Benefit #2: Hands-On Learning

Also, learning a musical instrument is a “hands-on” type of learning. Children with ADHD or children with concentration problems will learn more effectively in this way. It's been scientifically proven that we learn better through hands-on interaction and engagement when compared to reading a book or listening to a teacher in the classroom.

Benefit #3: Relaxation

Another benefit that learning a musical instrument does for a hyperactive child or one with ADHD is relaxation. Music naturally relaxes us. There are certain types of music that can lower heart rate and blood pressure in a natural way. In fact, music therapy is being used more and more as a supplement to more traditional medical practices. Music styles that are taught in lessons such as classical and jazz have an enormous influence towards relaxation.

Benefit #4: Patience

And finally, patience is yet another benefit to learning a musical instrument. It is not easy to learn an instrument, and by overcoming small obstacles in the process of learning music will help your child later in life when more challenges arise.

Do you think that educational video games could improve your child's grades? Do you think that educational video games could teach your child “non-gaming” skills required to achieve success in life?

There is certainly a movement going on in the direction of implementing educational games into the classroom. For better or worse, it will be showing up to a classroom near you. I just don't want you to get excited just yet.

In Part 3 of this series I will discuss a third study done by the DimensionU Gaming Suite, and my reaction toward it. I will then draw a comparison to another “supplemental activity,” which is learning a musical instrument in order to give you a perspective on how to improve your child's education.

DimensionM is the Math part of a larger gaming suite called DimensionU that covers other subjects such as Science and Reading. Below is the summary of the study that DimensionU posts on their website.

Study #3: Pender County Study (UNC Wilmington)

Conducted in 2008, this study looks at the effects of DimensionM in the setting of a rural middle school of roughly 500 students, where only 63.1 percent of students were either at or above grade level on state-mandated End-of-Course testing for math. 

• Mean scores increased from 46% on the pre-test to 63% on the post-test
  
  
• Male and female students demonstrated equitable gains
  

Not bad. The results are certainly encouraging, though after reading the in-depth report, I was not as excited as I was when looking at the summary above.  

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Just like the other two studies from Parts 1 and 2, this summary is very misleading. They make it sound like they did the study on 500 students. Look above again. Isn't that how you interpret the first sentence of the study? In actuality, they did the study on 34 students as it states in the full report. Is it me, or is that a big difference? I don't know about you, but I don't like being misled.

The truth is that out of 500 students in that particular middle school, only 63.1% of the students were at or above grade level in their end-of-year exams in Math. However, the gaming study was experimented on only 34 of the 500 students. In the full report, these 34 students were all below-average in Math.

Now, let's look at the first bullet point of the study above. Just like in Part 1, I don't like the use of the word “mean.” The word sounds too scientific and covers up the real meaning of the point. Instead of “mean scores,” I would prefer “average scores” in this context. We're not looking at any complex data here. It's simply the average pre-test scores of the children before they began the “remediation course” or “gaming course” which I prefer to use.

It's also important to reiterate that the students who participated in the study were below-average students with failing grades in Math. So certainly, there would be plenty of room for improvement by having an hour of “supplemental” activities every week for 7 weeks as the full report states. The results were that the average pre-test score went from 46% which is clearly a failing grade, to a 63% which is also a failing grade, though greatly improved.

The second bullet point is true and backed up in the report. Both boys and girls improved equally on average.  

So What Else Is Wrong About This Study?

There are still some “unknowns” about this study and educational video games in general. One is, (and the full report acknowledges), that we still don't know what the results would be of the games on standardized test scores. A second unanswered question is, How would the skills attained through educational gaming be useful in non-gaming situations? And thirdly, What are the cognitive processes used to employ these games and how can they be or could be applied to develop other academic and life skills?

I have one more big question about these games, since they claim to have an instructional component to them. DimensionM has an instructional section where students can go to in order to learn the material necessary to move on to the next level in the adventure. They must master the material to advance forward in the game.

I would like to know, if the game asks the exact same question in every level, so that the student can guess and use the process of elimination in order to move to the next level. If that's the case, what are the students actually learning? They would just be memorizing answers if this is the case. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer because there is no information regarding this issue in the full report.  

Is This An Attack On Educational Video Games?

If you've read this far and have read Parts 1 and 2 of this series, you may infer that I'm attacking DimensionM and other educational video games.

I am not attacking educational video games in general. I am personally in favor of some supplemental activity to improve test scores. Clearly, scores can improve with the implementation of this game. What I am attacking, is the misleading studies that put this game and others in a more favorable light than they should be.

I would like to know if this game would improve the already above-average students' grades in Math. I would like to know if this game can only improve a failing students grades to barely passable levels, or can it make a good student “great.” I'm thinking about how our students can compete with rest of the world and not just trying to help the below-average ones.

