January 15th, 2019

1/15/2019

Music Authority Family Newsletter - January 15, 2019

Raw Peanuts, What Eclipse Means to Sashu Machani, and Please Tune Your Instrument

Raw Peanuts

Today I'm going to share a story with you. I'm a Berry College graduate and this is the legend of Martha Berry and Henry Ford.

Henry Ford was asked frequently for donations to every cause imaginable. One day, he meets Martha Berry (at the time Berry Schools were a school for poor mountain children). She asks him for a donation to help her children. Frustrated and probably feeling like everyone in the world wants something from him, Henry Ford reaches into his pocket and hands her a coin from his pocket.

Ms. Berry takes that coin, buys a bag of raw peanuts (or corn seed, depending on who is telling the story), has her students plant and harvest it, and then uses the proceeds to purchase a piano on which she could teach music. She then writes a letter of thank you to Henry Ford for the beautiful piano.

Intrigued, he comes to Georgia to see what she's doing. They become friends and he becomes one of Berry's largest donors.

What does Martha Berry, Henry Ford, and peanuts have to do with Music Authority? Sowing seeds. Some students come to us excited to learn, ready to pick up their instrument and shine. Others are afraid, have had bad experiences, or would rather be playing baseball. And still others come to us because parents don't know where else to go or what to do; they come to us because a psychologist has suggested music might help other behavioral or developmental issues.

With all of these students, our teachers are sowing seeds. Seeds of self-esteem, courage, confidence, responsibility, and hope. We might not see the seeds grow. Our job is to leave the seeds in the ground. Sometimes, someone else farther down the road will till the ground, pull the weeds, and see the plants bloom.

The seeds we sow are more than music. The seeds our teachers sow are the seeds to a fuller life, a more relaxed life, deeper friendships, better understanding of math, creativity, and thinking outside of the box.

Henry Ford's peanut seeds were only the vehicle, not the destination. Let music be your vehicle. See how far you can go beyond the music.

- Melissa A. Loggins, Owner
#MusicAuthorityFamily
#beyondthemusic

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Sashu Machani - What does being in Eclipse mean to you?

Eclipse has given me so much in the last 2 years, I’ve met some of my closest friends and learned what it’s like to do music in the real world. Every time I do a show or assignment for Music Authority, I obtain new skills that I can use not only in music but in my daily life.
(Photo from Sashu's trip to Nashville, 6/29/18 with Chris Mitchell of CMG guitars and songwriter Kent Blazy)

Importance of a "real" tuner

While it isn't necessary for everyone to own a pedal tuner (unless you're playing live, then it is absolutely a necessity), students do need a "real" tuner for their guitar. Phone app tuners are easy to download; but they are impractical in the long run. A tuner that reads by vibration is the best option for most students, at and $20, they're an affordable investment in your musical education.

Available at Music Authority.

Drum tuning 101

You picked up a deal of a drum set online at Christmas, put it together under the Christmas Tree, but now it doesn't sound quite right. Maybe it's because your drums aren't tuned properly. What, you say, drums need to be tuned?

Yes. While drum sets don't usually hold a specific pitch, they must be tuned correctly in reference to the other drums in the set and to remove unwanted overtones. If your heads are too loose, they will sound "floppy." If your smaller toms are tuned "looser" than your floor tom, your fills won't sound correct.

Music Authority's Repair Disco tunes drums. If you're not sure yours are right, give us a call today at 770-886-9066.

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The Music Authority Teacher Band having some fun at Gone on November 9, 2018 with (left to right) Andrew Loggins, Melissa Loggins, Michael Stewart, Jake Lanni, and AJ Hirsch. Hammer to Fall (Queen)