[Music]
I’m not a morning person as my husband
knows quite well especially on an
important day like today when I’m giving
my first TED talk but everything was
going well this morning I prepped for
the day locked up the flat was heading
toward the tram when I realized I was
still wearing my house slippers
fortunately I’m wearing proper shoes now
for my big speech they say that a good
speech is a lot like fashion long enough
to cover the subject but short enough to
keep it interesting today’s talk
compares comedy with music for shallow
your cat is big aha Nino McLaughlin said
a sense of humor is a major defense
against minor troubles I might add that
a sense of humor can be a major defense
against major troubles as well Henry
Purcell actually as well as William
Shakespeare said sing on sing on sing on
[Music]
indeed music and humor both can bring
great joy
so which generates more happiness music
or comedy
let’s explore humor for example used
appropriately in classrooms creates a
sense of community
and positive atmosphere sparks a sense
of wonder it’s it creates and encourages
creativity
it increases attention and it improves
memory all of which help learning and
well-being humor also activates the dope
and dopamine which is the brains part of
the brain’s reward system thus
decreasing anxiety and depression of
course humor also helps the elderly
Norman Cousins winner of the United
Nations peace medal wrote an anatomy of
an illness after he overcame a
life-threatening illness through large
doses of vitamin C and humor he famously
watched hours and hours of humorous
movies and clips and claimed that even
ten minutes of robust laughter allowed
him to sleep pain-free for hours when
even morphine wouldn’t help
over time he overcame his illness he
gained his ability to walk and he in two
years was back to work full time living
26 years beyond what his doctors said he
could thus his experience has inspired a
film as well as a plethora of research
shifting back to music and into the
classroom music also fosters a sense of
community it creates a positive
atmosphere sparks wonder enhances
creativity increases attention and
improves memory also interestingly music
also activates dopamine again rewarding
us with a sense
well-being and joy my own experiences as
a volunteer teacher and researcher have
confirmed to this for example when
volunteering with an with inner-city
youth we would create dances and rap
songs about positive subjects such as
the environment or motivation keep on
move and don’t give up now let’s go
together and you could see that they
have such abundant energy and and a
channel in a very positive direction
when I researched in schools multiple
schools in impoverished City in the u.s.
we looked we were hired to look at
academic development in relation to
music training but what moved me the
most after this study was how it
affected their daily lives one child who
previously had hated school but he found
that he was very good at violin so he
started to love school because now there
was something he was good at another
girl who lacked a confidence to get in
front of their class now volunteered to
give reports because she had just
performed with the symphony at the big
Music Hall another boy who had
previously not connected with his father
now connects with his father because his
father played guitar research and
observation confirms that music also
gives many benefits to the elderly
Oliver Sacks documents many cases in his
book music Ophelia
for example Parkinson’s patients
movements are freed with music
especially when it has a second beat
post stroke patients are able to regain
their speech through singing
dementia patients light up and their
positive memories are activated with
their favorite music in my years of
observing and working with children
across cultures there because there’s a
consistent desire and consistent
response to explore to express oneself
to have fun to enjoy to laugh to make
music to dance when I was taking a
course in music development one of our
assignments was to observe children
making music in a natural way in a
natural environment so I went to a
school cafeteria and all around me was
music two girls were playing patty-cake
game with each other and doing a
call-and-response another group was at a
table doing a three-part intricate
rhythm song another couple of children
were doing a pitch bending musical
singing piece it was a joyful atmosphere
of beautiful cacophony then the school
monitor came and told them to be quiet
she scolded them some of them looked
ashamed I believe that within all of us
we have that child who wants to express
ourselves who wants to explore and be
creative and laugh yet maybe maybe we
were rushed at some point
well now let’s gain that child back we
now have permission the internet is full
of resources for both music and humor
but it’s much more powerful if you
create these activities yourself
grab those metaphorical pots and pans
and wake up your neighbors strip naked
and dance in front of a mirror and be
sexy and silly is your relationship in
the doldrums well tickle each other
beasts goofy look at some comedies
together tell some jokes how about
singing some romantic karaoke songs to
each other or dancing in the kitchen
while dinners cooking are you feeling
stagnated at work well take some music
lessons learn an instrument take some
dance classes join a comedy troupe a
couple of years ago I felt stuck I had
been working non-stop in academia for
many years and my husband said to me one
day he said why don’t you get out there
and sing again so I did I gave a concert
at souq Hall in the beautiful historic
rudolfinum I included some comedy as
well it was clear that both humor and
music were missing in my life that bird
and that silly self-will were able to
come out I also noticed the audience
responded so positively some of them
were moved at the Arya’s others were
still chuckling afterwards and at the
musical comedy piece and and one girl
told me that she would have been feeling
really down in it and it just uplifted
her so again which generates more
happiness music or comedy there may not
be an answer to that question why not do
both with music I can move Bank and feel
a better way with you the more I can
laugh and remember how to play
doesn’t matter which I choose if the joy
is worried I feel make it happen on your
own that is what will keep it real
[Applause]
there’s good reason why both music and
comedy are appreciated today and have
been for millennia from ancient Greek
theaters to Broadway musicals
[Music]
that’s all folks now go out and make
some music and comedy of your own thank
you
[Applause]
I’m not a morning person as my husband