What is the difference between two students that take the same exact class with the same teacher and one fails and the other gets an A? Is it about the parents and the home environment, or something neurological or chemical? Can gaming solve all of these problems?

A New Interactive World

The full report also claims that most students are surrounded by 6 hours of interactive media everyday and are evolving into learning only with interactive media. I have a very hard time accepting this. Where is the child getting 6 hours of media from? At home? Well, the parents need to limit that time, moderate it, and control it ferociously.

I don't know of any geniuses or great minds throughout history that have developed their intellect by playing educational video games. The intelligence of mankind has not “evolved” with the advent of gaming.  

An Ancient Interactive Tool For Learning

I get frustrated sometimes when I see the excitement when a new technology emerges that makes life just a little bit easier. Though I see the benefits and potential for educational video games, my view is that we already have an activity that we can use not only as an outside-of-the-classroom activity, but one that already has the scientific data and countless brilliant minds that have made use of it to their benefit.

I'm talking about learning a musical instrument, and learning how to play and read music. If you've ready my articles about Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo, Albert Einstein and Steven Spielberg, then you know that music has an enormous impact on the development of an intelligent mind.

Below are three case studies and their summarized results found in three nationally recognized research organizations.

• The Journal For Research In Music Education In 2007 Found That Elementary School Students In Top-Quality Music Programs Scored 22% Higher In English And 20% Higher In Mathematics Than Their Non-Musical Peers. June 2007; Dr. Christopher Johnson, Jenny Memmott

• The American Chemical Society Found That Nearly 100% Of Past Winners In The Prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition (High School Students) In Science, Math, And Technology Played One Or More Musical Instruments. The Midland Chemist (American Chemical Society) Vol. 42, No.1, Feb. 2005
  

• In A National Report By The College Board Documented That Students Of Music Continue To Outperform Their Non-Arts Peers On The SAT. In 2006, Students Of Music Performance/Music Coursework Scored 57 Points Higher On The Verbal And 43 Points Higher On The Math Parts Of The SAT. The College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2006
  

The Differences Between Learning Music & Educational Video Games

If you read the summaries above, you may be thinking, “well, you just gave us the summary of the results just like DimensionM did and you didn't go into the full in-depth report.” That's true. And that's why I listed my sources at the end of each study for you to read yourself. I encourage you to read the studies and see for yourself. However, I don't know of too many people who would refute the cognitive benefits of music education. If anything, there are many people that are unaware of the benefits.

Below you will see two lists: one that summarizes just some of the scientific data found on the affects of studying music, and the other that summarizes the data found in the DimensionM study above.

Students Of All Grades/Abilities Involved In Music Education

• 22% Higher Test Scores in English
  
  
• 20% Higher Test Scores in Math
  
  
• Nearly 100% of winners in Science Competitions
  
  
• Score 57 points higher on Verbal SAT
  
  
• Score 43 points higher on Math SAT
  

Below-Average Students Involved With DimensionM Educational Video Games

• No Data found for Test Scores in English
  
  
• 17% Higher Test Scores in Math
  
  
• No Data found for winners in Science Competitions
  
  
• No Data found for affects on SAT scores
  

Am I Being Unfair?

I will admit that I was a little unfair towards the DimensionM study because I compared several studies of music against one study of an educational video game. But, if you read Parts 1 and 2 of this series, you will have understood the pattern of the DimensionM case studies. All three studies were done on only below-average students while the music case studies were done on students of NOT just below-average students, but of all averages high and low.

I would also add that the music case studies were done by independent organizations that had no product that they were trying to sell. There was no special interest. On the other hand, the gaming studies using DimensionM were done by the same company trying to market its own product. Certainly, the facts would be sugar-coated. There's no other way to see it.  

Parents & Teachers: The One Thing You Should Take Away From This Article

Over the course of three articles, I have basically weakened the merits of DimensionU, one of the leading educational video games in the market. If this game or another is available to your child as a supplemental activity to help raise poor test scores, I would do it. Yes, I said to do it. It can't hurt as long as it remains “supplemental.”

I would highly recommend that you try to get your child started in learning a musical instrument as soon as possible. The reason is because it takes time to develop the cognitive skills that come from learning music that will then translate to good grades and academic enthusiasm. The sooner the better.

Also, the benefits of learning music are more scientifically conclusive than educational games. I would not get too excited or fixated on the idea that video games can improve your child's test scores in Math. Games have a long way to go before they can compete with music.

Technology cannot solve all of our problems!

The long term benefits of a music education are too long to list in this article. If you want to learn more, I have written many articles about the effects of music education on the mind.  

