October 2018 is the Eleventh Anniversary of “Madeline’s One Minute Musical Radio Show” and the Twelfth Anniversary of “Madeline’s Monthly Musical Tips Blog/Article”. This month our Radio Show and blog celebrates the life and work of Dr. Margaret Fountain Pinkston, Chemistry/Biochemistry Professor, mentor, musician, wife, mother, and grandmother. Many years ago, I began researching the scientific link between studying and playing a musical instrument and academic and societal success. I asked the “American Amateur Chamber Music Society” to ask its members to write in about their connections between studying a musical instrument and their academic success. Dr. Margaret Fountain Pinkston was kind and generous enough to write and share her musical career and her scientific one with me.
Our article of the month is “Formula for Selling” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM
Included are two articles on how listening to classical musicin the background of a school classroom and in the hallways improves students concentrate and focus on their work. The first article is by Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton our Radio Show’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” winner in 2015.
Radio Show Feature Question for October 2018: How did classical music play a part of Dr. Margaret Fountain Pinkston’s life as a Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry, musician, wife, mother, and grandmother, and what musical instrument did she play?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-radio-show-2018/
Margaret “Peggy” Fountain’s Early Years:
Margaret Louise Fountain was born in Macon, Georgia on January 27, 1919 to Claude Russell Fountain, a physicist and Lucy Emilie Landru Fountain. Margaret, her sister Betty, and their parents moved to Nashville, Tennessee when she was very young. Margaret attended a performance of the famous violinist Fritz Kreisler and was inspired to begin studying the violin at 5 years of age. She was an excellent student in school.
Studying at the Juilliard School in New York City:
At 16, Margaret Fountain went to New York City to study violin at the Juilliard School to become a concert violinist. She earned her Violin Performance Diploma in 1939 at the Juilliard School and continued to study violin with Edouard Dethier, for the next 6 years for postgraduate study, (1936-1945).
Concerts with the USO during WWII:
Margaret Fountain was one of thirteen women chosen from the Juilliard School to travel with the USO to perform for the conquering troops in Germany in May 1945. Margaret was the concert master of the group.
Marriage & Children:
In 1946, Margaret Fountain married James Oliver Pinkston and they moved “to Beirut, Lebanon where he was Dean of the Medical School at the American University of Beirut- she poured her energy and enthusiasm into raising their children. Concerned about growing tensions in the Middle East, they returned to the United States in 1950”. They moved to Brooklyn, New York where their third child was born.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/margaret-pinkston-obituary?pid=153859679
Raising a Family and Playing Concerts on her violin:
Margaret Fountain Pinkston raised her three children, played violin in the Brooklyn Philharmonic, in churches, and other local performances for the next twenty years.
Returning to School to Study Science:
In 1967, “with two of her children in college and one in high school”, she pursued another degree securing “free tuition.” She studied Chemistry at Brooklyn College graduating in 1971 with a BA in Chemistry,Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1976 at the age of 57.
Dr. Margaret F. Pinkston (pages 8-9): https://issuu.com/mbccompa/docs/mbc_magazine_winter_2012
Teaching Chemistry & Biochemistry:
Dr. Margaret F. Pinkston moved to Staunton, Virginia in 1976 to teach Chemistry/Biochemistry at Mary Baldwin College until her retirement in 1989 with the title of Professor Emerita of Biochemistry.
Advancing Scientific Study: Dr. Pinkston received grants from the National Science Foundation for electrophoresis and chromatography equipment and she published “several scientific articles and a book about protein interactions.” At Mary Baldwin College, Dr. Margaret Pinkston was the first to experiment with tissue culture. At Mary Baldwin University they have awarded the “Peggy Pinkston Bio Chemistry Research Award” since 2013 in her honor .
