The Influence of Music in Problem Solving

Just a few days ago, I decided for some reason to play one of the Handel CD's I bought over a year ago.  I haven't listened to classical for quite some time.  And, I tried to believe that I was getting smarting just by listening to it!  Again, I encourage you to just play classical music.  If nothing else, at least make sure your children hear classical music.  There are different types.  All composers are different.  Some I like, some I don't.  So, if you don't like something, don't give up.  Keep at it til you find something you enjoy.  Ask your local music store for suggestions.  Go on Pandora and type in "Clair de Lune," and see what other music compares with that; or other songs that you all ready know you like.

Debussy - Clair de Lune;                        the great Beethoven                                                       

Einstein

GJ Whitrow said, "Einstein often told me that one of the most important things in his life was music.  Whenever he felt hat he had come to the end of the road or into a difficult situation in his work he would take refuge in music and that would usually resolve all of his difficulties."  Einstein:  "Improvise and arrive at solutions.  Improvise and come up with solutions." 

I, for the first time, just finished reading one of the short stories about Sherlock Holmes; there being 56 in all.  It's called, "The Red-Headed League."  In the middle of solving a case, Holmes said,

            "And now, Watson, that does it.  We're ready for lunch, and then off to our violin concert, where there are no red-headed clients to bother us."

            That afternoon, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson sat in St. James Concert Hall, with the great detective - himself a talented musician and composer - waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music.  When the concert was over and Holmes and Watson were leaving the hall, Holmes finally brought up Jabez Wilson's case again.

            "I believe, Watson, that a serious crime is being planned, but I feel that we have a chance of stopping it."

           

And, of course, in the end, he, Sherlock, did stop the crime.  But, music appears to even have a great help in thinking of solutions to crimes!  True, Sherlock is a fictional character, but at end of the "About the Author" page it says, "Probably no other author has been able to create a fictional character who has become so real to his readers as Arthur Conan Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes."  I would guess that Doyle himself was a music lover, if not a musician.  Also, once Holmes was established as a worldwide legend, Doyle himself was regarded as an expert crime solver and solved many real-life cases.

And, think about it; a TV show, or movie with NO music.  Movie producers even know the value of having background music playing to help it's viewers more fully soak in the message trying to be conveyed.  A scary scene is not nearly as scary without the scary, intense music  (As if to prove my point, my granddaughter just now said, "They always play really scary music for the bear hunts."  "I know, I can hear it," said her sister.)   The girls are in the living room and my husband is upstairs watching the hunting channel.  But, pretty weird, right?  So, yes, music is very important!  A romantic scene wouldn't be nearly as sweet without the beautiful music.

But, putting things simply, there is something about classical music and the way it connects to the brain that helps with many things, especially in math and science, and of course, in learning musical instruments.   But, before those concepts, comes learning to read, which I believe is also greatly helped by the enhanced brain connections. If you want detailed reasons for "why" google "Classical Music and the Brain."  You will fine nearly 7 1/2 million articles!  Just reading the titles alone are quite convincing!

Next time, I'll be talking about the effect different kinds of music can have on personalities.

Doreese

Music Installment #2 - Pre-Natal and Newborns

Today was an exciting one for our family.  My daughter found out if they are going to have her 4th boy, or finally get a baby girl the end of May.  They came over and the boys all excitedly announced, "We're having a girl baby!"  And, my other daughter who has two girls is expecting a boy baby the first part of May.  That was very exciting news too!

Because of the two little grandchildren on the way, I decided to share this part about music that addresses Pre-natal, and Newborns.

Pre-Natal

Anthony De Casper of the University of North Carolina has shown that fetuses store in their memories complex songs that are sung to them daily during the last trimester.  After delivery, babies respond with increased attention to these familiar songs.  (The Times-Picayune 3/13/95)

Babies - Soothing tapes placed in hospitals.

