Yes, I meant the title to this blog post to be a pun. 🙂 Because it’s true! Listening to music or playing music … music keeps you aware, alert, keeps you in touch with your feelings and your thoughts … music keeps you sharp. You can choose music to create moods, create feelings.
There’s enough trouble in the world. There’s enough angst in growing “old” (or in being “young”). I choose to find music that makes me happy, makes me dance, or that makes me stop and wonder. I also choose music that brings me peace … ahh, that’s important.
I’d like to share a few videos of music with you in this blog post … music that makes me happy. And music combined with comedy can be such fun!
This first video makes me dance and smile. I have Irish ancestry, but even if I didn’t, this would made me tap my toes and want to play along with these folks. The young lad playing the Irish drum (the bodhrán) was 11 years old in this video. He’s fantastic. The word “bodhrán” is usually pronounced something like “BO-ron”, but not always. 🙂
Here’s another lively tune below. Anastasiia Tyurina was just 7 years old in the video below (several years ago). Look at the smile on her face and her body language … she loves playing the balalaika! Today she’s in her teens and playing professionally, not surprisingly! Russian people love peace as much as we do … and they love music as much too. Please don’t blame them for what the Russian government is doing. The Russian people are just like us, caught in the web of politics. I watch this 7 year old girl … and I want all of us to be like her.
Ah, and then there is Victor … Borge. Who doesn’t love him? He is a spectacular musician, pianist, and conductor … and he’s full of baloney. 🙂 You’ll see in the video below that even the musicians are caught off guard and laugh out loud. He’s magic. 🙂
Oh, you’ll need to turn your sound up … WAY UP!!! for this video below.
Fun stuff, eh?
Ok, now turn your sound back down to a regular volume.
One last video, below. The Topp Twins are New Zealand women. They are sisters, twins, known for their music, their comedy, and their humanitarian/political work. If you’d like to see a little bit of their serious music and energy in life, here’s a link to a video from 2011 that shows just a very tiny bit of their humanitarian work in New Zealand and around the world … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DajjJ74tMk … the video starts out with humor (and yodeling) and then moves on to things more serious and supportive of all humans on the planet. Each of these women is an “out” lesbian. Everyone understands that the humor and humanity in their comedy/music speak to everyone, to all of us. There are lots of their videos online on YouTube … and they have two CD’s out (I have both). I love their humor. They play serious music too, and they do goofy, funny shticks like the one below. The video below is from 2011. Wacko stuff! 🙂 I love it. Please enjoy.
See more of these gals on YouTube here … https://www.youtube.com/@TheToppTwins.
In keeping with the title of this blog post (“music keeps us sharp”), my last words for this blog post will be … don’t let yourself get too low, for too long, don’t B-flat for too long … find music you love that lightens your heart, that feeds your soul, and keeps your mind active so you can be happy, so you can be cool, and so you can see the world with joy and kindness, so you can see clearly, so you can C-sharp. 🙂 Sing and dance with joy and abandon!
Love these! Especially those Topp Twins. 🙂 I C-sharp now!
It’s good to C-sharp! 🙂
Charming! The young kids, the “elderly” Victor Borge, two regular adult women … all enjoying music and sharing it with us along with their own joy and humor too. Excellent! 🙂
Isn’t life good when all people are “regular” people? Nice comment.
Have always liked Victor Borge. Fun other stuff too. Thanks! I enjoyed that.
You are welcome, Greg. 🙂
How good of you to include Irish music and Kiwi music. Other music than only from the USA. I have Irish relations. The videos were great fun. Thank you.
Henry, I was trying to think of the “local” name for New Zealanders … you nailed it “Kiwi”. Thank you. 🙂
Love the puns, love the music. I’ve watched the Topp Twins for years, they are so funny AND they donate time and energy to help others, and their serious music is wonderful.
Me too, Ruth. I’ve been watching them for years and appreciate them so much. You must C-sharp too. 🙂
Fun puns. So if you wanted to B-sharp, would you then C-flat? 🙂
Oh that made me laugh out loud, Bill! Now that’s a tough question. I went to my piano to find the answer and, dag nab it!, my piano is missing the black B-sharp key, AND it’s missing the black C-flat key. How could that be!? I’m returning the piano to the manufacturer for repair immediately. Ha! Thanks. 🙂
LOL LOL LOL
🙂
Never heard of a bodhran, tho I have a little Irish ancestry and have researched it quite a bit. He’s really good! Music is such fun, so important, so peaceful as you say, etc. I enjoyed all four of the videos, thank you! 🙂
I hadn’t heard of a bodhran either, Babe, so we’re in the same boat. It’s sure fun to learn stuff isn’t it?
Excellent! 🙂
🙂
Oh, I loved this! 🙂 I especially loved the Topp Twins. Partly I love their humor, a lot! And, I really liked that they did a “shtick” as you call it, but without any mention of being lesbians. Humor is fun no matter who you are. They don’t politicize being lesbians. Being a lesbian is simply being normal. In some of their other videos they do include lesbian stuff, nothing sexual but just a few jokes, but mostly they don’t even mention it, they are just human beings getting through life. I have a twin brother, the connection is deep, and it seems that way too for the Topp Twins.
I absolutely adored those two kids in these videos … the drummer and the balalaika player. Victor Borge is so good, miss him. I’ve shared all four videos with friends. Thanks Ann!
Excellent comment, Cindy. I like that they didn’t push the Lesbian thing in their video too. On the other hand, how do we become “normal” people to others if even WE can’t treat ourselves as normal people? How will other folks learn we are regular normal humans, just like they are, if we hide, and if even we don’t treat ourselves as just regular normal human beings? So it’s a mixed bag.
Thanks for sharing those videos, they are wonderful aren’t they. As are you. 🙂
A fun post, when we needed some fun! 🙂 Music is what gets me through, always has been that way and no more than other. So much crazy sad going on around here at the moment.
That’s a great reminder, Dawn … music gets me through too, lots of times. It might not fix the stupid shit that’s happening, but it can help us feel better that’s for sure.
Finally found your blog. Good choice of those videos.
Thanks Furry. Glad you’re here. I enjoy your blog a lot!! Furry’s blog is at https://seasonsinthevalley.blogspot.com. Check it out.