Valentine’s Day is the day to express the love and appreciation you have for that special someone in your life.  Valentine’s Day is the second holiday where millions of greeting cards are mailed.  It is the day when over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate candy will be sold.  With all of the celebration of love it makes this writer wonder about the history of this special day to celebrate love.

The history of Valentine’s Day has somewhat of a mystery attached to it.  In my research there was an article on http://www.history.com that the origin is told in a more romantic history.

During the reign of Emperor Claudius II around 270 A.D. Rome was involved in many campaigns where the Emperor had to maintain a strong army.  However, during that time many soldiers were not interested in fighting because they were attached to their wives and children.  The story goes on to say the Emperor found a solution to this problem by banning marriages and engagements in Rome.   It was his way of having strong young men for his army.

Meanwhile, Saint Valentine, a holy priest in Rome started performing marriages in secret.  The couples would meet Saint Valentine in a secret place and the lovers would become husband and wife despite the Emperor’s decree.

When Emperor Claudius II found out about the secret marriages he had Saint Valentine arrested.  The punishment for disobeying the Emperor’s was death.  It was said Valentine was visited by the jailer’s daughter whom he became friends.  On February 14^th Saint Valentine was beheaded.  In a farewell note he left the jailer’s daughter he signed it “From Your Valentine.”

According to this article this is the reason many of us celebrate Valentine’s Day.  It is our chances to let the one we love the most know how we feel about them.  The heart shaped boxes of candy and flowers are expressions of that love.

The note Saint Valentine left the jailer’s daughter seems to be one of the reasons for the surge of Valentine Day greeting cards.  It appears many want to put in writing what they feel too.

There are many ways we choose to express our love for each other on this special holiday that has a romantic history.  Although we don’t have to suffer the fate Saint Valentine did we can understand the strong feelings he had to continue marrying couples despite the Emperor’s decree?  He obviously believed love is an emotion that has to be expressed.  It should not be denied because nothing good can become of it.  Love is beautiful and it has to be given the opportunity to grow and flourish into its spender.

Since the beginning of time music has been used to lure the opposite sexes to each other.  The soft mellow sound sends the mind to an imaginary place where the future is bright and full of happiness. Music is the magical medicine of love playing in the background of your favorite love songs.

Songwriters pen words of joy, passions and hopefulness for their desires being fulfilled in love songs then the lyrics come alive when music is added.  It ignites the fire and passion in the listener unearthing feelings and emotions for the object of their attraction.  When the attraction leads into friendship it ultimately turns into love.

During my childhood we had a neighbor who would play love songs to his wife on an old piano given to them when they were first married.  He would come home from work then not one hour later the sounds of his feelings would fill the air in the neighborhood.

Over time it sounded like the keys had given him a voice because they sound different almost lyrical in a simplistic way.  The voice coming from the keys on the piano told his wife how much he appreciated her and was glad she decided to be his wife. While his music was meant to express his love for his wife it reached out to many neighbors too.

We would be playing in the yard and see men quite lawn mowering to dance with their wives.  It sent their wives into a giggling frizzy as they enjoyed the attention and relished in it. For a time my imagination would flourish in the sound as the women magically became dressed in gowns and the men in tuxedos.  In my mind they were waltzing around the yards on the green carpeted grass like dancers in a grand ball room.  They just looked so in the moment.

Thoughts of his music had an effect on me.  It was simply romantic for a girl to hear the beautiful feelings a man had for his wife.  Maybe it might sound sappy to some but at that young age it was romantic to me and my girlfriends.  We would gather in a group just to listen.

Music has been used throughout history as an expression of love.  That is one of the reasons we enjoy having it in every area of our life.  Music is therapeutic and calming.  It helps to express what we are feeling and what we want to say.

This is the year to find the one who plays the keys to your heart.  Why spend another year wondering if there is someone out there for you?  It is easy to find that special someone who wants the same things as you.

