Our Radio Show and blog features how to “Tune up your classroom” .
Many of the world’s teachers, psychologists, medical doctors, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, scientists, engineers, writers, and others have studied and played musical instruments since they were children. These eminent individuals have integrated music into their thinking process. Included are two articles on the benefits of studying with baroque or classical music in the background.
Article of the month: Kindness Lessons from “Eat and Get the Hell Out Diner” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
Radio Show Feature Question for March 2022: How can you “Tune up your Classroom” to have your students focus and concentrate on their work?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-radio-show-2022
In 1993 three things happened!
- Madeline Frank read about Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Catherine Ky investigating “the effect of listening to music by Mozart on spacial reasoning, and the results were published in Nature. They gave research participants one of three standard tests of abstract spacial reasoning after they had experienced each of three listening conditions: The Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K.448 by Mozart, verbal relaxation instructions, and silence. They found a temporary enhancement of spatial-reasoning, as measured by spatial-reasoning sub tasks of the Stanford-Binet IQ test. Rauscher et al. show that the enhancing effect of the music condition is only temporary: no student had effects extending beyond the 15-minute period in which they were tested.”
2) Dr. Frank watched a PBS special on Ann Savan, a Welsh science teacher who used Mozart Symphonies playing in the background of her class to help her students concentrate and focus on their science work.
“Welsh science teacher Anne Savan couldn’t believe the difference it made in her chemistry lab. When the government insisted that all children complete the standard National Curriculum, Savan became concerned. For some reason her new group of pupils in the mid 1990’s was the most challenging ever. Her class of boys had special educational needs plus emotional and behavioral difficulties. One of her students had such poor coordination he made 19 attempts at a lab experiment requiring the student to put a peanut on a spoon, then heat it in the flame of a Bunsen burner. He never achieved it and his behavior resulting from his frustration was uncontrollable.”
Chance observation of a television program gave Savan the idea that music of a certain frequency might help students with poor coordination. She began to play classical music, .. orchestral Mozart as she tried Mozart’s piano concertos but that was not effective “during daily science lessons over a period of five months. The response to the music was dramatic as the pupils became calm and cooperative within minutes of entering the room.”
Savan says, “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 .. ever.” The next five months of classes with Mozart Symphonies “produced the same results, calm, cooperative students who were able to complete each lesson.” … “Savan believes the music may have relaxed her pupils enough to improve their physical coordination and lower their frustration levels enough to allow them to perform manual tasks effectively and efficiently.”
3) Dr. Frank read Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder’s book on Super Learning about Dr. Georgi Lozanov, Bulgarian medical doctor and Father of Accelerated Learning. He used the slow movements of Baroque music in the background, to teach languages and other subjects. through the power of positive suggestion. He did this with a “relaxed and focused state of mind and learning becomes joyful.”
Ms. Ostrander and Ms. Schroeder asked two questions. “Would you like to learn two to five times faster without stress? And remember what you’ve learned?” Of course you would!
Dr. Lozanov played the slow movements of Baroque composers, Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Corelli, Tartini, and Pachelbel. This music is slower than a person’s heart beat and relaxes the students and helps them remember more.
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/sheila-ostrander-and-lynn-schroeder-international-experts-on-super-learning-madelines-monthly-blog-musical-tips-radio-show-for-may-2014/
Dr. Frank began wondering if listening to Classical or Baroque music in the background could help students in the public schools to improve their focus and concentration in school. She began handing out in 1993 Mozart Symphonies on CDs to teachers and parents to put on in the background of their classrooms (and at home) while the students were working. Later she also handed out Baroque music, the slow movements on CDs as well.
Below are testimonials from teachers and a parent: (Over 20 years)
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- Frank: “How many years have you had your students listening to Classical music, Mozart, in the background of your classrooms?”
- I:“My students have been listening to classical music in the background of my classroom for about sixteen years.” (She has taught in the Public Schools of Yorktown and Norfolk, VA. teaching kindergarten, first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.
. Dr. Frank: “Did your students perform better on class work, on tests, and quizzes listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background?”
Mrs. I: “I can definitely say, ‘Yes.’ 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.”
- Frank: “How many years have you had your math students listening to classical music, Mozart, in the background of your classrooms?”
- S says, “For 15 years I have had my math students listening to Mozart Symphonies in the background of my classrooms. (She has taught in the public schools of Hampton, Virginia teaching students in grades 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th.)
