Inspiring Your Students Beginning the First Minute of School: Madeline’s Monthly Article & Musical Tips Blog for August 2015
Included in this blog are preparing for your “First Day of School Script” by beginning with Dr. Frank’s, “10 Creative Ways to Inspire Students & Curb Teachers Burn Out!” Also included are articles by Harry and Rosemary Wong, Mrs. I on preparing for your “First Day of School”, and a student survey on what characteristics make a good teacher. Our August Radio Show is Part 1 of a 2 Part Radio Show featuring teachers from Virginia and Colorado sharing how their students have learned to focus and concentration during their classes through playing Mozart Symphonies in the background of their classrooms. Part 2 of our Radio Show will begin airing on September 1, 2015. Our article of the month is “Management Lessons From Maxey Jarman” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM.
We are beginning a new school year, which is a new opportunity to begin using classical music in the classrooms during class, in the hallways, in the lunchroom, and on school buses to and from school. Classical music played in the background helps students learn to relax, allowing them to concentrate and do a better job on their schoolwork. 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.
Radio Show Feature Question for August 2015: Part 1 of a 2 Part Radio Show: 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/
Dr. Frank’s, “10 Creative Ways to Inspire Students & Curb Teachers Burn Out!”
- 1. Effective teachers and administrators agree to have an assignment on the board for students to start on the second they walk into the new classroom. “A well-planned lesson eliminates 90% of discipline problems.” –“Before your first day of school have your “First Day of School Script” ready with the “Procedures” you will use for your class and implement them by rehearsing your class until all the students know your procedures and understand them. *Example: What is your procedure for students having a cell phone in class?
-In your “Procedures” include Mrs. Hamilton’s definition of “Character”. “Character is knowing the right thing to do, doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and taking the consequences for what you do. The first step to develop character from the First Day of School is to teach that definition, and challenge students to build walls of character around themselves in the weeks ahead.” Remember to decide your rule for each of your procedures and teach them to your class on the first day of school. Harry K. Wong and Rosemary Wong’s book “How to be an Effective Teacher the First Days of School” is a must read for all teachers’.
Here are a few of the Wong’s articles:
“Effective teaching”: http://teachers.net/wong/FEB09/ For Elementary School Routines & Procedure Power PT. click on middle of the page for power pt.)
“A First Day of School Script” http://teachers.net/wong/JUN00/
“Teaching Procedures is Teaching Expectations” says, H. & R.
Wong http://teachers.net/wong/JUN02/
“Stress Free Teacher” (Middle
School): http://teachers.net/wong/FEB02/
Middle School/High School
script: http://teachers.net/wong/MAR03/page_2.html
The Wong’s say “The First Five Minutes are Critical”: http://teachers.net/wong/NOV00/
Have your smile in place, your student’s seat assignments ready, and your first assignment on the board for the students to get started immediately after sitting down and have your classical music on in the background. * School starts the first minute the students enter for the new school year. Be prepared! Start preparing and rehearsing this summer. Remember students need to feel safe and secure! They need rules.
- Before the first day of school decide how you are to dress for success in bright colors to get your students attention. Remember first impressions are the most important.
- Do you remember the middle school and high school Chemistry and Math teachers playing Classical Mozart Symphonies in the background of their classes and how much better behaved and smarter the students became? Well you can do this too! Put on your Classical music and help your students get smarter, work faster, and calmer.
- Don’t just lecture tell a story. Make the material visual. Be creative by becoming a teaching artist! Example: Dr. Madeline Frank’s “Musical Notes On Math”, teaching fractions and decimals to children in K-5 through the rhythm of music, Winner of the Parent-to-Parent Adding Wisdom Award.
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/musical-notes-on-math
“Marcia Daft integrates music and dance with teaching math and science.”
- Make your course come alive. Make it fun to learn. Remember that Alicia Keys and Dr. Condoleezza Rice both studied the piano learning Classical music and skipping grades in high school. They were both at the top of their high school classes all through school because they played Classical music every day. Playing Classical music made them smarter! Dr. Albert Einstein was able to win his Noble Peace Prize and make his scientific discoveries by playing Classical music on his violin or piano every day. Dr. Judith Resnik astronaut and electrical engineer made perfect scores on her SAT’s through playing her Classical piano music every day for one hour. Louis Armstrong learned Classical music on his cornet at age 13 and his life was changed forever! Your students can be smarter too by playing Classical music every day!
