We want to wish all of our readers a Happy July 4th! Remember to start 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 school cafeterias and school buses played Classical Music, the students would be calmer and more focused without violent tendencies. Included this month are several summer articles to improve your child’s study skills during the summer.
If anyone has an experience they would like to share with our readers on the benefits of classical music please send it and it will be include it in the August 2011 newsletter!
July 2011’s article of the month:
“How to Keep Your Mind Sharp, Clear, and Vibrant On A Shoestring Budget” by Dr. Madeline Frank
http://goo.gl/uDZkZ
For other articles by Dr. Madeline Frank click on the following link:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Madeline_Frank
Dr. Madeline Frank’s Musical One Minute Radio Show for July 2011:
How does Music play a part of Dr. Richard Feynman’s life as a Physicist and what instrument did he play?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/madelines-one-minute-radio-show/
Question of the month: Who was Dr. Richard Feynman?
Dr. Richard Feynman was an American scientist and physicist, won the Oersted Medal for teaching, won the “Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award”, worked on the atomic bomb project (Los Alamos), author of many books including his lectures, Nobel Prize winner in 1965 for his work in “Quantum Electrodynamics”, National Medal of Science, investigator for the Challenger disaster, an artist of sketches and drawings under the pen name “Ofey”, a musician, husband, father, and grandfather.
Richard Feynman was born on May 11, 1918 in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York to Melville and Lucille Feynman. His family was from Poland and Russia.
From his father, Melville Feynman he learned to “ask questions” and think about how things worked and from his mother, Lucille Feynman, he learned to have a sense of humor which he kept through his life. As a child of 11 or 12 he set up a lab and began experimenting with circuits, inventing a burglar alarm, and repairing radios for a little spending money.
“By 15, he had learned differential and integral calculus. Before entering college, he was experimenting with and re-creating mathematical topics, such as the half-derivative, utilizing his own notation. In high school, he was developing the mathematical intuition behind his Taylor series of mathematical operators. His habit of direct characterization sometimes rattled more conventional thinkers; for example, one of his questions when learning feline anatomy was “Do you have a map of the cat?” (Referring to an anatomical chart).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman#Education
Richard Feynman graduated from Far Rockaway High School, received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1939 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was named a Putnam Scholar and went to graduate school at Princeton where he “took every physics course offered, including a graduate course on theoretical physics while in his second year. He obtained a perfect score on the graduate school entrance exams to Princeton University in mathematics and physics—an unprecedented feat.” Feynman’s first seminar was attended by John von Neumann, Wolfgang Pauli, and Albert Einstein. In 1942 he received his PhD. from Princeton. “His thesis advisor was John Archibald Wheeler. Feynman’s thesis applied theprinciple of stationary action to problems of quantum mechanics, inspired by a desire to quantize the Wheeler–Feynman absorber theory of electrodynamics, laying the groundwork for the “path integral” approach and Feynman diagrams, and was entitled “The Principle of Least Action in Quantum Mechanics”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman
His first student was his younger sister by 9 years, Joan. Dr. Joan Feynman, an astrophysicist, says, “I was Richard Feynman’s first student and he was my first teacher.” He taught at Cornell University from 1945-1950 teaching theoretical physics. Dr. Richard Feynman was called “The Great Explainer” and he felt it was his ‘moral duty” to make the difficult and complex world of physics understandable to his students. He was an excellent teacher and challenged them to solve problems with “clear thinking” by offering cash prizes. He taught at Cal Tech in California where he won the Oersted Medal for teaching.
“Feynman’s Lectures on Physics” to Cal Tec undergraduate students, 1961-63, became a text book in 1964. Feynman is still considered the “greatest teacher of Physics”.
“As of 2005, The Feynman Lectures on Physics has sold over 1.5 million copies in English, an estimated 1 million copies in Russian, and an estimated half million copies in other languages.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman#Caltech_years
He taught at Cornell University from 1945-1950 teaching theoretical physics.
Dr. “Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine“, super computers
In the late 1980s,Dr.Richard Feynman “was also one of the first scientists to conceive the possibility of quantum computers. He played a crucial role in developing the first massivelyparallel computer, and in finding innovative uses for it in numerical computations, in building neural networks, as well as physical simulations using cellular automata (such as turbulent fluid flow), working with Stephen Wolfram at Caltech. His son Carl Feynman also played a role in the development of the original Connection Machine engineering; Dr. Feynman influencing the interconnects while his son worked on the software.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman
After The Challenger disaster on January28, 1986 Dr. Feynman was asked to find the cause of the explosion. At the time he was dying of two different types of cancer. He had worked on the atomic bomb project forty years earlier which may have caused these cancers (Gleick, 1992, p.417). He discovered that the O-rings, the rubber pieces that are used to seal the booster joints, will not expand in 32 degree weather; the gaps in the joints allowed gas to escape causing the explosion (Gleick, 1992, pp. 423-428).