Dr. Margaret F. Pinkston (pages 8-9): https://issuu.com/mbccompa/docs/mbc_magazine_winter_2012
After Retiring: Performing on her violin & founding member of Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra: She continued to perform with the symphony orchestras in Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Rockbridge County. “She was one of the founding members of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra and served as its first concertmaster.”
http://www.henryfuneralhome.net/memsol.cgi?user_id=480641
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/margaret-pinkston-obituary?pid=153859679
What Colleagues and Students at Mary Baldwin College said about Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Fountain Pinkston, “Remembering A Rare Gentle Lady”:
At Mary Baldwin College her younger colleagues said “she was as energetic and innovative as her younger colleagues in the science department. Her contributions in the lab and gentle demeanor left an enduring impression.”
Associate Professor of Biology Lundy Pentz said, “When I came here in 1980 as a brand-new faculty member, it was Peggy who really took me under her wing. She really kind of adopted everybody. She came across as just the most gracious, warm individual.”
‘Sweet,’ ‘kind,’ ‘gracious,’ ‘talented,’ a rare, gentle lady, with all the old associations of ‘gentle,’” wrote Frank Southerington, professor emeritus of English.
“Peggy was a ‘lady’ in every sense of the word. She was gracious, real, and appreciated the art of science. She found her God in the bio-molecules of music and chemistry and expressed her faith in her interest in and love for her students. The world has lost a marvelous mentor, and Heaven has added another violinist in its angelic symphony …” wrote Lucy Jones Clyde.
“Dr. Pinkston opened my mind to the range of possibilities that a woman could pursue. Here she was a Ph.D. in biochemistry and an accomplished violinist as well. She was a powerful role model to young women just breaking into science in the late 1970s,” wrote Joi Phelps Walker.
Dr. Margaret F. Pinkston (pages 8-9):https://issuu.com/mbccompa/docs/mbc_magazine_winter_2012
https://go.marybaldwin.edu/news/2011/09/28/remembering-a-rare-gentle-lady/
Dr. Margaret Fountain Pinkston was an American Chemistry/ Biochemistry Professor, Mentor, wife, Mother, Grandmother, and lifelong musician. She died on September 24, 2011 in Staunton, Virginia at the age of 92. Dr. Margaret Fountain Pinkston as a Professor trained generations of students to understand and enjoy learning Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Teachers have used classical music in the background of their classrooms and in the hallways with great success:
Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton won our prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award for April 2015”. She is an Internationally known expert in teaching “high moral values”, “character” to students in public and private schools. Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton has been a master teacher for 50 years. She is a former principal in public and private schools for 6 years in grades k-12, and an expert in teaching “Character” to students in public and private schools in grades k-12 for over 25 years. During the past 17 years, she has written and published more than 20 books on “Character Building” as well as hundreds of articles. Thousands of public and private schools around the world are using these materials to make amazing, positive changes in their students. She has also been a missionary, and bestselling author for “Date With Responsibility” and “Remember Pearl Harbor”.
Can playing Classical Music in School Hallways Make A Difference? Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton sent the following story to us:
“On my first day at work in a North Carolina middle school, I was appalled at the noise level in the hallways. Students yelled, banged locker doors, chased one another, bullied, and sneered at any teacher who tried to quiet them. The noise level flowed freely into classrooms when the bell rang, and rowdiness suffused many classes. Students poked at one another until a physical fight broke out between two or more, at which the rest of the class would jump to their feet chanting, “Fight, fight, fight.” Teachers tried in vain to gain attention long enough to teach. The place was, to put it bluntly, chaotic.”
“After a few days, I asked the principal for a private conference. At the conference, I suggested that we use the school’s public-address system to pipe classical music throughout the halls at the beginning of the school day, during breaks, and at the end of the day. The music would, I explained, calm the students and produce an atmosphere more conducive to study. It would prepare their brains for academic pursuits. I suggested a few composers and offered to select appropriate recordings. The principal agreed, and the plan was instituted the following Monday morning.”
“At first, most students looked toward the speakers and scoffed. The scoffing subsided gradually, though, and the halls became quieter as the week progressed. By the next week, fighting had greatly abated. Classrooms were more orderly. Teachers were getting more done. Students who had previously spent hours in detention told the principal the music was “cool” and began to get better grades. An 11-year old boy who had been cited for gun possession in school came to thank me for the music. “No one ever loved us the way you do,” he said.”
