3 . Music is good for the health. And drumming may be best of all. As well as being physically demanding, it requires people to adjust their limbs and to react to outside stimuli, such as what the rest of the band is up to. It is particularly helpful for children who have emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Researchers at the Clem Burke Drumming Project an organization named after Blondie’s drummer, who was one of its founders have shown that teaching such children to drum helps them to control their reactions more generally, to focus more effectively on tasks they are given, and to communicate better with other people.

The project’s latest work, led by Cahart of King’s College, London, goes a step further. It looks at the neurological (神经系统的) changes which accompany these shifts.

Ms. Cahart and her colleagues found36 autistic(自闭症)teenagers and divided them into two groups. One had drum lessons twice a week for eight weeks. The others did not. At the beginning and end of the project everyone was asked to stay still for 45 minutes in a machine to see how the activity of their brains had changed. Their behaviour was also recorded.

As expected, most of the drumming group showed positive behavioral changes. And these were indeed reflected in their brains. The machine scans showed that several groups of connectivity between parts of those brains had strengthened during the experiment. In particular, two regions involved in attention control, formed strong links, respectively, with places associated with introspection (内省) and with areas involved in understanding facial expressions.

These changes in the brain thus nicely match the changes in behaviour which learning to drum brings. Not a surprise, perhaps. But a confirmation of drumming’s power to heal.

What if you were deaf? What if you were sick with cancer? What if you were suffering from both? What would be your last wish?

Kenneth was the right unfortunate boy, whose single mother was both deaf and seriously sick with hopeless cancer. How eager her mother was to hear, enjoy, and appreciate the most beautiful sound of the world! For her, it undoubtedly came from her beloved 15-year-old son — Kenneth.

Kenneth was sent by his mother to a famous piano teacher who took him in under her guidance, and Kenneth was devoted to each piano lessons and practiced extremely hard. However, there was one small problem. Kenneth was not music ally talented and therefore was very slow in learning. The teacher didn’t have much faith in the boy because of his weakness. However, his mother was very enthusiastic and every week she would send Kenneth to the teacher.

Then one day Kenneth stopped attending the piano lessons. The teacher thought that he had given up and in fact she was quite pleased since she did not give much hope to Kenneth.

Not long after, the piano teacher was given the task to organize a piano concert in the town. She sent out leaflets to invite the students and public to attend the event. Suddenly, she received a call from Kenneth who offered to take part in the concert. The teacher told him that he was not good enough and that he was no longer a student since he had stopped coming for lessons. Kenneth begged her to give him a chance and promised that he would not let her down.

Finally, she gave in and she put him to play last, hoping that he would change his mind at the last minute.

When the big day came, the concert hall was crowded with excited people. The performance was wonderful, the atmosphere was warm, everyone was in a celebratory mood, indulging (沉浸) in the wonderful music feast, and the applause and cheers were warmly received.

Finally, it was Kenneth’s turn to play.

After the performance, the piano teacher asked Kenneth how he managed to play so brilliantly.

As a single mother, I’ve never doubted my daughter Jane’s dream to be a singer on the stage. At an early age, she was crazy about singing. Whenever she had a chance, she would sing to her heart’s content. Her sweet and charming voice tended to get people around attracted to her songs.

Living in a small city, I took several odd jobs, determined to do everything in my power to support her. Soon after Jane attended school, her music teacher Mary noticed her talent by chance and volunteered to give her some guidance on how to sing. Jane practiced so hard that before long she made great progress in singing.

Unfortunately, one noon a year later, Jane was crossing the street when a careless driver knocked her down. She was rushed to hospital. When I hurried there, the doctor told me that my daughter would probably not stand on her own feet. I froze with shock, feeling as if I had been thrown into a dark world. Weak and dizzy, I was about to fall to the ground when someone took hold of me.

It was Mary, who got the news and raced here. She comforted me, saying firmly, “Grace, Jane needs you. You must stay calm and strong.” I nodded. Having calmed down, I entered the ward with Mary.

That night, Jane recovered her consciousness (知觉) and opened her eyes. Holding her hand, I said, “My dear, everything would be fine.” Mary comforted her gently, “I know you are a strong girl, Jane. Don’t worry. We’ll be standing by you.” I was heartbroken to see tears streaming down Jane’s cheeks.

After two months, we returned home from hospital. Her teachers and friends frequently visited her. Jane eventually accepted the fact that she would have to get around in a wheelchair. Never did she refer to the subject of singing again. I knew she was a nice and understanding girl, who was afraid that talking about her original dream would upset the two of us.

One day, however, Mary came with good news.

When the host announced it was Jane’s turn, she was wheeled onto the stage.

7 . Entering the main office of the Anderson Center, it's not uncommon to hear music, since the property has long served as an artists’ community.

But recently, the sounds ringing through the building began to sound unlike others. The music was from the center's art gallery, where Jarrelle Barton practices his guzheng.

Although the ancient Chinese instrument is popular worldwide, guzheng players are rare in Minnesota, and Barton is the first one to participate in Anderson's residency program, “He was chosen because of his technical capabilities, as well as his potential,” said Stephanie Rogers, the center's director.

Most kids of Barton's age are more likely to take up the piano or guitar. But as his grandmother described him, Baton is a “special person”—a little quiet, but with very deep feelings. When he first saw a picture of a guzheng, he tried to make his own out of a wooden tea tray and guitar strings. But the instrument he made was very different from a guzheng. It was light, and it didn't sound great.

Barton begged his grandmother to buy him a guzheng. She agreed, but added that he had to really practice and become a good guzheng player.

Acquiring the instrument proved less complicated than learning to play it. Barton couldn't find any textbooks in English, and the online courses he found were in Chinese too. So, he started teaching himself Mandarin (普通话). At the same time, he accustomed his body to “feeling” guzheng music.

Barton recently uploaded his videos to the social media platform Sina Weibo. They soon went viral, with viewers making comments such as “Great!” or “This foreigner can play our music.”

Music goes beyond nationality. You can learn an instrument regardless of what language you speak. You can learn any instrument you'd like and create music to share with people.