On February 15, 1988 Dr. Richard P. Feynman died at 69 years of age. “His last recorded words were “I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman#cite_note-46
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275509/bioRichard Feynman lectures on You tube
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Where+was+Richard+Feynman+born&aq=f
This summer remember the “Importance of Summer Reading” for your child’s success! Your local library has a lot to offer your child.
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm
“Do Students Lose Skills Over the Summer? (April 19, 2010) by Richart Stitt. “So, what could we do other than encourage our children to read during the summer? Enroll your child in a summer program to build reading or math skills. Buy math workbooks to focus on math computation skills, and use them a few hours each week. Do math drills online or get out the flash cards for younger” children. “When success in college is our goal, getting ahead in reading and math is the key. Losing skills over the summer only makes our job more difficult!”
“Avoid Summer Learning Loss: Four Tips for Fun Summer Learning” from TutorFi.com. The four tips are as follows:
- Take your child to the library and find out about library programs for them. Let your child see you reading and have a reading time in your house with your children every night.
- Are you planning a summer vacation away from home? Encourage your child to make a journal about the trip. This is a good way to practice writing skills. Have your child help map out the trip to practice math and science skills. Are you planning to visit historic sites? Have your child write about these as well. He or she could create a play and become a character from the historical time period. Encourage your child to write about his summer activities in addition to vacation.”
- Have “your child help you cook meals for the family. This will “ practice math and science skills. Following a recipe is a good way to practice following directions. Most recipes have fractions for various amounts of ingredients. This, of course, is math practice.”
- “Consider tutoring for your child during the summer months. Your child can practice skills learned during the school year and get a deeper understanding of the knowledge he or she acquired. Online tutoring offers a convenient option. Tutoring sessions fit more easily into your schedule. Online tutoring uses technology that students love, computers and the internet.”
http://www.tutorfi.com/LearningStylesandTechniques/funsummerlearning
From “Kathleen – Teachers.Net Gazette” [email protected]” we have “A huge collection of June Lessons, activities, printables, tips and ideas! Includes link to “Summer activities to maintain skills.”
http://teachers.net/gazette/JUN09/lessonplans/#three
“Teachers List of Favorite Vacation Books to Read”
http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/teachers-net-community/recommended-vacation-reading/
“The Power of Music’ Book Ponders Health Benefits of Music” (June 3, 2011) by Gregory Adams from the exclaim.ca
http://exclaim.ca/News/power_of_music_book_ponders_health_benefits_of_music
New book called “The Power Of Music” by Elena Mannes published by Walker & Company. “Elena Mannes explores how music affects different groups of people and how it plays a role in health care. Mannes tracked the human relationship with music over the course of a life span. She tells NPR’s Neal Conan that studies show that infants prefer “consonant intervals, the smooth-sounding ones that sound nice to our Western ears in a chord, as opposed to a jarring combination of notes.”
Elena Mannes says “music also has the potential to help people with neurological deficits. A stroke patient who has lost verbal function — those verbal functions may be stimulated by music. One technique, known as melodic intonation therapy, uses music to coax portions of the brain into taking over for those that are damaged. In some cases, it can help patients regain their ability to speak. And because of how we associate music with memories, Mannes says such techniques could also be helpful for Alzheimer’s patients.” To read more about Ms. Mannes’ new book, “The Power of Music” and hear her interview on NPR click on the following link:
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136859090/the-power-of-music-to-affect-the-brainhttp://exclaim.ca/News/power_of_music_book_ponders_health_benefits_of_music
“Dancing Ballet ‘Can Relieve Parkinson’s Symptoms’” (June 4, 2011) by Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent from the Telegraph in Great Britain. The English National Ballet has found that dancing “can help people with Parkinson’s disease to overcome their symptoms. They asked 24 people with the degenerative brain disease to take part in a series of classes where they learnt the steps to Rudolph Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet. Over the course of 12 weeks they were temporarily transformed, rising out of wheelchairs during classes, smiling and rediscovering confidence on their feet. Their progress was monitored by Sarah Houston and Ashley McGill from Roehampton University in west London.”
Dr. Houston said: “One of the most noticeable aspects of the project was how it supported participants’ confidence, as well as improving their bodily awareness.” Danielle Jones from the ENB, assisted with the classes, said: “They came into class after perhaps having a difficult day, shaking or stiff and maybe in a wheelchair. But as the class progressed, the music started and the exercises picked up tempo that disappeared. They found walking across the room, which they would usually find really difficult, really easy. Rather than concentrating on the disease, it was “a chance for them to have fun.”
A participant said: “Dancing like this is helping me to get Mr. Parkinson’s out of the driving seat of my life. The ballet did make me urgently want to move more, and move better and hinted at how this might be possible.”
“Rye Dance Class Offers Freedom of Movement to Parkinson’s Patients” (June 17, 2011) by Lauren Urban from the lohud.com, Westchester County, N.Y. A class designed to stretch Parkinson’s patient’s muscles through dancing Latin music. “This is the first time the growing program, which exists in more than 40 communities in the United States and Europe, has been offered in Westchester County.”