“The principal, the campus police officer, and other school personnel acknowledged that classical music has incomparable power. The principal continued to use classical music throughout that year, changing the recordings regularly. At year’s end, he presented a citation for the idea, saying that it had revolutionized his school.”
“Adding Character-Building lessons to the curriculum increases such positive behavioral changes greatly. Surround students with character traits just as you surround them with classical music, add “character teaching moments” into your day, and you can revolutionize individual lives, your school, and your community.”
To hear Elizabeth Hamilton’s December 2009 Radio Show interview:
Elizabeth Hamilton what would your ideal model of a school and classroom look like including Classical music in the background, the pledge of allegiance, prayer and how long would the school day be, and what are the best schools you have worked in and why?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/1209_musicminute.mp3
To read Elizabeth Hamilton’s article/blog for Dec. 2009:
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/madelines-monthly-article-musical-tips-december-2009/
For Elizabeth Hamilton’s Character blog, books, posters, and materials:
http://character-in-action.com
“Using Music in the Classroom” (2001) by Dorothy Lockhart Lawrence, editor of PPOV from the Advanced Brain Technologies, Ogden, Utah. “Welsh science teacher Anne Savan couldn’t believe the difference it made in her chemistry lab. When the government insisted that all children complete the standard National Curriculum, Savan became concerned. For some reason her new group of pupils in the mid 1990’s was the most challenging ever. Her class of boys had special educational needs plus emotional and behavioral difficulties. One of her students had such poor coordination he made 19 attempts at a lab experiment requiring the student to put a peanut on a spoon, then heat it in the flame of a Bunsen burner. He never achieved it and his behavior resulting from his frustration was uncontrollable.”
Chance observation of a television program gave Savan the idea that music of a certain frequency might help students with poor coordination. She began to play classical music, .. orchestral Mozart as she tried Mozart’s piano concertos but that was not effective “during daily science lessons over a period of five months. The response to the music was dramatic as the pupils became calm and cooperative within minutes of entering the room.”
Savan says, “No one spoke, quarreled, asked to borrow anything, wanted to go to the toilet for the whole lesson. I have not had such a relaxed lesson .. ever.” The next five months of classes with Mozart Symphonies “produced the same results, calm, cooperative students who were able to complete each lesson.” … “Savan believes the music may have relaxed her pupils enough to improve their physical coordination and lower their frustration levels enough to allow them to perform manual tasks effectively and efficiently.”
Classical music played in the background of their classroomhelps students learn to relax, allowing them to concentrate, and do a better job on their work. The new school year is also a wonderful opportunity to start learning a musical instrument to learn discipline, cooperation, teamwork, motivation, concentration and self-esteem. Studying a musical instrument develops millions of new connections, synapses, between nerve cells in the brain. Many of the world’s scientists, doctors, teachers, authors and mathematicians are also musicians.
Dr. Madeline Frank’s Musical One Minute Radio Show for August 2013
Can playing Classical Music in the background of your classroom help your students to concentrate and do better work in your classroom?
https://madelinefrankviola.com/madelines-one-minute-radio-show/
Formula for Selling by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM
What can you do to improve your sales immediately? What three traits do the greatest sales professionals embody?
“Every person in every profession is a salesperson. Approach sales as an ongoing learning experience. We are continually learning the little things that make our careers as sales professionals.”– Zig Ziglar
We have all encountered great salespeople over the years, but what leaves a lasting impression on us is the buying experience not the salesperson. Even though many sales professionals eagerly extol how great they are; sales professionals who last in their industry have these three traits.
1) They invest their time in a Mastermind group.
A Mastermind Alliance (a term made popular by Napoleon Hill in his book, “Think and Grow Rich“) is a group of people (usually 5-8 people) who help each other grow their businesses, achieve things personally, and hold each other accountable to their goals. They are top sales experts in their fields.
Dave “The Shef” Sheffield, motivational speaker and veteran of the sales industry says, “The Mastermind shouldn’t be comprised of people who are in the same industry, because it limits the diversity of ideas. There is a synergistic energy that blossoms when great minds focus on a common goal.”
