Category: Music & Arts

Playing an instrument or listening to music has numerous benefits for our health. Music has the power to influence our mood, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance cognitive function, and even improve physical health.
Music Can Improve Your Mood and Focus.
Music has a profound impact on our emotions and can have a significant effect on our mental state. Listening to music that is happy, upbeat and energetic can help to lift our spirits and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

Music can also have a positive impact on cognitive function, such as memory and focus. Studies have shown that playing an instrument, even at a beginner level, can improve memory and executive function, as well as increasing brain plasticity. John Dan PhD, Chair of Neuroscience at Perelman School of Medicine says, “it engages every major part of the central nervous system. For example, playing the violin uses the peripheral nervous system, which controls movement of your fingers, as well as gross and fine motor skills. The brain’s executive function – which plans and makes decisions – comes into play as a musician plays one part but keeps focus on what’s coming next. Couple that with the total sensory input all at the same time (visual, auditory, emotional) and playing a song becomes a total “workout” for the brain.”

Music Can Reduce Stress.
Research has shown that listening to relaxing music before bed or during periods of stress can help to reduce cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress and weight gain. Additionally, playing an instrument can help to reduce anxiety by bringing our minds into the present moment instead of focusing on our worries.

A 2020 study, found that 57% of Americans use music as a form of stress reduction, compared to just 40% who find exercise helpful, so the stress-relieving benefits of music are definitely no secret.

Music Can Improve Your Physical Health.
Music can have a positive impact on physical health, particularly in the areas of pain management, sleep quality, and cardiovascular health. Listening to relaxing music before bed can help to improve sleep quality, which is important for optimum healing of injuries, and for muscle growth. Listening to up-tempo music (especially while exercising) has been shown to increase heart rate and blood flow, improving cardiovascular health and our motivation levels.

Many of us enjoy dancing to music at clubs or social events, and even more of us enjoy adding music to our jogging, weight training, or Pilates workouts, so it’s incredibly easy to reap the physical benefits of music.

Music Can Help someone with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of memory loss can find a sense of familiarity and comfort in music. The musical part of the brain is barely affected by the disease, so even those who struggle to remember names and faces of their loved ones can still enjoy singing along to their favorite songs.

Music therapy sessions are popular for those living with memory loss. These usually involve a fun and relaxed environment, singing, playing, or clapping along with the therapist either in a personal session or in a group. They provide an opportunity for social interaction and emotional expression, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and depression.

It’s Time to Start Your Benefits.
So, playing an instrument and listening to music both have numerous health benefits that range from improving mood, reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, to promoting physical health. Children are a great example of living a carefree life as they naturally enjoy music, singing songs, and dancing. Incorporating music into your daily life, whether it be through picking up an instrument or simply listening to music in your day-to-day activities, can help to improve overall well-being, a youthful mindset, and quality of life.

Studio 237 Music Lessons teachers are ready to help you discover, develop, and demonstrate music. Call Ray or Lisa Cyr at 850.231.3199, visit the website www.Studio237Music.com, gmail Studio237Music@gmail.com.

Book Review By Jack Smith

Whatever side you choose to support concerning the “Death Penalty,“ the facts are that with the advent of Innocence Lawyer groups, hundreds of prisoners have been exonerated in the past ten years. Based on true accounts, Grisham’s main character is just such a lawyer but also an Episcopal priest named Cullen Post. Post works for a nonprofit group that devotes its time and limited resources to try to free prisoners who they believe are innocent. The story focuses on Post’s investigation into the wrongful conviction of a black man named Quincy Miller who was set up to take the fall for the murder of a white lawyer in a small Florida town some twenty-two years ago. It’s fairly easy to convict an innocent man and virtually impossible to exonerate one. Post acknowledges that most of the prisoners who contact their group are, in fact, guilty, but it’s the others who have become his vocation. It’s worth noting that Grisham is a board member of the Innocence Project.

Playing an instrument or listening to music has numerous benefits for our health. Music has the power to influence our mood, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance cognitive function, and even improve physical health.

Music Can Improve Your Mood & Focus
Music has a profound impact on our emotions and can have a significant effect on our mental state. Listening to music that is happy, upbeat and energetic can help to lift our spirits and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

Music can also have a positive impact on cognitive function, such as memory and focus. Studies have shown that playing an instrument, even at a beginner level, can improve memory and executive function, as well as increasing brain plasticity. John Dan PhD, Chair of Neuroscience at Perelman School of Medicine says, “it engages every major part of the central nervous system. For example, playing the violin uses the peripheral nervous system, which controls movement of your fingers, as well as gross and fine motor skills. The brain’s executive function – which plans and makes decisions – comes into play as a musician plays one part but keeps focus on what’s coming next. Couple that with the total sensory input all at the same time (visual, auditory, emotional) and playing a song becomes a total “workout” for the brain.”

