The Voice: Dan Palmere's Blog

Study Links Emotional and Neural Responses to Musical Performance

I'm always interested in the learning more about the "science" behind music and how it affects people. It's one thing to learn the theory and apply it, but digging deeper, it's amazing to hear what research has shown in regards to music and it's impact upon the brain.

Two fascinating reads that I'd reccomend if you're interested in the subject are:

1. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and The Brain by Oliver Sacks
2. This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

Of course, there are volumes of other published works available, but these two have seen a lot of success and critical acclaim.

In the meantime, check out this article. [From the heading]: 

"It is well known that music arouses emotions. But why do some musical performances move us, while others leave us flat? Why do musicians spend years perfecting the subtle nuances that bring us to tears? Scientists at Florida Atlantic University have now identified key aspects of musical performance that cause emotion-related brain activity, and they have shown for the first time how these performance nuances work in the brain, in real-time."

Photo Credit: Antenna

Gig Report

The performance this past Friday evening is one for the books. I sang with a trio consisting of piano, bass and drums for a large corporate dinner and awards show.

The venue was in the final stages of setup as I arrived and I was immediately blown away at the elegance and detail put into the process. The room was at the newly renovated Peabody Hotel on International Drive in Orlando. There was a sound crew already there getting a mix, which was a true blessing to us. It's always strenuous to haul everything in and set levels yourself.

We were led to our own private green room before the performance, which was garnished with a full spread of food and a waiter. It was all so overwhelming. 

The performance part was a lot of fun; we played shorter sets as people filtered in and sat at their tables and also between times when announcements were being made, awards given and meals served. The band was set up on a stage at the front of the room. 

I felt a lot more confident going into this performance and was more deliberate and clear with my cues to the band and melodic embellishment choices. There's still room for improvement, but I felt really good after we finished our final set. I think it had to do with the way we were arranged on stage; we could all really see each other well and more importantly, hear each other.

Hopefully this will lead to some more performance opportunities in the future. I'm learning so much through each one and meeting some incredible people along the way.

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed and safe Christmas season/weekend.

 

The room we performed in. The stage is at the back.

Gig Tonight

Dear friends, 

I'm pleased to report that after only a week, I'm on my way to my second professional performance in the Orlando-area. After shaking off some of the dust from the first performance and 'test-driving' the charts, I feel a bit more confident going into this one. 

I'll be singing as part of a trio (voice, piano, bass) for an annual corporate dinner and awards show at the newly-renovated, Orlando-icon: Peabody Hotel. There should be a fair number of attendees and I'm bringing my A-game. We'll be performing some classic jazz standards and Christmas favorites.

Again, if I'm able to take a few photographs, I'll post them here soon along with the report.

Have a blessed and safe weekend. Merry Christmas! 

The Peabody Hotel, Orlando, FL

Gig Report

Well, Friday night's gig at the Colony House in Lake Whales was a true delight. 

After moving back to Orlando in September, I was beginning to wonder where or when my first performance would be. The location was absolutely beautiful; the facility was set-back from the main road and the room we performed in was garnished with elegant decor, serving staff, and food/wine tables. Unfortunately, we couldn't use cell phones, or else I'd have a few pictures to post.

Our ensemble set up and we played three sets of music through 9:30PM, when the host asked if we'd play for a bit longer, which we were delighted to do. It was an honor to work with the musicians I did on this particular performance. All of them were well-accomplished players and pushed me to perform to the best of my ability. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous coming into my first professional performance (outside of Berklee, of course), but, nonetheless, we recieved many compliments throughout the night from various guests and even had some couples out on the dance floor.

I'm starting to keep a journal for gigs to record the details of the night and my thoughts about my performance, how I can improve, etc. This way, I can track my progress over the years in coming performances. 

All in all, a great learning experience and wonderful opportunity to launch my professional career in music. Stay tuned for details about my next gig this coming Friday (12/17).

Have a safe and blessed week.

Gig Tonight

Dear friends, 

In the midst of working, improving my craft and paying my dues in the Orlando-area, I've booked my first gig for tonight. The event is a private holiday celebration at the legendary Colony House at Mountain Lake in Lake Whales, FL. 

I'll be performing Christmas and jazz standards, backed by a talented quartet consisting of: saxophone, piano, bass and drums.

I'm excited to get out there and perform again and grateful for all I've learned over the past few years which has prepared me well for tonight.

Thanks for all your support. If I'm able to take pictures there, I'll post them later. 

The Colony House, Lake Whales, FL