Insights and information
about music, brain health, aging, and much more.
When the Clouds Lift: The Genesis of “Here Comes the Sun”
George Harrison and Eric ClaptonRock history is full of great stories about the ways in which iconic tunes came into being. One of my favorites is the tale of George Harrison’s writing “Here Comes the Sun,” a favorite of our singers in the Summer Rocks 2025 session....
You’ve Got Many Friends (Just Like Carole King)
There are stories of pieces of music just coming to the composer or songwriter as if it’s an immediate download. There is a sense of not even thinking, not exerting with effort, but rather of being the receiver of the music. As a composer myself, I’ve had that...
Guess Who’s Singing Beside You? Judy Peres—One Fabulous Adventurer
Judy Peres is writing a memoir that promises to be what booksellers call ‘a good read.’ “Old Growth: A Memoir of Love, Lumber, and Late-Life Exuberance” relates Judy’s adventures after age 60, when many of us are easing into retirement. Not Judy! She took a buyout...
The Guy Who Wrote “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In” – who was he?
If you used your powers of visualization to imagine the personality, look, and temperament of the person who wrote all of the music for the 1968 counter-cultural Broadway smash “Hair,” what sort of person would you see in your mind’s eye? Take a moment and try to do...
Her Memory Is Liquid: Poetry, Memory & Music
My friends and I often despair about the “stuff” that crowds our closets, bookcases, file cabinets and storage units. We dread the thought of going through it, making decisions about what to keep and what to toss. But occasionally we come across a forgotten gem that...
Pianos in the Park and More
Offbeat Ways to Experience Music in the City – Chicago is known for its rich spectrum of musical offerings and summer in the city only heats up what’s on offer and doubles it. You can’t beat the Grant Park Music Festival, or the Millennium Park Summer Music Series…