I have written before about Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, a service I have used for over 15 years. Whenever I feel the need for meditative or reflective music, or just something calming, Whisperings is where I head. It was also a great teaching device. I guess that you are wondering how that might be so.

When I was teaching English in Japan, I encountered what most language educators spoke about as a common problem. Japanese students get a lot of grammar, reading, writing and listening training at school, but precious little conversation. I won't go into the reasons for this, but this is a system that likes testing, and speaking doesn't fit easily into a neat marking scheme.

I had a similar problem but mine was borne out of a reluctance on the part of my students to speak when asked to (or to go beyond a few perfunctory words) or to answer questions in the general run of the lesson. My best attempts at humour and positive reinforcement only went so far, but then I discovered Whisperings, quite by accident. I was searching the internet radio in iTunes on the school's old iMac when its started playing all by itself. I decided to leave it on in the background quietly during the lesson. I figured that if there wasn't such a silence to fill, then maybe students would relax and talk.

And they did! There was a perceptible shift in the quantity and quality of conversation. I don't have any control groups to establish the bona fides of this apparent breakthrough, but I know that what took place was real. I'm guessing that any music that is not a distraction would do the trick - orchestral, free of lyrics, quiet - and I'm just a sure that others have tried the same thing with equal success. In any event, I continued the practice up until my departure in 2007 and today, I walked home in the rain, listening to the same station, and thinking about that time.