There is so much gaming hype going on in the world and it has invaded the education system for better and worse. Clearly the system is trying to find solutions to the epidemic of sub-par grades in Math, Science And Reading. I'm just not sure that educational video games are the solution. This is the second part of a 3-part series and we will be discussing in depth about another study done using the DimensionM game, which is the Math part of the DimensionU Gaming Suite. 

Case Study #2: Where's The Full Report?

A Broward County Study showed an average pre-post test improvement was 82.7% and 75% of students who used DimensionM received a passing grade in the course versus 35.5% of students who did not use DimensionM.

For the second study, I had to do some more research. Clearly, the increase in test scores and the increase of passing grades is remarkable. What I discovered is that this study was used on a group of rising 7th and 8th graders in a “Math Recovery Program” in the summer. This means that these were students with very poor grades in Math and therefore had a huge potential for increasing test scores.

Indeed, I am please with the results. These were young students whose scores were very below average and 75% of the ones that played the DimensionM games raised their test scores to “passing” levels as opposed to only 35% of the non-gaming students reached passing grades. I applaud the increase.

As I continued to look for the “full report” on the study to gather more details, I learned that there is no full report. At least, not one that could be found anywhere on DimensionU's website or anywhere else online. I was a bit disappointed because all I could find were the highlights of the study. This makes me feel a bit skeptical at best.

The first set of figures are also somewhat unclear. It says that “pre-post test improvement was 82.7%.” Does that mean that on average, the students' scores were 82.7% higher after having used the game? Or does it mean that 82.7% of students “improved” their test scores? I will assume the statement relates to the second question. If it's true that 82.7% of students improved their scores, then, by how much? The study doesn't say. It only states that 75% of students received a “passing grade.” So 3 out of ever 4 students passed and could continue on to the next Math level for the coming school year.

I wonder, how many of the students had failing grades, and then were able to raise their grades to a “D” range which would consider that a passing grade? The study doesn't answer this question. Is it safe to assume that at least some of those below-average students went from an F in Math to a D? Sure, in the 3 weeks, I would consider that an improvement too.

Now All The Schools Want To Play Games

For the schools that have the budget want to invest in the DimensionU Gaming Suite. Why? Because the goal of schools is to minimize the amount of failing students as much as possible. It makes their stats look bad. The schools want to implement this technology into the classroom and use it as a teaching tool hoping that more students will achieve passing grades.  

When Did Mediocrity Become Acceptable?

No where in this study does it even hint that with this technology we could possibly beat China, Japan, India, or many other countries in Math, Science, and Reading test scores. The study doesn't hint at it, because it's not possible! This study implies that everyone's test scores will rise if used in the classroom. The facts aren't there. Everyone is getting so excited that their failing students will achieve mediocrity at best. Wow! Let's all clap our hands. We'll have more mediocre students to compete against the superior students of Math, Science, and Language in other parts of the world.

Certainly, we must help our failing students. I'm not attacking them. We should do whatever is necessary increase their skills. One idea I have for struggling students is give them

the opportunity to participate in this gaming system after school. The games will give them an opportunity for more repetition in order to absorb the material that was taught in class. I just don't want to see entire class periods focused on educational video games.

I'm not against educational games, but I don't want the excitement for this technology, (just like any other new technology), to be implemented in such a way that it become a crutch for learning. Most of the students that participated in the study, said that they would like to have the DimensionU gaming suite in the classroom next year.

Does Learning Always Have To Be Fun?

For the last twenty years or so, I've been hearing that if learning could be done in a fun way, then why not do it? I also have heard countless times that learning is supposed to be fun. Certainly, enthusiasm can help in the learning process, but I think it's a bad precedent to teach kids that learning is supposed to fun. They will grow thinking that everything is supposed to be fun. Is everything in life fun? If you're an adult reading this, then you know the answer.

Let's be realistic. Some things in life are not fun and that's OK. If everything was fun we wouldn't appreciate it. We need the “unfun” stuff in life so that we can make that comparison and therefore enjoy the fun when it comes our way. So sometimes learning is not fun, but it's part of life. We need to be challenged. Humanity did not reach this point in time with just mediocrity. We have reached this modern technological world because humanity overcame its challenges.

Our Expectations Continue To Fall

We've gone from “giving children a head start in life” to “no child left behind.” The bar is being lowered and lowered. Instead of focusing on reaching mediocrity, we need to focus on achieving superiority.  

1 Way To Achieve Greatness

Certainly technology can help us advance knowledge, improve the education of our children, and achieve greatness. The Internet is proof that young people are making great strides in intelligence since most of the knowledge of mankind is available online. How to find it is another subject entirely.