- Merri and Gary Scott have taught 1000s of people to successfully speak Spanish in their course “Super Thinking- Super Spanish” using Dr. Georgi Lozanov’s method with Baroque music. They played the slow movements of Baroque composers Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Corelli, Tartini, and Pachelbel. “The music played is slower than a person’s heart beat and relaxes the students and helps them remember more.”
- JS has 4 children, ages 21, 18, 14 and 10 who have been listening to Mozart and other classical music while doing their homework after school since March 05. “I have seen them become more focused and relaxed, finishing homework quicker, with more accuracy which has led to higher grades.”
Can playing Classical Music in School Hallways Make A Difference?
Elizabeth Hamilton sent the following story to us:
“On my first day at work in a North Carolina middle school, I was appalled at the noise level in the hallways. Students yelled, banged locker doors, chased one another, bullied, and sneered at any teacher who tried to quiet them. The noise level flowed freely into classrooms when the bell rang, and rowdiness suffused many classes. Students poked at one another until a physical fight broke out between two or more, at which the rest of the class would jump to their feet chanting, “Fight, fight, fight.” Teachers tried in vain to gain attention long enough to teach. The place was, to put it bluntly, chaotic.”
“After a few days, I asked the principal for a private conference. At the conference, I suggested that we use the school’s public address system to pipe classical music throughout the halls at the beginning of the school day, during breaks, and at the end of the day. The music would, I explained, calm the students and produce an atmosphere more conducive to study. It would prepare their brains for academic pursuits. I suggested a few composers and offered to select appropriate recordings. The principal agreed, and the plan was instituted the following Monday morning.”
“At first, most students looked toward the speakers and scoffed. The scoffing subsided gradually, though, and the halls became quieter as the week progressed. By the next week, fighting had greatly abated. Classrooms were more orderly. Teachers were getting more done. Students who had previously spent hours in detention told the principal the music was “cool” and began to get better grades. An 11-year old boy who had been cited for gun possession in school came to thank me for the music. “No one ever loved us the way you do,” he said.”
“The principal, the campus police officer, and other school personnel acknowledged that classical music has incomparable power. The principal continued to use classical music throughout that year, changing the recordings regularly. At year’s end, he presented a citation for the idea, saying that it had revolutionized his school.”
Elizabeth Hamilton, is an Internationally known expert in teaching “high moral values”, “character” to students in public and private schools. She is an award winning teacher, educator, missionary, bestselling author of “Date With Responsibility” (2004) and “Remember Pearl Harbor” (1982), wife of David Hamilton an educator missionary and accountant, for over 45 years, mother of two children, and a third generation musician. “Adding Character-Building lessons to the curriculum increases such positive behavioral changes greatly. Surround students with character traits just as you surround them with classical music, add “character teaching moments” into your day, and you can revolutionize individual lives, your school, and your community.”
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/playing-classical-music-creates-stress-free-travels-on-school-buses-through-school-hallways-madelines-monthly-musical-tips-blogarticle-for-october-2015/
What does listening to Classical and Baroque music do for your students?
By listening to Baroque and classical music your students will be calmer and be able to concentrate and think more clearly.
Dr. Raymond MacDonald, of Glasgow’s Caledonian University says, “Some classical music approximates the rhythm of the resting heart (70 beats per minute). This music can slow a heart that is beating too fast.”
Carol A. Locke, M.D. for PRWEB, Boston, MA, a Harvard trained psychiatrist says, “listening to classical music has an impact on intelligence and productivity… stimulates the mind, relieves anxiety, helps with concentration and reduces stress.”
Georgi Lozanov, medical doctor and Father of Accelerated learning says, “the second movements of Baroque music are slower than a person’s heart beat and relaxes the students and helps them remember more.”
Anne Savan, a Welsh science teacher, plays Mozart Symphonies in the background of her classrooms to relax her pupils, “lower their frustration levels enough to allow them” to think clearly and calmly “to perform manual tasks effectively and efficiently” in her science classes. She puts the Mozart symphonies on “before” her students enter her classes.
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/playing-classical-music-creates-stress-free-travels-on-school-buses-through-school-hallways-madelines-monthly-musical-tips-blogarticle-for-october-2015/
Kindness Lessons from Eat And Get The Hell Out Diner by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
Would you like to have more repeat business? How would you like to be treated?
When my husband and I visit Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina our favorite place to eat is “Eat and Get the Hell Out”, Bob’s Grill. They serve breakfast and lunch. The service is excellent. Our waitress smiled, was courteous and attentive, asked what we wanted to order and very promptly we received it.
