I’m back! In the late 1990’s the owners of two companies who were like-minded recognized the lack of cultural education in the school systems and decided to try to make a change. Gary Johnson Founder and CEO of Black Men in America.com and Chauncey Dunham CEO of A Dante Production, started a new company Broadway Theaters Educate. The intent was to restore the cultural aspects in the Washington, DC, and Maryland school systems. This started a frenzy of efforts from both Gary and Chauncey.

Fast forward, both Gary and Chauncey moved to Florida and expanded the effort to restore culture, Gary started two dynamic shows YouTube podcasts, “Calculations Talk Show” and The Thought Brothers.  Chauncey decided to venture into restoring the foundation and fundamentals in music. Chauncey met James Davis and he used the word EDUTAINMENT  (ed·–u·–tain·–ment) during a conversation as it relates to Chauncey’s ventures in music. The word was intriguing to Chauncey who began to explore the concept, finally connecting it to music.  Music has a solid connection to children and senior citizens.  Plato was correct when he said that music gives “wings to the mind.”

In one test, students were tested for two specific literacy skills at the start and end of the school year:  general vocabulary and “verbal sequencing,” or their ability to interpret short sentences and understand their meaning.

Is There a Link between Music and Math?

Learning to play a musical instrument relies on understanding concepts, such as fractions and ratios, that are important for mathematical achievement. But the precise relation between music and math—whether musical training promotes mathematical ability, or mathematical skill influences musical ability, or whether these skills simply develop in parallel—remains unclear.

However, music is extremely beneficial to senior citizens relating to memory retention. Want to keep your brain younger longer? It may be as simple as listening to your favorite music. Music can help us access and process emotions like nothing else can, supporting us through life’s triumphs and challenges. It doesn’t just feel good to listen to, either. It’s good for you — and the benefits may increase as you age. Music for seniors has profound and lasting effects.

Music challenges the brain in deep and meaningful ways. The literary significance of lyrics, the mathematics of the tempo and structure, and the architecture of a complex piece activate the brain, keeping blood flowing and neurons firing. New music, in particular, challenges the brain, helping to keep it flexible and plastic, a key ingredient in the recipe for healthy aging.

After saying all this what are we doing about it?

For Gary both shows are very thought provoking. For Chauncey moving back to the basics is very much in the future if you want to be stimulated mentally, join in.

A Dante Production will FINALLY produce a Broadway-style musical show scheduled for October 12, 2024, “The Sounds of Jazz (TSOJ).” This show is the basis of every era of music moving through the centuries. TSOJ will be a dinner and theater production as music and literacy go together.

What makes Dante Tick?  Mental Advancement!