In our modern popular culture, there are a whole lot of remakes in the making. Every time we turn on the television, they are remaking our favorite old film or covering a classic song. Sometimes these remakes are refreshing and a modern spin on what we all know and love. Unfortunately, they are also often far worse than the original. Even worse, sometimes they are really not much different at all and we can clearly see that they simply want to revive a franchise they know will sell.

In the spirit of originality, a well-known jazz trio, known as The Bad Plus, has made somewhat of a name for themselves by releasing extremely original covers of rock and pop songs in their jazzy style. These progressions get completely torn down and reconstructed in some cases. They are often barely recognizable as cover songs at some points, and then are thrust back into the realm of the familiar after going on a musical journey outside the song’s established structure. To hear some of these amazing covers, as well as some of The Bad Plus’ original compositions, please see some of the links below! Enjoy!

As educators of music and art, we at Prodigy use the work CREATIVITY almost daily in our work and daily experiences. However, it's a broad word that can mean very different things to different people! What does creativity mean to you?

Our very own Natasha Kozaily has her beautiful art up in our gallery right now. The multi-talented Caymanian Gypsy has a very unique artistic style that is both playful and vivid. Her opening was a gathering of friends and included sing-alongs and lots of fun! If anyone is interested in her art, please feel free to come by and check it out. It is all for sale, prices on a per-sale basis to be negotiated with the artist. Check out a few of the cool shots from her opening!

Have you ever wondered why some music, even if it lacks lyrics or signing, is uplifting to you? Or perhaps why a melody can nearly bring you to tears? Music has the power to move people emotionally. But what makes a certain song sound happy or sad? What is this mysterious force that our brains automatically associate with these basic emotions through the music alone?

Those of us who have studied music theory are aware of a very simple factor that changes the way music affects us emotionally as listeners. Any given key in music can either be major or minor. It just so happens that these distinctions, usually made by the 3rd and 7th notes in any given key, determine this happy or sad sound.

Every single major key has a relative minor, and vice versa. This means that the key of C, for instance, has a relative minor key that shares the same notes, which is C’s case would be A minor. This means these keys can be used interchangeably and that is when things can get a little confusing.

Regardless of whether or not a casual listener understands this, it’s the reason for these emotional reactions to any music we hear. So the next time a piece of music moves you in that way, ask yourself whether it sounds happy or sad. If it sounds happy, it’s likely in a major key. And if it sounds sad, it is probably minor. And this concludes our passive listening music theory lesson for the day!

In the world of art, there are often eccentric characters that have become just as famous for their personalities as they have for their art. In the world of surrealist painters, no one has been more recognized, both for his art or his eccentricities, than Salvador Dali. He was a very unique artist who painted elaborate and weird scenes, the likes of which people had never seen before. His paintings of melting watches, psychedelic landscapes and fantastical images of every-day objects and scenes have made him a fixture in the world of surrealism, as well as modern art in general. His physical appearance was also a unique and odd one, dawning his famous sculpted mustache as a trademark. He was an impeccable dresser and was also often photographed with his eyes wide open, glaring back at the camera. His work alone would have made him a cultural icon, but his oddball personality and appearance secured his place near the top of the most recognizable artists of all time. For his persistence, uniqueness and unwillingness to compromise his work, or himself, his recognition was highly deserved. Check out some of these great images of Salvaor and his most famous works. For more information on his background, go to the following link: http://www.show-your-own-art-gallery.com/salvador-dali.html

    Here at Prodigy School of Arts, we see parents going out of their way to provide their children with an additional education in the arts by sending them to us for classes. The arts are a crucial part of education and of human development, and expressing one’s self in a constructive way through creativity is often a therapeutic outlet. However, many of us who have been involved in arts education have heard the opinions of those who believe that the arts are not relevant to adult life and/or careers. This limited view point is unfortunate and we’d like to take a moment to describe some of the practical applications that the arts hold in society.

    There are many careers in music and art that are not only creatively rewarding, but also financially sound. As an individual who has chosen such a path in so many ways, I can speak to this quite personally. Aside from my own experience, I have many friends who work in these fields as well. Some of them are music therapists who help troubled youth and kids with learning disabilities or social disorders. Treatments for things like Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism have grown leaps and bounds in recent years as a result of music therapy and its positive impact on people with such conditions. I have yet another close friend who is a writer and engineer at a studio called Singing Serpent, which is a commercial music company. They make music for national and international add campaigns for the likes of companies like Cadillac, Target, Adidas and HP, just to name a few. There are also many artists who contribute to such commercials with digital art. Someone has designed every advertisement you see and someone has recorded the music behind it.

