Participants: Jennifer LaMountain
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000817
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01:01 Hello, friends, and welcome to Camp Meeting 2007
01:03 here in Thompsonville, Illinois at the 3ABN Worship Center. 01:08 We have been blessed day by day, 01:09 in the morning and in the evening. 01:11 Can you all say amen to that? 01:13 And this afternoon seminar promises 01:15 to bring a wonderful blessing 01:17 in the area of this music seminar. 01:20 And the presenter is going to be 01:21 Jennifer LaMountain, 01:23 who I believe is well qualified for a number of reasons. 01:26 One, she has been in music ministry 01:28 for more than 10 years now. 01:30 She is a music educator at the high school level. 01:33 She has been a music director for a community art center, 01:36 but she also has a master's degree 01:39 in music education, music research 01:41 and child development 01:43 as it relates to the issue of music. 01:46 But even more than all of those credentials, 01:48 she's one who loves the Lord and continues ministering 01:51 about the grace and power of Jesus Christ 01:54 through the method of music. 01:56 Let us make her welcome 01:57 with a hearty amen this afternoon. 01:59 Amen. 02:05 Thank you. 02:07 That was very kind of John. 02:09 I'm gonna start out by singing for you, 02:11 that only seems right, okay? 02:13 And you know this song very well, 02:14 you're welcomed to sing it with me. 02:17 Why should I feel 02:21 discouraged 02:26 And why should the shadows 02:30 come 02:35 Why should my heart 02:40 be lonely 02:44 And long for heaven 02:49 and home 02:53 When Jesus 02:57 is my portion 03:02 My constant friend 03:05 is He 03:10 His eye 03:13 is on the sparrow 03:18 And I know 03:21 He watches me 03:27 For His eye is on 03:33 the sparrow 03:37 And I know 03:40 He watches me 03:45 And I sing 03:49 because I'm happy 03:55 Yes I sing 03:58 because I'm free 04:02 For His eye 04:06 is on the sparrow 04:12 And I know He watches me 04:26 Let not your heart 04:30 be troubled 04:34 His tender words 04:39 I hear 04:43 And resting 04:45 on His goodness 04:52 I lose my doubts 04:56 and fears 05:01 I draw Him closer to me 05:09 From care He sets me 05:15 free 05:19 His eye 05:21 is on the sparrow 05:26 And I know 05:29 He watches me 05:35 For His eye 05:39 is on the sparrow 05:45 And I know 05:49 He watches me 05:55 And I sing 05:58 because I'm happy 06:04 Yes I sing 06:07 because I'm free 06:12 For His eye 06:16 is on the sparrow 06:21 And I know 06:24 He watches me 06:30 For His eye 06:33 is on the sparrow 06:41 And I know 06:45 He watches me 07:06 Sung that song for a lot of years, 07:09 and it's been around a long time. 07:10 There's a reason why they hang around, 07:11 isn't there? 07:13 But that's why I sing, I sing because 07:15 Christ has made me free. 07:18 I sing because 07:20 that's what I've spent my whole life doing. 07:22 I can't think of a time 07:24 that singing wasn't a part of my life 07:26 or music was not a part of my life. 07:28 And I know that's 07:30 because of my parents and their influence. 07:33 But I also believe that's just the way God designed me 07:35 to understand my world. 07:38 I'd go out in the woods and sing to myself 07:40 and sing to the birds, 07:41 and my mother still laughs at me 07:43 going out and talking and singing to the tulips 07:46 to make them grow. 07:48 I think she did that 07:49 so that I'd stay out of the house. 07:52 But anyway, I enjoyed it, I guess. 07:55 I did, I sang to the cows and everything that came by, 07:59 but I grew up because my father loved music so much 08:04 and my mother as well, 08:05 but my father was the one 08:07 who really appreciated 08:08 so many different styles of music 08:10 and exposed us to so many things 08:12 and I know in course he's gonna watch this 08:15 at some point I'm sure, but I know he wishes 08:18 that I would have been better at bluegrass 08:19 and I never picked up on that poor thing, poor dad. 08:24 I'm sorry, dad, you know. 08:27 But why, why is music so important to all of us, 08:32 whether you're singing professionally as I do, 08:35 or whether you're just playing it 08:36 on your radio in your car, 08:38 or playing an instrument, 08:41 however, music is a part of your life 08:43 and even if it's just when you go to church 08:45 and sing with the choir or sing in the congregation, 08:49 why is music so important to us? 08:51 And what does music do in our lives to create quality? 08:59 And this is I think... 09:02 These are questions that I believe 09:03 we will continue to research and try to understand, 09:07 as long as we're on this earth, 09:08 because music is absolutely incredible. 09:12 There are so many things that we don't understand 09:14 that we believe happen when we're listening to music 09:17 or creating music but only until 09:21 even just the last decade, there were not ways 09:24 that we could research that, monitor that or qualify it 09:29 or quantify it in very scientific 09:33 or reasonable ways. 09:35 And it's exciting to me that technology 09:37 is starting to catch up with what we've believed 09:39 was happening with music and it's actually showing us 09:42 these things are true. 09:44 And, of course, that's what the musical mind is about, 09:47 I try to get my hands on research 09:48 as much as I can and just give you 09:51 little nuggets to keep reminding you 09:53 how important music can be in your life 09:55 and the things that it can do to help improve 09:58 whatever it is you need to improve in your life. 10:00 Now, that's not to say that music's an end of itself, 10:04 or it can do everything we think it might can do, 10:06 but we're going to keep looking and see, 10:08 because I have seen and read so many instances 10:13 of people who are recovering from major things 10:18 such as strokes and other illnesses, 10:20 because of music's influence, 10:22 babies who go from the brink of death 10:25 to life because of a song. 10:28 So there's many reasons why I think 10:30 music is affecting us in many ways, 10:32 but we have yet to know all those reasons. 