The nicest thing about living in Modern times....

[harimau]

....is that there is always something happening that goes beyond what the normal human mind can imagine.

I bring to the attention of readers the folllowing news item from the Hindu Friday Review dated March 5,1010, page 4. Also available online at:

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/03/05/stor ... 440400.htm

Homage to a guru

To pay tribute to musician-musicologist and guru Sulochana Pattabhiraman and to promote Carnatic music in the U.S., Houston-based Swaralayam Arts Forum instituted the Science Fair Awards in her memory.

Swaralayam instituted the awards for music related projects at the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) (where Swaralayam is headquartered) and the Science Engineering Fair of Houston (SEFH) with the motto: ‘Sound Music through Science – Universal Peace through Music.'

The following are the 2009 winners of this award for the Science Fairs held in February / March: Shrutilaya Award - 6 {+t} {+h} Grade - Nikita Rao for the project ‘Tune Your Traits'; Pattu Rajagopalan Award - Junior Division - Austin Hubbert for ‘Wiggle to the Beat – The Effect of Music on Worm Growth', and Frances Tsenn for ‘Effect of Music on Dog Heart rate'; Sulochana Pattabhiraman Award - Ninth/Senior Division - Alec Dwyer for ‘French Horn Intonation' and Parsa Arman for ‘Sympathetic Vibrations'. These projects were from CCISD.

The awards for projects from SEFH are: Pattu Rajagopalan Award - Junior Division – Franceisca Sims for her work on ‘Rat Operant Conditioning to Play Piano Notes' and Sulochana Pattabhiraman Award - Ninth/Senior Division- David Coldiron for ‘How to Make a Piano Sing'.

I for one am glad that I don't own a dog. Otherwise I will be unknowingly subjecting him to scientific experiments as I listen to music. I am equally glad that I do not raise worms as a hobby either.

I am sure the gentle readers of this forum will find my restraint in not commenting on ‘Rat Operant Conditioning to Play Piano Notes' and ‘How to Make a Piano Sing' admirable.

Rodents playing the piano? What will people think of next?!!

[vasanthakokilam]

>Rat Operant Conditioning to Play Piano Notes'
>What will people think of next?!!

The opposite...Human operant conditioning that enables them to get stuck in a trap... Hmmm...wait a second, aren't we all already?

[cmlover]

There is somewhere a Youtube clip on a dog playing the Piano as well as a Crow invoking 'allah'!

[naarayanan]

expect an article in next week's hindu on whether a rodent or a dog should play carnatic music or not.

[karthikbala]

....
Rodents playing the piano? What will people think of next?!!

Terry Jones has been there, done that, in this Monty Python sketch...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9nGyPz9uT0
(the rats go beyond playing the piano; they *are* the piano...)

Another favourite of mine is the sketch where a military march is performed using an orchestra of cycle bells. With sufficient effort and acquired taste, I suppose one can discern traces of the original composition... triumph of Musical Message over Medium perhaps?

[vasanthakokilam]

>triumph of Musical Message over Medium perhaps?

Hey, hey... that is my favorite stomping ground