Anna Fontaine Moyer: Radio Show’s 2022 Teacher of the Year: Madeline’s Monthly Musical Tips Blog/Article for May 2022

Our blog and Radio Show feature our Radio Show’s “2022 Teacher of the Year” Anna Fontaine Moyer. Also included is an article on “Music Students Score Better in Math, Science, English Than Nonmusical Peers”.

Our May article of the month is “What Do A Horse and An Apple Have in Common?” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

Radio Show Feature Question for May 2022: Anna Fontaine Moyer is our Radio Show’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. What is Mrs. Moyer’s approach for teaching and motivating her students?

https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-radio-show-2022/

 

Our blog features Anna Fontaine Moyer our “Radio Show’s 2022 Teacher of the year. Mrs. Moyer is a teacher, conductor, cellist, wife, and mother of two children.  She has taught for 22 year in the Newport News, Virginia Public Schools, grades 6 through 12. She is the Orchestra Director of Gildersleeve Middle School and Menchville High School.

Anna Fontaine Moyer: “I am honored to be recognized by your Radio Show.  My goal when I began teaching music was to, of course teach kids how to make music, but also give them their own sense of self, self-expression, acceptance and belonging to a community, the arts community, where we celebrate our diversity and creativity.”

“My approach is always to teach the whole child through encouragement, kindness, and great technique. Every day as students enter the classroom, I stand at the door and greet them kindly and see how they are before we start.  If a student isn’t focused and ready, we find a solution so they can focus on playing.  In the classroom, we strive to always have the attitude that we can do anything when we listen, work, and practice.  At the same time, I work to make learning fun.  Sometimes it’s an exercise that’s unique such as making silly noises to clapping rhythms but often I strive to choose music that the students love.  And, believe it or not, the students almost always end up loving the classical pieces better than any pop arrangement.  If they love the music, they want to practice.”

“I teach at a middle school which feeds my high school program, so I have had the privilege of teaching many students from their 6th grade beginning orchestra through 12th grade orchestra, playing grade 5 and grade 6 music. I have had many students become professional musicians, music teachers, and teachers.”

“Some of these musicians have attended the top music schools in the country – The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Oberlin College and Conservatory to name a few.  I am also extremely proud of my former students who have gone into teaching, some music teachers, and some other subjects and grade levels.  Another thing I am very proud of is that many of my former students either still play or perform regardless of profession or at the least are huge supporters of the arts.”

“I have been invited and conducted honor groups like All-City events, judged orchestral performances in festivals in Virginia and North Carolina, and done many workshops.  I have been playing with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic Orchestra as the Principal Cellist for 7 years.  Some of my favorite gigs have been playing for the annual Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and musicals at Thomas Nelson Community College.  During many summers, I was the Music Coordinator for the Summer Institute for the Arts.”

“Teaching music is one of the biggest joys in my life.  I love making music with students.  I feel like society does not respect children and young adults for their intelligence, creativity and potential.  They are not their parents or their teachers – they are individuals that will one day be a part of the adult community, and this is the time to teach them to be resilient, kind, community oriented, problem-solvers, to be expressive, confident, and flexible.  These are life skills that all are taught through music.  At many concerts, I have told the audience that they should be jealous of me that I get to work with the best kids and they don’t.  It truly is a gift to be able to teach and mentor most of these students for 7 years.”

Dr. Frank: “Thank you Mrs. Anna Fontaine Moyer for being our “Radio Show’s 2022 Teacher of the Year” and for inspiring, motivating, and encouraging over two generation of students to have successful futures by teaching them to think, be creative, and solve problems.”

To read and hear Anna Fontaine Moyer’s blog and Radio Show from August 2011:

https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/august2011-madelines-monthly-article-musical-tip/

 

What Do A Horse and An Apple Have in Common?  by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

How to keep your customers happy.

How is the customer service at your business? Are your associates well- trained and do they work as a team?  Are they knowledgeable and eager to share the information on their products?

For the past several decades, I’ve been a musician playing the violin and viola throughout the world. If you are not familiar with the anatomy of the bow, there are a series of horse hairs that are strung on either end of the bow, and when they glide across the strings, a beautiful sound (hopefully!) is produced.

The hair on the bow is horse hair from the long mane of a horse. It does not hurt the horse. It’s like having a haircut.

After playing many rehearsals and concerts the bow needs to be rehaired so it will continue to pull out beautiful sounds on the violin or viola.

The other day, I tried a new music shop to have my viola bow rehaired.

I told a young woman behind the counter what a fantastic shop it was and how impressed I was. She grabbed a laminated sheet of paper with 3 price levels on it for rehairing bows.

Before I could ask a question, a man approached, picked up my bow, looked it over, then held it up to the wall to see if the bow was warped or straight. He whispered to the young woman standard rehair violin bow.

He never said hello, introduced himself, and never smiled. He just walked away.

The young woman said it would be several days.

