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It’s Electric!
Electrophones, which use electricity to make sound, have changed music! The electrophone instrument family expands the range of musical colors in a composer’s toolkit.
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Raise Your Voice!
It’s all about the power and range of the human voice.
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Good Vibrations
Idiophones make sound from the vibrations of an instrument’s body. A lot of the time, musicians whack them or shake them rhythmically.
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Drumroll Please!
The spotlight is on membranophones! Membranophones make sound from the vibration of a tightly stretched material.
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Take a Deep Breath!
Musicians who use the power of air breathe life into the music they play. They create beautiful and ear-catching melodies.
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Strings And Things
All around the world, musicians use stringed instruments to make music. The way musicians play these instruments creates beautiful and distinctive sounds.
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In Season 3, Meet Your Favorite Instruments (And Their Families!)
We’ll talk about your favorite sounds and the instruments that create them.
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Can robots improve care for dementia patients and the elderly?
Robots as caregivers? Meet “Pepper,” a robot that can tell a joke, recognize emotions and help people remember special times in their lives. Professor Arshia Khan of the University of Minnesota Duluth spoke at an Aspen Ideas Health event in June.
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Yes You Can! Stories of Empowerment
A well-crafted song can tell a story that makes listeners feel confident, carefree or powerful.
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Gone But Not Forgotten
How do musicians tell stories about death and grief?
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The Sound of Heartbreak *Sob*
The clever techniques musicians use to share stories of heartache.
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An Honest Day’s Work
How musicians use their songs to tell stories about work.
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In Season 2 Hear The Stories Of Our Lives
Season 2 explores how musicians help us tell the stories of our lives. The fun begins on Aug. 16!
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Finding emotional growth after pandemic trauma
The pandemic has taken a toll on mental health. Many see it as a total disruption of normal life, and there’s a lot of anxiety about what happens next. But what if that post-traumatic stress could be transformed into post-traumatic growth?
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Feeling Pretty Bad
Sometimes a musical phrase or a single line of lyrics can unlock those bad feelings we’ve tried to hide. Music can be a powerful way to capture the mood when we feel anxious, chaotic or a little bit numb.
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Surprise!
Surprises can be wonderful or shocking, delightful or jarring. And when musicians find clever ways to surprise listeners, things get really interesting.