When the dust settles on those first chaotic weeks of getting kids back to school, parents turn their attention to a bigger challenge: how to help their child make the most of this academic year and the years to come. As millions of children settle back into school this fall, Guitar Center is reinforcing its commitment to developing the next generation of musicians through music education by releasing the findings of their research study.  This study explores the effects of supplemental music lessons on the development of children ages 7 to 17 – effects that could be the key to their ongoing success.

The study finds that students participating in supplemental music lessons enjoy a variety of positive effects and healthy habits – including self-imposed limitation of screen time; increased problem-solving skills, time management and prioritization; increased self-awareness and social skills, and more.

Donny Gruendler, Vice President of Music Education for Guitar Center, who instructed Grammy nominated musician Anderson .Paak, is available for a phone interview to discuss key findings from the study including:

+ The role that limited screen time has in the healthy development of children

+ Positive effects for students participating in supplemental music lessons

+ Top five effects for students ages 7-17, after a year of participating in private music lessons

+ More!!

As you know, police departments work very hard to ensure the safety of the communities which they serve. Recently, a number of police departments across the country have added shelter dogs to their police force as inexpensive and highly effective resource to help combat crime. Through the Animal Farm Foundation’s (AFF) Detection Dog Grant Program and Sector K9, shelter dogs are trained to become Detection Dogs to assist police officers in fighting crime.

K9 Sentry was days away from being euthanized at a shelter in Indiana when a volunteer contacted Animal Farm Foundation. AFF recognized K9 Sentry’s potential and trained Sentry to be a Detection Dog. 

K9 Sentry and Officer Allen Connelly of the Town of Addis Police Department and West Baton Rouge Parish Sherriff’s Office in Louisiana made a HUGE Drug Bust over the weekend. Shelter dog turned Drug Detection Dog K9 Sentry detected 4 KILOS OF HEROIN – A STREET VALUE OF A MILLION DOLLARS! 

Traditionally, detection dogs costs for pure bred dogs from $10,000-$20,000.  Because of a grant provided by Animal Farm Foundation, the dogs that go through Sector K9 training program are FREE to police departments and schools. The training period usually takes 8 weeks. Using AFF’s philosophy that all dogs are individuals and should not be categorized because of their breed, each shelter selects dogs to be donated to the program based on their personality traits. Sector K9 trains the dogs to prepare them to work with police departments helping them detect drugs, explosives, and weapons.  To date over 70 dogs have been placed across the country in police departments and schools through this program.

The madness of the fall season is upon us but no need to worry (!!), international authority on stress, Dr. Terry Lyles, will tell you that there is a secret that only elite performers know, and it is this: stress is good. While natural disasters and tragedy are some of the most trying events for humans to process, changing social and political environments also cause stress, as do ordinary events over the course of a lifetime, such as getting married, having children, facing deadlines, changing careers, and holiday madness.

In his groundbreaking new book, Performance under Pressure: Crack Your Personal Stress Code and Live the Life of Your Dreams (September 10, 2019), motivational speaker, life-performance expert to professional athletes, military personnel, and business executives, and author of four books on stress, Terry Lyles, Ph.D., takes us on a personal journey into the heart of the misunderstood subject of stress. He can also discuss breaking news as well as:

• How our stress is often the building block to potential health, happiness, and productivity
• How to crack your own personal stress code
• Technostress navigation: understanding good and bad usage of technology
• That people who have learned to thrive under pressure don’t necessarily have less stress than the rest of us; they just see stress differently
• How to recognize physical and emotional markers, and break the cycle to neutralize the anxiety
• Tips for moving from negative to positive states