Category: News
Madison New Horizons Band
. Interested in joining us?
Contact: hookedonbands@gmail.com or our principal conductor Mark Saltzman at 608-628-3933.
Welcome to the new HOB site!
We’ve updated our site, but most of the old information is still here, and we welcome you to have a look around! If you find any broken links or anything that isn’t quite right, let us know! We’ll be adding back birthday celebrations of musical greats as well as some information about past concerts and the music we played.
Why are musicians so darn smart?
Harvey found this neat video to share with the band. Thanks, Harvey!
Want to ‘train your brain’? Forget apps, learn a musical instrument
by Jerry Greenberg
In addition to all the fun and joy the New Horizons Band has playing and creating music, it seems we are also getting smarter as we go!
Read the full article at The Guardian. Author: Mo Costandi, 24 Oct 2016
Very Cool Percussion
by Glenn Nielsen on December 4, 2013
The Coolest Music in the World: Listen to Siberian Ice Drummers Use Frozen Lake Baikal as an Incredible Musical Instrument
A group of Siberian percussionists have become an internet hit with an exhibition of ice drumming on frozen Lake Baikal. In minus 20C, they found by pure chance that the one metre thick ice has a distinctive and haunting rhythm all of its own, reported the Siberian Times.
“Recycled Orchestra” Shows Kids Passion to Play
by Jerry Greenberg on October 20, 2016
Like so many musicians around the world, the members of the New Horizons Concert and Swing Bands play because of a passion we have for music… and wanting to express ourselves through music. This kind of passion is infectious and even inspirational. But here’s a story of a passion for music that is so compelling it may bring tears to your eyes. Give this short video a watch.
Music Soothes the Savage… Blood Pressure
by Jon Nelson on February 24, 2015
Got high blood pressure? Listen up!
To music that is. In the March 2015 Reader’s Digest it was reported that medical research has validated something we’ve all known for a long time… Listening to music has a calming effect. According to Reader’s Digest, in at least one study, it was found that listening to music for around a half-hour a day for about a month can have a significant positive effect on blood pressure. How significant? The researchers recorded a reduction of 12mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 5 mm Hg decrease in the bottom number (diastolic pressure). This favorably compares to the benefits of taking a strong blood pressure medication.
The short article went on to say that the calming effect of music is so powerful that it was actually more effective at reducing stress for folks heading into cardiac surgery than a sedative. Moreover, a group who listened to music after their surgery “fared better than patients who received the sedative.”
One theory is that music directly acts on the body’s autonomic nervous system… the system that controls heart rate and blood pressure. Score another win for music! (Pun intended.)
Jazz music video resource
If you haven’t discovered this treasure trove of vintage AND modern jazz video recordings, you’re missing out! Visit https://jazzonthetube.com/video/ and use the search engine to find whatever suits your mood!
Band Camp for Grownups
From the New York Times comes a story about professional musicians playing alongside amateurs. The reporter Daniel J. Wakin, an amateur clarinetist, spent a week at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Academy.
The video version of the story is here. Gabe Johnson, July 13, 2012
The related print story can be found here, though it may be behind a paywall.