"I've had the greatest success with Remembrance and Masterworks. Remembrance was highly effective on increasing memory retention for engineering and science students. Masterworks was reported to significantly decrease anxiety and aggressive behaviors. Respondents reporting this included a clinician with a classroom of developmentally-disabled adults, an over-stressed hospital department head, and a wife and caretaker of her husband with advanced cancer."
Gayle Hendrickson, Millerton, NY
"I used Baroque Garden and Remembrance as background music for my literature class final exam review. Despite lousy acoustics and an antiquated boombox, my students averaged nearly eight points higher on the 100-question exam than the statistical average, which has been almost constant over the past 10 years. These products have contributed to a feeling of clarity, physical wellness and strength, and a can-do attitude. Now I am looking forward to the next semester and I will be recommending Monroe Products on each of my syllabi. I am also planning to work them into all my classes. Your products are the single most important breakthrough I have seen in 30 years of researching materials for personal and professional use."
Gene McCarthy, Professor of English and Humanities, Middlesex Community College, Bedford MA
A letter from Peter Spiro on the use of Hemi-Sync in his classroom in New York City.Resonating with Remembrance by Peter Spiro
Several of my colleagues and I keep Concentration and Remembrance playing constantly all day long in the classroom. We've found a definite improvement in the students' ability to stay on task. The difference is especially noticeable in those who have poor impulse control, which often gets them in trouble. It's rewarding to see the rise in their self esteem that accompanies better performance.
Since I began playing nonverbal Hemi-Sync tapes in my classroom (Concentration and MetamusicŪ) I've observed significant improvement in my attitude as well as in that of my students. The work climate is calmer and more conducive to learning, which has allowed me to pick up the pace of lessons.
A 4th grade teacher reported at the end of the first day of using Hemi-Sync in the classroom. "This day went quite well and at 2:30, my usual time to feel 'done in,' I didn't feel so tired. In fact, I felt great when the day ended. Several days later a student came up to me and said, "Can you turn that stuff on again while we do our math? It makes me feel good!" Another said, "When I came in I felt upright, nothing had gone right. But I feel better now."
A teacher with grade 6, 7, 8 special education students describes her experiences with Hemi-Sync playing as background. "All the students sat down in their seats and began the assigned work much sooner than usual. They were very involved in their assignment. When talking did occur, it concerned the math assignment. Whenever a disruption occurred, they immediately returned to being on task. The students behaved and responded in a more relaxed manner than usual; there was much greater involvement with the academic work. Cooperativeness prevailed!" Of the last class of the day, which is usually rowdy and restless, she said, "The atmosphere was more mellow; the behavior-disordered students were more quiet and calm."
A 3rd grade teacher reports after playing Hemi-Sync in the classroom, "Nine out of 22 students handed in spelling tests with zero or 1 error and all others accomplished As or Bs. This is the best performance of the year!"
A high school physical education teacher reports on the use of Metamusic , "Some of the students were closing their eyes and getting into their weight lifting. At the same time, their technique while lifting was superb. Generally they tend to get sloppy while lifting, and I believe the music helped them concentrate and perform better. Their overall attentiveness greatly improved and the actual rotating went more smoothly than ever before. Students behaved with confidence and didn't need to ask where the next station was."
A college teacher reports on the use of Hemi-Sync in a variety of courses to enhance cognitive learning and mental imagery, to promote creativity, and to allay anxiety. All of these uses, he says, depend upon focusing attention. This is accomplished by Hemi-Sync's auditory stimuli at frequencies which induce the brain into an appropriate state while simultaneously synchronizing the hemispheres to eliminate hemispheric rivalry. Results of a carefully controlled assessment of cognitive learning indicated that students using Hemi-Sync consistently scored an average of 10 points higher on six different tests. Additionally, students volunteered such statements as, "My whole day seems brighter," "I feel good about myself and my studies," "For the first time in my life I really enjoy school," "My mind seems to be clearer and I understand things better."
A teacher of creative writing used Metamusic in a classroom experiment. "Listening to the music helped some who did not normally feel comfortable writing to get going with considerable enthusiasm. There was a great range of images and a keen sense of involvement which expressed itself in metaphor."
I have been teaching perception and the ability to draw realistically for five years. A year ago I began using Metamusic tapes and the Surf tape to help my students achieve a right hemisphere shift. I use two speakers on opposite sides of the art room.
Students report that they `feel' a difference when the Hemi-Sync tapes are played. I hear fewer `sighs' caused by left hemisphere resistance, and I see the children able to focus more easily on their task. They seem to prefer Surf, and ask for it if I neglect to put it on right away. Many students have said, `I draw better with Surf,' and a few actually ordered tapes for their use at home.
