Can you be trusted to keep your eyes closed?
By Old Grumpy Guy on December 29, 2008 at 4:30 PM in Humor, OldGrumpyGuy
My new video names one of the most important composers who ever lived, even though he is only ranked at number four in the list of the top ten greatest composers ever. Maybe he deserved a higher ranking. But the music of the composer at number three is more widely known. It was a tough choice.
After this, only two more before we get to number 1. (Or three, if you count number 1 himself). Can you contain your excitement?
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Well, OGG, this isn’t much fun–I totally agree with you on #4. Haydn not only belongs in the top 10, but he belongs exactly, IMHO, at position Numero Fouro. That implies that I know who will be in the Top 3, and I do, but I’m not totally sure about the order. I’m really enjoying this series–Thank You!
I’m a Philip Glass person, myself.
Nice video though.
OGG, beautiful music, wonderful imagery. Thank you.
My early tribute to No Quarter and all who work so hard for us to have a forum.
May 2009 be better than 2008!
No Quarter by Led Zepplin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBsbCMIyG6E
I am unjustly accused! My eyes remained firmly shut during the first impressionist visuals, since I unhesitatingly obey orders from impressive males with firm voices. I had to watch that bit again to see what I missed.
Haydn’s music is glorious. I also think that he must have been a brave man. Being married to a Hungarian myself, I think it took some guts to write the Farewell symphony and have it performed with the musicians departing with candles one by one. Telling the boss that you need a vacation is a tricky undertaking at any period in history.
Well, I am sure you are in the minority, because few people bother to do as old grumpy guys like me ask. His “greatest hits” selection will be uploaded on my Youtube channel later this week.
Now,Grumpy, you know I didn’t close my eyes. You know I don’t take orders well, man! But the good news is I DID think of Monet.
Well, that’s a blessing. That you thought of Monet. But of course I knew you wouldn’t keep your eyes closed. The video was aimed specifically at you Uppity.
It’s not that I “didn’t keep my eyes closed” Grumpy. It’s that I never closed them.
Very interesting and pleasant to listen to. AND I DID CLOSE MY EYES, GRUMPY!
Well done Tricia. Uppity could take some lessons from you
But but but I didn’t miss the Monet reverie.
but me no buts
Yes, Old Grumpy Guy I did peek. And I am not the least bit sorry, nor do I apologize. I like adding the impressionistic visuals to your series. Impressionism is my favorite kind of painting with Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir my favorite painters. These visuals are beautiful and add depth to the narrative.
Back to peeking. The research on learning tells us that 75% of teachers are sequential, analytic presenters. However, 70% of students do NOT learn best this way. Kind of a big disconnect there.
Brain researcher Eric Jensen has discovered that 90% of all information that comes into our brains is visual. 40% of all nerve fibers connected to the brain are linked to the retina. 36,000 messages per hour may be registered by the eyes. The capacity for long term memory of pictures seems almost unlimited.
According to William Glasser we learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, and 50% of what we see and hear.
So I had to peek in order to fully appreciate your lessons and this series OGG.
Well, I guess that’s okay then
Considering I have a photgraphic mind, I retain a hell of a lot more of what I read than ten percent.
As a former educator who left to earn more money in my life, I completely disagree with that statistical generality. SOME people learn by seeing, SOME people learn by hearing, SOME people learn by reading and some people learn by Doing. The combination of two or more of those things is as individual as our brains. A lot depends on the dominance level of each of the four quadrants but we will save that for another day. Plenty more depends on the individual strengh of our own senses. For example, I can assure you that blind people do NOT learn by Seeing.
Glasser is this decades Piaget eh? Thank goodness, for it has to be an improvement, considering Piaget studied rats and applied his findings to children. I guess what I am saying it it is rather dangerous to place learning skills into boxes and determining that there are only four ways in which people can learn and that they must choose one of them–and if they choose the ‘wrong’ one, they will be a statistical oddity. Kind of like blood types.
You see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear. I think that was the Rock Man who said that. Nilsson, The Point.
Yes. I just had scotch. can you tell?
Glasser is about 25 years after Piaget. He was big in the 60’s and 70’s when I was in college and was first teaching. It is the brain reserachers who are big today.
Howard Gardner is also in vogue with his theory of multiple intelligences. I was interested in your comment that MRIs and PET scans provided evidence that we read individual letters rather than chunking. Or I believe you said that we “see” individual letters when reading. Obviously our brains see the letters, but how are the phonemes processed?
