so exquisitely I sometimes read them several times. Lennie is an amazing character, but it doesn't stop there. Her Gram and her uncle are both slightly whacky. It's amazing how well Lennie's grief and her journey to get past it is captured so well in the pages of this book. Lennie has a bit of a love triangle going because her shared grief with Toby kind of turns into passion, and then she has this amazingly talented, beautiful boy named Joe who she is so ridiculously in love with. Seriously, after reading the parts about how she feels about Joe, I was a romantic mess! In a good way of course. Anyone who has ever experienced any kind of heartache, love, or who has a sister would enjoy reading this book. Sometimes the poems I read made me think of my sisters. I want this book!!!