Attention to Detail: The Classical Music Listening Guide

In another musical review of famous pandemic years, on this episode we're tackling the cholera epidemic of 1910. 1910 is a particularly rich year in the history of music, and we decided to review pieces from arguably the two most famous 20th century composers, Schoenberg and Stravinsky!  www.attentiontodetailpod.com

We're back with a review of another pandemic year, 1890! Today we're looking at one of Brahms' last pieces, his String Quintet, and Dvorak's phenomenal Eighth Symphony.  www.attentiontodetailpod.com

Today we're reviewing two pieces from the year 1854, Schumann's Geistervariationen and Brahms's Piano Trio No. 1! These are two phenomenal pieces with excellent stories behind them, so we hope you enjoy, and we will be back with more great music produced during pandemics in the coming days. www.attentiontodetailpod.com

We're very excited to be introducing a new series on music from years of pandemics! Over the next few episodes, we'll be reviewing some great music that was produced during the time of pandemics. While most of the music we'll review is apolitical and not explicitly tied to historical events, we hope this series demonstrates that the march of artistic progress is never-ending! www.attentiontodetailpod.com  

We're back with another fantasy-style draft of our favorite classical music - last time we picked our favorite symphonies, this time we took on chamber music! We recommend you watch this on video instead of listening: for a link to the video, click here. But if you prefer audio format, apologies for the iffy quality at times, the first time in the entire quarantine that Zoom has let us down! To vote on your favorite team, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNYPSGB  

Today we're reviewing Bartok's dazzling ballet, The Wooden Prince, with guest Alex Amsel. This breakdown uses some more slightly advanced terminology, so we recommend you check out our previous episode on scales and modes first, if those concepts are unfamiliar! But have no fear, despite being a complex and detailed piece, The Wooden Prince is an absolute gem! www.attentiontodetailpod.com

In preparation for some upcoming breakdowns, we decided to devote an episode to one of the most important fundamentals of music theory, the scale. On this episode, we discuss what a scale actually is, how they can be shifted to create different modes, and explore some lesser-known scales used primarily by twentieth-century composers. This episode is a little more technical than our normal episodes, but have no fear! We still break everything down as we always do, and no prior knowledge is needed. www.attentiontodetailpod.com

Explore the varying definitions of attention with a cognitive psychology professor. Learn how attention filters out distractions and improves focus. Discover the challenges conductors face in music rehearsals and the evolution of the attentional spotlight. Dive into training auditory attention for cognitive agility and redefining attention spans in the digital age.

Here's the audio from our fantasy football-style draft of the best symphonies with five players constructing a team of their favorite symphonic works numbered 1-9! To vote on your favorite team, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S7VTLPH. And for the full video, list of rankings, final team rosters, and playlists with all of the symphonies mentioned, visit https://www.attentiontodetailpod.com/symphonies-draft.html! If you enjoy the draft, be sure to rate, subscribe, and leave us a comment!

Today we're joined by Mary Meckley, host of the Daily Meditation Podcast and founder of the Sip and Om app, to discuss the connections between listening to music and meditation. We talk about how to start meditating, how it can improve attention and focus when you are listening, and the many positive benefits that it can have on one's life! To hear Mary's mini-meditation exercise with music, go to 38:30. www.attentiontodetailpod.com