Music Can Reduce Stress
Research has shown that listening to relaxing music before bed or during periods of stress can help to reduce cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress and weight gain. Additionally, playing an instrument can help to reduce anxiety by bringing our minds into the present moment instead of focusing on our worries.

A 2020 study, found that 57% of Americans use music as a form of stress reduction, compared to just 40% who find exercise helpful, so the stress-relieving benefits of music are definitely no secret.

Music Can Improve Your Physical Health
Music can have a positive impact on physical health, particularly in the areas of pain management, sleep quality, and cardiovascular health. Listening to relaxing music before bed can help to improve sleep quality, which is important for optimum healing of injuries, and for muscle growth. Listening to up-tempo music (especially while exercising) has been shown to increase heart rate and blood flow, improving cardiovascular health and our motivation levels.

Many of us enjoy dancing to music at clubs or social events, and even more of us enjoy adding music to our jogging, weight training, or Pilates workouts, so it’s incredibly easy to reap the physical benefits of music.

Music Can Help someone with Alzheimer’s Disease
Individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of memory loss can find a sense of familiarity and comfort in music. The musical part of the brain is barely affected by the disease, so even those who struggle to remember names and faces of their loved ones can still enjoy singing along to their favorite songs.

Music therapy sessions are popular for those living with memory loss. These usually involve a fun and relaxed environment, singing, playing, or clapping along with the therapist either in a personal session or in a group. They provide an opportunity for social interaction and emotional expression, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and depression.

Time to Start Your Benefits
So, playing an instrument and listening to music both have numerous health benefits that range from improving mood, reducing stress, enhancing cognitive function, to promoting physical health. Children are a great example of living a carefree life as they naturally enjoy music, singing songs, and dancing. Incorporating music into your daily life, whether it be through picking up an instrument or simply listening to music in your day-to-day activities, can help to improve overall well-being, a youthful mindset, and quality of life.

The Panama City Center for the Arts springs into the new season with the Best of Bay County Schools Exhibition opened on Friday, April 7. The public is invited to two opening receptions; April 7 from 5-7 p.m. for middle and high schools and on April 22 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. for elementary schools.

“We have to thank the Bay County Art Teachers Association for putting this show together,” said Jayson Kretzer, executive director of Bay Arts Alliance. “Through Best of Bay, these wonderful educators have given all the young talent in our community the chance to share their work!”

For over twenty years, art teachers from all over Bay County have chosen the best student creations for display. Bay Arts has presented this exhibition for several years at the Marina Civic Center and now at the Center for the Arts.

“The Best of Bay County Schools exhibition is one of my favorites exhibits we display every year,” said Exhibitions Coordinator Anastasia Dengerud. “Being able to show local students’ art and give them the experience of seeing their work in a gallery (often for the first time) is priceless. This show continues to inspire students and visitors alike to keep making art no matter your age!”

Artwork from middle and high school students will be on display from April 7-19, with the closing reception on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Elementary school art will be shown April 22- 29, with the closing reception on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m -12 p.m.
Also on display for the month of April is a solo show by Gary Carroll featuring Pysanky eggs, the Ukrainian tradition of egg decorating using a wax-resist method.

The Center for the Arts is open Tuesday–Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

By Paul Bonnette

There is no denying that Downtown Panama City is in the midst of a revitalization. Everywhere you turn there are signs of fresh life, from colorful murals and crosswalk art to new businesses. One of the key community leaders responsible for this rebirth is the Executive Director of Bay Arts Alliance, Jayson Kretzer.

Known for his involvement with The Panama City Center for the Arts, the National Cartoonist Society – as well as his role as the founder and president of Panama City Creative Con – Jayson Kretzer is on a mission to bring art to life downtown.

For Kretzer, his love of the arts started early on. “My grandfather and father would talk about Sunday comic strips when I was a kid and it all sounded so cool to me, I just wanted to be part of their conversation. So I started reading comic strips at a very young age and that eventually lead me to want to create them. I just never quit drawing and never lost the bug,” he explained.

