Our September blog and Radio Show features teachers in the public schools of Virginia, Colorado, and Wales sharing how playing Classical music in the background of their classrooms helped their students concentrate, relax, and do a better job on their schoolwork. Also included are articles on high school students improving academic and language skills through taking a music class, stopping Epileptic seizures with the right music, and music therapy heals brain-injured patients. Our article of the month is “Failure is a Stepping to Success” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM.
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, authors and mathematicians are also musicians.
Teachers on your “First Day of School” remember to have your “First Day of School Script” ready. For your sample “First Day of School Script” from Harry and Rosemary Wong for elementary, middle school and high school click on Madeline’s Blog for August 2015 below and go to the middle of the page where it says “Here are a few of the Wong’s articles” and find your “First Day of School Script”.:
Teachers in Virginia, Colorado, and Wales: What can listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background of your classroom do for your students?
Mrs. I teaches kindergarten, first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in the public schools of Virginia. “Her students have been listening to classical music in the background of her classroom for eight years. She says her “students perform better on class work, on tests, and quizzes listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background.”
Mrs. I says, “As soon as the classical music is turned on, my students have a noticeable change in behavior. They calm down and talk less. Not only do I play classical music in my regular classroom, but also during summer school classes to sixth-grade math students as they come into my classroom. Some of these students, with behavior and attention problems, calm down quickly as they listen to the music and get started on their morning work. The students even ask for me to turn on the music when I don’t have it on. This past summer, I had an administrator walk in and comment on how they couldn’t believe how quiet and focused the students were and said that they should try playing music at their home school. Every summer, that I have played the music, these students have improved their scores from pre-test to post test by 30-50%, which is an amazing amount for a five-week program, covering an entire year of curriculum. The students in my regular classroom have met their end-of-the-year goals every year, and I have also seen great improvement.”
Mrs. G has “her fifth grade students in the public schools in Virginia listening to classical music, played softly in the background, while her students do creative writing assignments and when they do problem solving in math.” She says, “It created a calm atmosphere conducive to problem solving and creative thinking as well as an appreciation of music that they might not have experienced.”
Mrs. JC had her fourth grade reading class of 22 students, listening to Mozart and other classical music during class for the entire school year. She said, “The children have consistently made 100’s on tests and work. These are just average students not exceptional.”
Dr. Anne Savan, a Welsh 7 th grade science teacher taught challenging students who had behavioral, emotional, and special educational difficulties.
She said, “I came into the classroom and put the tape on before the pupils came in. As usual, I heard them roaring down the corridor. But instead of charging in, they stopped at the door and walked in. I told them quietly what they needed to do. They were silent and went and did it.”
Dr. Savan’s lesson Notes with Mozart Symphonies in the background of her classroom: “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 (with 7D) ever. When the head teacher popped in to see how things were going, he was amazed.”
Continuing Results of Mozart Symphonies in the background of Dr. Savan’s Classroom: The next five months Dr. Savan continued playing Mozart Symphonies in the background of her classroom and her students were cooperative, calm, and relaxed with improved coordination able to complete the work she set before them.
Mrs. S says, “For 10 years I have had my 5th grade, 7th grade, & 8th grade math students listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background of my Virginia public school classroom. They perform better on tests and quizzes while listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background.”
Mrs. C’s says, “I have taught all grades from 7th grade through high school and taught math from arithmetic and business math through calculus in the Colorado public schools.” She says, “The students asked for music in class. I told them I would play only Mozart. At first they objected but soon decided they liked the music, because it made them feel better and able to focus more on their lessons. Consequently, not only did the grades get better, so did the discipline. Then the students began requesting Mozart.”
Can after school homework be done with classical music in the background for better results?
Mrs. J has four children, ages 23, 20, 16, and 12 who have been listening to Mozart and other classical music while doing their homework after school since March 2005. She says, “They have become more focused and relaxed, finishing homework quicker, with more accuracy which has led to higher grades.” Her oldest has graduated University with honors and is in graduate school, her second oldest is in college, and her other two children are honor students in the public schools.
On your first day of school, your first minute of class, have your Mozart Symphony playing in the background of your classroom, before your students walk in, so your students can concentrate, focus, and calmly work on their classwork just like Mrs. I’s students, Mrs. G’s students, Mrs. JC’s students, Dr. Savan’s students, Mrs. C’s students, Mrs. S’s students, and Mrs. J’s children.
Radio Show feature question for September 2015 is the second part of the series begun on August 2015: Beginning on your “First Day of School, in the first minute of your class, what can listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background of your classroom do for your students?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-radio-show-2015/
“Failure is a Stepping to Success” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM
Can being fired from your job be a stepping-stone for your success? Napoleon Hill said, “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.
In 1978 Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were executives of “Handy Dan” part of Daylin, Inc. Their division, Handy Dan, was making lots of money, while Daylin, Inc. was going bankrupt. They were suddenly fired!