10:36 And it's such a vast amount of knowledge, 10:40 I didn't even know where to start for a seminar 10:42 like this with you and so what I had to do is, 10:45 ask me some questions, 10:47 and there were a few of you that filled out 10:49 some little cards and asked specific questions 10:52 on aspects maybe in your life, 10:54 you're trying to figure out how music can help you. 10:56 And so I thought I would start by answering those 10:59 and if we get through all of those, 11:00 we'll move on to a few other things 11:02 and hopefully, I'll touch on some topics 11:05 that matter in your life in ways 11:08 that you can find to use music in a better way, 11:11 or a way that you can simply understand 11:14 how music can be a wonderful tool 11:16 for you in your daily life. 11:18 It might even help you clean the house 11:19 or something like that, you know, 11:21 hey, if it'll help do that, I'm there. 11:24 But okay, so I'm just going to jump into this. 11:28 Here's the first one. 11:29 What's a good age for a child to start piano lessons, 11:32 and how long or frequent should practices be? 11:38 Oh, somebody's laughing already on that one. 11:41 Yeah, well, a good age 11:42 for a child to start piano there is, 11:45 I'd say probably the most common answer 11:49 to that is age 6 to 10, 11:51 is probably what most people will say. 11:54 Those who are promoters of the Suzuki method, 11:57 and if you're not familiar with that method, 11:59 just do a real quick search or ask a few questions 12:02 from a music person and they will fill you 12:04 and I won't take time here. 12:06 But Suzuki method is by rote. 12:08 It's a young child learning to do a musical skill 12:12 by watching an adult or their parent, ideally. 12:15 And Suzuki method usually will say 12:17 even three or four is a good time to start. 12:20 And so if you're going to start your child in piano, 12:23 and you feel that their personality 12:26 and their interest is there to begin starting music, 12:32 you can start them as early as three and four, 12:33 if you start them in a Suzuki type program. 12:36 If you're starting in a more traditional 12:38 piano instruction method, 12:41 I would go for five or six as the earliest. 12:44 And for those of you that are wondering 12:47 how late you can start piano lessons, 12:50 you can start anytime in your life, honestly. 12:54 And you should, you know, there's a lot of research 12:56 out there on senior citizens who began taking piano 13:00 even after some major illnesses or some major difficulties 13:04 with hand movement. 13:06 Oh, my, and piano has been a wonderful thing for them. 13:08 It's been a great way for them to express themselves 13:11 and to gain dexterity, and to simply enjoy 13:14 yet another new hobby. 13:15 So don't be afraid to start it later. 13:17 If you didn't start when you're five, 13:19 it's still okay. 13:20 All right, you can start. 13:22 Now as far as when to practice? 13:25 I took violin, that was probably 13:27 my main instrument growing up, 13:29 and I did take the Suzuki method with violin, 13:33 and I had a teacher who would quote 13:36 the master Suzuki to me and his most famous quote is, 13:40 you only need to practice on the days that you eat. 13:46 So there you go, 13:48 there's your answer for that one. 13:51 All right. 13:53 Let's see. 13:54 Okay, now are you game to do a little bit, 13:57 this is more of a classroom environment for me, 13:59 and you're okay with us doing that, right? 14:03 You know, camera might end up on you, is that okay? 14:06 Because I would just assume they take the cameras off me 14:08 at this point right now. 14:11 And I'm not sure I'm going to be able to show you 14:13 everything as well with this baby kicking me. 14:17 But we're going to try it, 14:19 I'm going to give you some examples here. 14:21 How old is too old to take vocal lessons is the question. 14:25 I love to sing, but was told by a musician 14:27 I had a raw talent, is that bad or good? 14:33 I don't know. 14:34 Let me hear you sing and we'll find out. 14:36 No, raw talent usually, I would assume that 14:39 that's a description of saying that 14:40 there you have a talent within you, 14:42 that just with a little training 14:44 would focus itself and you would have 14:46 even greater communication ability. 14:48 And another question that came in along that line, 14:51 you know, how old is too old to take voice lessons? 14:53 And oh, no, I guess that's separate, 14:56 how to improve your normal speaking voice? 14:59 Let's deal with how old is too old 15:00 to take vocal lessons? 15:06 You know, I've taught... 15:08 The bulk of my teaching was high school students 15:10 but there were also 15:12 when I was at the Community Arts Center, 15:13 I oversaw everything from pre K, 15:18 kindergarten grades, up through 15:21 I think the oldest student I had in voice was mid 70s, 15:25 probably. 