Wonderful Clip - Granddaughter's Real Deal Show

Excellently done. Not sure which is Omi but top notch talent all around, judging by that clip! Congrats, gramps!
Our wonderful Omi!


Here's a stellar review from one of the TV stations' websites, that said, "And then there is the irresistible little Omi Lichtenstein, a true standout as Brigitta, the wonderfully precocious and clear-sighted grade-school imp of the family."

 
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It's all in the genes.
I would say so.

How your genes might be partially responsible for your musical ability?​

Are you dreading the next karaoke event because of that coworker who can sing like Beyonc? Or are you the first to volunteer for that solo in a musical ensemble? This week, we'll explore how your genes might be partially responsible for your musical ability.

While our musical skills differ considerably due to environmental factors, it is true that most people can distinguish between different tones without being explicitly taught. In addition, our ability to sing on pitch in part involves our brain functions (for instance, how we perceive and process different sounds and how the part of the brain that controls motor skills produces the sounds that we intend to make). In fact, it is estimated that 40% of musical ability is genetically based.

In an interesting study by Park et al. (2012), the UGT8 gene, which has previously been shown to play a key role in the central nervous system, has been linked to musical ability among Mongolian participants.

The UGT8 gene codes for a protein called UDP glycosyltransferase 8, and high levels of this protein is actually associated with Alzheimer's Disease. (Fun fact: Alzheimer's disease patients, even after losing many other neurological functions, have the tendency to retain their musical abilities.)

In Park et al.'s study, half of the top ten gene loci associated with musical ability were located at or around the UGT8 gene, which provides further evidence that this gene plays a role in heritable musical ability. On top of this, their finding is consistent with a previously published study with Finnish participants. Learn more about the Mongolian study here: https://jmg.bmj.com/content/49/12/747

Of course, having said all this, it is important to note that the investigators did not consider many other environmental factors such as the level of formal musical training in their analyses, which are clear modifiers that will contribute to a person's skills. In other words, even if it turns out that your genotype is not in your favor, don't give up if music is your passion!

Furthermore, Park et al. acknowledge several genes other than UGT8 have also been implicated in musical ability previously but were not explored in their particular investigation. Despite these limitations, this study presents strong preliminary evidence for the link between variants of the UGT8 gene and inherent musical talent.
 
I would say so.

How your genes might be partially responsible for your musical ability?​

Are you dreading the next karaoke event because of that coworker who can sing like Beyonc? Or are you the first to volunteer for that solo in a musical ensemble? This week, we'll explore how your genes might be partially responsible for your musical ability.

While our musical skills differ considerably due to environmental factors, it is true that most people can distinguish between different tones without being explicitly taught. In addition, our ability to sing on pitch in part involves our brain functions (for instance, how we perceive and process different sounds and how the part of the brain that controls motor skills produces the sounds that we intend to make). In fact, it is estimated that 40% of musical ability is genetically based.

In an interesting study by Park et al. (2012), the UGT8 gene, which has previously been shown to play a key role in the central nervous system, has been linked to musical ability among Mongolian participants.

The UGT8 gene codes for a protein called UDP glycosyltransferase 8, and high levels of this protein is actually associated with Alzheimer's Disease. (Fun fact: Alzheimer's disease patients, even after losing many other neurological functions, have the tendency to retain their musical abilities.)

In Park et al.'s study, half of the top ten gene loci associated with musical ability were located at or around the UGT8 gene, which provides further evidence that this gene plays a role in heritable musical ability. On top of this, their finding is consistent with a previously published study with Finnish participants. Learn more about the Mongolian study here: https://jmg.bmj.com/content/49/12/747

Of course, having said all this, it is important to note that the investigators did not consider many other environmental factors such as the level of formal musical training in their analyses, which are clear modifiers that will contribute to a person's skills. In other words, even if it turns out that your genotype is not in your favor, don't give up if music is your passion!

Furthermore, Park et al. acknowledge several genes other than UGT8 have also been implicated in musical ability previously but were not explored in their particular investigation. Despite these limitations, this study presents strong preliminary evidence for the link between variants of the UGT8 gene and inherent musical talent.

This is interesting, since it identifies the gene involved. By coincidence, I read a couple of other articles after reading the very same post, and there seems to be some heritable quality mentioned in other studies.

Here's how it's gone with the creativity thing in my family...

My mother was a theater major in college, like my oldest daughter. My middle daughter did theater until college, but went on to other things. My son is musical, about which more later, and of course, there's Omi.

My mother's parents weren't musical, but her grandfather was a Cantor, a religious singer. My father was musical, with some training, but mainly played by ear. His parents weren't musical, but I recently learned that in his mother's family there were was a father, son and grandson who composed religious music.

My brother is a respected artist. One of his works was just installed at the Smithsonian's new Outwin show. I think he’s incredibly talented. Here’s an example, one of his paintings (an oil painting, not a photo):


I've made my living as a composer after legal training and practicing for about 15 years. My oldest daughter also went to law school after her theater major, passed the bar, but never practiced law, and is now a visual artist. I need to find a link to one of her paintings.

In terms of musical heritability, there's my son, who got a degree in music from U of Michigan; his first job was as an assistant producer to Flood, who produced U2 and many others. He toured the world several times with Jared Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars, and also mixed, played on, and produced several gold records. During all this, he formed his own band, and they signed with Warner Brothers. He‘s the vocalist and co-songwriter; good guitar player, too (though he only plays rhythm on this tune from a few years back):


He's also a terrific audio producer, and has produced award-winning podcast series that have won a bunch of awards, working with folks like Rami Malek (who was Freddie Mercury in the Queen movie), and most recently Dave Chappelle; their Midnight Miracle series was named a New York Times Ten Best of 2021 with special reference to the immersive audio; Midnight Miracle and the Dr. Death podcast were named in Apple's Ten Best. He started a company with his bandmate to do this work, and it's so busy with this stuff they haven't had time for much else. This is their website; takes a few seconds to load, but if you scroll down, there's some very cool stuff.


I'm obviously the least talented person in my family!!

And on top of everything else, managed to get in some dad brag. Sort of a multipurpose post... :)
 
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Another great review (actually, all of the reviews have been really good) with a shout-out to the kids in the cast:

"But the night goes to the von Trapp children, featuring Cambell Krausen (Liesl), Brody Tyner (Friedrich), Milla Liss (Louisa), Archer Geye (Kurt), Omi Lichtenstein (Brigitta), Olivia O'Sullivan (Marta), and Reese Bella (Gretl).

I have to admit, I teared up each time I saw them on stage. Their performance of So Long, Farewell made you feel like you were listening to a Broadway broadcast. The camaraderie between the children convinced you they were seven unruly, mischievous children fighting for love and attention, yet like a family. The glow on their faces on stage was magical. These kids performed like superstars!"

 
Beat me to it!

That's amazing! Tell her I said break a leg!

I couldn't agree more, the foundation she is building will have a positive impact for the rest of her life. What a beautiful thing.

BTW your brothers paintings blow my mind! The "hyper realism" is just breathtaking! Just WOOOW!
I will pass along the compliments (and have been doing so with all the terrific comments here!), and also let my brother know your lovely reaction to his work!

Incidentally, the envelopes and papers in the painting represent the secrets people keep.
 
Nice review in the Chicago Tribune - this one's a big deal - that gives the shout out to the kids in the title of the review! "This Special Sound of Music at the Marriott Theater Knows The Secret Is In The Kids."

 
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