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The global pandemic has revealed the depths of systematic cruelty in certain places in the world that have refused to commit resources to protecting people from the virus or refused to even acknowledge its existence. Other responses show a different way forward, one in which everyone contributes meaningfully through the principled actions of wearing masks […] Japanese Art Installation Lets People Play Erik Satie’s...

There was a time when pop lyrics did not exactly spark curiosity, doo-lang doo-lang doo-lang. They may have tapped into some universal teenage feelings, but rarely inspired further thought along the lines of “Hmm, I wonder what—or who—inspired that.” Dutch station NPO Radio 2’s interview series Top 2000 a gogo lifts the veil. Each entry reveals the origin […] Learn the Stories Behind Iconic Songs: The Rolling...

There’s an argument to be made that folk music is always political, in a broad sense. It is music made by ordinary people struggling against overwhelming forces: natural disasters, oppressive governments, corrupt bosses, job loss, the pains of marriage and illicit relationships... and epidemic infectious diseases. It’s music of consolation and resilience. Folk music helps […] A Playlist of Songs to Get You Through...

Judging by the outpouring of affection in online comment sections, Chicago folk musician John Prine (may he rest in peace) has helped a great many of his fans through tough times with his humanist, oft-humorous lyrics. Add funny man Bill Murray to the list. Taping a video in support of The Tree of Forgiveness, Prine’s […] Bill Murray Explains How He Was Saved by...

I love ya, and I think maybe if we sing together, well, we’d just feel a little bit better. Give it a try, okay? —Neil Diamond Thus quoth singer-songwriter Neil Diamond on March 23, before launching into his surprisingly sturdy monster hit, "Sweet Caroline," having reworked its lyrics to promote hand-washing and social distancing to help control the spread […] Join Choir! Choir! Choir! for a Community Singalong...

When COVID-19 closed schools and shuttered theaters and concert venues, response was swift. Stars ranging from the Cincinnati zoo’s hippo Fiona to Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda leapt to share free content with suddenly homebound viewers. Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, separated from his bandmates by international borders, played a mini gig at home, as did country star Keith Urban, with his wife, […] Soothing, Uplifting Resources for Parents & Caregivers Stressed...

This video of Tilda Swinton’s Springer Spaniels cavorting in pastoral Scotland to a Handel aria performed by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo won’t cure what ails you, but it is definitely good medicine. Swinton and her partner, artist Sandro Kopp, filmed the beautiful beasts in such a way as to highlight their doggy exuberance, whether moving as a pack or taking a […] 6 Minute Reprieve From the World’s Troubles, Courtesy...

It’s not like we’re maestros…it’s a moment of joy in this moment of anxiety. —Emma Santachiara, Rome As reported by The New York Times, Ms. Sanachiara, age 73, has joined the vast choir of ordinary Italians taking to their balconies and windows to participate in socially distant neighborhood singalongs as coronavirus rages through their country. The Internet […] Italians’ Nightly Singalongs Prove That Music Soothes the...

I always champion anything that will improve the lives of people with disabilities and put it on the front burner. - Itzhak Perlman At its best, the Internet expands our horizons, introducing us to new interests and perspectives, forging connections and creating empathy. The educational children's series Sesame Street was doing all that decades earlier. Witness this brief […] Itzhak Perlman Appears on <I>Sesame Street</I> and Poignantly...

The Dust to Digital Facebook page sets the scene: "Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, play[s] an amazing and touching version of "Amazing Grace" at the funeral of his mother, Princess Pride, today. She was a great supporter of her son, and would have turned 50 tomorrow." Amazing and touching indeed. Make sure you play it all of […] Blues Musician Plays a Soul-Stirring Version of “Amazing...

Let’s just get this out of the way… Musically speaking, Inuit throat singing—or katajjaq—is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. For all those who find this traditional form mesmerizing, there are others who get antsy with no lyrics or easily discernible melody on which to hang their hat, or who experience the bleak sound of […] Traditional Inuit Thoat Singing and the Modern World...

A month before Leonard Cohen died in November, 2016, The New Yorker's editor David Remnick traveled to the songwriter’s Los Angeles home for a lengthy interview in which Cohen looked both forward and back. As a former Zen monk, he was also adept at inhabiting the present, one in which the shadow of death crept ever closer. His former lover and muse, Marianne […] An Animated Leonard Cohen Offers Reflections on Death:...

For those who feel their enjoyment of J.S. Bach’s gorgeous Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 in G major has been undercut rather than enhanced by its frequent TV and film appearances, Yo-Yo Ma’s 2018 NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert is a tonic. As he explains above, the prelude was the first piece he learned as a beginning four-year-old cellist, adding […] Yo-Yo Ma Performs the First Classical Piece He...

…people have the power To redeem the work of fools —Patti Smith As protest songs go, "People Have the Power" by Godmother of Punk Patti Smith and her late husband Fred Sonic Smith is a true upper. The goal was to recapture some of the energy they’d felt as youth activists, coming together to protest the […] Patti Smith Sings “People Have the Power” with...

The thirty Bob Marley superfans who heeded artist Candice Breitz's 2005 call to visit a Port Antonio, Jamaica recording studio, to be filmed individually performing the entirety of Marley’s Legend album a capella, were not propelled by showbiz dreams. Rather, their participation was a way for them to connect with the beloved icon, in a manner as intimate […] 30 Fans Joyously Sing the Entirety of Bob...

Shortly before he died, Queen’s frontman, Freddie Mercury, famously remarked, "Do whatever you want with my life and my music, just don't make it boring.” Mission accomplished, thanks to the Harvard Undergraduate Drummers, more commonly known as THUD. The ensemble, which rehearses weekly, is willing to consider anything with percussive potential—plastic cups, chalkboards, buckets—as an instrument, but […] Harvard Students Perform Amazing Boomwhacker Covers of Queen’s...