Laurel Fishman is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
Andra Day. Nicki Minaj. Blake Shelton. The Weeknd. What do these seemingly disparate artists have in common? They all had mentors to guide them on their musical journey.Merriam-Webster defines mentor as "someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person." But the meaning behind the word has roots all the way back to…
Total hearing loss: devastating words to anyone, especially a pro musician. After AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson was warned by doctors that "total deafness" would be the inevitable consequence of performing in large venues, the frontman decided to no longer tour with the GRAMMY-winning band.All musicians can benefit from Johnson's cautionary tale and that of rock guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert of the…
Restringing a guitar is easy. A broken snare drum head can be replaced. But what happens when there's damage to the human instrument: the voice?Recently, some high-profile artists are finding out, with Adele, John Mayer, Kiss' Paul Stanley, and Keith Urban all having undergone voice-related surgeries.According to Adele, her troubles started in January 2011 after a bout with the flu…
Kent Knappenberger of Westfield Academy and Central School in Westfield, N.Y., is the recipient of the first annual Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. The award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and…
Though the ways music heals are countless and many professionals are applying music to healing methodologies, it's unprecedented for healing-based music to attain the high-profile status of Manhattan-based oncologist Dr. Mitchell Gaynor's recordings.This past summer, Gaynor's newest release, Change Your Mind: Music For Brainwave Entrainment, a collaboration with singer/songwriter/keyboardist Jon Regen, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's New Age Albums chart.…
As a further testament to the power of music, music therapy is playing an important part in the extraordinary recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who suffered a life-threatening head wound last January during a shooting in Tuscon, Ariz., in which six people were killed and 12 others were wounded.The congresswoman not only survived a bullet through her brain, but…