In order for young people to get the most out of the technology that is available to them is begin early on in developing the brains so that they have the capability to absorb, interpret, and apply what they learn. As I stated in Part 1, learning a musical instrument should on list of essential tools for developing intelligence. We're not talking about passing grades or mediocrity. We're talking about developing a mind that can not only absorb information, and regurgitate it, but a mind that has the capability to imagine, discover, and innovate. This type of mind will be able to produce, contribute to society, and compete with the rest of the greats minds of the world.

I want to make a reminder that we humans did not reach this point in time by learning algebra on a video game. The leisure and pleasures that we enjoy in this modern society were provide to us by intelligent minds that that were developed through hard work, dedication, and the desire to achieve something for the world that was greater that the world that was provide to them.

In Part 3, I will be discussing a third case study of the educational gaming suite, and provide factual data on the benefits of studying music in order to make a comparison of which method is better for building intelligent minds.  

Video games, video games, video games. Everyone plays video games. On the TV, on the computer, on the iPhone, iPad, and basically any device that has a screen. I see it everywhere. In New York City where I live, I see adults playing video games on their phones in the subway going to and from work. You can't text or make phone calls down in the subway, so you might as well play video games to pass the time. Or so that's the way it appears to me.

We are creating a species of the human race that have learned to spend most of its leisure time, and time in between other more important responsibilities, to playing games. What about a conversation with your neighbor, or paying attention to your surroundings, or “collecting” your thoughts? These simple aspects of life have been replaced with a new past time called gaming.

Gaming is so ubiquitous that it has already entered the education system as a technique for learning and improving student's test scores.

Gaming In The Classroom

It's not new that video games have entered the education system. But the tide has certainly turned and is beginning an uncontrollable flood into our classrooms. Children are growing up in a supposedly high tech classroom in which they are going to be increasingly more and more surrounded by games. It seems like it's the only thing that grabs their attention these days, so the education system has decided to go with the flow and bring gaming into the classroom.

One gaming system in particular, DimensionU Educational Game Suite, created by Tabulus Digita, has made enormous strides in entering the education system and has achieved some attractive results. Or so it seems...

This article will be a 3-part series discussing the results of three different studies done using the DimensionU game suite on students K-12.

Study #1: Increased Test Scores And A Play On Words

-A University of Central Florida study found that students who played the games demonstrated greater gain scores from pre-test to post-test (mean increase of 8.07) than students who did not play the game (mean increase of 3.74);

I support any technique that increases Math scores. Certainly, these below-average students need as much help as they can get. What I fear, is that they will only learn “how to learn” with video games. I don't want video games to become a replacement to other forms of learning that are effective but necessarily in vogue. Plus, technology has already proven to make us lazy. Do we want to teach laziness in the classroom too?

How has mankind expanded knowledge through the millennia? From learning math fundamentals through a video game system? Let's not forget how we all arrived to this point in history. It was because some really smart people contributed ideas to society that we now get to enjoy in this modern civilization that we habitat. These “smart people” weren't born with intelligence, they developed it through work and study.

Where Are The Hard Facts To Backup Gaming In School?I will also mention that it has been difficult to get hard numerical data for the benefits of gaming on test scores in Math, Reading, and Science. We are still in its infancy. Let's move forward carefully, skeptically, and deliberately. We want to remain mindful that the well-being of future generations is at stake here.

There's Another Solution That Few Want To Pay Attention To

We're searching for solutions in technology for all of our problems including our education system. Well, there is a solution that has been in existence for thousands of years and its benefits can easily be traced as far back as the Renaissance Period.

The solution is to learn a musical instrument. Learning how to read and play music does not break down math and reading into separate video games to learn each subject or task one and a time. Learning music stimulates both left and right hemispheres of the brain at the same time, which accelerates the building of mathematical and linguistic intelligences. I've been reading about how video games improve multi-tasking skills which is great, but, music has been doing this for hundreds of years. It just doesn't have the “sexy” appeal of newer, more technological ways.

In Part 2 of this article, I will discuss in more detail the second study of DimensionU on students' test scores, and also begin to compare the results of studying music on test scores, using hard facts and numerical data to make a clearer comparison.

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Throughout history, it actually wasn't a secret to the great minds. Many artists, intellectuals, writers, mathematicians, and scientists shared this one unique ability and it can be traced all the way back to antiquity. Most people view this once secret as more a recreational activity or pleasing way to pass the time. Though it certainly can be those things, it is actually much more.

What many of the great minds and geniuses throughout history shared was the ability to play a musical instrument and the ability to read music. Today, music is seen as either a hobby for amateurs or a career for professional musicians. It can also be these things, but the “gray” area of this topic is what I will discuss in this article and how it affects the development of intelligence. I will begin by introducing several geniuses throughout history that have lived productive lives and contributed greatly to society because of their mind. The people in this article are not known as musicians, but you will know them by the names and the legacy that their names render.

