Education:

CONGRATULATIONS TO JUNIPERO SERRA HIGH SCHOOL, THE FIRST MindMoves® StudyBuddy Satellite School! - Gardena, CA

Many thanks to Fr. Pilato, Margaret Shoukry, faculty, parents and students of Serra High School for their pursuit in academic excellence. Beginning January 2007 students will have the opportunity to learn and study with The StudyBuddy Learning System, including "The 7 Steps to Memory" and MindMoves practices and learning strategies. The MindMoves® StudyBuddy Accelerated Learning Program will be made available in study hall, and in classes while students are studying, languages, science, and religion.

MUSIC & LEARNING:

The “Mozart Effect” was studied some years ago revealing to the population at large what musicians were experiencing since biblical times. Listening to the harmonics of stringed instruments, especially the violin family stimulates neurological activity which enhances learning.  Playing a stringed instrument such as the piano, violin, guitar, and harp actually creates new neurological pathways in the brain.  And like learning a second language before the age of 11 years, playing a musical instrument, or experiencing brainwave training or EEG based sound entrainment like Hemi-Sync® and yes, even the EEG based sound portion of the StudyBuddy technology, all provide gentle yet profound frequencies and harmonics to “tune-up” the brain for higher functionality.

Just a note about playing the violin and learning:  I was a violinist for 20 years. I was also a very slow reader.  In High School it took me hours longer to study because reading made me drift and fall asleep.  At the age of 18, I became a freshman in college and I panicked at the thought of having to read 18 books for Freshmen Reading, a required course.  And imagine the theme of topic that year was “The Computer Age.”   I thought to myself, “I want to be a doctor or a music therapist, what impact will computers have on my life?”  Now I get a giggle when I think of my earlier fears.    I remember crying and sharing my dilemma with my sweet-heart of a friend Jim Donahue after psychology class. “…and all those zeros and giga-bytes to remember, it’s just too much”, I sobbed.    Jim taught me a special way to study text for dyslexics.  Out of a freshman class of 15,000   I was one of nine students who received an A in Freshman Reading that year.  I was on the “Dean’s List” from that time on and throughout my academic career.  I have worked with that system for many years and out of it I have designed, “The MindMoves™    7 Steps to Memorization”.  Here is another interesting observation regarding my music lessons.  Daily I played my violin, Bach and Vivaldi mostly, some Mendelssohn and of course symphony orchestral repertoire under the tutelage of  Professor and Maestro Julius Stulberg conductor of The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra. I read somewhere that Albert Einstein played the same violin pieces at the very same age (19 – 21) when he began having his dreams about the laws of relativity. I ask myself if all of this is just a coincidence.

There are two prevailing philosophies that are embraced by our society regarding learning. As The Monroe Institute aptly puts it:  “One holds that the Earth is a school where information is gathered within the human experience.  Another embraces the idea that knowledge is best obtained by remembering the eternal, thus forsaking the physical.”  We at MindMoves® have witnessed the profound beauty of integrating both philosophies.  Teaching practical steps in spelling and memorization to an individual for example, is far more effective when two aspects of being are integrated: 1) When an individual is well rested, peaceful, nourished, and safe, s/he can operate with an open mind and open heart.  The open mind and open heart are key to receptivity and learning; 2) When the individual’s brain is operating at a particular “state of synchronization” for receptivity to that specific kind of information the information goes in and stays in, circumventing the “traditional way” of repeating the same thing 2,000 times before an individual “gets it”. 

SPECIAL USE OF PHOTOSONIX STEREO HEADPHONES:

If you or your child have sensitive hearing, auditory processing problems, delayed speech, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the headphones will be most useful when used in the following manner. 

First, make sure to check the sound level of the StudyBuddy unit and keep it low for sensitive ears.  Turn the unit on to Program 1. Place the headphones toward the back of the ears and tighten the adjustable gear so the headphones will stay on.  Make sure the headphones are not directly over the ear canal and eardrum.  This way the child will be able to hear all of the sound in the room and receive the vibrations of the auditory portion of the StudyBuddy.  If your child is anywhere from 4 to 8 years old and has sensitive hearing and is not speaking yet, he or she may require an adjustment period.  Ten minutes once a day is a good start.  Continue this for 4-5 days for a couple of weeks or until they get familiar with the unit.  You may increase the time up to 15 minutes, then the full 20 minute session thereafter. Try to make this time fun.  Speech therapy, reading stories, practicing the alphabet, learning numbers, flash cards, sign language, working puzzles, quiet play, drawing or computer work will be perfect activities to ensure an enjoyable time.

I have found in my private practice that The StudyBuddy Program #1 actually helps to synchronize the right and left hemispheres of the brain, so that individuals with the above challenges can begin to hear words at the same speed that their peers do.  If speech delays are present, and if your child has been diagnosed with syndrome X, hypoglycemia, diabetes type II, or if they are overweight and highly emotional, it is important to eliminate processed sugar, milk chocolate and soda drinks from their diet.  Please consider replacing sugar with raw fruit such as apple slices, grapes, orange slices, or papaya, not fruit juice. It is also important to design a diet of moderate protein, fresh vegetables, minerals, a daily vitamin, amino acids, minerals, essential fatty acids, water and enzymes every 3 hours.  A biologically active form of zinc is most effective in assisting the balance of insulin and glucose metabolism.  It also helps in reducing headaches and stomachaches in the ADHD population.

Give the same care to your stereo headphones as you do the goggles.  Please do not stretch them wider than your head as they could break.

A Note from the inventor, Georgia K. Connor, Neuroscientist & Learning Specialist:

Why The MindMoves® StudyBuddy Accelerated Learning System is a world beyond other A/V units and why it is the best choice for ASD
(Autism Spectrum Disorder)  and other learning challenges. 

OPENING THE GATES TO LEARNING

The MindMoves® StudyBuddy is not just an A/V system designed to exercise your brain.  It is light years beyond. This is a whole brain learning system that instructs on how to develop specific learning skills and how to design beautiful new memories.  The 2 hour DVD Instructional Program is to be used in tandem with the uniquely designed StudyBuddy unit.

The auditory portion of The StudyBuddy is specifically designed to synchronize the right and left hemispheres of the brain, so that kids who have ASD and speech delays can begin hearing words at the same rate their peers hear them.  Very often I will see five and six year-olds who have undergone heavy chelation, speech therapy and OT (occupational therapy) and still not be able to form their words well enough for comprehension.  It is not unusual to see my “students” begin speaking clear understandable words to their parents within a week of using only the auditory portion of Program #1. When you study the development of the human embryo as I have, you will understand the beauty of this.  The auditory and vestibular system of the brain is the first to fully develop in the unborn. It is only logical that hearing must come before speech and speech before reading. Other keys to success are balancing blood sugar and taking daily minerals.