In newspapers across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, India and South Africa the healing power of music is being used to help students learn in school and at home and help adults to move better and relax. Volunteer musicians are playing concerts at the bedside of patients, a Norfolk Virginia Public School plays classical music in the halls and in the classes all day long improving school work and behavior, singing in schools to promote learning, and the dancing of the Tango, for the last 7 months, is improving the balance of Parkinson’s patients in St. Louis.
These articles are listed below with more musical tips to improve your life: “Notes of Sound Health” (Feb. 25,2007) by Banaspree Purkayastha from the financialexpress.com. “Music therapy can work wonders for terminally ill and children with special needs.” In the West music is considered as routine therapy comparable to physiotherapy or speech therapy. Doctors in India recognize the therapeutic effects of music to mental and physical health. “We advise patients recovering from a stroke or suffering from dementia brought on by Alzheimer’s disease to listen to music two to three hours daily. Music plays a big role in rehabilitation of such patients – it helps improve memory, comprehension and cognitive abilities, says Dr Arun Garg, neurologist, Max Healthcare.” The complete article is below: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=155930
“Dance Therapy” (Feb. 21,2007) by Ryan McNutt from Dalhousie News, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia/Canada. Music has the power to help people to move regardless of their affliction. “People don’t really die of Parkinson’s; they die of inactivity. We’re trying to keep people active for as long as possible, says Dr. George Turnbull, professor of physiotherapy at Dalhousie.” For over two decades he has been helping patients with Parkinson’s. Dr. Turnbull is part of a new five year study of power of music which will be funded “by the Canadian Institute for Health Research based out of the University of Calgary and also involving researchers at the University of Lethbridge. .. …. Dr. Turnbull will research and target ways to use musical cues to aid in the rehabilitation process. He believes that music may stimulate neuroplasticity: redirecting the brain’s electrical signals away from damaged neurons onto new paths. By the project’s conclusion, Dr. Turnbull hopes to create programs that help Parkinson’s patients learn to walk normally both with and without music.””If a patient can take their headphones off, and still hear the rhythm in their head, they may still be able to walk,” he comments.If music can improve freedom of movement for Parkinson’s patients, it would allow them to maintain their muscle strength, endurance and other physical attributes that are often lost to the disease.”” The complete article is below : http://dalnews.dal.ca/2007/02/21/dance.html
“You Can Escape from the Positive, Negative Energies Around You” (Feb. 4, 2007) by Bob Gerold from the Pensacola News Journal.com. “Music carries its own distinct energy . In scientific studies, it has been shown that plants grow taller and healthier if you play classical music in the background. By the same studies, they are stunted in growth if all you play is heavy metal or rap.” “Some Stimulating Activities for Stay- At- Home Seniors” (Jan. 29, 2007) from insidebayarea.com. “Studies have shown that music can improve our health and well-being. It can reduce chronic pain and depression by up to a quarter and can energize us , improve our memory and enhance learning.” Dr. Raymond Bahr, director of coronary care at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, ” reported half an hour of classical music produces the same effect as 10 milligrams of valium.”
“Got Board? Take tips from Gastro-Genius” (Feb. 27, 2007) by HT Live Correspondent from the Hindustan Times.com. “Give classical music a go – it is proven that cows milk better when listening to classical music, so maybe Beethoven or Pt Ravi Shankar will work for you too!” “Cold Weather Blues Eased with Music Therapy” (Feb. 27,2007) by Sally Fletcher from eMediaWire. “Sally Fletcher professional harpist and author on the healing power of music, suggests ways to use music to cope with depression and negative emotions during the gloomy winter months.” She goes on to say, “Music has often been used to relieve stress, enhance mood, and create a general sense of well being..It affects emotions, which have been shown to have a profound impact on physiology, including heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.” She is also the author of “The Challenge of Epilepsy” (www.epilepsyhealth.com) on her personal experiences with the healing power of music. She knows what it is like to be diagnosed with a supposedly incurable disorder. However, she has been seizure-free with no medication for 18 years, and is an advocate and inspirational speaker on the subject of music therapy to aid healing and promote well-being.”
“Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute Uses Music to Help Heal Patients” (Feb. 15,2007) by James Kirley from TC Palm Health Orthopaedic Center of Vero Beach, Florida. Jennifer Jarred, a 28 year old music therapist, sings and plays her classical guitar for babies and older patients . ” Nor is it intuitive. For example, Jarred would not begin calming an agitated patient with a soothing melody. You’d play something fast and loud, she said. You have to match the intensity of the music to their behaviors, then gradually change the music stimulus to change the behavior.” “Registered Nurse Lisa Sharot recently saw this in action. A 38-year-old man in the Intensive Care Unit she coordinates awoke from a long time on a breathing machine. Unaware of his surroundings, he thrashed so violently that it took four people to keep him in bed. “We had given him some medication, but when a patient is that agitated, it takes some time for the medication to work.” Sharot called for Jarred, whose music therapy speeded the patient’s reaction to the sedative. “That’s a very stressful situation on the staff as well as the patient,” Sharot said. “It had a calming effect all around.” ..”Physiologically, music can alter or maintain heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure,” she said. Jarred takes requests. In fact, she often has patients choose the song as an exercise in expressing themselves.”
