The revenge of the Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling... I have loved this Hans Christian Andersen's tale since my tender childhood. Best memories are made of this.
Nowadays, as an adult confronted with the vicissitudes of life, I often have opportunities to compare actual behaviours with what I remember of what they were when I was a child.
Unfortunately, as a harmonica player, I had the bad surprise to discover, many times, that my dear instrument was considered as the Ugly Duckling among the music instruments family. What a pity ! Poor little duck !
By chance, our mouth organ universe is generous with its abiblity to innovate, for instance its entrance in medical therapy.
"Interest in the science of harmonica playing is a recent phenomenon. Besides the fun and joyful aspects of playing harmonica, there is the added value of providing an harmonica player with therapeutic and preventive health benefits" has written Dr. Sung Hee Yun, Chairman of the SPAH Harmonica Health Commitee.
You will find more information concerning this subject in this website. You will discover that the intense vibrations created by harmonica reeds get transmitted throughout body and mind and stimulate uplifting of player's inner energy, more : you'll discover that certain psychiatrists and neuropathologists support the notion that playing the harmonica may produce psychosomatic benefits, etc.

Let's pay tribute to the French association "Musique et Santé" (godfathers Jean Jacques Milteau, Steve Waring), which has recently set up several "Initiation Musical Therapy" training periods. You will find all necessary information about these training periods in our calendar (clic "News").
Let's pay tribute to the association "Musique et Santé" and to Doctor Sung Hee Yun for the great job accomplished in the Harmonica Therapy development in USA.

Our Mouth Organ universal calendar is incessantly moving, you will find all information concerning the world events in our "News" column.
I particularly draw your attention to two important Festivals in our billboard next summer :
the 20th "France Harmonica/H2F"Anniversary Festival", which will take place in Domancy (in the French Alps mountains area), from the 11th to the 13th of June and the "8th Asia Harmonica Pacific Festival", event of the year, which will take place in the wonderful city of Singapour.

Burundi is the 123rd country visiting jeanlabre.com. Welcome to all the harmonica players of this country.

Harmonically yours
Jean Labre
Published April 1st 2010