15:28 I don't think that there ever is a time 15:30 that you're too old to have lessons 15:33 because it will help stabilize the mechanism, 15:37 the purpose that might be an issue to have at hand 15:44 and to be concerned with a little bit. 15:46 If you're thinking at 60 that you want to go into opera, 15:51 you're beyond the prime, that's just a fact, okay, 15:54 and now you laugh a little bit, but now if you're in your 50s, 15:56 you might not be. 15:58 There're actually some muscular things 16:01 that happen as we age, 16:03 and some things actually improve with age, 16:07 the voice is one of them. 16:08 So don't be afraid if you're 70 to take up voice lessons, 16:12 but I would consider why you're doing it. 16:15 I would do it to help improve your communication skill, 16:17 maybe to sing some songs for church 16:20 but you don't want to overtax yourself. 16:22 Your voice just simply does not have the flexibility 16:25 it did when you were younger. 16:27 And as far as a raw talent, get with an instructor, 16:31 I still see an instructor every now and then. 16:33 And the reason being every single stage of my life, 16:36 my voice is different, you know, every new thing, 16:40 even the weather changes your voice. 16:41 So, you know, it's nice to have somebody 16:43 that you pay to tell you when you sound bad, 16:46 and how to change that. 16:48 All right, you don't just want anybody on the street 16:50 telling you how you sing but... 16:52 And then kind of related with the whole vocal thing 16:55 is how to improve your normal speaking voice 16:58 and be able to sing better? 17:00 Basically, they're asking how can you use your diaphragm? 17:05 And that is a key thing. 17:07 You know what I'm talking about with the diaphragm, don't you? 17:10 Singing does not happen here. 17:12 Singing happens in the motor down here 17:16 and in the resonator up here, okay? 17:19 Your vocal cords are like a reed 17:21 on a clarinet or on an oboe. 17:24 So what you're trying to do 17:25 when you're trying to get a better speaking voice 17:27 or better singing voice is you're actually 17:29 trying to take the pressure off larynx 17:32 and you're trying to find the natural resonation 17:34 in your head 17:36 that is the most beautiful for you. 17:38 And the best singers in the world, just so, 17:41 you know, they have more holes in their head 17:43 than anybody else, 17:44 okay, that's true, it's just a physiological fact. 17:48 You've heard people say chest voice and head voice, 17:51 well, these are the places where we resonate. 17:55 And the real key even if you take a breath 17:58 completely properly, 17:59 if you're not placing the sound 18:01 in the right area in the right holes 18:03 that are in your body, 18:06 the air is just going to be wasted 18:08 and that's true with speaking. 18:09 I actually am having a harder time 18:11 speaking to you than I do singing right now, 18:15 because of the lack of the ability 18:16 to push my diaphragm further down 18:18 at this particular time, 18:20 somehow, I'm not using my support system 18:23 quite as well when I talk. 18:24 So I'm sitting here gasping for air as you're noticing. 18:28 When I'm singing, for some reason, 18:30 I've done that so much more and I'm so well trained 18:34 into knowing what I have to incorporate 18:36 and how to focus the tone wants... 18:38 So I'm not getting any more air 18:40 when I'm singing than I am when I'm talking, 18:41 I just have learned better how to resonate it 18:44 in certain places, so it'll last longer for me. 18:47 And why don't I do that? 18:49 The person who's asking about how to speak better 18:53 for the person who's asking about, 18:56 you know, how old is too old to sing, 18:57 let's just do a little bit of singing together. 18:59 So that you get a sense of how you can improve 19:01 your own voice in a safe way, 19:03 I'm only going to give you a few things 19:04 because you really need somebody to monitor you 19:07 to do most of the exercise just to make sure 19:10 you don't hurt anything. 19:11 And if you do anything that hurts, what do you do? 19:15 Ha-ha, stop. 19:16 There you go, that's exactly it. 19:18 All right, let me see if I can show you 19:19 a few things over here at the piano 19:22 on basic ways to resonate, okay? 19:28 And that's your typical little scale 19:32 and why don't we just do some humming for me? 19:36 Now everybody has to do this in the room. 19:38 You ready? Here we go. Three and breath. 19:46 Now I hear some of you. 19:48 Here's my question for you. 19:50 When you are humming, where did you feel it? 19:56 People point to your face. 19:58 Did you feel it in your lips? 19:59 Okay, good. 20:01 That's where I really want you feel it. 20:02 It's your lips and your nose. 20:03 The particular range I was doing, 20:05 this should be the main resonation. 20:07 Now I want you to do it again, 20:08 we're going to do the same thing. 20:10 I want you to hum so loudly and so focused here 20:15 that you feel like your lips 20:16 are going to buzz off your face, okay? 20:18 I really want it to tickle, okay? 20:20 All right, here we go. 20:25 Oh, you sound so much better. 20:27 I wish the whole world could hear you right now, 20:29 you sound great, here we go. 20:33 Do you feel it? 20:34 Do you feel the sound going to a point here? 20:36 That is just a mid range resonation 20:39 and you're doing wonderful things 20:41 by taking all the stress away 20:42 from your throat which is perfect. 20:44 Ready, here we go again. 20:50 Keep it going. 20:54 Very good. 20:55 Another way that we get people to relax in this area 20:59 and to focus tone is by buzzing 21:02 and I don't do it very well unless 21:03 I'm very relaxed but it's... 21:08 It's lovely, isn't it? 21:09 I hope you didn't have a close shot on that. 21:14 It's very powerful and for speakers 21:16 that would probably be one of the better tools to use. 21:20 Use just a pentatonic, the five note scale, 21:22 dada dada dum and buzz it. 21:28 It looks terrible, doesn't it? 21:30 I should be so embarrassed, 21:32 but it does work, it works wonders. 