Fame costs
Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened to read about Amy Winehouse yesterday. With hindsight, looking back at that footage from the Belgrade concert a few weeks ago, it was pretty clear that something was definitely not right – even more so than over the past few years.
To be honest, when I was watching her stumbling around the stage in Serbia, I was prompted to write something about her decline from that sparky talented girl to the mixed-up source of tabloid headlines she had become – but her untimely death has really crystallised my thoughts about such a tragic waste of life. Read more »
Sing, Sing, Sing
It’s probably no surprise to you that I’m a big believer in the power of song. So I was really pleased to read this Guardian article that a friend forwarded to me this week; http://bit.ly/moqAbc.
It’s about a new book written by Sally Goddard Blythe, a consultant in near-developmental education and director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. Sally claims that ‘signature’ melodies and inflections of traditional rhymes prepare children’s brains for language.
While I was delighted to hear this (it is, after all, what Mini Ps and Perform is all about), I couldn’t help wonder if it’s really news. Read more »
Music & your Child
Most children love music, whether it’s singing nursery rhymes complete with actions (of course), having a little dance or even listening to something more soothing before they go to sleep.
My Mum loves to tell people about how I would make up my own songs when I was little (well perhaps ‘songs’ is pushing it) they were more like stories which I’d sing to myself – e.g.:
I’m certain that they weren’t necessarily particularly tuneful, and I probably never sang the same song twice. I don’t have much recollection of doing it as I was too young really, but apparently I’d keep myself amused for hours. So, suffice to say, music has always been really important to me – perhaps even before I can actually remember!