knows quite well especially on an
important day like today when I’m giving
my first TED talk but everything was
going well this morning I prepped for
the day locked up the flat was heading
toward the tram when I realized I was
still wearing my house slippers
fortunately I’m wearing proper shoes now
for my big speech they say that a good
speech is a lot like fashion long enough
to cover the subject but short enough to
keep it interesting today’s talk
compares comedy with music for shallow
your cat is big aha Nino McLaughlin said
a sense of humor is a major defense
against minor troubles I might add that
a sense of humor can be a major defense
against major troubles as well Henry
Purcell actually as well as William
Shakespeare said sing on sing on sing on
[Music]
indeed music and humor both can bring
great joy
so which generates more happiness music
or comedy
let’s explore humor for example used
appropriately in classrooms creates a
sense of community
and positive atmosphere sparks a sense
of wonder it’s it creates and encourages
creativity
it increases attention and it improves
memory all of which help learning and
well-being humor also activates the dope
and dopamine which is the brains part of
the brain’s reward system thus
decreasing anxiety and depression of
course humor also helps the elderly
Norman Cousins winner of the United
Nations peace medal wrote an anatomy of
an illness after he overcame a
life-threatening illness through large
doses of vitamin C and humor he famously
watched hours and hours of humorous
movies and clips and claimed that even
ten minutes of robust laughter allowed
him to sleep pain-free for hours when
even morphine wouldn’t help
over time he overcame his illness he
gained his ability to walk and he in two
years was back to work full time living
26 years beyond what his doctors said he
could thus his experience has inspired a
film as well as a plethora of research
shifting back to music and into the
classroom music also fosters a sense of
community it creates a positive
atmosphere sparks wonder enhances
creativity increases attention and
improves memory also interestingly music
also activates dopamine again rewarding
us with a sense
well-being and joy my own experiences as
a volunteer teacher and researcher have
confirmed to this for example when
volunteering with an with inner-city
youth we would create dances and rap
songs about positive subjects such as
the environment or motivation keep on
move and don’t give up now let’s go
together and you could see that they
have such abundant energy and and a
channel in a very positive direction
when I researched in schools multiple
schools in impoverished City in the u.s.
we looked we were hired to look at
academic development in relation to
music training but what moved me the
most after this study was how it
affected their daily lives one child who
previously had hated school but he found
that he was very good at violin so he
started to love school because now there
was something he was good at another
girl who lacked a confidence to get in
front of their class now volunteered to
give reports because she had just
performed with the symphony at the big
Music Hall another boy who had
previously not connected with his father
now connects with his father because his
father played guitar research and
observation confirms that music also
gives many benefits to the elderly
Oliver Sacks documents many cases in his
book music Ophelia
for example Parkinson’s patients
movements are freed with music
especially when it has a second beat
post stroke patients are able to regain
their speech through singing
dementia patients light up and their
positive memories are activated with
their favorite music in my years of
observing and working with children
across cultures there because there’s a
consistent desire and consistent
response to explore to express oneself
to have fun to enjoy to laugh to make
music to dance when I was taking a
course in music development one of our
assignments was to observe children
making music in a natural way in a
natural environment so I went to a
school cafeteria and all around me was
music two girls were playing patty-cake
game with each other and doing a
call-and-response another group was at a
table doing a three-part intricate
rhythm song another couple of children
were doing a pitch bending musical
singing piece it was a joyful atmosphere
of beautiful cacophony then the school
monitor came and told them to be quiet
she scolded them some of them looked
ashamed I believe that within all of us
we have that child who wants to express
ourselves who wants to explore and be
creative and laugh yet maybe maybe we
were rushed at some point
well now let’s gain that child back we
now have permission the internet is full
of resources for both music and humor
but it’s much more powerful if you
create these activities yourself
grab those metaphorical pots and pans
and wake up your neighbors strip naked
and dance in front of a mirror and be
sexy and silly is your relationship in
the doldrums well tickle each other
beasts goofy look at some comedies
together tell some jokes how about
singing some romantic karaoke songs to
each other or dancing in the kitchen
while dinners cooking are you feeling
stagnated at work well take some music
lessons learn an instrument take some
dance classes join a comedy troupe a
couple of years ago I felt stuck I had
been working non-stop in academia for
many years and my husband said to me one
day he said why don’t you get out there
and sing again so I did I gave a concert
at souq Hall in the beautiful historic
rudolfinum I included some comedy as
well it was clear that both humor and
music were missing in my life that bird
and that silly self-will were able to
come out I also noticed the audience
responded so positively some of them
were moved at the Arya’s others were
still chuckling afterwards and at the
musical comedy piece and and one girl
told me that she would have been feeling
really down in it and it just uplifted
her so again which generates more
happiness music or comedy there may not
be an answer to that question why not do
both with music I can move Bank and feel
a better way with you the more I can
laugh and remember how to play
doesn’t matter which I choose if the joy
is worried I feel make it happen on your
own that is what will keep it real
[Applause]
there’s good reason why both music and
comedy are appreciated today and have
been for millennia from ancient Greek
theaters to Broadway musicals
[Music]
that’s all folks now go out and make
some music and comedy of your own thank
you
[Applause]
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