When I said letters that would include a group of letters such as /gr/ which is one sound. The brain process that as one sound. In English there are 44 different phonemes.
When teaching young children (the novice reader) to read they are still often told to chunk letters or sounds. But this is for the teaching and learning phase and to teach fluency and automaticity.
The expereinced (or skilled reader) still sees all the letters and processes the sounds but in nano seconds. Plus with repeated encounters with words, the brain makes a model and remembers the model of familiar words as well.
Reading is a very complex skill involving four or five (depending on wherther you are a beginning or expereinced reader) areas of the brain and that involves 5 to 8 different steps. And you are also learning two seperate skills – decoding and comprehension. nSomething goes wrong in just one area of the brain or at one step of the process and you may expereince trouble reading.
Reading, unlike spoken language, is not innate. It is not hardwired into the brain. So it must be taught. That the brain learns to read at all is a testament to just how remarkable an organ it is.
Interesting. Thank you for the expanded comment.
No more so than usual
In general, 60% of learners are visual learners, 30% auditory, and 10% kinesthetic. While it is true we all learn from all modes, most people tend to prefer and rely on one more than the other. A good teacher will make sure that his/her teaching includes all modalities. Jensen’s brain research is very compelling though.
The brain research (MRI’s, PET scans, etc.) now proves that readers see each and every letter of every word when reading. They do not see a word globally or as a whole.
I only had one eye closed…Grumpy.
Swear!
Thanks for tunes… love those sting quartets and the string intro during Creation. The viola and violins have two different interior lines that reminds me of two happy, but very drunk people admiring the Water Lillies
One eye open is as bad as two
Grumps—-so, what is the sound of one eye closing?
Thank you for the wonderful music…..I must brag on myself (because I’m needy!) and tell you that I was in a symphony when I was young….We got to perform on one of the stages where Mozart performed….and we were escorted around Germany by Wagner’s granddaughter, Friedelin, and we also played under the baton of Leopold Stokowski (in Houston). There’s nothing like playing in a symphony. It’s the ultimate.
Thank you, again, for the music. But I have a complaint, which is: you’re not grumpy enough! You’re very kind, but not very grumpy. Keep trying!
How dare you say I’m not grumpy enough, you impudent upstart. Hurrumph.
That’s a good start, dumplin’!
If it happens in the middle of the forest where no-one can see or hear it, does that mean it didn’t happen?
O Great Zen-Grump——that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Grumpy
Thank you for that. Sometimes we just listen and do not think.
I am loving this series! When will you post the next installment?
I do love all the composers so far and, though every one of them is Numero Uno to me while I’m listening, I grudgingly agree with your placements so far. We’ll see how it goes with 3..2..1.
Thank you, GOM. Many, many thanks.
Why grudgingly? My choices are impeccable! Except I think Haydn might have deserved third place. I will upload the new video at the weekend. Glad you are enjoying the series.
PS it’s OGG, not GOM
sorry for the misnomer, OGG. No offense intended.
Grudgingly..because my heart and senses place Gershwin and Vivaldi above Haydn & Handel; but, given your 5-point criteria, I must reluctantly concur with your choices.
thanks
oooh, thx, OldGrumpyGuy. I just love Haydn. I did too keep my eyes closed (but then I am one of those auditory learners). Now I’m going to have to listen and watch it.
This is the first of your series I have heard: who were 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, & 5?
You can see the complete playlist so far on my Youtube channel, which includes “Greatest Hits” compilations and other bonus videos (such as excerpts from Haydn’s “Creation”, and Handel’s “Where E’er You Walk”) which have not been shown on NQ
Thank you Old Grumpy Guy!
Love these lessons.
oh, and I just peeked for one little bit. Helped to really hear all the music.
yes, I like new Monet-esque art.
watery…
What a pleasure to return home and have another installment waiting. Thank you, OGG. Btw, I did close my eyes when instructed, so I missed those first fuzzy images [yes, I know I'm suppose to be thinking Monet but fuzzy is what came to mind].
In any case, I enjoyed, dutifully followed instructions [as I'm prone to do with any professorial commandment--I serious weakness, I admit] and then . . . enjoyed some more.
What could be better?
Happy holiday. A nice gift!
Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it, and that you kept your eyes closed…but… FUZZY???? How dare you!