A musical journey on YouTube

Through music you can enter into history, glimpse other cultures, relax and reduce stress, and be transported to another level of consciousness. Music evokes emotions, tells stories and inspires us. Music is not a waste of time – it opens our minds in a different way; it's a creative experience.

I'd like to invite you on a journey into the world on YouTube, using the links below. Perhaps you'll hear something new. Watching the musicians' body language and expressions is part of the enjoyment for me.

Often you need to hear a piece more than once before you really enjoy it. Our musical tastes are often limited by what we have been exposed to. Just because you live in a regional area doesn't mean you can't access the grand music halls and live concerts all over the world. Share some of these links with your kids – the younger, the better.

Classical and Early links:

How can this be only 5 or 6 voices? Turn this up for the rich harmonies, and wait for those high notes as clear as a bell. See this stunning performance at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggoire, Rome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn39RzlhSao&feature=related
Small ensembles often sound better than large orchestras – you can focus on the different instruments' sounds. Watching the musicians' body language and expressions is part of the enjoyment for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6d8pxPy7T4
A piece of music I chased up after watching the Australian movie, 'Shine':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YropP5Yd7mk&feature=related
Counter tenors can be a surprise – Phillipe Jeroussky performs with immense emotion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQrbei8Z-4&feature=related
Food court flash mob descends on unsuspecting shoppers (wish I was there!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE
Robert Tiso playing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor on glasses of water:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRj-T4l-e8

Something different...

Barack Obama 'sings' to the Shawties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_H8wYo2s4

Some folk music to start you off browsing:

Go into the recording studio with Sinead O'Connor and the Chieftains for a great rendition of a traditional Irish ballad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13MQFCfCYdQ
An 18^th Century folksong popular among Celtic and Bluegrass musicians - Shady Grove:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw5Knvdtutk
Sharon Shannon on button accordion plays with Irish singer Mundy (For parents - intro has one f..k)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3V-oXwCWL4&feature=related
Julie Fowlis from North Uist sings in Scots Gaelic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb8AVVlAltk&feature=related
Andy Irvine, a skilled Irish singer with a distinctive voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l06ozEXOSaY&feature=related
An Irish Gaelic song from the 'Highland Sessions', with musicians who are some of the best in the world in their genre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq8CKVif_Fk
Kate Rusby breathes life into many of the great story ballads of traditional English, Irish, and Scottish folk music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6tVU--Cbes&feature=related
Irish piping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL7sxg6BQSE
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu from sings in his native tongue – hauntingly beautiful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgRCBN9nyzI&feature=related
Sitar and tabla music of India:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXk_8_8oLY&feature=related
On the tabla Ustad Zakir Hussain accompanies his wife while she performs a kathak piece in Teental.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZBH6UQ-w94&feature=related
Georgian polyphony – an emotive sound from an oppressed people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg8xrdbnH8E&feature=related
Music For A Found Harmonium – performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hXH0NPi5iU&feature=related
A piece by blind Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan, adapted for guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r3DwLoe0ek&feature=related

A musical journey on YouTube

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