How often do you make a promise? Do you keep your promises?
Professor
William Lincer, my teacher and mentor at the Juilliard School, asked me to
promise, before he died on July 31, 1997 that I would contact two of the
greatest thinkers on the brain in the 20th Century and have a
dialogue with them. The two men were Dr. Gerald Edelman and Dr. Oliver Sacks,
medical doctors, researchers, scientists, and lifelong musicians.
Dr.
Oliver Sacks was a physician specializing in neurologist. He was an author of many
books including “Awakenings”, “Musicophilia” and Professor of Neurology at NYU
School of Medicine.
Professor
Lincer during my studies with him at the Juilliard School introduced me to many
of Dr. Sacks’ books. I enjoyed reading and studying them. I sent a letter to
Dr. Sacks after Professor Lincer had passed away and included an article on my
research for my new book, “The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through
Music”. I asked Dr. Sacks several important questions about students coping
with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain cancers, Parkinson’s, and neurological
diseases.
On
December 31, 1997, Dr. Sacks wrote me saying he was “just now making a New
Year’s resolution to try and answer all delinquent mail by midnight!”
He
said, “You bring up far too many deep questions and issues for me to have ready
answers to! I take the liberty of enclosing a paper from a conference we had at
the inauguration of the Institute for Music & Neurological Function at Beth
Abraham Hospital in 1994. I have been very much for music and music
therapy, as you know, ever since I first encountered my Awakening patients in
1966”.
The
article Dr. Sacks sent me was about an elderly patient who had broken her hip.
She had had an operation to repair her hip and had physical therapy and yet she
was unable to walk. The MRI said the hip had not been repaired.
Dr.
Sacks asked the patient, “If she had moved her hip recently?” She responded
that, “She had kept time to the music at a Christmas concert by moving her leg
in time to a dance piece.” Dr. Sacks had a music therapist play dance music for
the patient to move to in dance motions to the rhythm of the music. After a
month she was able to walk once more.
Dr.
Sacks began studying the piano as a small child and has continued playing
throughout his life. He says “music has been the profoundest non-chemical
medication for our patients. What we see, fundamentally, is the power of music
to organize-and do this efficaciously as well as joyfully, when abstract or
schematic forms of organization fail.”
Dr.
Sacks had a patient suffering from severe Alzheimer’s. The patient “responded
to ballroom music by taking his wife in his arms and looking into her eyes and
dancing with her.”
One
of his patients had a stroke and could no longer walk or talk. Dr. Sacks
brought in an accordionist who played a familiar song, and the patient started
to sing the song with him. Music has the power to stimulate memory. “Memory
says Dr. Sacks, is the key to a sense of self” and music evokes emotion and emotion can bring it's memory.”
Dr. Oliver Sacks’ Legacy:
Dr.
Oliver Sacks leaves a legacy of case studies of his patients observing their
uniqueness. He cared so much to help others and teach them that their
affliction made them unique. Dr. Sacks said, “I am
a storyteller, for better and for worse. I suspect that a feeling for stories,
for narrative, is a universal human disposition, going with our powers of
language, consciousness of self, and autobiographical memory.”
Dr. Oliver Sacks also said, “In examining disease, we gain
wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with
disease, we gain wisdom about life. If we wish to know about a man, we ask
'what is his story--his real, inmost story?'--for each of us is a biography, a
story. Each of us is a singular narrative, which is constructed, continually,
unconsciously, by, through, and in us--through our perceptions, our feelings,
our thoughts, our actions; and, not least, our discourse, our spoken
narrations. Biologically, physiologically, we are not so different from each
other; historically, as narratives--we are each of us unique.” ― Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical
Tales
Dr.
Gerald Edelman was a physician, 1972 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology /medicine
for immunology, neuroscientist for his theory of the brain- “Neural Darwinism”,
professor, researcher, author, and musician. His interest was in “how the brain
works”. Dr. Edelman began playing the violin as a young boy and thought about
being a concert violinist. Throughout his life Dr. Edelman has continued to
play his violin.
Professor
Lincer during my studies with him at the Juilliard School introduced me to Dr.
Edelman’s book “Brilliant Air, Brilliant Fire: On The Matter Of The Mind” and
his articles. I was fascinated as I read and studied them. Professor Lincer
said, “Dr. Gerald Edelman is the most brilliant mind of this century.”
I
sent a letter to Dr. Edelman after Professor Lincer passed away about the
research Professor Lincer and I had done on how music stimulates the brain to
promote scholastic excellence. Included was an article Professor Lincer and I
had worked on together and my research on a study done on a Virginia public
middle school of economically deprived students taking string and band classes
and monitoring their grades throughout the school year.
I
summarized my research in my new book, “The Secret of Teaching Science &
Math Through Music”.
I
asked Dr. Edelman several important questions about students coping with epilepsy,
cerebral palsy, brain cancers, Parkinson’s, and neurological diseases.
On
September 15, 1997, Dr. Edelman wrote back
“I was sad that Professor Lincer died. He was a superb musician and
broad ranging spirit.” He went on to say, “ Your enterprise using musical
training to enhance the scholastic performance of deprived children is a noble
one. Unfortunately, there are at present no firm grounds for answering your
medically directed questions. Before looking at patients with various
disorders, a sound database on normal subjects will have to be collected. …..A
few of my colleagues at Neurosciences Institute are beginning to look into
these problems but I’m afraid it will be some time before satisfactory answers
are forthcoming.”
Dr.
Edelman at the end of his letter said, “You have tapped into some very
important issues and your questions are well placed. In any event, your
observational data should make a real contribution to the fields of music and
education in general.”
Dr. Gerald Edelman’s Theory
of “Neural Darwinism” as a musical metaphor:
Dr. Gerald Edelman said: “Think: if you had a hundred thousand
wires randomly connecting four string quartet players and that, even though
they weren’t speaking words, signals were going back and forth in all kinds of
hidden ways [as you usually get them by the subtle nonverbal interactions
between the players] that make the whole set of sounds a unified ensemble.
That’s how the maps of the brain work by reentry. The players are connected.
Each player, interpreting the music individually, constantly modulates and is
modulated by the others. There is no final or “master” interpretation; the
music is collectively created, and every performance is unique.”
I
treasure both Dr. Edelman’s letter and Dr. Sacks’ letter and they are in frames
above my desk as an on going inspiration to me to keep asking questions and try
to help others every day.
What 3 promises will you
make to yourself?
1 1) Beginning
today I will make a promise to stretch my abilities by reading a book,
listening to a cd by an expert, or take a course. Write down the date you make
the promise (month, date, & year), and the date the promise will be
completed. (Month, date, & year)
2) By
the end of the month I promise to_________. By the end of 6 months I promise to
________. Write down the date you make the promise (month, date, & year),
and the date the promise will be completed. (Month, date, & year)
3) Once
a week I promise to help someone else reach for his or her promise/goal.
Place
this sheet in front of your computer / work station so you can remember to work
on it each day.
During
the Civil War, Jeb Stuart signed “his reports to General Robert E. Lee “Yours
to count on” (YTCO). He meant it and so should you.
Remember it’s never to late to make a promise
and keep it!
Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM, John Maxwell
team Member, Certified WCSC, Amazon.com Best Selling Author, sought after
speaker, business owner, motivational 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 business successful.
For over 30 years she has worked with
children and adults to overcome problems in learning and memory through music. She
writes a monthly newsletter "Madeline's Monthly article & Musical Tips
Blog" and a monthly radio show "Madeline's One Minute Musical Radio
Show". Her new book "Leadership On A Shoestring Budget " is
available on amazon a book or e-book.
