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Music and Empathy

May 26, 2012 by suzannesmom

Tom Jacobs at Pacific Standard reports on new research into the benefits of music for children.

“Music education produces myriad benefits,” he writes, “strengthening kids’ abilities in reading, math, and verbal intelligence. New British research suggests it may also teach something less tangible, but arguably just as important: The ability to empathize.

“In a year-long program focused on group music-making, 8- to 11-year old children became markedly more compassionate, according to a just-published study from the University of Cambridge. The finding suggests kids who make music together aren’t just having fun: they’re absorbing a key component of emotional intelligence.”

The research team was led by Tal-Chen Rabinowitch of the university’s Centre for Music and Science. Read more.

Photograph: Pete Pahham/Shutterstock

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The 6 Grandmas Competing at Eurovision

May 25, 2012 by suzannesmom

Your blogger is one grandma all excited about having some baby time this weekend.

But in Azerbaijan, six grandmas from Russia are competing in a pop-music contest.

“Eurovision 2012 is under way, and about half a billion viewers are expected to tune in for the finale on Saturday. …

“The song contest started in the 1950s, and each country competing is represented by a single singing group or soloist. Because Azerbaijan won last year, Eurovision is being staged in its capital, Baku. …

“Representing Russia this year is a group of six grandmothers. Their song, ‘Party for Everybody,’ tells the story of the babushkas welcoming their grandchildren home. ‘This song itself is kind of appalling, but Eurovision isn’t about the best song,’ [says William Lee Adams, editor-in-chief of Wiwibloggs]. ‘It’s about the best act. And this one comes with attitude and spunk and spirit, and the belief that you can keep on moving no matter how old you are.’ ” Amen to that.

Read more at NPR, and watch the videos. If you catch what language the babushkas speak, please let me know. It is not actually Russian but a minority language.

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Armenian Heritage Park on Greenway

May 24, 2012 by suzannesmom

So far this spring I have walked to the office by way of North Station only a few times. But when I did, I got curious seeing people in hard hats working like they had a deadline on a part of the Greenway blocked off by a fence. I peeked in and thought, “What is that? It looks like a labyrinth.”

As someone who tends to think of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur on
Crete when labyrinths are mentioned, it has taken me a while to realize how many people today use them for meditation. And work being what it is, there will probably come a day soon when I want to test out the possibilities.

The new labyrinth was dedicated on a rainy day this week as part of a lovely Armenian Heritage Park.

Alejandra Matos writes for the Boston Globe, “US Representative Edward Markey and other officials welcomed the rain, calling it tears of joy from generations of Armenians.

“The park, located between the North End and Faneuil Hall, includes a sculpture surrounded by a reflecting pool, and is meant to honor Armenian immigrants to the state. Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, who is Armenian, said he has been fighting for the park since 1999.

“ ‘This is a gift to the city, not just for the Armenian immigrants. This is a park dedicated to all immigrants who have experienced coming to this great city,’ Koutoujian said.”

The third-largest Armenian population in the United States is in nearby Watertown. Read more at the Globe.

Photograph: Aram Boghosian for the Boston Globe

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Do-It-Yourself Projects for Kids

May 23, 2012 by suzannesmom

Do you believe that kids are overprogrammed with structured activities — not enough time for daydreaming, not enough time for experimenting?

Well, here’s a site that might encourage parent-and-child experimenting on do-it-yourself projects. Sounds like it could be rewarding in a variety of ways (collaborating with parents, nurturing creativity, building confidence and independence).

The NY Times writes that a couple who do home improvement got an idea for projects that might interest children.

They “developed Built by Kids (builtbykids.com), a Web site devoted to do-it-yourself projects that parents and children can collaborate on, like herb gardens planted in a wheelbarrow, refurbished tatami tables and handmade wagons. The tasks were tested and refined during a series of daylong workshops with friends at the couple’s Los Angeles bungalow.

“Their intention is to revive some of the backyard know-how that children had before the distractions of television, video games and other off-the-shelf entertainment, [founder Timothy] Dahl said. The do-it-yourself movement is enjoying a long, fashionable run as an alternative to consumer culture, he added, but when children are involved, the results are ‘too often dismissed as disposable “crafts.” ‘ “ Read more. Try a project.

Photograph: BuiltByKids.com

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Pre-1917 Books Stashed in Library Walls

May 22, 2012 by suzannesmom

A secret cache of pre-1917 Russian literature has been found stashed behind the walls at the Russian State Polytechnical Museum Library in Moscow.

Alexandra Guzeva writes at Russia Beyond the Headlines, “A treasure trove of pre-revolutionary books and magazines has been discovered in the archives of the Russian State Polytechnical Museum Library in Moscow. The museum librarians were preparing the collection for a move to a temporary depository when a small hiding place stacked with books was uncovered …

“As the books were packed into boxes, the empty racks were dismantled. Behind one of these racks, the librarians found a plywood wall that sounded hollow when tapped.

“ ‘We moved the cover aside and found books behind it. When we removed the wall completely, we saw piles of books stacked up to the ceiling.’ said [Svetlana Kukhtevich, deputy director of the Polytechnic Library]. …

“According to preliminary estimates, the 6.5-foot-long hiding place contained about 30,000 books printed before the 1917 Russian Revolution. The books are almost exclusively in foreign languages, including French, German, Latin and Greek.”

The reason that the books were hidden is not known. Read more.

Photograph: Ilya Varlamov

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Dutch “Repair” Café Movement Spreads

May 21, 2012 by suzannesmom

Don’t throw it out. Fix it. That’s the philosophy in the”Repair” Café movement, which I learned about through the Christian Science Monitor, which highlights articles on people who “make a difference.”

It points to Kelly McCartney at Shareable.net, who writes: “In the Netherlands, mom and former journalist Martine Postma stumbled onto an idea that tacks the word ‘repair’ onto the familiar green mantra, ‘reduce, re-use, recycle.’ The result is community-based Repair Cafés where folks come together to fix their broken items. What started as a few neighbors in Amsterdam helping each other out has, two years later, become a much bigger deal, with 30 groups springing up around the country. …

“As Ms. Postma surmised, ‘Sustainability discussions are often about ideals, about what could be. After a certain number of workshops on how to grow your own mushrooms, people get tired. This is very hands on, very concrete. It’s about doing something together, in the here and now. …

“Similar endeavors have begun to crop up in the United States, as well. Sidling up alongside tool-lending libraries in a nice way, groups like the West Seattle Fixers Collective and the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project host do-it-yourself fix-it events and classes to help community members make needed repairs on broken items.” Read more here.

This reminds me of resilience circles, another people-helping-people movement that seems to be taking hold in the United States. Check out the word on resilience circles here.

Photograph: Jerry Lampen/Reuters/File


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Audubon

May 20, 2012 by suzannesmom

Years pass, and I forget how delightful Drumlin Farm is and how close. The Audubon Shop there is also a wonder. You find things in the shop that you don’t find anywhere else. All nature related.

It must have been years since I visited, because it looks like the “new” entrance and parking lot have been there a long time.

It’s a good place to go on a day that feels like summer.

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