Category: Song of the Week

Nick Everett and the Zone of Proximal Development

 

Sometimes a song just grabs you right away. Nick Everett‘s Liar was one of those songs. I wasn’t content, though, just enjoying it. I wanted to know why I found it so compelling.

I caught my first glimpse of Nick as he tuned up his guitar before a set a few weeks ago at the Wunderbar in Edmonton. The place was cheerfully packed with music types enjoying carefully selected craft brews while Nick stood unassumingly on stage, wagging his head emphatically with song playing during the break. Once it had finished, he leaned gently into the mic, “Helllloooooo, I’m going to start singing songs now.” Continue reading “Nick Everett and the Zone of Proximal Development”

KFPR 1865AM – The Finch & Pea Radio

The only problem with Marie-Claire‘s Song of the Week pick is that it is only once a week. One song a week? Isn’t this the 21st Century? Yes it is. But, the University of Alberta, insists that Marie-Claire spend large chunks of her time working for them.

So, we did the next best thing. We made a Pandora station, KFPR 1865AM – The Finch & Pea Radio, around the artists who created the music featured in our Song of the Week.

*If you live outside the United States, you may not be able to listen to the station. This is not our fault. We suspect that Cory Doctorow will be perfectly happy to tell you whose fault it is.

Rufus Wainwright and growing up immersed in music

Last week the Association for Psychological Science posted a summary for a session called Music, Mind and Brain. While it’s far from my academic area, I always enjoyed reading about research into the physiological, neurological and social effects of music. Even more than usual though, this one caught my attention. After several scholarly presentations the panel concluded with remarks from bassist Victor Wooten. He made some very interesting comments about how we should begin to treat musical education more like first language learning. Continue reading “Rufus Wainwright and growing up immersed in music”

Sam Isaac’s Carbon Dating, Another science metaphor used for musical communication

One of the reasons I enjoy writing the Song of the Week so much is that I’ve always felt a lot of resonance between the underlying motivations of science and music. They are both about finding a way to make sense of the world around us. Science probes the physical world, music more often the social and emotional one. But I often come away from listening to a great song with the same feeling I get from reading a fascinating article or watching a terrific science video: the satisfaction and pleasure that the world is just a bit more understandable, graspable.  I’ve written before about how Duffy and the Doubters exhibit that with a life lesson that can also be valuable in science. Frightened Rabbit use the inverse connection to excellent effect, employing science to deepen their lyric communication, with their metaphor of a modern emotional leper.

Today’s song, from UK singer-songwriter Sam Isaac, plumbs a similar vein, choosing scientific and science fiction comparisons as a vehicle for musical communication to quite charming results.

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*Thanks to F&P colleague Michele Banks for pointing this track out to me.

Could Aussie band Wagons help new science teachers?

“After an intricate and detailed band meeting back stage, I can tell you that we here at Wagons plan on having an amazing time for the next 55 minutes.” Henry Wagons, leader of the Melbourne-based country rockers, was explicit about what the afternoon crowd at Edmonton’s inaugural Interstellar Rodeo could expect. And it’s exactly what they got. Continue reading “Could Aussie band Wagons help new science teachers?”