Lois Svard

Author: Lois Svard

  • Music for our self-isolating times

    A friend remarked yesterday that artists are really stepping up during this pandemic, aware that the arts bring people together during times of crisis.  We’ve all seen the videos of Italians singing from their balconies in solidarity and in appreciation to health care workers.  The web is full of playlists and suggestions for listening, and…

  • Music, synchronization, and teamwork

    My husband and I happened to be in Minneapolis a month ago just as the Minnesota Orchestra was beginning its 2019-2020 season, and we went to the opening concert.   The concert, with music by Rautavaara, Grieg, Carter, and Elgar, opened with The Star-Spangled Banner, and all 1800 people in the audience immediately rose to their…

  • Musicians are not “the athletes of small muscles”

    Musicians are often compared to athletes because, like athletes, we practice a lot, we use repetitive motions, and we’re often performing or playing under stress.  Unfortunately, within the past few years, the comparison with athletes has led to referring to musicians as “the athletes of small muscles.”   I don’t know where this phrase originated, but…

  • I got rhythm, I got music. . . I got READING

    Why study music, cont. George and Ira Gershwin wrote the famous “I Got Rhythm, I Got Music” in 1930.  Little did they know that, over 80 years later, a neuroscientist named Nina Kraus and her colleagues at the Auditory Neuroscience lab (Brainvolts) at Northwestern University would show a connection between rhythm, music — and reading. …

  • Are musicians better at identifying emotional cues in others?

    Why study music: part IVa About ten years ago, I was startled by a headline that, in essence, said if you wanted a spouse or friend who picked up your most subtle emotional cues, find a musician.  Intrigued, I tracked down the research behind the article and discovered the work of Dr. Nina Kraus, Director…

  • Music and speech: Why study music, part IV

    Our lives in sound Our lives are filled with sound.  On average, Americans listen to music for more than 32 hours a week (Nielsen 2017 study).  We spend hours in conversation with co-workers, friends and families.  We hear the everyday sounds of traffic, appliances in our homes, television, athletic events, pets, and a great deal…