    As a child, I was taught music by Mr. Andy Hymel in New Orleans. He owns what is now likely the most successful independent music school in Louisiana, if not the entire south. He was told by the Dean of his college that he would never make a living teaching music. Last year marked the ten-year anniversary of Andy’s school being open and it carries close to 300 students, teaches every instrument, has over a dozen teachers and is likely opening a second location soon. He recently employed the wife of his former Dean to sing at an event he ran, much to the Dean’s surprise. Apparently the Dean was sorely mistaken!

    There is a future in the arts: they are a reflection of our world and collective cultures. If you or your children are thinking about your future and career, please remember that if you follow your bliss, the money will come in time. Just as we need doctors and lawyers, we need music and art. Without them, our world would cease to exist as we know it.

Sincerely,

Alexander Dausch
General Manager/ Instructor
Prodigy School of Arts

Please see links to some of the aforementioned businesses here:
http://www.coastmusictherapy.com/
http://www.singingserpent.com/
http://www.andyhymelschoolofmusic.com/
http://studiostudios.net/

In the world of Prodigy blogs, we generally try to dedicate a blog to either art or music, since that’s what we teach. It is rare that we find an opportunity to merge these two topics in one blog. This week, we present such a blog! Do you remember audio cassette tapes? If you are over the age of about 20, odds are, you have some awareness of them and maybe even own a few. If you are younger, you still probably know of them, but may not own any. For quite a while in the 80’s and partially the 90’s, they were the most popular medium for selling and playing music. With the advent of the digital world, compact disks took their place in the 1990’s. This transition, as all transitions of this type do, left a sea of cassettes floating around in our world. Neglected and discarded for the most part, they are the orphans of the musical medium of decades past, much the way CDs are beginning to be now.

Over time and repetitious playing, cassettes degrade, making the audio on them less audible and eventually rendering them useless for audio playback. That does not mean, however, that they are useless altogether. There is a small but awesome movement of art made from the tape inside the cassettes. Mostly portraits, the tape is pulled from the cassette and sculpted into art on a canvas or other surface. Since the tape itself is black or dark brown, this generally done on a light or white backdrop. The art people have created with this method is simply amazing. This is obviously not limited to portraits, but really anything one can imagine. Check out some of the awesome photos and links below for more details. Maybe you can find a way to make some great new art out of your old cassette collection! Unless you have a cassette player, odds are you won’t miss them if you unwind them for such a cool cause!   

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/celebrity-art-made-with-cassette-tapes/

http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/08/cassette-tape-art/

http://dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com/2013/01/cassette-tape-art.html

http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/sound-becomes-vision-cassette-tape-art-12121507

There was a time not so long ago when none of us had smart phones. It was a time when personal computers were a new household toy that no one really thought would become a fixture in every home, and making a home video or audio recording was quite an ordeal that required some heavy-duty professional equipment. We have come quite a long way since then with huge advancements in technology. These advancements make our lives faster, easier, stranger, more connected and more capable of just about anything we might want to do. One area that has really thrived technologically has been the audio and video world.

Despite the excellent sound of analog, being able to capture audio or video digitally has made for flexibility that was never before possible. In the past, if someone wanted to make a good sounding audio recording, they would need to visit a recording studio and have quite a budget to support whatever the project was. That is a thing of the past these days. If you have a laptop and some decent software and a $100 microphone, you can make a whole album! I should know; I have literally done that before, several times over. Many laptops even come with some kind of audio editing software built in. Programs like “Garage Band” are leaps and bounds beyond what recording at home would have been 20 years ago. There are even mobile phone apps that are available that are capable of multi-track audio recording. So there is no excuse for not being creative these days! If you can think it, you can record it! 

If you are interested in having any professional recording work done, Prodigy School of Arts now offers this product! Call us for rates and information - 858.456.2753.

Welcome back everyone! Happy New Year! We hope everyone is getting back into the swing of things and enjoying what 2013 has to offer all of us so far.

Here at Prodigy, we are always seeking out different sources of inspiration for our musical and artistic interests. The challenge in finding inspiration lies not in having a shortage of it, but in noticing it when it is present. We are surrounded by possible creative inspiration at all times. Whether it is someone we love, a beautiful day, a rainstorm, a great achievement or a great loss, we are living and breathing inspiration every day. With so many options, it can often be hard to narrow things down enough to allow for some creativity to flow. Sometimes the simplest of things can give us the most encouragement.

In this session of our amazing kids art class, that inspiration is going to be themed around animals! “Which animals?” you ask. Whatever animals the students choose! They will be doing a number of different animal-themed pieces and projects, so we will keep you posted with plenty of great photos as they progress throughout the session. In the meantime, perhaps some of the cool animal-inspired art below can provide you with some inspiration to make some animal art of your own!