MTMS Blog Posts Archives - Page 46 of 54 - Michelle Tuesday Music School

12 Days of Christmas: “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen” by Jars of Clay

I maintain a blog at a writing website, and I’m counting down my top twelve favorite Christmas songs. In a site full of writers, it shouldn’t surprise me that the majority of participants are selecting songs based on lyrics. But I’m a musician first, and my selections are all based first on the music. Where appropriate, I’ll give a nod to the lyrics as well.

My first choice is “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen” by Jars of Clay.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

1. A gorgeous classical guitar riff that carries steadily throughout the piece.
2. Rich baritone vocals on the lead line, beginning with verse 1, “God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay…”
3. A mournful violin and ting on the TRIANGLE (your fave preschool instrument used in real, published music) kicking off Verse 2.
4. An incredibly unique chord progression created by the vocal harmonies of a high tenor through the second verse.
5. The most awesome bass walk of all time at 1:29. It’s even better than “Let It Be” which is arguably the most famous bass walk of all time.
6. A wistful classical guitar and violin duet around 1:35, joined by a clarinet at 1:40 and cello at 1:47. CHILLS.
7. Another ting on the triangle at 2:12. Oh yeah, baby. Eat your heart out, Jimmy Fallon.
8. Clever vocal “percussion” on beats 2,3,4 throughout the third verse.
9. The haunting clarinet soaring over the violin, cello, guitar, and vocal awesomeness until the last note.

Since I’m a writer too, I can’t ignore the lyrics. Could you ask for a more poetic proclamation of the birth of Christ? Excepting, of course, the nagging sexism, which I would be remiss not to mention. But this arrangement is so musically compelling that it remains one of my top twelve favorites, and I just like to pretend us women should also let nothing us dismay. We are all saved from Satan’s pow’r when we’ve gone astray, regardless of our gender. 😀

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen

God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay!
Remember Christ, the Savior, was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we had gone astray.
O, tidings of comfort and joy!

From God our Heaven’ly Father, a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds, brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.
O, tidings of comfort and joy!

Cheers,
Michelle

Music Mastery

Even professional musicians, like the instructors you’ll work with at MTMS, continue to practice daily. When we don’t, we start to lose our polish.

Learning anything new takes time, persistence and hard work, and the same is true for mastering an instrument. If you would like to learn how to shred on an electric guitar and wail out the main solo in Sweet Child O’ Mine, or if you’ve always wanted to play that Adele song you love so much on piano, the music teachers at Michelle Tuesday Music School can certainly teach you how.

But we don’t believe in that at MTMS.

We believe in the “teach a man to fish” theory. Continue reading “Music Mastery”

Governor Kasich’s Budget Plan – Small Business Impact

First, understand that this is a budget PROPOSAL and not yet legislation. Titled House Bill 59, this proposal is complicated and has a fairly large impact on small business. Whether that impact is positive or negative may still remain to be seen, and it might depend on what type of business you are.

Read the budget proposal online here, but be forewarned that it’s 4,200 pages long. Yes, I said more than four THOUSAND. PAGES. LONG. So in an effort to save you a couple days of incredibly boring reading, here’s the plan in a nutshell as it applies to small business: Continue reading “Governor Kasich’s Budget Plan – Small Business Impact”

Online Directories

MTMS is now two years old, and we would love to have a stronger online presence in the Columbus area. Would you consider helping us? If you feel so inclined, here are some online directories that link to us, which offer customer reviews:

Angie’s List Continue reading

Learning Music Isn’t Just About Learning Music

Music is important in daily life, and kids often consider listening and playing music playtime. Fun is good, but music teaches students so much more than just performance. Playing an instrument focuses fine and gross motor skills. It takes a lot of coordination and reinforces good posture. Many instruments, including voice, also require breath control. Beyond the physical, here are the benefits of music.

Music training, especially done early in life, leads to brain development for language and reasoning. This is a specific change in the left side of the brain, which processes language. Other things that music learning develops are standardized tests, math, science, spatial intelligence, and get higher grades. >Spatial intelligence helps students plan what they need for a day or form mental pictures in their heads.

Students must practice to learn craftsmanship. They learn details to identify the good from the average and apply that to their own music. Music is an art form where creativity is needed to find answers where more than one may be permitted and outdated rules or assumptions must be overturned. It is also a science where there is one answer: in tune or not, the right note at the right time or a mistake. Music learning also bridges between cultures by giving the student an inside view and teaching respect for others.

Benefits of music training extend far into the future. Teamwork skills and discipline lead to students who work together for one goal and each do their own practicing and group rehearsals to achieve that. Music focuses on action, rather than passive observation. Students also learn to cooperate and communicate. They overcome fear and take risks. These traits lead to a flexible mind that is in high demand in the workplace.

Learning music guides the student to self-expression. The student learns who he is at the core, and being in touch with himself leads to self-esteem.

When music teaches students so much, it is amazing that kids still find it fun and look forward to it. Take that playtime to give children something that will help them their entire lives and sign up for music lessons.