The Roanoker - November/December 2018 - 20

Where Science and
Learning Converge

The Magic of
Music

Cognitive fitness can be improved by using evidencebased techniques that exercise the brain. Fit Learning
Salem offers accelerated learning programs to help
learners succeed.

How music therapy helps
our emotions and physical
health.

N HER 20 PLUS YEARS as a school teacher and an outreach
research faculty member at Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth
University, Teresa Lyons encountered passionate and dedicated teachers
who struggled to meet the learning needs of some students. Even though
they tried, these students repeatedly fell through the cracks. Lyons, owner and
director of Fit Learning Salem, wanted to help learners, so she established
the affiliate in April 2017.
Fit Learning Salem is one of only 15 learning labs in the world applying
the Fit Learning Method, an accelerated learning program creating one to
two years of academic growth in as little as 40 hours of instruction. The goal
of the Fit Learning Method is to produce learners that demonstrate cognitive
fitness, meaning a learner can perform skills fluently. Science has determined
that fluency - or a measure of accuracy, plus speed - is the most appropriate
measure of skill mastery. It reliably predicts that a learner remembers skills
over time and in the absence of ongoing practice and that the learner can
perform that skill under distracting conditions.
"My vision is to produce meaningful, measurable and durable learning
gains for every student who walks through the doors. I believe that everyone
can learn if provided with rich opportunities and quality instructional
programs that ensure a clear acceleration in learning outcomes," says Lyons.
Programs address several skill areas including writing, reading and
comprehension, spelling and vocabulary development, math and study skills.
Intensive one-to-one instruction is highly individualized and responsive
to the student's needs. Clear learning gains are acquired and measured on
a minute-to-minute basis, allowing both the staff and the parents a clear
picture of progress.
Fit Learning Salem provides services to learners of all ages and types of
abilities. Their method has helped a variety of students - including those with
processing disorders, developmental delays, autism, ADD or brain injury.
Gifted students and those who just need a boost can also benefit.
"Whether a learner is struggling or wants to accelerate, we can help,"
Lyons says. I -LAURA WADE
20

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

OEL ANDERSON, Founder
and Director of Anderson
Music Therapy S er vices,
is a board-certified music therapist,
neurologic music therapist and certified
teacher of music. She focuses on music
therapy's positive effects on attachment,
trauma and relational skills.
LAURA WADE: Why music therapy?
NOEL ANDERSON: "We all have

used music at one time or another to
express our emotions. We use music to
meet a need. The music is serving as a
"container" for our emotions and helping
us realize we are not the only one who
feels this way. It's a safe space with a
clear beginning and end. Simultaneously,
music can help us "label" our emotions.
When we identify how we are feeling, it
feels less ambiguous and more in control.
Singing also has a physiological effect
on our bodies. Depending on the music
we hear, it can alter our blood pressure,
increase oxygen saturation, and release
neurochemicals such as dopamine and
oxytocin, which create positive feelings
for strengthening relationships and
increasing motivation."
LW: How does music therapy work?
NA: "Music therapy uses these

seemingly mysterious characteristics of
music to meet individuals' 'non-musical

TheRoanoker.com

FIT LEARNING: LAURA WADE / ANDERSON MUSIC THERAPY: ALEXCIA BROOKS PHOTOGRAPHY

THE
GIST!

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