Rethinking How We Learn Musical Instruments: Piano teachers everywhere preach the benefits of playing scales to practice and improve skills. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found, however, that the most effective way to learn a new motor skill, such as playing the piano, lies not in monotonous repetition. Lead researcher Pablo Celnik and his team have found that practicing a “slightly modified version of a task you want to master” results in faster learning than practicing “the exact same thing multiple times in a row.” The researchers believe their results are ultimately explained by a process called reconsolidation, in which existing memories are recalled and modified. While the results may mean cut-down practice times for piano students everywhere, they may also hold promising implications for rehabilitation and physical therapy. If these scientists are correct, those sticking to running scales may want to change up their routines!

The Half-Time Show Orchestra Players: Most high school students are nervous about performing in their school auditorium. The young musicians of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) played this past Sunday for an audience of 111.8 million when they accompanied headlining artist Coldplay at the Super Bowl 50 Half Time Show. YOLA is part of an outreach network in some of the poorer neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The orchestra’s conductor, Gustavo Dudamel (who inspired a character on Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle”), is himself a product of the Venezuelan program El Sistema, similarly focused on bringing music to underprivileged children. YOLA’s performance with Coldplay marked a glorious intersection between the classical music world and the most-watched cultural event in the United States–what a wonderful way for two worlds to collide and to provide these young musicians with the experience of a lifetime!

A Ballerina Breaking through Boundaries: 14-year-old Stephanie Kurlow is pursuing her dream of becoming a ballerina despite the apparel restrictions her Islamic faith places on her. The impressive young dancer is using crowdfunding using LaunchGood to become the first Muslim hijabi ballerina in the world. Kurlow wants far more than a crowdsourced dance education–hoping that one day she may use her own skills to open a diverse performing arts academy that “will have special programs for specific religions, support groups for youth and people who are from disconnected communities.” Despite a wealth of negative feedback from people online, Kurlow stays dedicated to her dreams, reportedly drawing inspiration from African-American ballerinas Michaela De Prince and Misty Copeland as well as hijabi women in the news. See breathtaking photos and hear more of Kurlow’s inspiring story here.

A New Director for Paris Opera Ballet: In the wake of the resignation of Benjamin Millepied after only a year as director, the Paris Opera Ballet has appointed Aurelie Dupont to replace him. Dupont herself was a star ballerina who retired just last year after nearly 32 years with the company and its associated school. Her appointment leaves the company in the hands of an “insider” who knows the company’s system and environment. While Millipied was open about his vision for the company during his short tenure, Dupont has yet to publicly release her specific plans for the company and her vision for the years to come. Directing the world’s oldest ballet company is certainly a weighty task, and the next few years will certainly be exciting ones for ballet in Paris!