There are online dating website that try hard to help you find the love you seek.  For example, there are online dating websites for almost every dating relationship.  There are sites for singles, Single Parents, and many others.  Some of the dating websites have used science as an approach to help members find each other.  Find someone to make music with this year.

Last October 2011 the article Make Your Music Popular received a lot of feedback from our readers. It seemed to have stirred up some of them into moving on their dreams of becoming a recognized musician. The feedback was positive and uplifting.

Maybe, the feedback was due to the new season of American Idol or because of the New Year. Some of the newbies sound like they are really ready to learn how to play their favorite instrument. The excitement of being able to entertain others and be recognized for their music has finally taken root and began to grow into action!

The article prompted some of them to contact us to learn more about Making Your Music Popular because the music industry has changed. Today it is not impossible to get a recording contract from a record label but it is more difficult. Since musicandkeys.com keeps close tabs on the music industry we wanted to offer musicians an alternative.

The products they bought have kept us busy answering questions and making recommendations about other services that would help. Some of them even asked for our opinion to make sure everything go smoothly from development to the launch. By the end of 2011 musicandkeys.com had completed its first web-conference.

The music products included in the article were helpful in getting started but some were eager to move forward now! Technology has opened the floodgates into new avenues of becoming famous. There have been articles published on the web about unknown people, even animals, becoming famous because of social media.

Learning about the many uses of technology where music is concerned has caused a buzz. Social media like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook are being used to promote to the masses. It is a quick and inexpensive way to let others share your dream. One of the best advantages of using the web is-it is global.

If you want to learn how to play songs here is a product you’ll love. To use this new technology all you need is access to a computer. Song Robot is a song-teaching machine. All you have to do is load your song files into the software and it shows you how to play them on a virtual keyboard. This product is so easy to use and can be downloaded to your computer in minutes upon purchase. Imagine having your own studio. You’ll be on your way to promoting a demo in no time!

Musicandkeys.com wants you to have a New Year filled with music. Music is the energy that fills empty space with glorious sound that uplifts. Our goal is to help music lovers everywhere realize their own dreams of using music in its various forms for their success and well-being. We want this year to be the one in which our readers find the music within them that makes the want to share it with others.

Take some time to stop and hear the music inside of you. Get in touch with the melody of your own style. Play the tune that makes you come alive. Enjoy the ride to the top of the music charts on the internet.

Have you ever been to a concert that started off with a dark stage and only music playing in the background as entertainment?  The anticipation rose in the small auditorium as we waited to listen to a Native American folksinger.  The feeling in the audience was like one of being part of this folksinger’s life.  The native drums and the winsome sounds that came from the dark stage sent our senses shoring through wild native country.

The introduction was like none other because when the drums climaxed and slithered to a halt the darkness gradually lifted revealing a Native American folksinger sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage with a guitar in his lap.  After a loud standing ovation of clapping hands and shouting we sat down to listen.

He was wearing blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt, Native American inspired leather or buckskin coat, turquoise jewelry and cowboy booths.  His hair was braided into one thick long braid which hung down his back.  When he looked up at the anxious audience it was clear that he was young.  After acknowledging the audience acceptance he began to play his guitar.

As he played the stage lights grew dimmer and dimmer until he was sitting in a spotlight.  He began to chant sounds that mixed with the strokes of the guitar.  The mixture of the sounds rose from a low sturdy beat to a louder even tone that engulfed the room.  The sounds bounced off the walls landing back into the middle of the room.

The experience was like magic because we could feel the music.  The good vides sent my memory back to the times when my summer days were spent at my grandmother’s house.  We would go on trips in the woods to pick berries, play in the creek and learn about nature as she taught it.  In the evenings she would sit by the window in her rocking chair chanting and fanning as if seeing something beyond her view.  Her hair braided much like the folksinger’s hair on the stage before me.