“Will you pay for it now?” she asked.

“No, I’ll pay when I pick it up”.

My expectations were deflated, as I thought I had found a place to entrust my extensive instrument collection to.

If the gentleman in there was the owner or manager, it’s apparent why the level of service was lackluster. Great people do not work for pretty good people.

If you are a leader, manager, or a person of influence; you understand that more is caught than taught. If I was treated right, I would have trusted them with my best bows and paid the extra money. But they blew it.

What are you doing at your business to ensure that you are creating a customer experience that you can’t wait to tell your friends, neighbors, and relatives all about?

A few years ago, I went with my husband to the Apple Store to pick up my Mac computer that we had ordered online from Apple. The computer was very heavy and it was a long walk from the Apple Store to where we parked.

The Apple Associate, Joe, with a smile, brought out a cart, and put our heavy new Mac on the cart.  He enthusiastically walked with us several blocks to the parking lot

and congratulated us on our new Mac. We thanked him for helping us on our walk to our car.

He gently laid the new Mac in our trunk with the care that a new mother shows when securing her baby in the car seat. He said it was his responsibility to get it safely in our car! This associate went above and beyond what we expected of him. Most people who have had the pleasure of visiting an Apple Store understand that the exceptional is expected.

How is the customer service at your business? Are your associates knowledgeable, and eager to help their customers? Do your associates work together as a team?

Great service isn’t exclusive to the retail or hospitality industry.

For 10 days I had terrible pains in my ears and a stiff neck.

 It got so bad my husband insisted we go to an Urgent Care. The receptionist smiled and gave me the proper forms to fill out. Then after a while a nurse wearing a mask came to bring me into an examination room.

She was very polite, asked questions, and took my vitals. Then the doctor came in wearing a mask, smiling, asked me questions, listened to my heart, looked in my ears, and asked me to take off my mask. He then looked down my throat and told me what was happening in non-threatening terms and what medicine he would have me take to heal. Each person on his team was calm and nonthreatening. This was a home run experience.

Whether you are going in for a checkup or you are ill the doctor and team should work together to help you, not frighten you to death!

It’s all about having a good experience!

Be just like Apple and the Urgent Care medical office and make sure your employees are knowledgeable, well trained, and show they care and want to help their customers so your business will flourish during good and bad times.

If you need a speaker or virtual speaker contact Madeline at: [email protected]

 

 “Music Students Score Better in Math, Science, English Than Nonmusical Peers” (June 24, 2019) American Psychology Association.

“High schoolers who take music courses score significantly better on exams in certain other subjects, including math and science, than their nonmusical peers, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.”

“In public education systems in North America, arts courses, including music courses, are commonly underfunded in comparison with what are often referred to as academic courses, including math, science and English,” said Peter Gouzouasis, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, an author of the study of more than 100,000 Canadian students. “It is believed that students who spend school time in music classes, rather than in further developing their skills in math, science and English classes, will underperform in those disciplines. Our research suggests that, in fact, the more they study music, the better they do in those subjects.”

The research was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology®.

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/06/music-students-score-better

 

 “A Population-Level Analysis of Associations Between School Music Participation and Academic Achievement,”by Martin Guhn, PhD, Scott D. Emerson, MSc, and Peter Gouzouasis, PhD, The University of British Columbia. Journal of Educational Psychology. Published online June 20, 2019.”

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/edu-edu0000376.pdf

 

The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. is available in book form, and newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook:
com(Kindle)
 “Musical Notes On Math” by Dr. Madeline Frank teaches your child fractions and decimals, the fun easy way, through the rhythm of music, Winner of the Parent To Parent Adding Wisdom Award is available in book form, newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook.:
com(Kindle)
 Madeline’s Midnight Melodies- Music From around the World”. This CD complements her books with a blend of dance music, gigues, tangos, ballet and favorites including “Danny Boy”, Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro”, Debussy’s “Claire De Lune” and others. “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” is music to relax by and to move by for music therapy.  “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” CD is now available for purchase by downloading a song, downloading the album, or by CD by clicking below:
Download Your Copy Today!  Amazon | iTunes |
Dr. Madeline Frank’s book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget” is available through amazon. To order your copy as an e-book on Kindle click on the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Shoestring-Budget-Timeless-Principles-ebook/dp/B00HTD65V4/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1416332320&sr=1-3

 

Wishing you and your family a Happy Mother’s Day from your Non-Invasive Medicine…Music Expert, Madeline

For over 30 years, Dr. Madeline Frank has helped children and adults overcome problems through Classical music. Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM is an award-winning teacher, an amazon.com best-selling author, researcher, speaker, conductor, and concert artist. She has discovered a scientific link between studying a musical instrument and academic and societal success. Madeline Frank earned her Bachelor and Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music. Her education has included scholarships at the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the University of Cincinnati and she has a violin performance diploma from the North Carolina School of the Arts. (C) 2022 Madeline Frank