Andy Glockenspiel "Life-Skills Edutainment": News

When your “Life Skills” are equal to your life challenges

You enter "The Flow State"
This is that "zone" space where an individual THRIVES.
(adapted from Jonas Salk's -The Survival of the Wisest)
"The Flow State" is where children are able to be their best selves.

Jonas Salk M.D., Ph.D., The Survival of the Wisest
Jonas Salk said, “We need to create an epidemic of health…Only a few are needed to visualize and to initiate an epidemic of health that would become self-organizing, self-propelling, and self-propagating, as is characteristic of evolutionary processes.” The main focal point of the work explains that in this current state of human development being "fit" means now, and more than ever, wise.

The Andy Glockenspiel brand is a children’s “Life Skills Enhancement” program. Through live EDUTAINMENT style PERFORMANCES, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, FELLOWSHIPS, and consulting, Andy introduces and nurtures an understanding of these timeless Life Skills. Original songs that Andy writes, as well as his stories, comedy, activities and multi-media aids, all help to draw timeless Life Skills lessons from the most common surroundings in a child’s world. As these Life-Skills Lessons are reinforced and developed, a child’s ability to thrive will dramatically increase. The goal of Andy’s Life Skills Lessons is to ensure a balance between what a child experiences as “Life Challenges”, and “Life Skills”, thereby creating “Flow”. This “Flow”, (as set forth by Jonas Salk in his “Life Complexities” graph), affirms that when a balance between life’s challenges and life skills is achieved, the “Flow” is proven to be where an individual THRIVES.
The Life Skills which Andy teaches are essential to being successful in the 21st century, as the work place, and who is valued within this new work environment has dramatically changed.

By John W. Santrock

This best-selling, learning style-focused textbook is designed for the chronologically organized human development course. It is widely adopted for being the most accurate and up to date text available. Included in this new edition are the largest number of 21st century citations of any text on the market, a streamlined chapter organization and Learning Goals-driven learning system, and thoroughly integrated coverage of culture, ethnicity, and gender.

"Flow"
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

About this title: People enter a flow state when they are fully absorbed in activity during which they lose their sense of time and have feelings of great satisfaction. The author, a pioneer in this astonishing field of study, clearly explains the principles of "FLOW", and shows how it can be introduced into every level of life.

Erikson's 8 Psychosocial Stages
Psychosocial Crisis Stage Life Stage age range, other descriptions
1. Trust vs mistrust= HOPE & DRIVE---0-1½ yrs Infancy (0-1½ yrs, baby, birth to walking)

2. Autonomy vs shame and Doubt= WILLPOWER & SELF-CONTROL -1-3 yrs (Early Childhood 1-3 yrs, toddler, toilet training)

3. Initiative vs guilt= PURPOSE & DIRECTION--3-6 yrs (Play Age 3-6 yrs, pre-school, nursery)

4. Industry vs inferiority= COMPETENCE & METHOD--5-12 yrs (School Age 5-12 yrs, early school)

5. Identity vs role Confusion= FIDELITY & DEVOTION-(9-18 yrs -Adolescence 9-18 yrs, puberty, teens*)

6. Intimacy vs isolation= LOVE & AFFILIATION--18-40 yrs (Young Adult 18-40, courting, early parenthood)

7. Generativity vs stagnation= CARE & PRODUCTION-30-65 yrs (Adulthood 30-65, middle age, parenting)

8. Integrity vs despair= WISDOM & RENUNCIATION--50+ yrs (Mature Age 50+, old age, grandparents)

Shared Values for a Troubled World:
By Rushworth M. Kidder

What core values must we uphold if mankind is to survive and prosper in an increasingly complex and fragile world? Rushworth M. Kidder traveled the world to interview leading thinkers, artists, educators, business people, and religious and political leaders. In this book you will meet: a Buddhist monk, a former president of Harvard, a Chinese author, a top American business executive, and many others from diverse cultures. The author asked each person the same question: "If you could develop a global code of ethics, what would it be?" Based on the twenty-four interviews presented here, Shared Values for a Troubled World identifies eight universal values necessary to create the moral conditions necessary to create the moral conditions for a sustainable twenty-first century: love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, celebration of diversity, responsibility, and respect for life. And as Harlan Cleveland so eloquently tells us in his foreword, "[The global code of ethics that emerges from these pages] is not, as the author keeps reminding us, the answer. But it is an answer to the primordial question about the twenty-first century: Can we, the world's peoples, come together on ethical common ground that doesn't permit the human experiment to end with either a bang or a whimper?"

Nicholas A. Christakis studies how your social network affects your health.
To the extent that health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, or unhealthy eating spread within networks in intelligible ways,” he says, “there are substantial implications for our understanding of health behavior and health policy. By not taking into account the effects of social networks, we may fail to understand an important aspect of human health, and we may miss a part of the picture of why people become ill.”

1) In a world where "more is better", when will more ever be enough?

2) You are one of a kind. This means that you have something very special to offer.

3) What you do will come back to you.

4) A sense of humor and a great imagination can get us through most of our fears.

5) We can't read minds. Tell us how you are feeling.

6) Manners matter!

7) More often then not, happiness is just a choice. Happiness doesn't depend on anything other than you choosing to be happy.

