Music

Music and mood: a hormone connection?

Why is a music professor taking blood samples and studying the hormone oxytocin? ASU's Director of Bands Gary Hill wants to understand the connection between mood and music, and he thinks hormones might play a leading role. --by Judith Smith

Ambassador of note

Clarinetist Robert Spring is quick to dispel the myth that musicians are born into their talent. During one of his early auditions the instructor actually stopped him and said, "Boy, you're not very good." But Spring was determined. Today he is an endowed professor of music who has performed on six continents. His audiences respond as if they are watching a rock star. --by Sheilah Britton

Composing a future

Composer Tom Peterson is not very interested in music that balances consonance and dissonance. He likes conflict in his compositions, and in one piece even asked his musicians to "play what makes you angry." (part 3 of 3) --by Sheilah Britton

The Musician's Notes

Notes from musicians on the experience of playing for patients at the Mayo Clinic Palliative Care unit.

The art of leaving: The healing power of poetry and song

ASU musicians and poets bring a new kind of healing to severely ill patients in the Mayo Clinic's Palliative Care unit. By sharing their talents, these artists help reduce stress, bring families together, and put smiles on the faces of patients. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry

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