The Father of Science, Galileo, played a major role in the Scientific Revolution and supported the idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Considered forever to be a genius, music played a central role in Galileo's development. Music lead him to many important discoveries in new physics that still hold true today.

One of the greatest minds of all time, and the original "Renaissance Man," Leonardo Da Vinci was centuries ahead of his time with his futuristic inventions, and timeless with his epic paintings such as "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." Some of his inventions were never built until many years after his death. His imagination was just too far ahead of the technical capabilities of his time. Leonardo also had a talent for music during his early development years as an apprentice. He sang and played several musical instruments. It is considered that music was only second to painting in his artistic abilities.

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, practiced the violin 3 hours a day. He was the founder of what later become known as Jeffersonian Democracy, a political philosophy. He was chosen as the author of The Declaration of Independence because he was known as a fine writer with an incredible command of the language. He was a proficient violinist and had an extensive catalog of sheet music. Jefferson called music "this favorite passion of my soul."

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist whose discovery of the theory of relativity sparked a revolution in physics and changed the world of science forever. Besides being a Nobel Prize winner in physics, Einstein was also an excellent violinist and pianist. Many of his theories were developed while striking chords at the piano and playing the melodies of Mozart. Einstein said that “Life without playing music is inconceivable for me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…I get most joy in life out of music.”

Throughout the ages, music has been at the center of consciousness for the great minds of the world. Music influenced their thinking and sparked their creativity. This phenomenon shook the world and made contributions to society. Many of the great minds have always known that there is a musical link between education, imagination, and discovery.

Am I saying that if you learn a musical instrument that you will become a genius? No. But it has already been proven on a smaller scale that learning music improves test scores, SAT scores, and IQ levels. Though music learning is not a guarantee to becoming a genius, we should all aspire to be like a Da Vinci or Einstein. If not us, at least ensure that your children have the opportunity to enhance their education and development with musical training.

The goal of learning music is not to become a genius, but to create opportunities. Music is conducive to developing many non-musical skills that will be necessary to combat life's challenges when they present themselves. The more skill sets you possess, the more opportunities you can take advantage of. Opportunities lead to productivity and prosperity. In order to take advantage of an opportunity, you must be intellectually prepared to act on it. Therefore, music can be an underlying link that connects the development of intelligence and the opportunities found in a prosperous life.

I wrote this article because I believe that learning music must have a permanent place in education and development. The past proved it. The present is forgetting it. The future must take hold of it again.

We need smarter people in our society to produce and maintain an increasingly more complex economy. And whoever chooses not to aspire to be like a genius will have less opportunities to take part in the benefits of the new world economy. In the future, there will few opportunities for the unskilled.

So let's learn from history. Let's not forget how we got here. Let's reclaim our legacy of excellence.

I just finished watching the Charlie Rose Show on channel 13 this evening. His guest was The Tiger Mom, and I learned some new information about the controversial mother which I would like to share with you in this article. Since my original article about the Tiger Mother was so popular, I thought that you would like to know more. I will discuss the updates from her interview with Charlie Rose and go into more depth regarding parenting, and the discipline and process of learning a musical instrument.

So What Is New With The Tiger Mom?

As I wrote in the first article, the Tiger Mom's second daughter Lulu, quit the violin because of the rigorous practice regimen that her mother forced her to follow. What the Tiger Mom said in the interview was that Lulu recently went back to the violin! It happened sometime after she finished her book, Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother.

As the story goes, Lulu quit the violin and took up tennis instead. Well, after some time, Lulu returned to the violin because she missed it. She loves the music of Bach and Mendelssohn and enjoys playing their great works. Did the Tiger Mom force her to go back to the violin? Absolutely not. Lulu chose to go back with her own free will. A lesson has to be learned from this.

The lesson is that you can't force a child to practice a musical instrument for 2 to 3 hours a day. It's kind of like gambling. You might have a winner, or you might just as likely have a loser. What I mean is that, the 2 to 3 hours practicing worked well for the Tiger Mom's first daughter who performed a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, but the same regimen caused Lulu to quit and lose interest.

How do you know when it's too much?

If your child wants to learn a musical instrument and has the will, you should encourage it. Certainly, you will have to make sure your child practices daily. Not 2 to 3 hours. Between 30 minutes and an hour. Just like anything else that you have to do daily, it becomes a bit boring. This is where the skill of discipline is developed. Very important. When it becomes difficult or monotonous, discipline is what prevails. I always tell the parents of my students, that if their child practices 4 hours, but only 1 day a week, the results will not bear fruit. I tell them to make sure their child practices 30 minutes every day. I can tell the difference between a student who practices daily and one that practices once a week. The results are vastly different.

