music, thoughts, books, dreams, more

Just my world of dreams, music and thoughts. Author of two books, one a novel of Love stories set in Framingham, Mass, Secrets of the Heart the 2nd book an autobiography of growing up in Framingham, Mass. Small Town America, Framingham My generation was the first teenage generation, that was when the word was coined. Ours was the generation that started cruising through town and to the drive in theater and drive in restaurant. In our area, Ernie Kampersal,from Holliston, drove his bucking car through town, picking up girls. It rose in the air, like a stallion! We went to the soda shops and played the juke boxes. It was a different town, a different time, and it belonged to us!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Life re-imagined




Go Ahead. Make Music. It’ll Boost Your Brain

Psychologist Francine Toder braved cello lessons in her sixties, to discover beautiful music and a brighter brain.


“Excruciatingly hard but immensely satisfying.” When a friend asked me what it was like to begin playing the cello in my sixties, that’s what I said. I might have added that, like most things worth doing, it’s complicated.
Learning to play a musical instrument, writing a story, or shaping clay on a potter’s wheel are all brain stimulating activities providing novelty, complexity and problem solving, a crucial triad of ingredients for maintaining brain fitness while also checking the boxes for fun, meaningfulness, and satisfaction.
I thought about taking up the cello, an instrument I’d loved for decades, after finding evidence that the older brain is capable of learning to play a musical instrument. I realized that I could combine my wish to make music with the desire to keep stimulating my brain.
My quest was launched when I found Biana Kovic, a New York City cello teacher whose documentary, Virtuoso, chronicled Matty, an 89-year old who agreed to take lessons in exchange for participating in the film. If Matty could do it, so could I.
Playing the cello involves eye-hand coordination, timing, differentiation of sounds, and the pure physicality of carrying around a near body-sized wooden object, daunting for a beginner. Focusing despite distraction and learning to read music require determination. The very complexity of these efforts stimulates neuronal production. I was up for the challenge.
Beyond the aesthetic benefits -- the delightful sound of drawing the bow across a string and producing a deep, resonating sound (when I hit the right note) -- I also knew as a psychologist reviewing the latest neuroscience literature, that the fine arts, and particularly music can enhance cognitive functioning.
What happens in the brain of someone playing a musical instrument? For the first time in human history we can answer that question. Thanks to fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), a technique that directly measures the blood flow in the brain, you can see exactly which areas get active when someone plays a musical instrument.
Remarkably, findings from recent research indicate that multiple parts of the brain light up, particularly activation in the pre-frontal and frontal cortex. This is a very good thing: the more sites affected, the better it is for cognitive functioning. After midlife both sides of the brain become better integrated, more interdependent and functionally intertwined, further enhancing brain performance. This process is known as bilaterality.
There is mounting evidence that playing music, and I don’t mean on your iPhone, iPad or audio system, can delay or reverse the onset of normal age-related memory problems in older adults. Not only is neuron production increased, but connections between these cells called dendrites continue to multiply. Instead of the decline we imagined we might need to deal with, we can expect cognitive strengthening!
Taking up a musical instrument isn’t the only path to a brighter brain. There is evidence that other fine arts have similar value. For example, studies show that older adults engaging in theater, whether improvised or scripted, show signs of brain stimulation that improves working memory and boosts cognitive functioning.
Senior theater companies have mushroomed in the past decade, growing from under a hundred to almost 800 nationwide. And while an enhanced sense of community, physical activity and playfulness are good reasons to learn to act, the cognitive bonus is icing on the cake.
When I thought about playing the cello I said to myself, “if not now, then when?” And I’m so grateful I did.
Francine Toder, Ph.D., author of The Vintage Years: Finding Your Inner Artist (Writer, Musician, Visual Artist) After Sixty is an emeritus faculty member at California State University Sacramento. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area and practices the cello daily.
Images:
Cello illustration
Credit: Topic Photo Agency/Corbis
Portrait of Francine Toder
Credit: J. Hustein

Rembrandt recreated in life...watch this!




"Night Watch" by Rembrandt, brought to life  The Rijksmuseum museum in Holland had an idea: Let's bring the art to the people and then, hopefully, they will come to see more - at the museum. They took one Rembrandt painting from 1642, Night Watch and brought to life the characters in it, placed them in a busy mall and the rest you can see for yourself! 
BEFORE YOU CLICK on the link below.....take a good look at the painting above.  Then click to enjoy the video.  http://www.youtube.com/embed/a6W2ZMpsxhg?feature=player_embedded <http://www.youtube.com/embed/a6W2ZMpsxhg?feature=player_embedded>