The culmination of the drawing classes is realistic portraits which use shadow and value. Last year, the first year I used Hemi-Sync, the portraits were more sensitively and accurately rendered than those of previous years. Many faculty members told me, `This year's portraits are better than ever.' Was it Hemi-Sync that made the difference? I'm sure of it!
Metamusic tapes were used in a creative writing experiment with children from 11 - 16 as follows: a) 15 minutes of listening without writing, during which the students were invited to let their minds range freely; b) 15 minutes of discussion and sharing of ideas and images from the preceding listening period; c) a 30 minute writing session, with the tape playing throughout.
The experiment was well-received by the students, and some who did not normally feel comfortable with creative writing got going with considerable enthusiasm. There was a great range of images with certain recurring themes: sea, flying, falling without fear.
All students described a detachment from the perceived experience, e.g., falling endlessly without anxiety. This detachment was contrasted sharply with a sense of keen involvement in the writing, a sense of involvement which came out in metaphor and transitions built upon each other to a higher degree than usual in creative writing lessons.
The Department of Instructional Resources gave a recommended rating to the PAL Package (Progressive Accelerated Learning) for use in its school system. It was deemed suitable for grade levels 9 through 12 and continuing education.
I am an art therapist in a school for children with severe learning disabilities, and have been using the Metamusic tapes. Most students work contentedly and don't comment on the music. An 11-year-old autistic child at first sat with his hand in front of his face. Then his hand gradually came down and he became attentive, with much more eye contact than usual. After 30 minutes he didn't want to leave, and pointed at the tape player. A 15-year-old brain-damaged girl with little speech listened for a few minutes, then said, "What's that?" I turned off the tape player. She said, "More." I turned it back on and she sat quietly and painted for 15 minutes - a long time for her.
My students are learning disabled, socially and emotionally maladjusted, including multiple impairments (speech and sight), inner-city Latino with very limited use of English. In spite of these conditions, they responded very well to the Hemi-Sync tapes Relax and Attention through an entire school year. I alternated between the tapes, playing them first thing in the morning on a daily basis, listening to both the Prep and Function sides initially, then using only the function reinforcement. We had a designated listening area with the children laying on the floor on an area rug. They positioned themselves between the detachable speakers of my portable tape player to facilitate the hemispheric synchronization process. As the children became familiar with the tapes, they had the option of requesting individual listening time using headphones. Although this was not a controlled experimental environment, the results have been noticeable.
a) The children acquired a marked increase in self-control, initiating the necessary Functions with the situation so required, most of the time on their own initiative. This became more and more firmly established as the year progressed.
b) They gravitated to self-initiated reinforcements, requesting individual use of the tapes, whenever they perceived the need in order to avoid disruptions and/or to release tensions or stress.
c) Their learning capabilities were enhanced in as much as they could progressively engage more of their attention in a more focused way to the tasks at hand.
d) The social interactions markedly improved simply because they now had an available mechanism to deactivate hostile or reactive behavior. It seems that the tapes gave them that critical time or gap, an instant of suspension of the previously learned reaction to a given situation that under other circumstances would have created disruption. Instead, they would take a deep breath, trigger the relaxation response, and more on to more productive activity. In summary, the learning environment improved dramatically and the children now own a skill that will be theirs for life.
The results of introducing Hemi-Sync to children in a special education setting were incredible. Hemi-Sync seemed to stimulate cortical integration and whole-brain learning. One autistic child was able to sleep at night for the first time, with the Surf tape, which also improved the ability of an emotionally-impaired six-year-old to relate interpersonally.
During lecture and discussion in an evening college class, the Concentration tape was played over stereo speakers separated by approximately 16 feet. Results: marked attention to the subject, excellent rapport between speaker and class and among class members, minimal body movements, good eye contact, relaxed postures and voice tones, warm interactions as class members lingered excessively (30 minutes) after class. Several class members first noticed art works which had been in the room for more than a year.
A teacher reports: I began using Hemi-Sync played through stereo speakers for my split level first/second grade class, and was soon enjoying the benefits of a highly functional and creative classroom. The following year, Hemi-Sync was introduced into three other classrooms. All the teachers experienced immediate benefits of a quieter environment, increased productivity, and fewer disruptions.
My colleague who teaches learning disabled kids was delighted with the calming effect of Sleeping Through the Rain and Inner Journey on her class. She said that they didn't seem to be noticing it at all until it ended, when they looked a bit surprised and not sure what had happened.
A preschool teacher says, "School hours were especially trying with a difficult group of hyperactive children. The classroom was always chaotic, and I hadn't been able to get the children down for a nap all year. I was totally frustrated, unable to do what I was trained to do. I play different Metamusic tapes now as background for various activities, and find a completely different level of comfort in the room. Obviously, it's good for the children. And I know it's great for me."
See also Learning and Memory, Behavior Change, ADHD, and Children
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