Teaching Music Appreciation

It's important not to force your child to take lessons or to practice several hours a day like the Tiger Mom did. The best thing to do is to start music appreciation during early childhood. All children are musically inclined. A child can naturally begin humming or singing at the age of 1! Music perception can be traced back to the most primitive and ancient parts of the human brain. It's within all of us. But the best time to develop that musical connection is during childhood.

If your child is past the early stages, you still have an opportunity to encourage music appreciation. Play music in the house. Play music in the car. Go to a concert. Classical music, jazz, country, folk, or popular music. Just stay away from the hip hop and rap. Don't worry, your child will discover those styles easily because they're everywhere.

When you're listening to music together, have a conversation about the music with your child. Ask him/her questions about the music. “Do you like this song?” “Can you hear the piano?” “Doesn't the singer have a pretty voice?” Etc.

And show enthusiasm about music. I'm sure you like music. Who doesn't? Show it and express it to your child. When I was growing up, there was always music in the house, in the car, and on the TV. Turn off the video games and the talk shows, and turn on a concert on PBS or turn on a free streaming radio station on your computer. And besides, it puts everyone in a good mood. Music is food for the soul.

I am happy that Lulu went back to her violin and I'm sure the Tiger Mom is too. Sometimes we have to leave something before we can appreciate it. No one likes to be forced to do anything, especially when it's unreasonable. Balance is the key. If your children practice their instruments everyday for at least 30 minutes of focused attention, not only will they learn how to play and read music, but the grades and test scores in math, science, and reading will eventually go up as well.

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There has been a tremendous surge of attention lately regarding the parenting practices of the famous “Tiger Mom.” The Harvard Law professor wrote a book called, Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother, in which she recounted her experiences raising two daughters in the traditional Chinese way while living in modern day America. The book has raised much controversy regarding her practices, but what caught my attention was that she pushed her daughters to learn a musical instrument, the violin and piano respectably. This article will discuss my thoughts on the Tiger Mom's parenting practices of enforcing music discipline on her daughters.

In the book as well as in interviews, the Tiger Mom forced her two daughters to practice their instruments for 2 to 3 hours a day. She would listen to them practice and tell them that each song must be perfect or they would not be permitted to stop practicing until they could.

The first daughter really reached a high level of musicianship in playing the piano. I heard her on a video recording, and I was impressed with what I witnessed. She was performing a piano solo at Carnegie Hall at the age of 14. Wow! Clearly, the 3 hours a day of practice made that achievement possible. The second daughter, on the other hand, studied the violin for many years and has recently given it up with permission by her mother, in order to pursue tennis.

Both of her daughters have high grades in all their classes. Part of that has to do with high expectations of their Tiger Mom, and partly I believe, because learning a musical instrument improves cognition and it transfers to higher scores in math, reading, and science.

I personally believe that 2 to 3 hours of practice a day plus homework and studies is on the excessive side. I believe 45 minutes to an hour of focused practice time is the most effective, especially for beginners. Unless the child is immensely enjoying the practice time, the results will not improve much after the first hour, so long as it is focused practice.

Students who enjoy practicing need a break after an hour. Even professional musicians need a break after an hour of performing. And they are playing what they have already learned. It's much more strenuous on the mind and even on the body to practice an instrument for several hours at a time because of the amount of concentration required. Everyone needs a break. The Tiger Mom supposedly didn't even allow bathroom breaks during practice time. Again, this is excessive and this method would certainly backfire sooner or later. That's exactly what happened with her second daughter.

If after practicing one hour a day consistently did not show any improvement, certainly some change would need to be made. If the student has a good teacher, that teacher would be able to make a professional assessment as to whether the student is improving and demonstrate how to achieve progress. Unfortunately, sometimes it is poor teaching and not the student that can hinder results or motivation. Sometimes a teacher change is required. Sometimes it's the teacher's personality or method that is not effective for a particular student's needs. I don't think this was the case with the Tiger Mom. In my opinion, she was forcing her kids to practice too much.

I understand that she had high expectations and I applaud that. The West seems to be lacking in a disciplined approach to parenting lately. But music inherently teaches discipline. Music inherently causes the student to self-analyze and to find solutions to improve. A good teacher can help facilitate this even further. A mother looking over the shoulder of her daughter while practicing causes too much pressure and diminishes the joy that making music brings. Now I don't know if The Tiger Mom actually looked over her daughters' shoulders while they practiced, but that's how it appeared in the videos I saw from the media. If that's the case, it would have been better to do a check during the last 5 minutes of practice time to see if there's an improvement.

