In 2015, Joni Mitchell suffered a devastating stroke. According to her friend, musician and neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, “When she got back from the hospital, she couldn’t walk or talk, and the doctors were so pessimistic about her recovery they didn’t even schedule follow-ups.” One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century might be permanently silenced.
However, a breakthrough came when nurses at her home found Levitin’s number in the kitchen and called him. They noticed Mitchell responded to music from their phones and sought his advice. Levitin had previously collaborated with her to compile a CD of her favourite tracks for the Artist’s Choice series, a Starbucks project. The playlist spanned artists like Debussy, Marvin Gaye, and Leonard Cohen—an ideal foundation for personalised music therapy.
Levitin, author of Music As Medicine, emphasises that therapeutic music must resonate personally: “If you don’t like it, your cortisol levels spike, and you’ll reject it.” Fortunately, Mitchell’s favourites were already documented. Levitin directed the nurses to her living room bookshelf and supplemented the collection with meaningful songs like Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters and Graham Nash’s Our House, written for her.
Mitchell gradually recovered with support from speech and physical therapists, but Levitin credits music as pivotal. “Music, increases dopamine, the neurochemical that motivates action. Hearing songs that reminded her of who she is and what she values helped her face the challenges of recovery and stay committed to therapy.”
Oops, I did it again! 2000
There is slight irony as to where the Astronaut has been sent: Mars.
Elliot introduced the dreaded tongue circles last night. For those of you who have not encountered Eamonn yet, be warned: He does them every week and starts with 8 in each direction!
The number exercise helps us work our brains and voices together and teaches us not to be embarrassed about making mistakes. If you make a mistake, don’t draw attention to yourself; just carry on regardless, and hopefully, no one will know except you!
However, don’t be afraid to be wrong and mumble when rehearsing. Be strong and wrong, and then it can be easily corrected.
Anyone Who Had a Heart is a very dramatic song. It can be very loud by building up the volume and then lowering it again.
It is not just loud and soft; you can put feeling into the song by noticing the lyrics and their meaning. In the line, ‘Knowing I love you so’, aim for the ‘so’.
‘Anyone who had a heart could take me in his arms and love me to. You ….’ The ‘to’ and ‘you’ are very short and staccato
Keep the ‘Aahs’ bright and the ‘Doo, doos’ with strong ‘ds’ and short vowels.
Basses do NOT be lured on to the tune. Sing your own tune instead!
Down By the Riverside, again, keep the ‘Aahs’ bright. Sops come in confidently on your ‘Aah’ and make it swell in sound and then get softer. We reached the part where there was a change of key. Not only that but new harmonies, especially for the Tenors and Basses. Please listen to the voice parts on Dropbox and practice for next week when your homework is marked!
Here's some guidance: there are three basic options for the notes: go up, go down, or stay the same! Mark your music score accordingly, and this might help.
Peace In the Valley was started part way through.
Sop 1s be prepared for the very high note on ‘sorrow’
Tenors have extra words ’Lord and’ after sorrow’, feel the blues notes on this.
Basses you go a complete octave down on your part ‘There’ll be no sadness and no sorrow’ Make sadness long (without hissing on the ‘s’) With ‘trouble’ in ‘…no sorrow, no trouble, trouble I see’, the first ‘trouble is a long ‘trou’ and short ‘ble’, but the second time the notes are even with a long ‘see’, so watch for the cut-off!
Next week, we will complete all these songs and start a new one. Please print it and bring all your music with you.
Everyone, please do your homework so you won’t have to say, ‘Oops, I did it again! ’
Me!

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