Lois Svard

Tag: neuroplasticity

  • Might making music be a “fountain of youth?”

    Might making music be a “fountain of youth?”

    Have you ever wondered why so many conductors and pianists continue to perform well into their 80s and 90s? The Swedish-American conductor Herbert Blomstedt (photo at right) is 98, but you wouldn’t know it by his concert schedule. The number of performances on his calendar over the next few months would be the envy of…

  • Musicians, Ninjas, and Neuroplasticity

    Musicians, Ninjas, and Neuroplasticity

    Ninjas and musicians don’t seem to have much in common, although they both spend a lot of time practicing.  But I began to think about the differences in performance in the two disciplines after I was introduced to the sport by my 12-year-old niece, Eva Fornwalt, who has been practicing ninja for the past couple…

  • I’m back – with a new book!

    I’m back – with a new book!

    The Musician’s Brain isn’t defunct, although you may wonder where I have been for the past 2 years.  Actually, I spent the Covid years writing a book, and The Musical Brain: what students, teachers, and performers need to know, will be released by Oxford on March 3.  (Oxford is offering a discount to my blog…

  • 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…

  • Why study music, part I

    Albert Einstein, at or near the top of anyone’s list of “greatest scientists of the twentieth century,” revolutionized science with his theory of relativity.  And what did he have to say about this discovery? The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving force behind this intuition.  My parents had…

  • Musician’s Brain Webinar

    Something different for this blog  – a post to be listened to, not read.  On March 11,  I presented a webinar for the College Music Society titled A Musician’s Guide to the Brain: What We Need to Know and Why.  This was the second in a series of webinars hosted by the CMS Committee on Musicians’ Health.  If you…