Looking around the dim room at the others it was clear to see how much he had engulfed them with his nature-inspired performance.  The room was so quite because no one was talking.  All eyes were focused on the performer on stage.  He had reached a place inside of us and made a connection.  Musicandkeys.com wants our readers to make a connection with music by putting it in the spotlight of their lives.  At the end of the performance he had taken us to the cloud-covered mountaintops in Georgia and then gently lowered us back to the ground.

The whole room busted into applause as he stood up to take a bow.  The long braid moved over his shoulder hanging like a long black rope at his side.  He blew a few kisses at the energetic audience’s approval of his performance.  A large smile covered his face as he turned and walked into the darkness out of the spotlight.

What are you planning to accomplish in 2012?  There are a lot of lists being written right now with hopeful hearts full of anticipation of seeing positive results by the end of the year.  The time to see results is to start now!  What instrument do you want to be playing by the end of the year?  Do you dream of playing piano for your family and friends by Christmas 2012?  Do you see yourself doing something naughty like playing a wild beat on a set of drums with a group of your friends?

Last week one of my former managers asked me to talk to his employees about the many uses of music.  He liked the messages in my articles and thought it would be a good idea for his employees to learn how to play an instrument.  It is one of the efforts his company is using to relieve the stressful tension in the workplace.

During our meeting at one of our favorite restaurant and sports bar we talked about the details involved in learning how to play an instrument.  My former supervisor expressed the problem of having a lot of stress and tension among the employees and wondered what would be a good idea to promote team spirit. The main headquarters told him and other managers that production was being hindered and wanted them to find a way to solve the problem.

He told me in details about the problems he was having at his branch.  It seems the bad economy caused the company to close some of its branches.  Employees from those branches were relocated and received reduction in pay which caused many of them to become bitter, frustrated and annoyed.  The mixture of attitudes brought about negative changes in the office environment causing production to suffer.

After listening to the problem the question that ran through my mind was this one, “How can music help with such a large problem?”  It was difficult for me to see my former manager’s reason for asking me to speak to the employees and staff at his branch.  What solution could my company offer his to get employees in a receptive frame of mind?

Early the next week one of my staff members accompanied me in talking to the staff and some of the employees.  Most of the staff was cooperative but the employees were not so agreeable.  By the end of our survey it was obvious that many of the new employees resented having to leave their branch but not for obvious reasons.  They admitted having to take a small cut in pay was difficult but what they missed most was the energy at their other branch.

Gospel keys 202 would have been a wonderful addition to their music library. At the old branch they worked to the sound of classical music and cheerful songs during the holidays.  Music was used to keep up their spirits and to promote a positive healthy environment. Most of them enjoyed music in its many forms.  Some used it as a hobby while others used it as a stress manager and more.

After talking to their former branch manager he was unaware of the effects the music had on his employees because it had always been that way since he started working at that location.  He also added that he never had any problems with production because the figures were always excellent.

The presentation was easy because the employees were grateful to offer input as to how to solve their stressful atmosphere.  The music plays in all of the departments at that branch.  The employees have a say over what type of music they listen to while working.  My former manager even has some of his employees learning how to play musical instruments as an alternative to taking medicines to medicate certain aliments.

Whatever instrument you decide to learn how to play in the New Year let http://musicandkeys.com/free-special-report help you realize your dream.  We were happy when our products changed a negative work environment to a more productive and stress-free atmosphere.

Music has the power to inspire, capture the imagination, to medicate and to change a negative environment into a positive productive one.   Happy New Year to all of our readers and we hope you will continue to make us number one for music resources in the coming year.

It’s Christmas time all over the world. Some places are decked in snow with a snowman standing guard over the front yard. The shops are decorated with Christmas decorations with colored lights blinking off and on. Even the tall poles lining city streets have red ribbons with green garland to celebrate the festive occasion. Churches and city building have all decked the halls in some form or the other to celebrate the Savior’s birthday.