Their slogan “Eat and Get the Hell Out” was developed when local customers, “lollygagging locals” as they are called, enjoyed continuing to sit and talk when others were waiting to get in.
It was a fun atmosphere that felt like home. The short time we were waiting for our meal we browsed the logo tee shirts with “Eat and Get the Hell Out”, with surf boards on looked at the clothing, hats, and mugs.
What was so special about our experience at Bob’s Grill, “Eat and Get the Hell Out”?
The wait staff and check out staff were smiling, were polite, made eye contact, asked us questions like they really cared about the answers. It’s all about having a fun experience so your customers want to continue doing business with you because they enjoyed their experience.
What does every person want and how do you connect with people?
Every person wants to be treated with kindness, respect, curtesy, and compassion. They want to feel they are important and that they matter. They want to know you care about them and are interested in them. So, ask them questions about what they want and need.
Mindy Stearns (Chief Kindness Officer at Kind Lending) says, “We could all use a little extra kindness, and leaders are better placed than most to spread it.”
“Mindy defines being kind as making an active choice to put someone else first and make their life better in some way. In contrast, being nice is more superficial—it’s leaning on pleasantries, rather than pushing yourself to make real change.”
She continues, “At the end of the day, people just want to feel like they matter—like their existence is important. It’s important for me to make sure our employees know how much they matter, because without them, this wouldn’t exist.”
Mindy Stearns summarizes kindness: “It has been proposed that kindness has three main facets: considering the feelings of others, having everyday acceptance, courtesy and love towards others and behaving honorably towards them. Kindness is also closely related to compassion and altruism.”
When I first called M.D. Express for an appointment the operator was helpful, polite, courteous, asked questions, and made an appointment for us. She wanted to help us! She told us to call when we arrived in their parking lot and said we would be waiting a while.
We waited in the parking lot with over 20 other cars of patients to see the medical staff. It did take a while, but we had our kindle books to read in the car while we waited the 45 minutes. When it was our turn, they made the experience a good one. The doctors and staff members made eye contact with us, smiled, were respectful, polite, helpful, asked questions, showed sincerity, and checked a few vitals.
What was so special about the experience at M.D. Express?
The medical staff listened, they showed compassion, they cared, were respectful, and they made us feel that we were important and we mattered.
When you speak to someone, even standing 6 feet apart, look them in the eyes and show respect and curtesy.
Contrast this with our experience at aCovid care testing facility that was virtually empty, where they had you fill out a 20-minute questionnaire, and they were rude, nasty, and treated you with disrespect. It was not the 45 minutes wait to take the test that bothered us, it was the rudeness and disrespect.
It’s all about having good experiences. Not a frightening one!
What does every person want and how do you connect with people?
Every person wants to be treated with kindness, respect, curtesy, and compassion. They want to feel they are important and that they matter. They want to know you care about them and are interested in them. So, ask them questions about what they want and need.
To connect with others treat them just as you would like to be treated. Show others respect, appreciation, care about them, listen and ask questions.
It’s all about having good experiences. It’s all about having a fun experience so your customers want to continue doing business with you because they enjoyed their experience.
Run your business with respect, kindness and if possible, make it fun not frightening! © 2022 Madeline Frank
If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: [email protected]
Study with Baroque Music: A Delightful Baroque Playlist from Analekta.com
“Get a little help from Baroque masters such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, Christoph Graupner and other Baroque masters to better concentrate and ace your exams! This is music to help you focus and also great concentration music for work. In this playlist, you will hear Telemann’s Overture in G Minor, Handel’s Concerto for Harp in B-Flat Major, Op. 4 No. 6, HWV 294 and Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068.”
“Here is a great selection of baroque music for studying and concentration. It’s a wonderful study playlist for background listening.”
https://www.analekta.com/en/playlists/study-with-baroque-music/
“Classical Music for Studying: The 14 Greatest Pieces for Brain Power” (January 17, 2022) by Maddy Shaw Roberts
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/classical-studying-music-for-brain-power/
The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. is available in book form, and newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook:
com(Kindle)
“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.:
com(Kindle)
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! Amazon | iTunes |
Dr. Madeline Frank’s book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget” is available through amazon. To order your copy as an e-book on Kindle click on the following link:
http://goo.gl/lrJTx
Wishing you and your family a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day 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) 2022 Madeline Frank