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How music has fought pandemics for 2,700 years

People singing from balconies and streaming free concerts during the COVID-19 lockdown are part of a long tradition of using music to fight fear — dating back to the 7th century BC.

— April 23rd, 2020

From as early as ancient Egypt, Greece and the Babylonians, music has been a reliable tool for spiritual healing and social bonding for thousands of years amid disease. When plague struck Sparta in the 7th century BC, city leaders petitioned the poet Thaletus to sing hymns, and Terpander, another noted ancient Greek poet, was called up during a plague in Lesbos. Even Pythagoras, the creator of every schoolchild’s favourite theorem, used music as a therapeutic device, playing the lyre to calm drunken hooligans.

In medieval Italy, music went far beyond singing from windows, too. Before knowledge of contagion was widespread, the medieval “plague procession” was a recurrent sight on Europe’s streets. Entire towns marched, sang and prayed under icons of local saints, with call-and-response litanies designed to encourage participation. Remi Chiu, a musicologist at Loyola University, finds a parallel in these processions with the “Wuhan jiayou!” – or ‘Stay strong, Wuhan!” – chants that took off in January in the Chinese city where the pandemic began and likewise with the appearance of local patriotic songs on Italian balconies.

Chiu says music’s ability to overcome our egos is a “very powerful” tool in a quarantine. “When you’re making music, you’re submitting yourself – your mind, your body – to its regulation. And when you’re making music communally, or even dancing or doing the Macarena with your neighbours, you’re simultaneously contributing and submitting yourself to the larger goal of the group.” Technology can extend this communality – through a tweet or Facebook post, what would have become a column inch or a forgotten memory can inspire global solidarity.

To continue reading click here, to view the original article. 


This article is a re-post, of “Stayin’ alive! How music has fought pandemics for 2,700 years” an article published on theguardian.com

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I love how Marcos lets me learn so many songs, not just one!

I love how Marcos lets me learn so many songs, not just one! I like how he gives me compliments.…

Julia, age 8

2016-10-06T01:13:27-07:00

Julia, age 8

I love how Marcos lets me learn so many songs, not just one! I like how he gives me compliments. It’s really fun when Marcos does the bass clef with the left hand and I get to make up my own song that goes with it for a warm up. It’s fun because I get to make up my own songs. I love the sound of the piano!

I really like that we get to pick what songs we want to learn in Marcos’s guitar class

I really like that we get to pick what songs we want to learn in Marcos’s guitar class. I also…

Mikey, age 12

2016-10-06T01:19:06-07:00

Mikey, age 12

I really like that we get to pick what songs we want to learn in Marcos’s guitar class. I also love that he is compassionate and lets us progress at our own pace. Marcos knows EVERYTHING about instruments, and I’m glad he can share some of it with me. I’m glad that I get to learn how to read, write, and play music for the guitar. It is a lot of fun when Marcos and I play the guitar together!

I highly recommend 123 Rock to anyone looking for a music teacher!

Both of my children love their music lessons with Marcos. They look forward to their music lessons each week and…

- Angie, parent

2016-10-06T01:20:25-07:00

- Angie, parent

Both of my children love their music lessons with Marcos. They look forward to their music lessons each week and come home eager to practice their new pieces. I especially love that he teaches them to compose their own pieces and inspires their musical creativity. Marcos is always positive and encouraging with my children, and he has a knack for bringing out their best. I highly recommend 123 Rock to anyone looking for a music teacher!

123 Rock studio is an inspiring place to make music

Marcos Moscat is a talented musician and instructor. His approach to teaching is kind and respectful. He encourages his students…

Nancy-Jean Pement, parent

2016-10-06T01:21:23-07:00

Nancy-Jean Pement, parent

Marcos Moscat is a talented musician and instructor. His approach to teaching is kind and respectful. He encourages his students to study music that appeals to them. By attending to the interests of each student, Marcos is a master at nurturing student engagement. Our son, Jackson, has been taking lessons for over two years. Jackson is proud of his accomplishments at the piano and he enjoys the time he spends with his teacher. Both Marcos and Isabel are warm and […]
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