21:35 And there are a few other things 21:37 that you can do to help activate the soft palate. 21:41 Take your tongue and I want you to run it 21:44 along the roof of your mouth until you hit the soft place. 21:47 That's your soft palate, that is your window 21:50 to all the holes up here, in your sinus, 21:53 cavity and in your head. 21:55 And one of the best ways for you to be able to sing 21:58 in your upper part of your range 22:00 is to get the resonation going here. 22:02 And we have to lift that soft palate. 22:05 I've had different instructors who use different things 22:07 with me and I've read different books 22:12 that tell us different things that work. 22:14 K is very helpful. 22:16 The K, you feel it, 22:18 it hits your soft palate, right? 22:19 So you can do that same little scale. 22:23 Ki ki ki ki ki. 22:25 Ki ki ki ki ki. 22:27 Ki ki ki ki ki. 22:28 It'll start forcing the tone up in here a little bit for you. 22:32 So that's a wonderful way to resonate there. 22:36 And I think that's about all I should give you 22:38 on those realms, those are some key things 22:40 that will help you, 22:42 and so if you're trying to warm up 22:43 for the choir you're singing with 22:44 or if you just want to warm up 22:46 your voice for a long day of talking. 22:49 If you're having to do a lecture like this one, 22:51 or other things like that, warm up your voice a little bit 22:54 so that it's finding the places to resonate for you. 22:58 And for good speaking and good singing, 23:01 I'm actually going back 23:02 to the very first building block, 23:04 now I'm going backwards with this lesson. 23:06 You can't resonate properly, you can't get a good tone, 23:11 you can't hold it for any length of time, 23:13 if you haven't at first got the motor running. 23:17 And that is the function of a good breath. 23:20 Most of us don't know how to breathe anymore, 23:22 I hate to tell you that. 23:24 We sit too often in our chairs, 23:26 we cross our legs, we slump, we... 23:29 whatever and we just have bad habits. 23:31 If you'll watch a baby sleep, 23:34 you're going to see perfect breathing 23:36 at work, all right? 23:37 And some of you are nodding your head, 23:38 you know exactly what it is. 23:40 How do we retrain ourselves to breathe properly? 23:43 This is the easiest way I can describe it to you 23:46 and I'm not going to show it to you. 23:51 So you're gonna have to follow me here. 23:52 You lie down on the floor and when you lie down, 23:55 you're totally flat. 23:57 If you put your hands behind your back 23:59 you're going to feel the arch. 24:01 You remember in gym class 24:02 when we had to stand up against the wall 24:04 and we had that arch in our back. 24:06 You don't sing that way, and you actually don't breathe 24:09 most properly that way. 24:11 You've actually strain, you're not straining, 24:13 but you're pulling certain muscles 24:14 or the intercostal muscles here that need to be relaxed 24:18 when you take a breath. 24:19 So what you do is you pull your knees up, 24:22 so you're lying on the floor, and you just pull your feet 24:25 so the feet are flat and your knees are up, 24:27 makes sense? 24:28 You know what I'm describing here, right? 24:30 You'll notice that your back goes flat against the floor. 24:36 Now you're in the perfect position. 24:38 Secondly, take a big heavy book, 24:41 like an encyclopedia 24:43 and put it on your lower abdomen. 24:46 The reason I... 24:47 It's just a great visual, you don't need this book, 24:49 but it's a great visual for you, okay? 24:51 It's not the trick to great breathing 24:52 but it is in one aspect. 24:55 When you start, start the whole exercise 24:59 by blowing out all the air. 25:01 All right, and why don't we do it together, 25:02 this will be lovely for camera. 25:04 Let's hiss, just hiss it out. 25:07 And keep hissing till all the air's out, 25:09 force it out fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. 25:12 You feel your stomach pulling in? 25:14 If you're on the floor, you can breathe normally now, 25:16 it's all right, good job. 25:18 When you hiss out all the air, 25:20 your stomach will actually go down 25:24 because you've had to push up the diaphragm 25:26 to get the air out. 25:28 You hold your breath just for a minute. 25:30 Don't breathe 25:32 after you've hissed everything out, 25:34 then you relax your lower body. 25:36 And what should happen is the book should rise first 25:39 as you take the breath in, okay? 25:41 Now I want you to sit up fairly straight in your seat, 25:43 you're going to have to do this sitting. 25:45 Try to make sure that your hips are in an angle 25:48 so that there isn't a big arch in your back. 25:51 And we're going to hiss out air as fast as we can, 25:53 and you're going to hold it just for a second or two. 25:56 And then you're going to relax 25:57 and I want you to put your hands 25:58 right here on your sides if you can. 26:00 If you're beside somebody it's hard to do that, 26:03 you can put your hand right here, okay? 26:07 Blow out all your air. 26:10 Get rid of it fast, fast, fast, get rid of it all. 26:14 Okay, is your chest caved in, are you dying for breath? 26:17 You dying for breath, almost? 26:19 Now just relax, take in the air. 26:22 Was the first thing that expanded, your waist, 26:26 your abdomen, not your shoulders going up 26:29 or not your chest, right? 