Before they were fired, Marcus and Blank, had been experimenting at Handy Dan’s by lowering the prices on some items. “They observed that when they marked down items, volume increased and costs as a percentage of sales decreased.” From this successful idea they developed their step-by-step plan of action. They decided on Atlanta as their store location. Then they located two large empty stores and put on the shelves 18,000 products from plumbing, hardware, electrical, paint, and lumber.
They charged close to 1/3 less for each item. Marcus and Blank selected and trained their employees to “deliver the best customer service”. They chose knowledgeable salespeople who knew about their products and were able to answer customer’s questions, and direct them to the best equipment for their needs. Their employees were able to tell customers how to do the work.
Their stores had everything that a homeowner or contractor needed ,under one roof, for the lowest price possible.
On the first day that they opened their store, Marcus and Blank gave their children $1 bills to give out to customers as a thank you for coming in. By evening, 5pm or 6pm, their children were in the parking lot giving out a $1 to each person they could convince to come into the store.
Blank said, “It was a crushing disappointment.”
Marcus said, “It looked like curtains for us. My wife wouldn’t let me shave for days. She didn’t want a razor in my hand.”
On the third day, “a satisfied customer returned” bring with her a thank you gift of “a bag of okra for Marcus” for helping her solve her problem.
She gave them hope and then “word of mouth” brought more customers into Marcus and Blank’s store, “The Home Depot” .
Today, The Home Depot has 371,000 employees’ worldwide. They sell hardware, plumbing, lumber, tools, home appliances, electrical supplies, paint, flooring, building materials, and gardening equipment and supplies. In 2014, Home Depot earned $78.812 billion in profit an increase of over $4 billion from 2013.
What are the three lessons you can learn from Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank about stepping-stones into success?
1) Remembering their successes with lowering the prices on certain items and saving by purchasing in volume, Marcus and Blank wrote up their step-by-step plan of action. They located two empty large buildings stores in Atlanta. On the shelves they put 18,000 products from plumbing, hardware, electrical, paint, and lumber. They charged close to 1/3 less for each item.
2) They trained their employees to “deliver the best customer service”. They chose knowledgeable sales people who knew their products and were able to answer customer’s questions, and direct them to the best equipment for their needs.
3) Their stores sold homeowners everything they needed in one store and their expert sales people told them how to repair it. Contractors were able to find everything they needed in one store for the lowest price possible. It was a “Do it yourself” store.
If Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank hadn’t been fired at “Handy Dan’s” they would never have created “The Home Depot” and employed 371,000 people worldwide, giving them good jobs to take care of themselves and their families. Their store was a how to do it store that housed all the products needed under one roof for homeowners and contractors. Their store filled a need!
Napoleon Hill said, “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
So the next time you fail at something, remember the failure of Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank and how they responded to failure by developing a new plan of action to develop their “Do it yourself” store – The Home Depot.
By the way, have you ever heard of “Handy Dan’s” before this article?
Don’t let any failure stand in your way, let it be your stepping-stone to success. © 2015 Madeline Frank
To contact Madeline for your next speaking engagement: [email protected]
“Taking A Music Class In High School Improves Teen Language Skills, May Boost Academic Performance” (July 26, 2015) by Anthony Rivas from the Medical Daily.
“Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University School of Communication, has produced a multitude of studies showing the importance of sounds and hearing when it comes to development. In children, she recently told NPR that reading begins not with our eyes but with the way our ears, and brains, analyze and codify speech sounds — this developmental facet holds true in a person’s teens, too. According to a new study from Kraus, musical training in high school can strengthen a teen’s hearing and language skills, and improve academic performance.”
“Music Fights Off Epileptic Seizures’ (August 10, 2015) by Jenna Lewis. “Professor Charyton explained that 80 percent (80%) of all epileptic seizures take place in the temporal lobe, the same region where the auditory cortex is located and the brain process music. The two are linked, so when doctors played classical piano or jazz to patients with the cerebral seizure disorder, they noticed that the electrical impulses inside their brains would become altered and the patients would start to calm down.”
http://www.apextribune.com/music-fights-off-epileptic-seizures/28012/
“How a NeuroRehab Startup Is Harnessing Music to Heal Brain Injury Patients” (July 7, 2015) by Rebecca Strong. “MedRhythms is already contracting its therapy services to local hospitals.” The power of music is helping to heal patients after brain injuries.
http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/07/08/medrhythms-neurologic-music-therapy-for-stroke-parkinsons/
“The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. is now 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 now 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 now available through amazon.com. Click on the following Amazon.com link to order your copy of “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available as an e-book on Kindle or in book form.
Click on the following link:
Wishing you and your family a safe September, Labor Day Holiday, from Your Non-Invasive Medicine Music Expert, Madeline
For over 25 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 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) 2015 Madeline Frank.