- Involve your students in your course by posing a problem and helping them solve it! Make them into detectives. (Sherlock Holmes and his side kick Dr. Watson) Help your students work cooperatively. (In a musical String Quartet members work together cooperatively with set goals and without violence.) Put on your Classical music to help your students concentrate better. Mark Reimer & Mrs. Adlyn Reimer said to “Set the tone from the beginning—your class/rehearsal style is fun, informative, and fast moving, and everyone there is important to you.”
- Help your students gain self-esteem and self-worth by showing them kindness & patience.
- Romayne Leader Frank, Mother, friend, Family Advocate, teacher, & Lawyer, always said, “Every child has one gift.” Find that gift and accentuate it!
- Dr. Frank’s favorite saying is “every student is a gem in the raw.” Start with that thought and work with your students. Believe that each of your students, on the first day of school, wants to learn your course and desires to learn.
- Does anyone here like to work? No, then make it fun to learn. Put on your Classical music! © 2015 Madeline Frank
Remember on your First Day To:
Have your Classical music on your CD or iPod before your students enter your class to improve their concentration , for them to stay focused, relaxed, work faster, and remember more.
On your first day of work or school have your materials ready…paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, and calculators.
Be prepared! Be on time! Don’t be late! Have a smile on your face and put your best foot forward!
Classical music has the power to organize the brain while listening to it as background music while you are doing your homework, to help you relax after a hard day of work or while doing exercises. Begin listening or playing your musical instrument for 30 minutes at a time. It helps because of its highly developed mathematics and therefore exercises the brain as physical exercise exercises the body.
“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/
Mrs. I, a fourth grade teacher, lists below how she uses Dr. Frank’s creative tips from “The Teacher’s 11 Secrets to Success” and “10 Secrets to Stop Students Boredom, Inspire Them & Make Them Smarter” during her public school classes.”
1. Mrs. I began preparing for her new students, a month before the semester began, by studying their files, to more effectively deal with their problems.
2 On the very first day of school, students were informed about procedures and practiced them.
- Mrs. I dressed appropriately and at times dressed to reflect the theme of the lesson or story.
- Mrs. I prepared daily so that time was spent on learning activities and not preparation during school time.
- She encourages her students to do well and gives examples that students can relate to of why it is important to do well and stay in school.
6.Students know that Mrs. I take’s an interest in them and tries to see the good in each student and looks for positive things to say about her students.
- Classical music is played. This helps students quiet down, stay calm, and focus more on their work with fewer distractions. They really enjoy the Classical music and ask for it.
- Students are spoken to in private, concerning behavioral issues and are not embarrassed in front of other students.
- Cooperative learning groups and differentiation are used in the classroom. Students get to be a part of completing tasks successfully as a group in a fun but challenging atmosphere.
- Articulation, inflection, and timing are encouraged when reading and when learning key phrases and clues.
Mrs. I says, “That by using Dr. Frank’s tips, a classroom environment is created where students want to come to school. They enjoy learning, and every child finds a measure of success.”
A recent survey asked public school students in grades 5-12, what characteristics make a good teacher?
Many students said a good teacher “is passionate about their subject, has the intelligence to inspire students to learn by keeping the class material fresh and interesting by making the class seem to go by faster and getting all the students involved.”
A good teacher “listens and cares about their students never raising their voice and is willing to help any student who needs help.”
A good teacher “thoroughly explains the subject matter is always patient and never makes fun of any student. A good teacher has a good sense of humor and tells good jokes to help teach the material.”
Management Lessons From Maxey Jarman by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM
How do you solve your problems at your company? What 5 management techniques will improve your business?
Maxey Jarman was a red headed, shy young man who was intrigued by science and raised to be a devout Baptist. He enjoyed working with radios and cars while attending a public high school in Nashville, Tennessee that had a program in engineering and technology. Maxey also helped start the first radio station in Nashville, WSM. After high school he became a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, in electrical engineering. As he was finishing his junior year at MIT, Maxey’s father, James Franklin Jarman, asked him to come home to Tennessee and help start a new shoe store, eliminating his previous partner who had done unethical things.
