Saturday, February 28, 2015

A Classical Deterrent to Criminal Activity by Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM

What is one method that has been so very effective in stopping crime? What’s the key to unlocking the potential of today’s youth? 

Enza Ferreri wrote “Why criminals are afraid of Classical Music” that 7- Eleven stores in Canada, companies such as McDonald’s, shopping malls, transport authorities, and Co-ops around the world are playing “classical music to drive away teenagers who were loitering outside their stores.”

Jessica Duchen in her article “Mind the Bach: Classical Music on the Underground” said, “TfL did a survey of 700 commuters, “they overwhelmingly agreed that hearing classical music made them feel happy, less stressed and relaxed”.

Ms. Duchen also said in London,“Classical music has been part of Vauxhall station’s way of life for some time now, … to reduce crime and antisocial behavior by piping such music through stations has been so effective that it has been extended to ..locations across the network.”

I taught classes in a “Summer Intervention Program” for students, with potential who had made bad choices. I asked these 80 middle school and high school students the following question:
“How does listening to Rap music make you feel?”

A teacher in the classes stood up and said, “Tell her the truth!”

Then the students in the class said, “It made me angry!”
“It stresses me out!” “It made me unhappy!”
Some students had a lack of interest or concern and said, “I don’t care!”

During the classes I played excerpts on my viola from classical music and ask them, “Have you heard this piece before?

For example: When I played “The Lone Ranger Theme from the William Tell Overture” by Rossini, members of the class raised their hands and said, “They had heard this piece while watching cartoons.”

After they responded, I would then ask them, “Did you like the music?” The responses depended on whether they had heard the piece before.

“All the students liked Rossini’s “Lone Ranger theme”.

Each piece selected was played before re-telling the story of Alicia Keys, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Louie Armstrong, and others, who are such excellent role models for the students. The classical piece that I played was a favorite of each.

By the time the classes ended the students were smiling and getting ready to take their first step forward. Each student was full of hope for their future, armed with a Mozart or Bach CD, and a tool kit including my “Ten Secrets to Make Middle School and High School Students Smarter”. I asked each of the students to circle number 10 which said, “Dr. Frank asks her children to remember one thing “If I take this action will it make me proud?”

Student Homework after “Summer Intervention Program”:
Students were to put on their CDs in the background while doing their homework, while relaxing, working, or exercising for 30 minutes.

What does listening to classical music do for students?
The classical music relaxes its listeners, calms them down, and helps them to concentrate and think clearly by organizing and exercising their brains with this complex mathematical rhythm.

What does listening to violent Rap and Hip-hop music do to young people?

Because of the relentless beat and offending lyrics of Rap and Hip hop music young people become angry, stressed out, unhappy and no longer think clearly. This is when they get into trouble.
Evidence on listening to violent Rap music:
Harry Smith reported on Friday, Jan 18, 2008, on CBS’ The Early Show the first documented evidence of a young women, Stacy Gayle, 25, from Alberta, Canada having had as many “as 10 grand mal seizures a day” triggered by listening to rap music. She began listening to this violent Rap music when she was 21. The medication to prevent her seizures could not control them.

The seizures “became so bad she had to quit her job at a bank”.
She finally realized the rap music she was listening to  was triggering the seizures on July 2006 . The doctors at first “did not believe that a rap song could induce an attack so Gayle proved it. At the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Stacy had a video EEG” that showed she had “three seizures” triggered by listening to the rap song by Sean Paul “on her iPod”.

Medical Evidence:
Dr. Louis B. Cady, Psychiatrist and former concert pianist states: “Heavy metal rock music, the even more potent acid rock, and gangsta rap have insidious and devastating effect on the minds of young people. Most people don’t realize that youngster’s brains are growing and developing until they are at least twenty-one years old.”

“When kids and teens subject themselves to a constant “mental diet” of suggestions that sex, drugs, and criminal activities are not only acceptable but even desirable, they are actually accomplishing a sort of “self- brainwashing” where they begin to feel that even thoughts and feelings expressed in the lyrics of the music which they might initially not consciously believe begin to become the accepted way of thinking.”

Contrast this to classical music, which relaxes its listeners, calms them down, and helps them to think clearly by organizing and exercising their brains with this complex mathematical rhythm.

What are the three benefits of playing classical  music to deter crime at your business?

1  1)   Classical music relaxes its listeners, calms them down, helps them to think clearly, and concentrate better. Psychologist Dr. Raymond Macdonald of Glasgow’s Caledonian University says, “When you look at brain scans of people listening to complex music the whole brain lights up like a Christmas tree.”

    2) Dr. Oliver Sacks, Professor of Clinical Neurology at Albert  Einstein College of Medicine, author of “Awakenings”, says classical music “has the power to organize” the brain.

    3)  Just as we do exercise for the body, classical music with its complex rhythms, mathematics, exercises the brain. The more complex the rhythm the better it is. Dr. Mike Lowis of Saga Health News says “In order to activate both sides of the brain, music needs to be complex.”

So if you are having criminal behavior outside your store try playing classical music to deter it and if you want to heal faster, concentrate better put on your classical music too!



Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM, John Maxwell Team Member, and Certified World Class Speaking Coach is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, sought after speaker, business owner, teacher, researcher, and concert artist. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Businesses”. Her innovative observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your businesses successful. She writes a monthly newsletter “Madeline’s Monthly Article & Musical Tips Blog” and a monthly radio show “Madeline’s One Minute Musical Radio Show”. She has just published her new book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” available in print or as an e-book.





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Madeline Frank, Ph.D. business owner, teacher, researcher, speaker and concert artist. She writes a monthly newsletter "Madeline's Monthly Article & Musical Tips" and a monthly radio show "Madeline's One Minute Musical Radio Show".