26:31 They do expand some 26:33 but if they are the first thing to expand, 26:35 you don't have it yet, okay? 26:37 So try the book, lie on the floor, 26:40 pull your knees up, put that book there 26:41 and you should see it going up first 26:46 when you take the breath, and then you might get 26:48 the sense that your shoulders or your upper chest expand. 26:50 But that's the proper breathing. 26:53 Now you're ready to sing, okay? 26:55 It's that simple. 26:57 But let me share one thing from the Bible 26:58 that I just think is absolutely amazing. 27:01 It's actually a list of things. 27:03 When it comes to Biblical worship 27:05 and how music is incorporated 27:07 there are a variety 27:08 of instruments listed in the Bible. 27:10 As many as they had back then, they're pretty much listed. 27:14 There's a variety of volumes and sounds, 27:16 there is loud, loud, like the sound of many waters, 27:20 like the sound of thunder, make a joyful noise. 27:25 There are soft aspects too 27:27 that are mentioned in the Bible, 27:29 variety of worshipers. 27:30 There's all sorts of people, 27:33 there were the appointed singers and musicians, 27:35 other skillful instructors, duets, 27:39 all the people of the land sang, 27:42 everything that hath breath sang. 27:45 The manor, there was leaping, there was clapping, 27:49 there was a lifting of hands, there was guarded spontaneity, 27:55 there was all the people involved, 27:57 there was times it was just directed 27:59 by the leaders. 28:01 You know, there was a time when a woman's voice 28:03 wasn't allowed in church because it was believed 28:05 that only the leader should sing 28:07 and that should always be a man, it's interesting. 28:10 The Bible really wasn't very clear, 28:12 but it seems to cover so many things. 28:16 Variety of location for worship was everywhere. 28:20 The focus was directed outwardly to the nations, 28:23 directed to each other, directed to the leader 28:25 or the king, directed to earth, directed to God. 28:31 The content, everything from teaching, 28:35 the reflections on truth, prayer, petition, 28:38 praise, personal testimony, 28:41 profession of personal uprightness 28:43 and using repetition, variety of occasions, 28:47 dedication of a wall, marching before an army. 28:52 Are you getting the point? 28:55 The Bible just, it doesn't say anything specific, 28:57 but it sure gave us a lot of examples 28:59 of a lot of different situations 29:01 in all seasons and all ways praise your Maker, 29:03 Redeemer and Friend. 29:06 All right. 29:09 Let's move on, next question. 29:12 I have a question on vocal changes in adulthood. 29:19 Especially for women, once you have a high voice, 29:21 will you always keep it? 29:24 Does your voice change with age? 29:25 And yes, it does. 29:28 I did a little looking up so I can be very specific 29:31 for you in this regard, but the human voice 29:33 always undergoes changes. 29:35 From the time we're born until the time 29:37 that we die it's degrading partly 29:42 because our body is. 29:44 But various things can happen like men, 29:49 as you age and you get closer to 70 or 80 29:52 quite often they see that the voice reverts back 29:54 to the higher voice you had before puberty, 29:57 isn't that interesting? 29:59 Part of that is because of the atrophy 30:00 that occurs, the larynx ossifies 30:03 or hardens a little bit. 30:07 I mentioned before that 50 isn't too late 30:10 to be singing opera actually, unlike a trained athlete, 30:14 that hits their prime in their 20s, 30:17 a trained musician hits their prime in their 30s, 30:19 40s and sometimes into their 50s, okay. 30:22 Part of that is because the aging process 30:25 of the voice actually allows 30:27 some relaxation to occur 30:29 and so the vibrations become warmer, richer, fuller, 30:33 and we have a little more control of them for a while. 30:36 So yes, things do change, 30:38 women's voices will drop little lower 30:41 and men may raise higher in pitch. 30:45 But here's a few things that you might want to do 30:48 to keep your vocal cords elastic 30:50 and to keep your body in good shape. 30:54 Your body, yes, you know, as we get older our body 30:57 just sags a little bit, you know, well, 31:00 you know, that actually affects 31:02 your support in a huge way for singing. 31:04 And it, you may actually still have your full range 31:07 and ability but because your body 31:10 is not quite as in great tone as it used to be, 31:13 it's not able to give you the motor 31:14 that you need to create that sound. 31:16 So, drink all your water, do your exercise, 31:19 make sure you do abdominal exercises, 31:22 crunches and various things like that, leg lifts 31:24 and such because that will keep that support system 31:27 even though some things sag that can be maintained 31:31 for a lot longer than you think. 31:32 So don't be afraid to do that. 31:35 Okay. 31:40 Oh, this is a sweet one, 31:41 I thought this was really sweet. 31:43 I see my great granddaughter only two times a month. 31:46 She is one and half years old. 31:49 How sweet. 31:50 Babies are so sweet, aren't they? 31:53 She loves to sing Jesus loves me. 31:55 And she took to it when an infant. 31:58 Can I make a difference in her life 32:00 spiritually by singing Jesus songs to her 32:03 only seeing her a couple times a month? 