His father had Maxey work, for a year as a laborer, in the Nashville plant to learn the shoe business from the ground up. Later Maxey worked in the shoe store of the new Jarman Shoe Company. After 9 years learning the shoe business, Maxey Jarman became President and his father became the Chairman of the company.
Maxey saw an opportunity for expanding their shoe business and decided on a logical step-by-step plan of how to do it. He changed the Jarman Shoe Company name to General Shoe Company during the depression and moved into retail. In Michigan, Maxey, “bought a tanning plant”, produced shoeboxes, and supplied his manufacturing plants with chemicals, cement, and finishes. He purchased other companies increasing his shoe line to include children’s and women’s shoes and apparel. He increased profits by selling his products through retail stores General Shoe Company purchased.
In 1959, General Shoe Company changed its name to Genesco, Inc. By 1968, Maxey’s Jarman’s Genesco, Inc. had reached a billion dollars in sales with 83,000 employees worldwide.
Maxey Jarman, President and CEO of Genesco was a devout Baptist who pursued many philanthropic Christian causes. For many years Mr. Jarman taught Sunday School Classes at his Baptist Church.
Fred Smith, Sr. came to work for Maxey Jarman at his General Shoe Company when he was 20 years old. Maxey became his mentor and friend for over 43 years. Fred Smith, Sr. became the mentor of Zig Ziglar and Dr. John Maxwell.
What are 5 of Maxey Jarman’s leadership lessons that you will want to remember?
1) Maxey Jarman “listened respectfully” and “stressed” clarifying ideas by putting them down on paper. When a problem comes up, write the problem down, and write a solution for solving it! When Fred Smith had been working for Mr. Jarman for 3 months, he came in with a list of problems that he saw at the company. Mr. Jarman said after listening to Fred’s list, “Fred, I want you to take the next three weeks and write out solutions for each and every thing you found wrong.” When Fred returned to see Mr. Jarman, 3 weeks later, he had no solutions to the problems. Fred Smith said, “Mr. Jarmen stuck his long finger in my face and said, “We want you here and we want your suggestions, even criticisms, but don’t you ever criticize anything until you have a better way worked out on paper to prove what you say and improve the condition.” Bacon said, “Writing makes an exact man.” Mr. Jarman worked on his personal development by making a list of the things he wanted to work on each year. He would put it in writing so it was specific and clear. In his company he said, “Emergencies were the evidence of poor planning.” He had few emergencies. He was reading to gain new knowledge every day and developing his mind.
2) Mr. Jarman was driven by responsibility, discipline and for getting results. You could always count on him. Mr. Jarman’s ” favorite story was how Jeb Stuart would sign his reports to General Robert E. Lee, “Yours to count on”, (YTCO). When Jeb Stuart wrote it he meant it and so did Maxey Jarman.
3) Mr. Jarman was always looked for opportunities for the future. He said, “Be grateful for all things.” He told Fred Smith, Sr. “It’s not the plants we have built, but the people we have helped develop that makes me the proudest.” Mr. Jarman was always helping others. He said, “Don’t try to strengthen people in their weaknesses; it’s less productive than utilizing their strengths.”
When someone said something about another executive saying, “He acts like he owns the place.” Maxey responded, “I’m glad he believes that, and I wish everybody here believed it and acted that way.” Fred Smith said, “He wanted everybody to have a genuine sense of ownership because he knew the motivation that develop”.
4) Before he made a decision he was open-minded. Once he made a decision he was decisive. Fred Smith said, “Mr. Jarman would quickly review a decision when he thought it involved a moral mistake. Once he had the books opened just to give an employee a $2.85 refund because “The question isn’t how much trouble, but do we owe it?” Mr. Jarman was honest, filled with character, and integrity.
5) Mr. Jarman did not believe in wasting time. He always stayed on the topic at hand and liked people to get to the point and be clear and decisive. His conversations were always business like and stayed on the topic.
What was Maxey Jarman’s mission statement for his company? “Genesco’s mission is to become the most customer-focused company in the footwear industry, with consistent performance in the top quartile as measured by market share, sales growth, return on assets employed and operating income.”
By following Maxey Jarman’s 5 lessons on leadership you will have a stronger company with happier employees. © 2015 Madeline Frank
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!
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.