“Music and Drama Relieves Parkinson’s Patients” (June 15, 2011) from The Times of India. “A Northwestern hospital is offering a music and drama therapy program for patients with Parkinson’s disease to address many of the physical and emotional symptoms of the disease.” Diane Breslow, social worker and coordinator for the center says, “In the music portion, the patients are learning the concept of rhythm which helps them improve their gait and movement. Reading scripts during the drama portion increases word recall and articulation, while the voice is exercised in both parts of the class. Beyond the physical benefits of the therapy, Creative Arts also enhances mood and positive attitude.”
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-15/holistic-living/29660816_1_new-therapy-patient-care-drama
http://goo.gl/35gCV
“Can Classical Music Calm Cats? CSU Researchers Look For Stress-Reducing Benefits Of Music Therapy” (June 1, 2011) by Justin Adams, News Editor from the DenverChannel.com, Fort Collins, Colo. “CSU veterinarian Dr. Narda Robinson and fellow researcher Lori Kogan, a psychologist with CSU who specializes in veterinary and animal issues, said the reason cats are taken to the vet less often than dogs may boil down to the fact that it’s too stressful. And that may lead to less regular medical attention for cats. In their study, they’ve found not every form of classical music works. They need music specifically designed to meet the needs of cats. In addition to the potential stress-reducing benefits, relaxed cats are easier for vets to examine.” Robinson said, “Music therapy research has shown that the simpler, slower, sounds in a moderate to lower range of tone, is more relaxing.”
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/family/28096707/detail.html
Dr. Madeline Frank’s new book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget” is now available through amazon.com. Reviews of Dr. Madeline Frank’s new book, “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget:
“Dr. Frank blends fascinating anecdotes with vital secrets of business character based on forming convictions, and exercising the courage of those convictions.” Elizabeth Hamilton, Best-selling author of the Character-in-Action Books
http://character-in-action.com/“An excellent advisory book on decent human behavior and conduct of business written with a warm approach and plain, understandable language.” Emeric Fischer, Emeritus Professor at the William & Mary Law School
“Dr. Madeline Frank was a fantastic guest on my program! The unique lessons she’s learned as a concert violinist working alongside superstars like Frank Sinatra and Natalie Cole juxtaposed with wearing a hardhat at her families construction business made for a unique, memorable interview. I’m really looking forward to reading her new book “LEADERSHIP ON A SHOWSTRING BUDGET”, which certainly is applicable for the times we live in.” – Burke Allen, Billboard Magazine award winning broadcaster, CEO Allen Media Strategies,www.allenmediastrategies.com
Click on the following Amazon.com link to order your copy of “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget”
“Baby Music Therapy Used in Slovakia for Health, Brain Development” (May 27, 2011)
“Saca Hospital in Kosice, Slovakia is using music therapy for new-born babies to help them gain weight, reduce stress and handle birth pains better. The babies are introduced to classical music soon after birth to keep them clam when they can’t be near their mother and hear her voice or heartbeat. Compositions by Mozart or Vivaldi are best for babies health and brain development, doctors say. According to Dr. Slavka Viragova, music by Mozart especially reminds the babies of their mother. “
http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/153382/20110527/baby-music-therapy-used-in-slovakia-for-health-brain-development.htm
“Gareth Malone Explains How to Love Classical Music in ‘Music for the People” (May 23, 2011) by Donna Peerce from the Examiner.com. Ms. Peerce says, “Gareth Malone is the British host of the Bafta-award-winning TV series, The Choir, which debuted on BBC America in the summer of 2010. This series began in 2007 in Britain on BBC Two. The Choir, which also won a Broadcast award, focused on teaching choral singing to people who have no experience of singing, with the first program set in a comprehensive school. Over the course of three series of the Bafta award-winning The Choir, Gareth identified a passion for classical music in schoolchildren, reluctant teenage boys, and even a whole town.”
http://www.examiner.com/british-pop-culture-in-national/donna-peerce
Evidence & Articles supporting the benefits of classical music in your daily life, in the Public School Classrooms, and while doing homework after school:
Mrs. S teaches 7th grade Math at Davis Middle School in Hampton, VA.: “Students perform better on tests and quizzes while listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background..”
Mrs. C’s high school math class in Colorado: “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.”
Mrs. G had her fifth grade students listening to classical music, played softly, while the children did creative writing assignments and when they did problem solving in math. 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. The results were so good that she incorporated this into her teaching for the last five years of her teaching career.
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 .The children have consistently made 100’s on tests and work. These are just average students not exceptional.
Mrs. J has 4 children, ages 18, 15, 11 and 7 who have been listening to Mozart and other classical music while doing their homework after school since March 05. She has seen them become more focused and relaxed, finishing homework quicker, with more accuracy which has led to higher grades.
Northside Middle School in Norfolk, Virginia is using classical music in halls and class rooms with very good success. “Classical Music Plays at Norfolk School”
For more 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 read “The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. Click on the link:
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. For more information click on the following link:
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/musical-notes-on-math/
For Tips on how to use “Musical Notes On Math” click on the following link:
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/pg47.pdf