“Classical Pianist Performs Friday in Longview” (Feb. 15, 2007) by Staff from the Daily News in Longview, Washington. Eric Himy, a classical pianist studied biochemistry and music at the University of Maryland and will play a concert for the Community Concert series. Music and science are always a powerful combination.
“N.C. Singer Wins ‘Country Showdown’ Title” (Jan. 26, 2007) from the NewsTrack-Entertainment in Nashville. Megan Peeler , a singer songwriter who is trained in classical piano guitar and voice and has been a music therapist in several healthcare facilities in North Carolina and Ohio has just won “The Best New Act in Country Music” award of $100,000. “Enjoy Lullabies Under a Blanket of Stars” (Feb 4, 2007) from the Howick and Pakuranga Times in Auckland, New Zealand. “It’s a night of free fun and entertainment showcasing the musical talents of local and world famous New Zealanders, says trust chairman Jock Irvine. The Starship Foundation will be the recipient charity for the event. The work done by the foundation is vital to the improvement of children’s health and wellbeing.”
“New York’s Top Youth Volunteers Selected in 12th Annual Awards Program” (Feb. 13,2007) from the home.businesswire.com. Jourdan, a high school sophomore who is home schooled and is a violin prodigy at the Pre-College Division at the Juilliard School in New York City “raised more than a $1million for national charities focused on neurological illnesses” When he was 7 years old an internationally known neurosurgeon “took Jourdan on a tour of a pediatric intensive care unit.” ” Jourdan said, I left with a strong determination to bring these children some measure of peace, temporal enjoyment, a little contagious enthusiasm , and a reminder of what’s outside the ICU door.” He began by presenting monthly concerts in hospitals for children through out New York City and recruited other classmates from Juilliard gradually using his connections in the Classical music world to headline “a series of concerts including a gala evening at Carnegie Hall, two recitals at Lincoln Center, and a performance at the Wortham Center in Houston.” All the money from these concerts “has been donated to charities such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Institute for Music and Neurological Function, and Beth Israel Medical Center’s Hyman-Newman Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery.” Jourdan also delivered lectures on neurological research appearing on network television programs and national medical organizations.
“Advocates Drum Up Support for Music Therapy Program” (Feb. 23, 2007) by Geoff Dornan from the Nevada Appeal.com. The rhythm of music in the form of drumming was heard in “a third floor meeting room where advocates were making their case for music.” “Concert to Help Hospice” (Feb. 22, 2007) from the Paarl Post in South Africa. “The Drakenstein Hospice will host . a concert.using guitar and piano which are performed with a classical approach echoing the style of the ” Chansonnier” of past eras.” This March, if you had one chance to ask me, any question about the power of music for education and healing . what would your specific question be? Tap here to enter your question. I want to help as many people as possible to enhance their lives through music. Last month’s Classroom Update On Using Classical Music in the Public School Classrooms and while doing homework after school: . Northside Middle School in Norfolk, Virginia using classical music in halls and class rooms with very good success. ” Classical Music Plays at Norfolk School”
- Mrs. J has 3 children, ages 15, 11, and 7 who have been listening to Mozart and other classical music while doing their homework after school for 8 months, since March 05. She has seen them become more focused and relaxed, finishing homework quicker, with more accuracy which has led to higher grades.
- Mrs. JC had her fourth grade reading class , 22 in the class, listening to classical music, Mozart, 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. 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 five year. Performing at Hospitals, Rehab Hospitals, and Retirement Homes
- Madeline Frank, violist has shared her music with patients at local Hospitals and Rehab Hospitals in Virginia. If anyone has an experience they would like to share on the benefits of classical music please write me and I will include it in the April 2007 newsletter.
- Tidewater Virginia Residents, Please mark your calendars for March’s Scholarship Concert at the College of William and Mary: International Violist Madeline Frank to Perform for the Hillel Fundraiser for the College of William & Mary on March 24,2007, Saturday, at 8 pm in the Wren Building Great Hall in Williamsburg , Virginia. Madeline Frank will be joined by pianist Lynda Gilpin, Hillel Director Geoffrey Brown, and Hillel William & Mary College students in a performance they call “Music from around the world with a twist”. There is also a sing along for the audience of beloved favorites. Past favorites such as “The Orange Blossom Special”, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”, selections from “Fiddler On the Roof” , “Tzena”, “Rozhinkes Mit Mandin”, “La Cumparsita”, “Autumn Leaves” with classical works by Brahms, Debussy, Chopin, and others.
Wishing you and your family a happy March which is National Music in Our Schools Month from your Non-Invasive Medicine Music Expert,