Don’t wait until you are “successful” to join a Mastermind.
Morris E. Goodman was a young man lacking focus and direction who had dropped out of college. He was in the middle of a 13-week probationary period when he came across Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Ritch”.
He went from being an aimless young man to aiming high, taking action on his goals and surrounding himself with great people. In 1981, he sold nearly $15 million in insurance policies in one year ($29.83 million in 2018 dollars) and was a member of the “Millionaire Round Table”.
Goodman said, “One of his mastermind members was Ben Feldman, a legend in the life insurance business who had $50 million in yearly sales.” Feldman philosophy was “The thicker the proposal, the stupider the salesman.”
Goodman said, “That one sentence was worth millions of dollars to me. I streamlined everything. I’d come in with one idea, and three or six months later I’d come back with another. Selling, I learned, is about building relationships, and that takes time.”
2.) Create an amazing experience
Have you ever visited an Apple Store? It is an amazing exercise of what a buying experience should be.
My husband and I purchased a new iMac Computer online and had it delivered to our local Apple Store.
When we arrived at the store to pick up our new purchase, we were greeted by our sales associate who knew us by name. (Actually, Apple devices send a signal to the employees with a customer’s name when they are approaching the store.)
Everything from the greeting we received, to the pristine artwork on the box, to the fact that our associate delivered the computer to our car was designed to impress. When your buying experience is impressive enough, you build tremendous loyalty.
In your business, follow Apple’s lead and hire associates who have a positive attitude, are enthusiastic, eager to help your customers, and love your products.
3). Invest in your relationships and communicate with your “ears”, not just your mouth.
John Maxwell has a great “short course in human relations”: in his book, Relationships 101.
“The least important word: I;
The most important word: We;
The two most important words: Thank you.
The three most important words: All is forgiven.
The four most important words: What is your opinion?
The five most important words: You did a good job.
The six most important words: I want to understand you better.”
Maxwell says, “If you treat every person you meet as if he or she were the most important person in the world, you’ll communicate that he or she is somebody-to you.”
If you find yourself in a sales slump, heed the advice of the legendary Zig Ziglar and “Return to the fundamentals with a proper attitude”.
By embracing these three traits of excellent sales professionals you will immediately improve your selling skills.
Which of the 3 selling traits will you embrace first? © 2018 Madeline Frank
If you need a speaker contact Madeline at: [email protected]
https://ezinearticles.com/?Formula-for-Selling&id=9960155
“The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. is available in book form, and newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook:
com(Kindle)
Barnes and Noble(Nook)
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/the-secret-of-teaching-science-and-math-through-music/
“Musical Notes On Math” by Dr. Madeline Frank teaches your child fractions and decimals, the fun way, through the rhythm of music, Winner of the Parent To Parent Adding Wisdom Award is available in book form, newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook.
com(Kindle)
Barnes and Noble(Nook)
Tips on how to use “Musical Notes On Math”
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/musical-notes-on-math/
Madeline’s Midnight Melodies- Music From around the World”. This CD complements her books with a blend of dance music, gigues, tangos, ballet and favorites including “Danny Boy”, Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro”, Debussy’s “Claire De Lune” and others. “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” is music to relax by and to move by for music therapy. “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” CD is now available for purchase by downloading a song, downloading the album, or by CD by clicking below:
Download Your Copy Today!
Dr. Madeline Frank’s book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget” is available through amazon. To order your copy of “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” as an e-book on Kindle click on the following link:
Wishing you and your family a happy October from Your Non-Invasive Medicine Music Expert, Madeline
For over 30 years, Dr. Madeline Frank has helped children and adults overcome problems through Classical music. Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM is an award-winning teacher, author, researcher, speaker, conductor, and concert artist. She has found a scientific link between studying and/or listening to musical instruments and academic and societal success. Madeline Frank earned her Bachelor and Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music. Her education has included scholarships at the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the University of Cincinnati and she has a violin performance diploma from the North Carolina School of the Arts. (C) 2018 Madeline Frank.