What the hospitals have noticed, says Woodford, is that restless babies, even some babies in pain following surgery, will nod off to sleep, sometimes as soon as the tape is turned on.  Hospitals are not generally the most comforting of places.  There are too many frightful procedures, too  many strangers, too many alarms and beepers and TV sets, all creating a 'Startle effect.'  But lullabies and heartbeats are calming, even in the worst of situations, he says.  More than 30,000 of the tapes have been stolen (ooo, Kind of freaky, but on "Good Luck Charlie" a guy just now was practicing his violin, a classical piece.  Teddy bursts into the room and he says, "Huh, that was exciting for a second."  I thought so too, that's why I'm telling about it!) from US hospitals since they were first introduced seven years ago.  Woodford also says nursing homes have found the tapes helpful in calming down Alzheimer's patients."  (Elaine Jarvik, Deseret News)

From my own personal experience, my unborn children were exposed to great music at church.  Then, when I was expecting my fourth baby, I started my first child in piano lessons.  The Suzuki method.  It has you play the tapes of the songs they are going to be learning every day.  My three children were ages 5, 4, and 1.  So, they were all young enough to greatly benefit from listening to it.  Then, when I was expecting my 5th child, the older children were listening to more advanced classical music every day.  And, after my 5th baby was born, she began sleeping through the night at age two weeks!  It seemed miraculous.  I just thought she must have known that with four other little kids, I needed her to be a happy, calm baby.  But, after reading this, I have to seriously consider it was the music that could have had something to do with it.

I highly recommend playing classical music and lullabies for your little children, and those who are "on the way." 

Doreese

First New Year's Resolution for Parents: GET MUSIC INTO MY CHILD

My last blog of last year had to do with music, and I will be leading this year off by talking about music again.  The next few posts, we'll be discussing the influence of music on education.

Why should you care about music?  Because there is a direct relation to higher test scores and exposure to good music, as well as personality traits, and lots of other good stuff!

I'm using information from articles by Michael Ballam posted online 10/24/2002.  

1.  Developing "neural circuits" or pathways of synaptic response which causes and retains learning

      "Last October researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany reported that exposure to music rewires neural circuits."   A study was done of nine string players, and the amount of the brain dedicated to the thumb and fifth finger of the left hand was significantly larger than in non players.  How long the players practiced each day did not affect the cortical map.  But the age at which they had been introduced to their muse did.  "The younger the child when he or she took up the instrument, the more cortex he or she devoted to playing it.  Like other circuits formed early in life, the ones for music endure."

      Chugani played the guitar as a child, then gave it up.  As a father, he started taking piano lessons with his young daughter.  She learned easily but he couldn't get his fingers to follow his wishes.  "Yet, when Chugani recently picked up a guitar, he found to his delight that, 'The songs are still there,' much like the muscle memory for riding a bicycle."  The musical brain learning window is 3 to 19 years.  Few concert-level performers begin playing later than the age of 10.  It's much harder to learn an instrument as an adult.

               

Next time I will talk about what we can do about developing the "musical muscle" in our children's brain.  And, don't stress out if it is impossible for you to give your child an instrument and music lessons, there are still things you can do!

Doreese

It's Time to Learn Some CHRISTMAS Carols!

The previous post didn't reach very many, and since the Christmas season is now upon us fully, I'm going to mention this topic again because it's such a great idea! It will get you in the Christmas Spirit, get your children exposed to the look of written music, and all while helping your kids learn to read! Choose songs they are familiar with so they can easily read them. Do them often, and they will learn many words through recognition and repetition this way. 

Don't have Christmas music?  Then go get some!  A book of Christmas carols is not expensive, then sing along with a CD if you can't play the piano.  This is not limited to Christmas music, but we love to sing more at Christmas time than any other time of the year.  So, don't let this opportunity pass you by!  

"...Jingle all the way!!!"

I would love to have some feedback on this one!  I really think you will have a lot of fun with your kids this way and they will think you just want to spend time singing Christmas carols with them, and teaching them new carols; not that that isn't true also.  Therefore, this is doubly effective and your child's reading time per day will fly by . . . faster than Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve!

Doreese

Music Strengthens both Reading and Musical Abilities!

Well, we are officially in the holidays!!!!  Oh my Stars!  I can't believe it!  I'm excited for it though.  I've all ready gotten a bunch of cute Thanksgiving items for gifts for myself and others!  They were clearanced at 90% off, so I went crraazzyyyy!  If you need something cute for Thanksgiving, come and see me!

One great way to help your children work on their reading is through music!  If you are church-going people, have your child sit with you and point to the words as they sing the Hymns.  If they are too young for that, then you point to the words while you both sing.  My granddaughter goes to church with us, and I've had fun singing with her.  Plus, it also develops their musical abilities!