A parent with no background in learning a musical instrument should not take this approach too seriously, because that would be like a lawyer performing heart surgery. It's not their job. The teacher ultimately, assesses improvement and reports the results back to the parent. The Tiger Mom did study the piano and violin during her childhood, so she was somewhat qualified to assess her daughters' progress. However, she is not a professional musician nor a music education expert. So her opinion on progress would not be considered as valuable as a professional teacher's would be.

The role of the parent in their child's music education should be involved but not overbearing. The parent should enforce daily practice for 45 minutes to an hour and make sure to be informed by their child's progress from the teacher on a weekly basis. If the teacher recommends more practice time or recommends more concentration, the parent should enforce and facilitate this at home. And if the child laments about how difficult it is to learn the instrument, or expresses doubts of improving, the parent and teacher both should encourage and support the child to believe in himself/herself.

I applaud the Tiger Mom for being so involved in her daughters' music education. I also applaud her for understanding how important learning a musical instrument is for a child's education and development. There is no doubt that learning an instrument and learning how to read music have a profound effect on a student's ability to master other academic subjects. It shows too, because the Tiger Mom's children have proven to be superior in their academics.

In the end, learning a musical instrument teaches discipline, builds self-esteem, and improves academic abilities. I thank the Tiger Mom and her story for bringing the importance of music education to the forefront of the media, even if it will be short-lived like all stories in the news. We the people, parents and teachers, must ensure that the next generation grows up to be intelligent, hardworking, and ultimately successful individuals. Learning a musical instrument indeed teaches values that will help them achieve these goals.

Steven Spielberg: The Synergy Of Science And Music Of A Filmmaker

Steven Spielberg is considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. He is known for films such as Jaws, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List.

Spielberg played the clarinet in grade school and high school. He’s been collecting film scores since childhood as a hobby and once said, "If I weren't a filmmaker, I'd probably be in music." Learning music certainly influenced Spielberg, and it helped him develop the creativity required to be a visionary filmmaker.

Spielberg grew up with music in the house. His mother was a concert pianist and would put Steven on her lap while she played classical pieces. Even while she was pregnant with him, she spent much of her time at the piano playing music. With his mom, he would learn to tap the beats of the music she was playing. At a very young age, music was ingrained into Spielberg’s childhood development.

His mother Leah said that Steven had a highly developed imagination at an early age. For example, while Leah played the piano, Steven wanted the top of the piano opened so he could watch the strings vibrate. It actually scared him to look inside that big black piano and hear the massive musical sounds that erupted out of it. But he insisted to look inside the piano over and over again.

Being surrounded by music during childhood played a key element in the development of Spielberg’s creativity.

In fact, both his parents contributed synergistically to the great visionary whose films we enjoy so much. His mother contributed music and creativity, while his father was an engineer, a great storyteller and loved science fiction. The clearest proof of this synergy can be exemplified in the final scene of the film, “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,” in which the scientists programmed music with their computers to communicate with the extraterrestrials. That scene was about his mother and father: music and science.

This leads us to an important point. Education doesn’t come just from the classroom. It comes from the lessons of one’s parents and guardians. Let’s not depend solely on the education system to enlighten the minds of future generations.

Leonardo Da Vinci is considered by many as the greatest genius of all time. The reason is because he was a master of many skills: Inventor, Scientist, Architect, Astronomer, Painter, Sculptor, Mathematician, Engineer, Anatomist, Geologist, Botanist, and Writer.

He is probably most known for his famous paintings “The Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.”

What many people probably don’t know about Leonardo was that he was an excellent musician. However, in his day, he was renowned as a brilliant musician along with his other known talents. He was popular at the palaces of his patrons because of his musical talents and ability to entertain at events. It’s even been recorded that he was asked to perform at events and parties of very influential people including the Regent of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.

In fact, Leonardo applied for a position as an inventor under Ludovico Sforza and was hired. Later, historian Giorgio Vasari stated that it was probably his “courtly charms” and his talents as a musician that were responsible for him being hired.

He knew how to play the flute and the lyre, which was a stringed instrument well known for its use in Greek antiquity. And according to Historian Vasari who knew Da Vinci, said that “he sang divinely without any preparation.”  We even have a few manuscripts that contain some original musical compositions that still exist today. It is believed that Da Vinci probably had written more music but it was never found.

There is little doubt that music played an influential role in the development of Da Vinci’s mind. Though Da Vinci is most known for being an exceptional painter, he acknowledged that music was only second to the supremacy of vision.

Leonardo wrote, “Music may be called the sister of painting, for she is dependent upon hearing, the sense which comes second…painting excels and ranks higher than music, because it does not fade away as soon as it is born…”

When Da Vinci painted, he always sought musical accompaniment to stimulate his senses. He believed that when all his senses were awake, the mind could be better nourished and more productive. Probably all the masterpiece paintings that we all enjoy looking at were given birth with musical notes flying through the air.

