Edward “Eddie” Druzinsky, Engineer, teacher & Musician: Madeline’s Monthly Musical Tips Blog/Article & Radio Show for January 2025
Our blog/article and Radio Show celebrates the life and work of Edward Druzinsky, engineer, teacher, and musician.
Many of the world’s engineers, mathematicians, scientists, teachers, authors, inventors, medical doctors, and researchers have studied and played musical instruments since they were children. These eminent individuals have integrated music into their thinking process. Studying a musical instrument develops millions of new connections, synapses, between nerve cells in the brain.
Included is an article on how classical music helps treat depression.
Our article of the month is “Helping Your Adult Child Navigate Shark Infested Waters!” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
Learning a musical instrument teaches discipline, cooperation, teamwork, motivation, concentration and self-esteem. Begin your day right by listening to Classical music which has the power to improve your mood, make you smarter, help you work faster with more accuracy, improves health and healing, grows healthier plants in fewer days, increases sales in stores, soothes your mind and preventing crime. If classrooms, school cafeterias, and school buses played Classical Music, in the background, the students would be calmer and more focused without violent tendencies. Having trouble getting your child to do their homework? Play classical music in the background while your child is doing their homework! Try a Mozart Symphony in the background while they are studying.
Dr. Madeline Frank’s Musical One Minute Radio Show for January 2025: How did Classical Music play a part of Edward Druzinsky’s life as an engineer, musician, teacher, husband and father and what musical instruments did he play?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-musical-radio-show/
Early Years:
Edward Druzinsky was born on June 16, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri to Nettie and Louis Druzinsky, professional musicians. His mother was a pianist and his father a violinist. He had a sister, Dorothy Druzinsky Fleischer.
Edward began studying violin at four and a half, piano at eight years, and harp at age twelve. He also at a young age began his interest in science and math.
When he was 14, “he played the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp with his childhood friend, Bernard Goldberg,16 with the St. Louis Symphony.” (Edward Druzinsky by Beverly H. Barsy , Summer 1984)
After finishing High School, he went to study at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. with Carlos Salzédo. At Curtis his fellow students were Leonard Bernstein and Lorin Maazel.
University: In 1942, he returned to St. Louis to attend Washington University. In 1944, he was drafted and was “sent to Stanford University to study chemical engineering.” “When the Armed Forces Orchestra needed a harpist, Mr. Druzinsky was shipped across the country and spent the final year of the war at a base in Brooklyn, playing the harp on Armed Forces Radio. “(HarpColumn.com eddie-druzinsky)
After WW11
Mr. Druzinsky “worked in New York where he played in the pit orchestras for many great Broadway shows, including “Brigadoon” and “South Pacific,” and any other gigs he could get. He played several of the Charlie Parker and Strings concerts and he can be heard on some of Frank Sinatra’s Columbia recordings from the time. In the summer of 1950 Mr. Druzinsky toured the US as the 2nd harpist in the NBC Symphony under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. Later that year he became the principal harpist in the Pittsburgh Symphony, and then moved to the Detroit Symphony under the direction of Paul Paray.”
Married:
Edward Druzinsky “met and married Dorothy Siegel, a prominent children’s photographer in Detroit, Michigan.” They had three children.
Accolades & Awards:
-“Druzinsky was that special sort of musician, technically proficient and musically sensitive.
He “was known as known as a dedicated musician and superb colleague”
– The late Chicago Symphony Orchestra, CSO, music director Georg Solti called him “without question, the finest harpist of his time.” When Igor Stravinsky came to Chicago in 1964 to conduct and record his ballet “Orpheus,” he told Druzinsky he was the very first harpist to play the crucial harp part in that score the way he heard it in his head as he was composing it.”
-Donald Peck, former CSO principal flute said, “The thing I liked about his playing was that Eddie didn’t bang everything out. . He coaxed the sound from the harp – a big, rich, lyrical sound that blended beautifully with other instruments. Beyond that, he was an easy, generous colleague who really loved music.”
