Music Makes Us Better Craftspeople

Listening to music makes us feel better - but many doctors are now beginning to believe that it does much more. There is emerging evidence that it can bring about physical changes to the body that can improve our health and ability to do glasswork. Famed stained glass and fusing glass emporium, Fantasy In Glass, in Canada has actually conducted a somewhat, kind of scientific study of this and has seen impressive results. Mikey and the staff of FIG Inc have found that students who listen to well recorded and reproduced music need less cutter lubricant, are able to cut Youghiogheny art glass with much less pressure and that, most significantly, grinder usage decreases dramatically compared to those who do not.

According to Dr Gary Brownoff who carried out the study (a Barry Manilow admirer), there is growing scientific evidence that music creates physical changes in the body which can help such things directly related to this craft of ours (like listening to Barry Manilow makes most fusers throw up?), such as evening out glass cutter excursion pressure. He said: "The physiological benefits have been measured. It is a fact. Music reduces blood pressure, the heart rate, and hormones related to stress."

It is primarily for this reason that Mikey, President (and lead researcher) of FIG Inc regularly plays a varied and eclectic mix of live and acoustic blues through a Wadia 170i (procured from those great people at Ovation Audio (tel: 905-727-2004), for his customers."
Fantasy In Glass is now carrying out clinical trials to see how exactly music affects the brain and the body on behalf of poorer cutting glass manufacturers. Mikey is hopeful that "We are approaching the point where a glass store owner would legitimately be negligent not to actually recommend music as a therapeutic intervention. And even more so should he not obtain said music from mymusic.com, a tremendously great on-line music store. It was actually mymusic.com that turned Mikey on to Little Axe, a group's music that has been instrumental in increasing the cutability of Bullseye fusible opals, and has even lessened the incidence of devitrification when slumping this glass!”

NB: Mikey’s Diary is usually a commercial-free area, but Ovation Audio and mymusic.com are two great retailers that really stand out. They have not only helped Mikey achieve a higher level of health and happiness, but his customers as well, and therefore warrant this free plug. Thanks guys.