As a local artist and longtime Panama City resident, Kretzer saw an opportunity to help create more art in Bay County and founded Creative Con in 2010, a convention dedicated to celebrating and exploring creativity. Creative Con offered guests a chance to not only meet celebrity artists and actors but learn from them as well. It was an experience that helped him with his role as Director of the Panama City Center for the Arts and Bay Arts Alliance. “Creative Con was this opportunity to team up with a group of creatives to build something for creatives that we watched grow over nine years,” said Kretzer. After Hurricane Michael, he was forced to change direction with an emphasis on rebuilding. “To be able to step into this downtown resurgence and help revitalize the arts has been very rewarding for me. I’ve enjoyed the collaboration with the other artists and business owners in this town; we have some amazing talent in this area, and it inspires me.”

A very visible way to display the creativity and resilience of the area was with murals showcasing the work of local artists throughout Downtown Panama City.

“So obviously after the storm, there was a need to beautify,” Kretzer explained. At this point, there were a lot of things that were run down or destroyed. “We decided to help add colorful murals as everything was being rebuilt.” The first project was the butterfly mural by Cameron Moberg at the Center for the Arts; this vibrant work hinted at the metamorphosis already taking place downtown. Over time, more local artists got involved in this mural project, adding color to the historic downtown arts district – now they have more than a dozen murals. “We now have a historic downtown arts district we can be proud of and it’s getting better all the time,” Kretzer reflected. Thanks to a great collaboration with the City of Panama City and the Downtown Improvement Board, along with Kretzer and his team at Bay Arts Alliance, the new Crosswalk Art Project looks to be just as successful. According to Kretzer, collaboration is vital. “When you work together, you get the best of everyone’s ideas and solutions. When the whole community is pushing in on that same vision, it allows for something that’s really special.”

For Jayson Kretzer, Downtown Panama City was a blank canvas and he is grateful that it’s being painted by all the right people, whether they’re business owners, community leaders, residents who want to make a difference, or local artists. “Nothing is ever going to grow if all we do is the minimum. You’ve probably heard that the grass is greener where you water and fertilize it. Well, the people who are down here watering and fertilizing have made a huge difference. I’m just thankful to have been here during this time and to be a small piece of the giant awesome puzzle.”

March is National Music in Our Schools Month (MIOS), a time to celebrate the importance of music education in our schools and to recognize the incredible dedication of our music teachers!

This event was established by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) more than 30 years ago, and its goal is to raise awareness for the importance of music education for all children. This year’s theme is “music is all of us”, with an aim to highlight how music is everywhere in our lives and has a unique way of bringing us together and giving everyone a place to belong. You can find out more on their website: https://nafme.org/programs/miosm/

This month is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the amazing music teachers in our schools and their endless dedication to teaching music to our children. Over the years, our public schools have spent time and resources growing music programs including: music rooms, chorus, band programs in middle and high schools, purchasing of instruments and supplies, auditoriums, and forming a team of certified, encouraging, and enthusiastic music educators. We are especially thankful for our earlier music teachers who were the pioneers of music education and made sure that the children had the opportunity to learn, listen, and experience music. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

One of the highlights of this month is National Marching Band Day on March 4th, which celebrates the “marching arts” like drum corps. Marching bands are a much-loved tradition, first appearing in the 1800s and playing in many different establishments from the Broadway stage to football stadiums and smaller auditoriums. Marching bands perform at most every football game, plus other events throughout the year like graduations, other sporting events, and district level competitions. They represent the “music is all of us” theme well as they play a significant role in important events in our community, boosting morale and giving our students the chance to come together in strength and unity through music.

If marching and sporting events are not your style, chorus is another great way to become involved in music. Group singing encourages socialization, teamwork, presentation skills, and public speaking skills. If we can learn to sing in front of people, giving a speech seems so much easier. With singing, students can express emotion, creativity, and confidence, and build a strong bond with the singing group.

Even just attending these events as supportive audience members makes a massive difference. After all, we need the audience to encourage the students/music teachers and enjoy their performance!

This month, I encourage our parents, guardians, and community members to give music teachers a card, note, gift, handshake, or word of appreciation. Let them know how they make a positive difference in the lives of students with their hard work both during school hours and on weekends and breaks. We all need each other to keep the arts alive in our schools.

Studio 237 Music Lessons teachers are ready to help you discover, develop, and demonstrate music. Call Ray or Lisa Cyr at 850.231.3199, visit the website www.Studio237Music.com, gmail Studio237Music@gmail.com.