32:05 And I think you know the answer to this. 32:09 Of course, definitely, there is no greater time 32:15 than before a child is five years old. 32:17 When their brain is soaking up everything, 32:21 my child from the minute he could hear, 32:23 was getting influenced through music 32:27 or whatever other sounds that he is able to hear 32:30 through all the fluid and such. 32:32 And that is changing his mind, 32:34 and that is developing his mind. 32:36 And unlike our brain, 32:39 once we hit seven to nine in that area, 32:42 our brain begins functioning differently, 32:45 and it's more logical, it's more linear, 32:49 but a child, every single input is taken 32:53 from a new direction into the brain waves 32:56 and there are no paths that are set in gold yet. 33:00 So input, input, input, 33:03 definitely every chance you get, 33:05 and there will be a time that they will remember. 33:09 Even if it's not evident at first, 33:11 it is there, it's tucked in their brain. 33:13 So sing with them all the time, definitely. 33:17 She'll remember Jesus loves me to her dying day, I know. 33:23 I know that classical music is good for depression 33:28 but is there any other kind, 33:31 are hymns or upbeat Christian music as good? 33:35 And a nice note of appreciation, 33:37 thank you for that. 33:40 Actually, I know less about music therapy 33:45 for depression than most areas. 33:48 So I did a little research on that 33:49 so I would have a better answer for you. 33:54 EEGs on the brain, 33:56 they're watching brainwave activity. 33:59 Individuals who are depressed usually have a symmetry 34:03 in the right frontal lobe. 34:05 This basically just simply means something's 34:07 a little out of a line in that frontal lobe 34:10 and the way the brainwaves are functioning. 34:13 And what I read that they're using right now 34:16 and they're testing, massage and music theory, 34:20 music therapy have become 34:23 used quite a bit more for depression 34:25 than any other thing right now. 34:27 But along the music lines specifically, 34:31 I noticed what they had listed there was everything 34:35 from rock music, to classical music. 34:39 And what I am perceiving is going on 34:41 is that in music therapy, 34:43 they are determining 34:44 a person's particular situation, 34:47 and deciding how to carry them from where they are 34:50 to where they need to be. 34:51 And in all of these studies, once music was introduced, 34:55 in these various forms, different genres 34:58 didn't matter which is genre it was, 35:01 the music influence was correcting 35:05 and it was creating greater improvement in the EEGs 35:11 and the brainwaves there in the frontal lobe. 35:14 And honestly, it's not specific enough to tell us 35:17 which songs are doing the greater good. 35:19 But they're using a huge range of genre and style. 35:22 So I don't have a very solid answer for you. 35:25 What I would say, just from my own, 35:28 this is my own perception, 35:30 my own personal belief that scripture songs 35:35 and hymns just simply 35:36 because of their lyrical content 35:38 are going to be uplifting for you. 35:41 Each person comes to music a little differently. 35:45 And you and I, like say you have an angry day 35:49 and you decide you're going to use music 35:51 to try to calm yourself down a little bit. 35:55 You probably don't want to listen 35:57 to Bach's Sleepers Awake, 35:58 it's just too sweet, it's too nice, 36:02 does that make sense? 36:04 You need something a little harder, 36:05 a little edgier, just something that 36:09 will help bring you down a little bit, at least meet you 36:13 where you are emotionally for a bit, 36:15 and then take you to the next place 36:16 that you want to be. 36:18 And that is different for every single person. 36:25 I can help you. 36:26 This is the question and I had one here 36:28 as well on surgery, people asking me to tell you 36:31 what list of music to listen to for your moods, 36:34 for depression for a surgery, you know this 36:37 when you go into surgery, there's such a cacophony 36:41 of noise that it's becoming more common 36:43 for them to allow you to take headphones in. 36:46 So even though you're unconscious, 36:47 you're listening to a CD or a tape that you've created 36:50 in advance that you know soothes you 36:53 and it's comforting to you. 36:54 And it's most important in the recovery room, 36:57 because ICU is very loud, very noisy. 37:00 And your body will actually heal faster 37:02 if it's not hearing all these confusing noises, 37:04 and it's hearing the music instead. 37:06 So people are asking me, what's the list of songs 37:08 to use for surgery, in surgery recovery? 37:10 What's the list of songs for depression? 37:13 Or how do I listen to music to change my mood? 37:15 And it's not a simple answer. 37:18 I want to use just a few minutes 37:21 that we have left to show you at least some basic concepts 37:27 that might help you determine this for yourself, okay? 37:32 When you listen to music and when you're trying 37:34 to select appropriate music, 37:35 make sure you play the whole song. 37:38 We're not doing that today, okay? 37:39 But make sure you play the entire thing 37:42 and the things you're going to watch 37:44 for are how does this make me feel emotionally? 37:48 All right, what mood am I in throughout this? 37:52 Just kind of try to be like a third party objective 37:56 watching what happens. 37:57 If the music makes your mind wander, let it, okay? 38:01 Just go with what is happening 38:03 and then evaluate at the end of that, 38:05 is that the result that I wanted? 38:07 Is that what's going to help me in this situation? 