– “Mr. Druzinsky was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Solo Classical Performance for his 1969 performance of Ravel’s “Introduction and Allegro” with the CSO under Jean Martinon.” (HarpColumn.com eddie-druzinsky-passed-away/)
– Edward Druzinsky was described as “warm, caring, with a good sense of humor. Good listener and generous with his talent, willing to perform on his harp to benefit charities and causes in which he and his friends believed.” (Edward Druzinsky by Beverly H. Barsy , Summer 1984)
Teaching:
Edward Druzinsky taught at North Western University and Roosevelt University. His students said he was an “astute teacher.” Liz Cifani, former student said, “He was a man of few words, so he made you pay attention when he told you something. I got around that by having him play for me at lessons, when I would turn my hawk eyes on him and watch him like crazy. When I got my job at the Lyric, he said, ‘Just do your job, keep your nose clean and stay out of internal politics.’ “It was good advice Mr. Druzinsky practiced as well as preached; his longevity at the CSO attests to that.”
Special interests: Edward Druzinsky was always pulling out and reading the current American Smithsonian between rehearsals and concerts. Also he read E.T. Bell’s ,“Men of Mathematics”.
Edward Druzinsky was an engineer, harpist, teacher, husband, father, grandfather and a lifelong musician. He died on January 8, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois at 86.
He was the longest tenured Principal Harpist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 1957-1997.
He was also the Principal Harpist of the Detroit Symphony 1952-1957 and the Pittsburg Symphony. He had a lifelong interest in mathematics and science.
Helping Your Adult Child Navigate Shark Infested Waters! by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
Recently while traveling by airplane, I saw a fascinating documentary adventure from 2022 called Kekoa. It was 29 minutes and it was about two brothers growing up in rural Vermont building tree houses and other things.
When Jamison Witbeck graduated with his undergraduate degree in psychology, he did not want to continue to grad school.
His Mom said, “You have your degree and you are free of debt. Why don’t you do what you want to for a little bit.”.
Jamison said, “I want to build a wooden boat.”
In the mid-1990s, Jamison moved to Charleston “to learn how to build wooden boats under the tutelage of local master builder Mark Bayne. Ryan, who was majoring in adventure education at Prescott College in Arizona, joined him. Together, they had a defining experience that changed their lives.”
They worked for minimum wage and learned the craft. The two brothers who had not been close in years, found that their connection and bond grew over time while pursuing a common goal of building the boat. They worked together to build their own catamaran, and rescued it several times from hurricanes and storms.
Once built, they began a successful charter business.
They built the boat the Allura in 1999 and “later built a sailing business.”
The power of mending: This is a story that communicates how working shoulder to shoulder with someone can help them mend fences.
Socratic Method and Deductive Reasoning Lessons & Negotiating
When our oldest child was in elementary school, he was bullied and bruised.
(The elementary school teacher and principal did not care.) After there was no resolution to the bullying, my husband and I decided to purchase a home in a different city where several of my violin students happily attended the local public schools which were known for good academic programs.
My husband and I found a lovely old house on the water being offered for sale by owner. We made an appointment to see the home.
Even though I had built several new homes, rehabbed many old homes, and buildings, I asked for help from the best expert I knew. I called my Mom, a lawyer who specialized in real estate and family law. She asked me a series of questions which I wrote down so I could find out the information and let me arrive at the answers on my own. By doing this, it not only helped us purchase this home, but we’ve used this formula with many other transactions and have taught it to our children.
Momma’s questions:
1) What is the payoff for the home and how many mortgages do they have? At the time, we had to visit the courthouse to gather this information. Fortunately, this information is readily available with a few clicks of a mouse if you know where to look.
2) Make another appointment to visit the house, and create a list of repairs needed. How much will it cost to have the work done by a reputable contractor bonded, licensed, and insured?
I found out they had two loans on the house and how much they owed on the two loans. After visiting the house, a second time I wrote down the list of repairs the house would immediately need. The house needed a new roof, new electrical panel and wiring. Four columns in front of the house were rotted and held up by a prayer. The bulkhead and pier at the inlet at the river behind their house needed replacing.
