Classical Music 101, Theater and Social Media, Concussions in Youth Sports

Amy Carr joins us to talk about children’s literacy. She has worked as a classroom teacher and school administrator. She has also worked as a storyteller and early literacy specialist at Provo Library, American Fork Library, and is currently working as a storyteller at Orem Library, where she does weekly storytelling programs for babies and their caregivers (0-12 months), toddlers and their caregivers (18 months-3 years old), and preschoolers and their caregivers (3-5 years).

Be More Chill is a “sci-fi musical” opening on Broadway in 2019 about a teenager who tries to fit in at school by taking a computerized pill that will make him cool. The show originally had short run in New Jersey in 2015, and that would have been the end of it, were it not for a small group of high school- and college-aged fans rallying behind it. These dedicated fans blasted the cast recordings over social media until the show gained hundreds of thousands of fans, resulting in its comeback and Broadway opening.

Last year, more than 800,000 children sought treatment for traumatic brain injuries, and until recently, doctors have had no general guidelines on how to treat children who suffer from concussions in youth sports. This September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines hoping to provide doctors with “the tools they need to ensure the best outcomes for their young patients.” Dr. Anthony Alessi is a sports neurologist at the University of Connecticut. He also consults with athletic organizations such as the NFL Players Association and the New York Yankees Player Development organization. You can find his original article here.

New research shows that our brains have to work a whole lot harder to avoid being a couch potato. This means that relaxation feels instinctual. Today we get to talk with Dr. Matthieu Boisgontier, who worked on this study, both about the results and what they could mean for us. Matthieu Boisgontier is a kinesiologist, a physiotherapist, and neuroscientist. He teaches and researches at the University of British Colombia and also works with KU Leuven in Belgium. You can read his experimental article here and find him on Twitter at @Mattboisgontier.