38:12 And how you put your music together, 38:14 of course, I alluded to that. 38:16 If you're angry, start out with something a little edgier, 38:18 and then take it slowly to the thing that, 38:21 you know, like, let's go to Bach's Sleepers 38:23 Awake again that example, which is so mellow 38:26 and so beautiful and lyrical, 38:28 and it has these beautiful high tones in it 38:30 that just relax you, that's where you'll get to. 38:33 Put your sequence of music together 38:35 that takes you to that point. 38:38 And make sure... 38:40 I really have a preference for playing music 38:42 on speakers not on headphones. 38:44 That's not, there's not any problem 38:46 using headphones other than the fact 38:48 people tend to play them a little too loud 38:50 and you can lose some hearing with that. 38:53 And here's the other thing, frequencies, 38:55 we know very clearly 38:56 that frequencies are affecting the body, 38:58 so allow those frequencies to be in the room 39:01 and affect your body as well as your ears, okay? 39:06 And when you're done listening, 39:09 be still and be silent for a while. 39:11 God tells us there's a time for that. 39:14 So that's the way you can approach 39:15 your own listening, 39:17 and try to figure out what works for you, okay? 39:19 And you can create 39:20 your own soundtrack for life, okay? 39:22 We're going to listen to just a few things, 39:24 I want to see how you react. 39:25 And what I want you to do, these are very short 39:28 so you're going to come up with an adjective 39:30 of what the song feels like to you, 39:33 what your emotion might be or if it makes you nervous, 39:37 if you're agitated, all right, and I'm going to take 39:40 just one or two from people. 39:42 So as soon as you got them, 39:43 raise your hand and tell me, okay? 39:45 Here, we're going to play this first track for you 39:48 and let's see what happens. 39:51 All right. 39:58 Can you hear it? 40:10 Okay, that's all there is. 40:12 I've got a hand over here. 40:15 You think movies, okay think emotion to as well. 40:18 Maybe what emotion might you feel? 40:21 Energized, a lot of energy that was 40:23 what you were thinking as well. 40:24 See, were more like than you think. 40:27 Heroic. 40:28 Yes, it almost sounds like 40:30 we're going into battle, doesn't it? 40:31 All right, so see we're kind of along the same lines, 40:33 but some people might not have as welcoming 40:36 a common connotation to that. 40:38 You may not want to hear that 40:39 when you're extremely depressed. 40:41 Okay? 40:42 So when you hear something and when you use it, 40:45 it may be a wonderful piece of music at one time for you, 40:48 but it may be the worst thing in the world at another point, 40:50 so all right, here's the next one. 41:03 It doesn't go much from here. 41:06 Start telling me what you're thinking. 41:07 Yes. 41:09 Happy, of course. 41:10 And it just gets you all the happier. 41:12 There's something about a bassoon. 41:14 Yeah. 41:15 Whimsical, very whimsical, definitely. 41:20 Oh, I heard something over here. 41:23 Merry and happy, that's right. 41:24 So we're all there, how could you not be happy 41:28 when you hear a bassoon and I just thought, 41:30 they're just a funny instrument. 41:31 Okay, next one, here we go. 41:59 I like this one. 42:01 That's why I want to listen to it, isn't so beautiful? 42:03 To me it is. 42:05 I won't say how I respond to it. 42:06 Yes. 42:08 Very reflective, yes. 42:10 That was yours, yeah. 42:13 Melancholy. 42:14 See, that's why I like it. 42:16 Melancholy and yes, very soothing, definitely. 42:18 Anybody from over in here? 42:24 Yes. 42:26 If you're already a little depressed, 42:27 you're going to go into a little bit more 42:28 of an introverted sad state, I would believe so, yes. 42:31 See? 42:32 You guys are music experts here. 42:35 No, this is what it is, is becoming 42:36 a music expert for yourself. 42:38 Where does the music take you? 42:39 And it's okay to just let it take you there, 42:42 evaluate it and decide if that's what you want. 42:45 This is the style of music that is most relaxing for me. 42:49 I use... I love cellos. 42:51 I love the lower end instruments. 42:54 They're just so rich and full to me 42:55 and piano music especially appeals to me. 42:58 Now, I was a violinist and I'm a soprano. 43:00 That is not the music 43:02 I'll listen to to relax with, I can't. 43:05 It almost irritates me to listen to. 43:07 Soprano isn't that terrible. 43:09 To listen to violins and sopranos, 43:11 but the lush, huge orchestra 43:13 where you have enough of the low end 43:14 and the mid range in there, 43:16 that feeds my soul on the piano, 43:18 there's just nothing like a piano to me, 43:20 I just love that. 43:21 Okay, here we go. 43:23 Now with this next one, I want you to not only tell me 43:27 what it feels like, I want you to try to date this 43:30 or give it a location because there are some things 43:32 that are so culturally ingrained for us. 43:36 Here you go. 43:39 Oh, no. 43:42 This is the right one. 44:05 Okay, we stopped it. 44:06 There we are. Yes. 44:08 Suspense, frightening, yes. 44:11 I stopped it before it actually got scary, 44:13 I want you to know. 44:15 Scary, definitely, it's very clear. 44:18 This is... 44:19 You had mentioned movies earlier on, 44:21 this is actually from a movie score. 44:22 And let me tell you these people know 44:24 exactly how to tap 44:25 into our emotions very quickly because they're dealing 44:28 with a visual picture and so they sit there 44:31 with the music to create a visual picture for you 44:33 and you can just imagine what might be going on 44:35 with this, you know? 44:38 Here's the one that is culturally ingrained, 44:41 I kind of jumped ahead, here's this next clip. 44:59 Okay. 45:01 All right, so what era are we in? 45:07 1920s. 45:09 Yeah, see, you know, you know, and doesn't 45:11 it make you feel happy a little bit? 45:13 It is, can't help but. 45:15 Do you happen to know what culture 45:18 that would have come from? 45:21 Vienna, Germany, it actually is a blend 45:25 of what American culture did in the 20s 45:29 as it then moved on over into Europe. 