How to listen to music with your whole body

For the first time in a while, I watched a few TED talks last night. I really enjoyed two in particular, both centered around music.

In the first, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie powerfully demonstrates how music can (and should) be experienced with much more than just listening with your ears.

In the second, renowned conductor Benjamin Zander leads a passionate and entertaining tour of a Chopin prelude, and then parlays this exercise into some broader lessons on leadership and life.

Here they are...

Mathemagic

Most of the TED talks I've seen so far are informative, thought-provoking or inspirational (or all of the above). This one's just plain entertaining.

"Mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin puts on an amazing display of mental calculations, racing people with calculators to solve a number of equations. Even if you hate math (like some people I know, who shall remain anonymous), you'll enjoy his amusing act.

A Stroke of Insight

I recently discovered TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design): an annual conference that “brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives.”

They’ve started making a number of the talks available online at www.ted.com. I plan to post here the ones that I find most fascinating.

Here’s an absolutely amazing story to get things started. The speaker, Jill Bolte Taylor, has also authored a book about her experience: A Stroke of Insight