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.