This begs the question: Did learning how to play musical instruments and to compose music put Da Vinci on a path towards being a genius? No one could possibly answer this question with the utmost certainty. But I believe music did have an impact.

Listening (music, sounds, and silence) was second on his list of senses, and he wrote a lot about the importance of developing all the senses in harmony to achieve the highest levels of consciousness. He even wrote about it and put a lot of careful thought about the balance of Art and Science. According to Da Vinci, the two were indivisible and necessary to achieve understanding of the logic and beauty of the world.

Music is a human need that cherishes beauty, and underneath that blanket of beauty, lie the details, the precision, the logic, and the code of organized sound. For those who pursue an understanding of music and its beauty, will develop an intellect that can discover, analyze, and rationalize, and can aspire to be creative and productive like that of Leonardo Da Vinci.

The recession lingers on. It seems as if life has changed forever. The quality of life that you grew up knowing seems to have vanished. The dream of going to college, getting a good job, and buying a home has become increasingly difficult to make a reality.

Since you’ve seen such rapid changes before your very eyes, what will the future be like? What kind of world will your child grow up in?

In today’s world, there are more people competing for less jobs and even lesser pay.  Assuming this trend continues, how will your child become a part of this society and prosper?

Our political leaders have been trying to find solutions to this problem.

We’ve been told as to why the economy collapsed. "The housing bubble busted." "The banks failed." "The deficit is out of control." And so on.

The truth is that the U.S. Economy has become part of a larger “Global Economy,” where goods and services are made in the cheapest way possible from all over the world.

Even more, the global economy as a whole is in decline.  The world has never seen a “global economy” before, and our leaders are trying to find a way to stop the decline, and return to a more prosperous life for you and your children.

This “Global Economy,” is fiercely competitive. It is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. There are increasingly more people out there in the world who are smarter, more hardworking, and more competitive than you are.

And since the global economy is here to stay, do you want to wait and see if the political leadership will find a solution? It may be too late, and your children will be stuck with a poor economy, a lack of opportunities, and hopelessness for the future.

Or, do you take the matter in your own hands, join the race, and fight for your child’s share of future prosperity? I believe there is a lot you can do to compete and win for you and your children. But first, you must understand what you’re dealing with here.

Here are some facts about the U.S. Economy:

·      Over 8 million job losses since 2008 in the U.S.

·      Off-shoring American jobs is not being recorded by the media or government, but is estimated in the millions since 2000.

·      About a quarter of all adults, and 43% of all currently unemployed adults, say the recession will have a big impact on their ability to achieve their long-term career goals.

The point is that there is a direct connection between the U.S. and the global economy. More jobs are moving overseas and they’re not coming back. More employers are maintaining their companies with fewer employees.

Without new jobs, and good paying jobs, how will your children enjoy the American life that you remember?

The global economy is not going anywhere and you must adapt. There is only one way that your child can compete to get a larger share of prosperity in the new economy: Education.

In order for your children to compete against the rest of the world for economic prosperity, they must have the best education in the world.

Here are some facts about how the U.S. education system compares to other countries:

·      U.S is ranked 25 out of 30 industrialized nations in Math.

·      U.S. is ranked 21 out of 30 industrialized nations in Science.

·      U.S. students are ranked 15 for Reading literacy worldwide. 

Pretty bad. Now you must be asking yourself: “What can I do to improve the education system?”

There is not a lot you can do to change the education system, but there are things you can do to help improve your child’s educational development.

For instance, what if there was a way to help your child improve his ability to learn faster, retain more information, and spark a hunger for knowledge?

In this way, you would have a child who would understand concepts quickly and remember more of it. And then, he would actively seek even more information to learn on his own! You must be wondering how you can help your child do that.

I have the answer for you. In fact, I discovered the answer when I was 13 years old and didn’t realize it at the time! The best part about it is that if I could do it, I KNOW your child can.

The answer is to learn Music. Yes, I know that it may be difficult to see the connection between learning music and your child’s future in the new global economy. It seems like two worlds apart.

But I am going to prove to you that learning music and economic growth form a bridge to prosperity. I will in fact show you how your child can be prosperous in a new world.

Please download my FREE Special Report on why your child should learn music. It’s part of my “Music and The Economy Series” literature. If you care about the future of your child in this ultra competitive world, then you need to read this report.

You are going to need everything possible to give your child an advantage over the competition. It’s about their future and making their dreams come true. You can download my Free Special Report by clicking on this link or go to:

http://www.themusiconomy.com/special-report.html  

Good Luck!