Momma then asked:
3) How much do they want for the house?
Momma said, “Deduct from the amount the seller wants for their house, the repairs you will have to make on the house if you were to buy it. The amount you have left is what you should offer them for their house.
We offered that amount and the sellers countered back, asking for another $10,000.
4) Momma said, “offer them half that amount.” We offered them $5,000. They accepted our offer. We arranged for a mortgage at the bank for 15 years with a locked in fixed rate mortgage at 7 1/2 %.
My Mom used the Socratic Method of asking questions to help us clearly define and solve our problem. What did we learn from Mom’s questions? (Socratic Method., Deductive Reasoning.)
We learned a logical progression, step by step analysis. We were guided by her questions to work out the problem logically, step by step, through her questions to seek the right information to make a good decision.
Asking the right questions will help you make the right decision developing a formula to tackle nearly any problem.
You can use the Socratic Method and Deductive Reasoning with your adult children the same way.
How to help your adult child to think and solve their own problems.
1) Listen carefully to what your adult child says without interrupting or judging them. It is easy to jump into “lecture mode” and tell them what they need to do…fight that urge at all costs!
2) When they finish speaking, communicate a summary of what you think their challenges are so that you can best guide them to positive options.
3) Ask questions, the Socratic Method or use Deductive Reasoning.
Merriam-Webster definition of the Socratic Method: “the method of inquiry and instruction employed by Socrates…consisting of a series of questioning the object of which is to elicit a clear and consistent expression of something supposed to be implicitly known by all rational beings.”
In plain English: ask pointed questions and ask them what they feel they should do.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, asked his students questions. “He believed that students already have deep knowledge within themselves, and that intensive questioning can reveal it. It’s used to foster critical thinking by encouraging students to question their own unexamined beliefs.”
4) By empowering your adult child to find a solution and hold them accountable, they are given the gift of taking pride in what they helped to create.
Helping them to think clearly to focus on solving their own problems using deductive reasoning, fostering critical thinking. The Socratic Method.
5) Respect their boundaries. If they come up with solutions that you wouldn’t have come up with, it does not mean that they are wrong…most decision making muscle is built by getting creative and learning the natural consequences of wrong decisions.
6) Be patient and use supportive language. Encourage them to solve their own problems, offering your help when needed. Open communication is vital.
It is about helping your adult child navigate shark infested waters using the Socratic Method, deductive reasoning to foster critical thinking. © 2025, 2024 Madeline Frank
If you need a speaker or video speaker contact Madeline at: [email protected]
“Netizens Rejoice As Scientists Learn Classical Music May Help Battle Treatment-Resistant Depression” (Nov. 19, 2024) by Dominykas Zukas , staff
“It’s no secret that music can be really uplifting . We have probably all experienced situations where the right kind of song at the right time seemingly boosts our moods much above the baseline we were just at moments ago. But did you know that there’s actually quite a bit more potential where that comes from?”
“One study recently discovered that classical music may be not only nice to listen to but also gains the potential to synchronize our brains. This means that when applied correctly, it could become a powerful tool in treating depression even when it appears to be treatment-resistant. Scroll down to learn all about it!”
https://www.boredpanda.com/classical-music-cure-depression/
Dr. Madeline Frank’s book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget: Timeless Principles for Everyday Use, helps businesses stay afloat in times of trouble. She calls her innovative observations, Tuning Up Your Business. For over 25 years she has helped countless people create their great image brand, and communication style that makes them irresistible. Click on the following Amazon.com link to order your copy of “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget”
http://goo.gl/lrJTx
“The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” shares scientific evidence, medical evidence, test results, and true stories of the world’s scientists, medical doctors, and mathematicians who have studied and played musical instruments since they were children by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. Click below:
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“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” CD is now available for purchase by downloading a song, downloading the album click below:
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“Musical Notes On Math” by Dr. Madeline Frank teaches your child fractions and decimals, the fun easy 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.:
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Wishing you and your family a happy New Year 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 discovered a scientific link between studying a musical instrument 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) 2025 Madeline Frank