This year people are not singing as much as previous years but the sound of music rings out from every corner shop. Many are still unemployed or underemployed with their hopes fading every day as the economy remain in a slump. Although the bad economy has put a damper on the spirits of most shoppers there is still something we can all enjoy free of charge-music.

Music is always playing in the little cafes lining Main Street in the little community where I work. The holiday music at the cafes is warm and friendly. It makes even the worst problems disappear as it brings a smile to a chilled face. People spend the day looking in windows at holiday specials and having lunch in the cafes filled with atmosphere and music.

The coffee shop has the most inviting holiday images painted on the windows as an invitation to come in and mingle.  Throughout the day shoppers line up to sample the new holiday favors and to enjoy conversation with neighbors who have also slowed down to enjoy the holiday season.

Last week my sister and I went to the mall to look at the Christmas decorations and to watch the children with Santa while drinking coffee. It is a little thing we do every year because it is fun and don’t cost a lot of money.  It is our way of getting into the fell of the holiday season without partaking of the capitalism.

Watching parents with their children and Santa Claus making memories that will last a lifetime is magical.  Sometimes it’s like mom and dad enjoy the visits with Santa just as much as the children.  The little elves make themselves useful by doing little tricks to make unhappy children laugh while photos are taking.

Christmas is a magical time of the year when people smile a little more.  It is a time when we remember why the whole world is celebrating.  Christ the Savior is here to remind us why we are here.  It is a pleasant to time to slow down to enjoy the company of the people we love and admire.  It is also a time to put the needs of others first.

What are you doing to get in the holiday spirit?  Maybe it’s spending time with friends and family or just taking some time to rest.  Whatever your Christmas plans are make it a happy time to remember for years to come.  We at musicandkeys.com wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our readers.

This has been a very difficult year for me because so many life changing things have occurred. When change comes it sometimes wears a veil of black and gloom. It is difficult to see anything positive during a dark time. Although there is a light at the end of the tunnel the passage leading to it remains dark.

Although my spirit is usually calm and connected with the Creator it has been out of sort lately. Most of this year I’ve felt like a pearl oyster with a stone lodged inside of it. Irritated and uncomfortable with my situation at home and work it has been a trial to deal with the discomfort.

Home is unsettling because the economy has pushed me back to living with relatives. It is a mixed blessing to have that but a hindrance when that situation becomes dependent on you taking care of it financially most of the time. Like a pearl oyster the stone is being addressed but it is still inside forcing change.

At work the economy has brought about such large budget cuts that promotions, raises and bonuses have been frozen. The money most of us relied on for special occasions, especially at this time of year, has vanished. As the economy get worst the county has tighten the belt around our necks. More work is delegated to remaining employees as positions once filled remain vacant.

The initial answer to my pain was to take medicine to dull the aches of disappointment. The local drug store must have loved me because a lot of my money was spent there. No matter how much pain medicine hit my stomach the ache continued. That is when the discovery of the keys to enjoy the holiday and even change.

During a devastating loss of a close family member one of my cousins reminded me of an old remedy. She was sitting in a chair near the large window in the living room listening to her favorite music on an mp3 player. Most visitors were trying to find words of encouragement for the family. While everyone else was looking sad and down she kept a pleasant face.

It was ironic that my cousin would introduce me to one of my own products. She took out the case for the Christmas Keys course and showed it to me. She told me how much it helped her to learn how to play the piano. It helped her to remain positive about a coming event and not to let the sad one make her unhappy.

As the visitors and other distant relatives left, we sat outside and indulged ourselves for hours in the magical healing of music. It made me feel much better to share that moment of listening to music and reconnecting with my cousin. On that day my own products were successful in helping me to deal with that kind of loss too.

Join us at music and keys to discover how the benefits of music can help you deal with situations in your life without the use of traditional medicine. Let us introduce the power of music to smooth the ills of daily life. We are encouraged by your experience in using music to make change easier and less painful.

