New York’s Best flute guitar duo David & Jessie

Jessie and David photo.jpg

  • About Jessie

  • flutist/leader

  • graduate of the Hartt School of Music

  • member of local musicians union 802

  • certified yoga instructor

  • member - West Islip Symphony Orchestra

  • membership pending New York Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic

  • The sound of the flute, for example, is widely associated with love magic. Among the Northeast and Plains Indians of North America, young men played the flute to serenade young women; in New Guinea, flutes and flute music historically have been connected with rites of initiation.

Listening to live or new music also challenges the brain — it has to work to understand a new sound — acting as a workout for the brain. Music improves creativity, memory, alertness, and clarity, and live music has been linked to improved cognitive function in patients with dementia. When looking at subjects’ brain activity in MRI scans, researchers found that music activates more areas of the brain than even language; in fact, in early development, babies start processing music before they can process speech. Studies have shown that listening to music releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which promotes neurogenesis: the growth of new neurons. Essentially, listening to music, recorded or live, keeps your brain young.

People who regularly experience live music boost their creativity and cognitive abilities; reduce stress hormone levels while increasing the production of endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin; experience consistent social connection or “collective effervescence; and even live longer (up to nine years longer, in fact).