Marie Rackham plays Scott Joplin's Ragtime
Have you noticed your students, your children, or yourself feeling more agitated than usual in these complicated times? Agitation is a serious and unacknowledged obstacle to learning.
There are many good habits and tools that one can employ to increase calmness within oneself and foster a better mental frame for learning. Among them, one of the most accessible and powerful is music, specifically classical music.
In recent years we've seen a number of in-depth studies on the effects of classical music on the capacity of the mind to learn. The benefits of listening to classical music while learning include reduced stress and tension, accelerated learning, greater retention of material learned, higher performance on tests, lower blood pressure, and even increased IQ scores.
Deep in the brain there is a band of white fibers called the corpus callosum. Researchers have discovered that the corpus callosum increases in size when humans are exposed to quiet, classical music. This increase in size increases the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain which, in turn, increases learning efficiency.
Scott Joplin is an American treasure. His melodies lift my spirit and send my heart soaring to that place where peace resides. His syncopated rhythms stir my desire to dance, and dance, and dance! For me he is a body-mind-soul experience. This collection contains all 38 of Joplin's rags.
Enjoy Ragtime!
Who This Music is For
Joplin & Me has been carefully assembled and arranged so that even students without any background in classical music can enjoy and benefit from the music.
Families learning at home, independent learners who wish to increase their memory and powers of concentration, and teachers interested in helping to cultivate calm in the classroom have all benefited from Marie's nuanced and powerful interpretations of these memorable pieces of classical piano music.
A Word from Thomas
Complete Playlist
Track | Composer | Piece | Length |
1 | Joplin | Maple Leaf Rag (1899) | 2:56 |
2 | Joplin | Original Rags (1899) | 3:47 |
3 | Joplin | Peacherine Rag (1901) | 3:00 |
4 | Joplin | The Easy Winners (1901) | 3:05 |
5 | Joplin | A Breeze from Alabama (1902) | 3:37 |
6 | Joplin | Elite Syncopations (1902) | 2:59 |
7 | Joplin | The Entertainer (1902) | 3:29 |
8 | Joplin | The Strenuous Life (1902) | 3:16 |
9 | Joplin | Palm Leaf Rag (1903) | 2:55 |
10 | Joplin | Weeping Willow Rag (1903) | 3:00 |
11 | Joplin | The Cascades (1904) | 2:39 |
12 | Joplin | The Favorite Rag (1904) | 2:59 |
13 | Joplin | The Sycamore Rag (1904) | 2:40 |
14 | Joplin | Eugenia (1905) | 4:07 |
15 | Joplin | Leola (1905) | 3:09 |
16 | Joplin | The Rag-Time Dance (1906) | 3:11 |
17 | Joplin | Gladiolus (1907) | 3:10 |
18 | Joplin | Rose Leaf Rag (1907) | 3:10 |
19 | Joplin | Search-Light Rag (1907) | 3:10 |
20 | Joplin | The Nonpareil (1907) | 2:50 |
21 | Joplin | Fig Leaf Rag (1908) | 2:59 |
22 | Joplin | Pineapple Rag (1908) | 2:59 |
23 | Joplin | Sugar Cane Rag (1908) | 2:55 |
24 | Joplin | Country Club (1909) | 3:10 |
25 | Joplin | Euphonic Sounds (1909) | 2:59 |
26 | Joplin | Paragon Rag (1909) | 3:10 |
27 | Joplin | Wall Street Rag (1909) | 3:01 |
28 | Joplin | Stoptime Rag (1910) | 3:04 |
29 | Joplin | Scott Joplin's New Rag (1912) | 3:07 |
30 | Joplin | Magnetic Rag (1904) | 4:04 |
31 | Joplin | Silver Swan Rag (1914) | 2:46 |
32 | Joplin | Reflection Rag (1917) | 3:25 |
33 | Joplin with Arthur Marshall | Swipesy (1900) | 3:11 |
34 | Joplin with Scott Hayden | Sunflower Slow Drag (1901) | 3:16 |
35 | Joplin with Scott Hayden | Something Doing (1903) | 3:07 |
36 | Joplin with Louis Chauvin | Heliotrope Bouquet (1907) | 3:01 |
37 | Joplin with Scott Hayden | Felicity Rag (1911) | 2:55 |
38 | Joplin with Scott Hayden | Kismet Rag (1913) | 3:09 |
Purchase
In order to support students and families in these unusual times we're working to keep our rates as affordable as possible.
Joplin & Me: $16 $10 USD
Immediate access to all 38 downloadable mp3 files for an individual or a family.