The pains of this year have brought me to a crossroad in my life. It has been a long road traveling from January to December. Like the stone lodged inside of a pearl oyster began the process of creating a pearl the pains of this year is starting to make a pearl out of me by creating a more polished and developed life.

Christmas Keys is a course that will help you really get into the spirit of the season. The holidays are for sharing and making memories with friends, family and strangers. At this festive time of the year many people are more charitable with their time and money. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our readers and their loved ones and May the New Year bring you joy, happiness, success and continued good health.

Many of us would like to take a vacation twice a year. It is wonderful to get away to have time to do some of the things you enjoy doing. However, the economy has taken its toll on many families. The idea of going on vacation is classified as a luxury now. Even so, we still need to get away for a while if for no other reason than for delicacy of mind.

Just yesterday while having dinner with a few friends and some other people who might become friends the conversation turned to what is called staycations. A staycation is when you take vacation but stay at home. A longtime friend told us about his family’s experience with their first staycation.

“Since the company let me go almost a year ago, my wife suggested we stop going on family vacations each year and just stay home. Although she got a raise which helps us tremendously, we all decided to continue to cut expenses by staying home during her two weeks’ vacation,” Phil said.

“What did the five of you do?” was the first question at the table. Another question came after that one. “Did you do something together as a family?”

Phil drank a sip of his coke and sat the glass back on the table. He leaned in over the table. “Would you believe we had a family talent show in the backyard,” he laughed and sat back in the chair. “It was the wildest idea because none of us have much showmanship. We played music, ate our favorite grilled foods and me and my wife told scary stories when the sun went down. He laughed some more. “It was fun, though.”

“It sounds like all of you found out some new things about each other. Having more time to spend with the family is turning out to be a good thing,” April said.

Phil nodded his head, “yes.” “We had a good time and it didn’t cost ten thousand dollars like all of our other family vacations.” He paused a second. “You can learn a lot about yourself from your own family. Years ago, it was a joy just to find some time to listen to my favorite music before going to bed. Every evening after dinner, I’d spend about thirty minutes in my study listening to certain types of music. It provided a certain escape and relaxed my mind. Over time the demands of the job and other obligations took me away from that escape.”

It was obvious that Phil felt a little down about his role in the family. We remember when he made over one hundred thousand dollars per year. One highlight of our get-together was to view videos of his lavish family vacations. His wife and kids helped him find one of his simple escapes like listening to music.

While writing this article it occurred to me to try Phil’s idea of using music as an escape. Before going to bed I’ll try the product Phil suggested at dinner. Music is an inexpensive way to wash away the daily negative activities from the mind. His suggestion was to listen to beats that work with the brain. To read more about Phil’s product Click Here!

Many Americans are really keyed up because of the economy and the uncertainty of their futures. The news is full of unhappy reports about rising unemployment. Families are losing their homes due to foreclosures and other financial reasons not to mention the underemployed situation. If all of this is not enough, we are all still dealing with the after mass of natural disasters.

This weekend, most of my time was dedicated to catching up on reading and trying out a new music product a business acquaint recommended. There were a number of articles in Early to Rise, an online newsletter promoting health, wellness and financial independence that have been sitting on my desk for weeks..

One of the Early to Rise articles entitled How to Have More Daily Wealth by Steve Sjuggerud really caught my attention as it related to this article. The idea of this article is to live without buying a lot of stuff. Steve and his family have found the answer to living life to the fullest by filling it with life experiences. Instead of buying their kids all the latest games like PlayStation and Xbox or a large screen television they fill their lives with experiences.

We can learn a lot from articles like this one. Maybe it is not possible to go on vacation to a foreign country or even another state but all of us can find some new experiences at home. It would promote a better mindset to deal with the negative situations we sometimes face. When things are replaced with life enhancing experiences the negative times would probably be less stressful.

Over the weekend it occurred to me how little time most of the people around me take to find life experiences that calm down the mind and body. The reason it was brought to my attention is because of my own guilty part. Most of my time is spent running from work so there will be enough time to work on other projects. Of course, there are family obligations and other miscellaneous duties between the two jobs.

