【推荐2】From Mozart to Metallica, tons of people enjoy listening to various types of music while they paint, write, or draw. Many believe that music helps improve creativity, but an international study conducted by English and Swedish researchers and published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology is challenging that notion. Psychologists from Lancaster University, the University of Gavle, and the University of Central Lancashire say that their findings indicate music actually prevents creativity.

To come to their conclusions, researchers had participants complete verbal problems designed to inspire creativity while sitting in a quiet room, and then again while music played in the background. They found that background music obviously weakened the participants’ ability to complete tasks associated with verbal creativity. The research team also tested background music such as those commonly heard in a library, but found that such music had no impact on participants’ creativity.

The tasks were simple word game. For example, participants were given three words, such as dress, dial, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word associated with all three that could be combined to form a common phrase or word. The single word in this case, would be “sun” (sundress, sunflower, etc.). Participants completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or while exposed to three different types of music: music with unfamiliar lyrics (歌词), instrumental music, or music with familiar lyrics.

“We found strong evidence of imperfect performance when playing background music in comparison to quiet background conditions,” said co-author Dr. Neil McLatchie. Dr. McLatchie and his colleagues conclude that music even familiar music with well-known lyrics disturbs the participants’ focus, preventing creativity. Also, as for the library background music having seemingly no effect, the study’s authors believe that was the case because library music creates a “steady state” environment that doesn’t affect concentration.

【推荐3】Elena Yi dreamed of pursuing piano performance in college, never minding that her fingers could barely reach the length of an octave (八度音阶）. Unable to fully play many works by Romantic-era composers including Beethoven and Brahms, she tried anyway-and in her determination to spend hours practicing a Chopin concerto, wound up injuring herself.

The efforts of Professor Carol Leone from the Southern Methodist University (SMU） are changing all that: twenty years ago, the school became the first major university in the U.S. to introduce smaller keyboards into its music program, leveling the playing field for Yi and other piano majors.

Yi, 21, tried one of the smaller keyboards, “I remember being really excited, because my hands could actually reach and play all the right notes,” she said.

For decades, few questioned the size of the traditional piano. For those with small hand spans (掌距）, it’s difficult to properly play many works of Beethoven and Brahms. Those who attempt to play them either get used to skipping notes or risk injury with repeated play. Leone is familiar with such challenges. Born into a family of musicians, she favored classical music and pursued piano despite her small hand span and earned a degree as a doctor in musical arts.

The idea of smaller keyboards first met resistance from some traditionalists. Leone also said that when she raised the issue with one Viennese professor, he told her there were already too many pianists anyway.

Though such resistance is fading, there are some very traditional people who think of piano as a competitive thing. Leone said, “This is art, not sport. It’s about making as much beautiful art as possible, and we should give everybody the opportunity to do that.”

【推荐3】As Alice and Mike watched their son Allan graduate from Cambridge University last month, they thought back to the moment he was born.

“I’m so sorry your baby is blind,” a neighbor had said. Even though Allan’s family were middle class and they lived a comfortable life, as a blind child, Allan Hennessy’s future was poor.

The local hospitals could not offer Allan hope of giving him sight because there weren’t enough eye specialists. But when Allan was 6 months old, an opportunity came and Allan’s father seized it. “My dad sold his car, belongings and some of his land to pay for my treatment. We left our home country with very little.”

The opportunity was an operation in London which restored the sight in Allan’s left eye. “My mom remembers the first time I looked at her: the first time we made eye contact. She burst into tears. Since then, I’ve just been rocking on with the little sight I have,” he explained.

For Allan, life as an immigrant was challenging. When he was accepted into Cambridge University, Allan realized there were so many peers at Cambridge.

“I felt visibly different,” he said. When you’re a half-blind guy climbing the greasy pole, everyone can see that and they judge you, even though they are climbing it too.”

But after spending three years at Fitzwilliam College, Allan said it was transformative（改造作用的）. “I met the most amazing people from all over the world.” What would his life be like if he had stayed in his home country? “I wouldn’t have a Cambridge law degree; I wouldn’t even be sighted. My family there have faced terrible events. Perhaps I wouldn’t be alive.”

After graduating this summer, Allan is taking up a scholarship at law school.

“If you’ve got a first-class law degree from Cambridge University, that should set you up for life,” he said. “But when you’re a half-blind immigrant living in Britain today, there is so much more I have to do. The journey has only just begun.”