45:30 And this is actually 45:32 from the 40s this particular piece, 45:34 because it traveled just a little late over 45:37 during the war, and you were thinking 40s, 45:39 there you go. 45:40 In Italy, very specific, 45:41 that has some Italian influences in it. 45:44 But Italian music actually can be very fun and lively, 45:47 they have some wonderful, wonderful music. 45:49 So if you're looking for things to make you happy, 45:51 go to Italian music 45:53 and you'll find some great things. 45:55 I'm going to skip down here 45:56 just a little bit to track seven. 46:02 And just take a listen to this. 46:41 This is a new interpretation of some very... 46:47 It's actually from the romantic era 46:49 in classical music, we have our different areas, 46:52 and it's a newer interpretation of it. 46:54 It's very rich, very full, very relaxing, 46:56 I enjoy that kind of music for me to relax with. 47:01 If you're looking for something to help 47:04 clean your house with, here's this one. 47:15 Yeah. 47:26 Everybody's laughing, why is that? 47:30 Do you think you could get the house done quickly? 47:33 Yeah, a lot of high energy there. 47:36 All right. Here's the thing. 47:38 Different music affects us all fairly generally the same 47:42 but just like you were even pointing out 47:44 and as I've said, 47:45 where you are emotionally and what's happening with you, 47:48 if your pulse is high already, 47:50 you don't need to listen to this, 47:51 you need to find a way to get it down. 47:54 Because it does affect your heart rate, 47:55 everything, okay? 47:58 I'm running a little out of time, 48:01 but I want to play one last thing for you. 48:03 And it is... 48:05 Let's go down to track 14. 48:09 These are on Dante's, which means an easy walk pace, 48:14 is what that means in classical music. 48:16 And this is from the classical era. 48:18 And you can go ahead and run that track. 48:20 I'm going to talk over it. 48:22 See that tempo is nice and relaxed, it's happy, 48:25 it's very concise, very simple, very clean. 48:31 There is a reason why classical music 48:34 and I'm not just referring to the classical genre, 48:37 romantic and all these others, the classical era 48:41 specifically helps organize our thought. 48:47 Hear this one now, this is on Dante too, 48:49 but it's darker, isn't it? 48:52 It almost feels melancholy. 48:54 This second one is written by Mendelssohn, 48:58 wonderful composer, beautiful music. 49:00 The first one was written by Mozart. 49:04 And there if you want to know music 49:06 that has been more researched than any other form of music 49:10 on the globe, it is Mozart's music. 49:13 And they are finding continually 49:16 that Mozart's music above any other kind 49:19 is changing your brainwaves. 49:23 They have rats right now that are smarter 49:25 because they're playing Mozart to it, okay? 49:28 Now, it's possible 49:29 that Mendelssohn's music will do 49:30 the same thing for you 49:32 but if you really want to have things 49:33 that will soothe you during surgery, 49:36 if you want to have things 49:37 that will help you with depression, 49:39 if you want to have things that will make you smarter, 49:40 that will help your children be smarter, 49:42 you need to look at Mozart's music 49:44 in a very serious way, because there's been 49:46 more research done on it, 49:48 they know more about it, and you can be guided 49:50 in your listening with that all the more. 49:53 So after all of our listening, I'm just going to tell you 49:57 to go out and buy some Mozart 49:58 and you'll be really in great shape. 50:01 Here's the one thing that I want to end with. 50:04 Of all the things that we can listen to, 50:06 of all the worship services we can be a part of, 50:10 the greatest thing we can do for the healing of our body 50:13 and our mind and our soul 50:15 is to create the praise ourselves, 50:18 is to create the music ourselves. 50:21 So what I'm going to ask you to do 50:22 when you're depressed, when you're lonely, 50:24 when you're excited and happy, 50:27 whatever situation you are in, sing. 50:31 Because the frequencies you are making right then, 50:34 they're going throughout your body 50:36 and they are changing your body and they're changing your mind. 50:40 God tells us over and over again to praise Him 50:42 and praise Him, 50:44 there is a physiological reason for that. 50:47 And music is one of the greatest ways 50:49 we can communicate our heart. 50:50 There are things that you might not even consciously know 50:53 but you can express with your heart through music 50:56 in a greater way than any other word could do. 50:59 So that's what I'm going to encourage you to do 51:02 is to sing, okay? 51:04 So whatever you take from this whole time 51:06 that we spent together, 51:08 you're going to go out and do what? 51:10 There we go, sing your praise to the Lord. 51:12 Let's have a word of prayer as we end. 51:14 Dear Heavenly Father, we love You 51:15 and we thank You so much for the gift of music, 51:18 and the ability to sing our praises to You. 51:20 Please teach us how to use music to fill our lives 51:25 with greater understanding of You, 51:27 and how to share You with the rest of the world. 51:29 We love You and we praise You. 51:31 Amen. |
Revised 2019-08-22