Editorial Musings

 OK kids! Circle round; time to sing some campfire songs! How many of you readers feel excitement, joy and anticipation rising in your body just at the thought of singing campfire songs?! It's really fun to do around a campfire on a summer evening, especially if you have hotdogs, lemonade, and s'mores, but it's also fun just to sing the songs with your kids, friends and family. You don't even have to have a campfire. You can sit out on the front porch, around the kitchen table or do it while riding in the car to your vacation.

I can remember as a child at Lake Junaluska (see last month's issue for a picture of Dr. Cash's daughter getting married at Lake Junaluska) lying in my cabin bed and hearing older kids gathered around their campfire singing things like "Kum-ba-ya" and "We are climbing Jacob's ladder." It sounded so beautiful to me and made me want to be old enough to join in. I was probably 8 or 9 and these kids were teens. When I did finally get old enough to go to camp, I learned a funny song called "Plant a watermelon at the Head of my Grave (and let the juice {sluuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrp) run through!) It was hilarious and I still sing to my patients here at the hospital when a song like that seems appropriate. It makes everyone laugh and we all know how good that is for the immune system, not to mention the mind and body and spirit!

It's much the same with songs that children learn in Vacation Church School; all the fun songs with hand motions about David and Goliath, Jonah, Noah, and various other Bible stories like the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. All of these are teaching children positive lessons in a fun, entertaining manner and the music is reinforcing the memory, just as when we sing the ABC song. (And most of us still do if we need to alphabetize something!) Let's take advantage of our extra time at home with kids this summer to teach lots and lots of songs from our childhood as well as theirs. Children are so uncritical; all they really want is your undivided attention and it is an activity that:

• Entertains
• Diverts
• Bonds them with you
• Is free!

Does music make learning easier or faster or just more fun? Well, it definitely makes it more fun but it can also make it easier to learn many different types of information and keep that information reinforced. Of course the classic example (for me) is the "Alphabet Song." But it's not just about reinforcing facts or information like all of the multiplication tables or all of the counties in a state, or even which bone is connected to which bone.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, asked students from pre-school age through high school to listen to Mozart's music while performing various tasks. Their results indicated that listening to this music improved their ability to perform tasks related to spatial intelligence. This was later generalized (by other people, not the researchers) to "listening to Mozart makes you smarter." Frances Rauscher, Ph.D., one of the original researchers suggested that because Mozart's music is highly organized, it helps the learner's brain to become more organized and their thinking more structured.

According to my friend and colleague, Chris Brewer, (check out Life Sounds at http://www.musicandlearning.com/articles_ltssl.cfm ) "accelerated learning is an actual method, based on the Bulgarian-born "Suggestopedia" It appears to be the first educational system in contemporary times to develop a program for using music to actually enhance learning and carry content into memory. It is quite possible that traditional societies and ancient civilizations used music to teach and learn in their learning systems, but we have no record of any specifics. A few music aficionados, such as Carl Orff, and insightful, spiritual educators like Rudolf Steiner, promoted music use in learning in very unique ways in their methodologies. However, there is no evidence that any of the factory-model teaching methods of the 20th century recognized the powerful role music can play in learning until Georgi Lozanov. His Suggestopedia model appears to be the first to integrate music in learning, which he did in a very complete and elegant manner.

Suggestopedia was adopted in the United States as Accelerated Learning. Certain education models that developed after AL have included basic use of music in their practices. Howard Gardners' Multiple Intelligence theory recognizes music as one of the eight defined intelligence areas. The evolving MI teaching models support the development of the musical intelligence but do not promote music as a teaching tool except for the use of musical performance to depict academic concepts, an activity which builds musical intelligence and helps some students understand concepts better. It is interesting to note that this use of music as a direct metaphor for specific academic concepts has not been used by Lozanov.

Research results, such as the UC-Irvine Mozart studies, have substantiated some benefits of music in learning. Teaching practices stemming from the Mozart research and other studies are being implemented to some degree despite on-going controversy over accuracy of the research and disputes over methods of implementation. Brain-based learning promotes music use in very broad terms but spends more time acknowledging the benefits than providing directions for use. In the corporate realm, some training departments are integrating music, most often using contemporary, upbeat music to enliven training or using slow music for relaxation exercises and focused work sessions. All of these music uses are valid and appear to be increasing the productivity of the learning experiences. However, despite the new interest in music as a teaching tool, Lozanov's method remains the only system that has carefully analyzed the possibilities of music and learning and developed methods for integrating music comprehensively within a teaching framework."

Most music healers and educators believe that a great degree of relaxation is necessary for optimal learning. Steve Halpern has many tapes for many things including accelerated learning. I would recommend his tapes to anyone! For easy access to his tapes, click on the links below.

Steven Halpern's Inner Peace Music:
http://www.stevenhalpern.com/sound_healing.html

Steven Halpern's Music for Learning:
http://www.stevenhalpern.com/music_learning.html

Several private workshops scheduled in Louisville: call 502-895-7688 to see if there is room for you.

Topics in July include:

Music in Health Care
Music and Wellness
Toning and Chanting

People in the Louisville area have been asking for specific dates LOCALLY that I will be presenting workshops and/or lectures. Here you go:

Thursday, July 31, 8-9:30 "Music and Wellness: Top Ten Favorites" Milestone Fitness Center, Louisville.

Saturday, August 30, 2003 9-12 noon "Music in Healthcare" a workshop for healthcare professionals. CEU's applied for, for RN's, LCSW, Psychologist, MFT's and others.

September 2003: - Hamilton, Ohio. The Workshop for Daycare providers on "Music in the Daycare setting" went very well. Part II of the content will be presented in the fall. Email Dr. Cash for more information.

Read about the newest Calendar updates!

Dr. Cash is available for speaking keynotes, workshops, and individual "music medicine consultations" with people, as well as seminars, classes and other group and individual instruction in using music for healing and promoting health and wellbeing. Go to http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/services.html for more information.

Attention: Louisvillle Area Health Professionals

Dr. Cash offers classes on a regular basis on:

1. How to create music tapes for surgery
2. Using music with pregnancy, childbirth and newborns
3. Understanding how music affects the Mind-Body-Spirit & applying this to practice
4. Toning, Chanting, and Drumming for Health
5. Using Music with Alzheimer's Patients