April 16th, 2010 by Sarah Ward
It’s 10:00 at night, that huge final you’ve been dreading is tomorrow, and you just can’t seem to summon the concentration you need to cram a few extra hours of study time to prep for it. Did you know that baroque music can help you study?
Fascinating studies on music and its effect on concentration and learning have yielded incredible results. Baroque music, typified by composers such as Mozart and Bach, is played at approximately 60 beats per minute and activates both sides of the brain, effectively increasing the listener’s learning capacity and the retention of information. Baroque music causes the heart rate slows down which relaxes the listener, enabling them to become more alert and improve concentration. The Center for New Discoveries in Learning reports that learning potential can be strengthened up to five times simply by listening to music at 60 beats per minute.
Not convinced? When Thomas Jefferson was struggling with wording for a particular section of the Declaration of Independence, he stopped to play his violin and was then able to find the appropriate words. Albert Einstein, revered as one of the brightest minds of our time, learned the violin as a child. He loved playing the violin and embraced the music of Mozart and Bach, two famous baroque composers. Einstein apparently found solutions to his equations while improvising on his violin, according to a friend of Einstein’s G.J. Withrow. How’s that for evidence about music and learning?
Fascinated about music and its learning benefits? Learn more about music by investigating music programs on My Colleges and Careers.
If you don’t own any Mozart, no worries. Thanks to the internet, baroque music can be streamed for free on Pandora Internet Radio.
And the next time you can’t think straight, turn on some baroque music and let us know how it works out.
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April 8th, 2010 by Sarah Ward
Jamie Oliver, UK chef and TV personality, is stirring up awareness about nutrition and health in America with his Food Revolution USA campaign. Jamie’s goal is to improve the quality of food the Americans consume, make better food available in schools, and save America’s cooking skills. On his show, Food Revolution, Jamie is focusing efforts in Huntington, West Virginia, the most obese city in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jamie Oliver isn’t the only one who thinks American nutrition needs a turnaround. The First Lady, Michelle Obama is at the helm of the initiative “Let’s Move”, whose purpose it is to eradicate childhood obesity in America. There are four main components in the “Let’s Move” initiative:
- Help parents make healthier choices for their families
- Healthier foods in the schools
- Access and affordability of healthy foods
- Increased physical activity for our kids
For people passionate about facilitating a healthier tomorrow for America, there are ways to participate on a grass roots level.
Mrs. O has suggested small changes that Americans can instigate: smaller portion sizes, saving desserts for the weekend, and replacing sugar-laden drinks with water, milk, and fresh-squeezed juice. “The point is that small changes can make a difference,” Obama told Larry King.
Jamie Oliver encourages those who want to engage in the Food Revolution to sign his petition, learn to cook and share your skills with family and fiends, while becoming aware of what’s in your food. “We need to start cooking again,” says Oliver, “to make sure our children don’t grow up on a diet of processed food, at school or at home, and so they won’t have to battle obesity and diet-related illnesses when they grow up.”
You can make a difference as well. Programs in Nutrition, Cooking and Culinary Arts, Exercise, and Health and Wellness can give you additional education and resources to make a professional impact on the health of the nation. For more information on educational programs available, visit www.mycollegesandcareers.com.
Together we can bring about a healthier America!
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