When Steve Sjuggerud mentioned in his article about having more life experiences the idea got me started right away. To get back to my center it took about twenty minutes of meditation to soft piano music. In the past, meditation was a part of my life experience because it was something we girls did as a group. As time went by and my responsibilities mounted it was taken off my list.

By adding this activity back into my busy schedule it made me feel a lot better at the end of the day. Even my body was more calm and relaxed due to the meditation to a certain type of music. The sound of the music helped to ease my mind into the moment and tune out all other distractions.

The meditation, binaural beats, relaxation music in this new innovative product worked wonders for me. A business acquaintance suggested using it because of the new way the music is designed to work with brainwaves. The sound frequencies embedded into the music enhance the effect the music has on the listener’s brainwaves. To learn more about this amazing product click here.

My advice when using this product is to just listen to the music. Find a relaxing position and tune out all of the outside noises and distractions. Allow your body muscles to relax themselves as you allow the sound of the music to put your mind in another world. Be patient. Please do not rush the process because it takes as little as ten minutes of your time.

Taking this weekend off to spend time catching up with things that make my daily life better was time well spent. Most of us know someone who is unemployed, underemployed or still dealing with life after a natural disaster or foreclosure. Now, the next presidential election is just around the corner. With all we have to deal with daily it helps to take some time to just calm down.

Everywhere you go music is used to either enhance a certain environment and to bring comfort in a situation. This past week we gathered at a favorite restaurant to catch-up on each other’s lives and to attend a concert. This has been a kind of ritual for many years. It is a way to work on our relationships to build a better bond with each other.

The restaurant where we meet knew all of us by name and anticipated our arrival around the same time each year. The owner knows our favorite meals and plans accordingly. His wife even makes sure the music we like is playing in the background. It might not be obvious to other patrons but they have made this our time out.

As former band members in The Harmony Band most of us have developed a taste for soft piano music with the accompaniment of flutes. The talk always turned to the times when our music teacher took us on road trips to play for organizations and community groups. The laughter at the table started to sound like music to me as it brought back happy memories from my childhood.

During the conversation it made me think about professional musicians past and present. It must be fun and sometimes sadly happy when they get together to just reminisce. While our music experiences were fun and exciting because we were just children some of their experiences must be flocked with laugher and fun too.

Our little group of former band members still enjoyed playing instruments and sharing experiences with their children. It was at one of our yearly meetings when a member told all of us about becoming a music teacher so she could direct the elementary school band. It was as though history was repeating itself. We learned the second Harmony Band had been born.

Our former band member wanted the second band to be different from the first. She added a pianist as part of the band. The music arrangements included a lead pianist with the accompaniment of the flute players. During the auditions to select another instrument to enhance the soft sound of the flutes the piano sound better than the other instruments like drums, organs etc.

One of the biggest reasons for our meeting was to attend the first concert of the second Harmony Band. The excitement was building during that week leading up to the meeting. The members could not wait to hear the new band perform. The laughter of that evening extended into the early morning hours until we had to make it a memory too.

On opening night the members of the second Harmony Band gathered in the back of the auditorium for final fittings and to practice a little more before curtains. The stage was ready with a large white piano on a platform in the center of the stage with twenty little chairs surrounding it. The school flag and the United States flag stood guard at the sides of the stage.

The concert started promptly at eight o’clock. It started like a faint haunting sound rising in harmony with the entrance of the piano. Then ten flute players stop playing their instruments by resting them in their laps. The hush of the audience was the signal of their approval and enjoyment of the professional performance by children.

Maybe it was the memory of my own childhood performance flooding my mind with images of beautiful flowers in a meadow and other natural surroundings. The music took me out of the present and into an escape very pleasing to my ears. The band performed five songs and was rewarded with the approval of the audience with a thundering sound of applause.