Having just celebrated Veteran's Day, I choose this piece of music.  And, a big, hearty thanks to all those who have served our country so bravely and willingly.  I'm so very grateful for what you have done to make my quality of life so top-notch!

With the preparation for Christmas, children are learning lots of beautiful, fun, spirited Christmas carols.

If you play the piano, have your kids gather round you and follow along, with any songs, any time of the year.  Or, put on a CD and open a Christmas song book, or just sing any songs with any written music you have.  Of course, you do not tell your children you are doing this to help them with their reading skills!  And, by seeing the written words as they sing them, they will learn the songs much quicker too!

Happy Singing, and Merry Reading;
        from Doreese

Did You Know Coyotes Can READ??? And, your kids are like coyotes!

So, I came across this book about Coyotes written in 1946!  I'm not sure why I have it. Probably to educate myself and grandsons on the wild outdoors since the men in my family spend so much time in it.  Anyway, I learned while reading it that Coyotes can read!  Yes, it's true!  Let me share some of the examples where they do this.  By the way you can say it as "ki-ote" or "ki-o-tee."  I've always used the latter.  And, speaking of the great outdoors, this beautiful picture was taken by my sister-in-law just yesterday in Sardine Canyon, right next to the valley I live in!  Ya gotta love the fall colors!

"His [coyote] black-lidded eyes are amber.  They glow greenish-gold in the night,  they are very good eyes.  But, like other dogs, a coyote reads mostly with his keen, wet nose.  With a sniff he reads the air and can tell if friends or enemies are near, or where his supper may be waiting.  Or, sniffing the ground, he may read which way his supper has been traveling, and  follow and catch up with it.  By sniffing special stumps and clumps, he can read the latest 'Dog-World News.'  He learns of every other coyote or wolf or dog that has come along his favorite trails, if it was male or female, old or young, well or ill, happy or worried.  For each one, first reading 'the latest,' also leaves his own sign there before going on.  Some also scratch the ground with all four feet, as though drawing firm lines under their names to make them look more bold.  And a coyote carefully sniffs a strange coyote, reading his character to find out if he cares to be a friend." 

Next, the book tells about the musical qualities of the coyote.

"Coyotes are the most musical of  all dogs, wild or tame.  A wolf howls.  A tame dog barks and sometimes howls.  But sometimes a coyote seems to bark and howl and sing bass to his own tenor all at the same time.  To human ears one coyote sounds like a whole quartet gone crazy.  But, to the coyote it is a lovely noise, and his sharp ears hear even more of it than ours do.  Often just at sunset he may serenade his wife."

Yes, I said "wife!"  Coyotes mate for life.  That's pretty cool, huh?

Why, all this talk about how coyotes read?  Well, first off I just thought it was interesting that the author put it that way as he described the above situations that coyotes find themselves in.  And, then I thought that it's so very true, that there are other ways to read than by written symbols.  Just like the coyote has learned to "read" different situations to keep himself safe in the wild, we too need to read harmful situations, and be able to teach our children how to read the new situations that will be at school, where they face a completely new and different environment.  Mostly, they need to be able to read another person's character, to know if this person is helping him/her to be a good student and citizen.  Or to know if this person is sad and lonely and could use a good friend.  Also, help your child to understand that they are sending out a message that others read about them.  What kind of message does your child want other people; teachers and children, to get from them?

Something to think about, and you can use this little coyote story to launch a discussion on the matter.

Doreese

What Did Miss Renee, Kindergarten Teacher, Say About "See abc's®" Being Used in Her Classroom

Back to school nights are going on and the meeting of new teachers.  I would highly recommend talking to them about being a volunteer in their classroom.  I volunteered all last year in a Kindergarten class and loved it!  Read what the teacher had to say about it.

Dear Doreese,
I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation to you for what you have done for my students!  You have opened up the world to them and your program has filled the void in their learning.  I have loved having you work with me too!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  
Love, Renee

You could receive this kind of gratitude from a teacher, and make a difference in some children's lives.  I was even able to save one child from having to repeat Kindergarten!  This child caught up quickly using See abc's, and even exceeded some of the other students.  It's so exciting to teach beginning readers how to take shapes of letters, decode them and put them together into words!  That only happens once in their lives, and the less frustrating it is for them, the more they will want to do it!  That word want plays a huge factor in all of the rest of their educational life.

Now, off to school you go!  What new and exciting adventures await!

Doreese