You are a Work of Art

You are a work of art.
We all are!
Each and every one of us is made for a specific and beautiful purpose.
Let’s cherish and celebrate each other.
Come sing with me.
We should be celebrating life together.
I know how incredibly special you are.
Let us show the children of the world that everyone matters.
Let’s show the children of the world, that it doesn’t cost anything to be loving and kind.
Let’s unite in raising a generation, together.
We, as adults, have a responsibility to raise all children with love and kindness.
My love for each and every one of you knows no bounds.
In honoring ourselves, we are honoring our creator.
Whatever that creator may appear to you to be, let’s celebrate creation together.
Let’s support one another. We are all in this life thing together. We can do it.
We can get the children of the world to play together.
We can get the children of the world to sing together.
You are a work of art, and so am I. We all are.
Let’s show these children that true adulthood includes kindness, honesty, fairness, and humility.
It’s never a mistake to be loving.
It’s never a mistake to be kind.
Our children need us to lead by example.
Believe it or not, it is up to us to shape our world into a thing of beauty.
Let’s teach our children that when you cheer the universe on, the universe cheers you on.
Above all, let’s be kind to one another.
We owe it to each other.
We owe it to ourselves.

Why teach?
What do I teach?

I'm not sure that I am a teacher of a given subject. I do know a little about music. What I do know is that what is common practice today, may be poor practice tomorrow. What is considered healthy today, may be realized unhealthy tomorrow. And what is fundamentally right today, will be recognized as partially or completely wrong tomorrow. What I do know how to do, (and I know will never change or go out of style), is feel. Sometimes I can feel so much love and appreciation for a child that it is like touching the very hand of God Herself.

Most of these children are not being touched, nurtured and nourished in the way they need. Just as the beautiful new flower that is denied light and water eventually withers and dies, (as it does not know how to help itself), so does something in these children. Yes, they seem to be mostly ordinary as they grow intellectually. However, this growth and maturity is mostly in a left brain manner. Unfortunately, this comprises most of the United States educational system. The fact remains that there is a whole world beyond and above the simple and small world of survival. The world I am speaking of is one of true feeling and loving. Why survive when you can thrive?

My mother showed me this world, and sometimes I think that this was a curse as so few live there However, most of the time I walk around in constant amazement taking little for granted. People flocked around my mother as her love and care for others radiated a light irresistible. I know that so many have benefited from her loving them. This simple act of loving is the best example a teacher could give. People don't want you to tell them. They need you to show them. Show them what it feels like to be loved and thought special, not just for what they do, but for who they are. Show them that they exist for a reason, and that the universe, infinity, would not and could not be the same without them. Each and every thing in this universe exists individually for a reason.

Everyone and everything is one of a kind. Individual, unique, precious and very, very needed. And not needed just to survive, but to be their very best them they can possibly be, (THRIVE). People's success in life will be a direct result of their ability to be their best and highest selves. We are meant to give of ourselves. This is what we are. This is what we do. This is our purpose in life. And this is why we are each so important. No one from Thomas Edison to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can ever accomplish what we individually can accomplish because no one ever has been or ever can be us. Only our best and highest selves can do the work. Thinking along these lines, and realizing our unreplaceable worth will allow us to love ourselves so that we may love all things around us. I know that above all else, this is the most important thing to pass on to our children and to each other. This is why I am a teacher, and this is what I teach. Music is a wonderful glimpse of all of this. My goal is to water every flower I come in contact with. Bathe each flower in love, and give each flower the sunlight of truth that it deserves. I do this in the name of love, as this is all I am truly qualified to do. In truth, feeling and loving is all that any of us are eternally qualified to do.

The Gardener
By Andy Glockenspiel

I think of myself as a gardener. I tend to the seedlings.

I do all that I can to make sure that the soil in which these children grow up in, is rich with the nutrients of moral courage.

I make sure the seeds of our future have pure water, which I equate to purity of thought.

I make certain that our precious little seedlings have the sunlight of love, affection, tenderness, trustworthiness, and peace.

I am speaking about our very vulnerable and malleable future. Who is standing guard? Who is tending the soil? Who is tending to OUR GARDEN???

I will not condone violent video games, provocative clothing for children, or disrespect for adults, authority, and the society that is constantly fighting to steer our ship safely through the rough waters of today’s challenges.

Until our children are given the tools to make the difficult ethical decisions that face them, we are all responsible for tending to this garden. This is OUR GARDEN. We are raising BLOSSOMS OF PEACE AND LOVE; who will live by the universal values that ensure progress.

So I speak to you… PARENTS, TEACHERS, FILM MAKERS, VIDEO GAME PROGRAMMERS, SINGERS, CHILDREN’S TV SHOW PRODUCERS;
sow good seed in our garden.

If we sow good seed in the garden, we will all reap the rewards of living in the kind of world we’ve only dreamed of.

LOVE,
ANDY (ANDREW C. GERMAIN)
WWW.andyglockenspiel.com

Nurturing the Whole BEING


Living by a high standard! Take pride in who you are. Conscious worth and respect for yourself comes from acting according to your highest sense of what is right. If you take pride in what you do, you will take pride in who you are. This is a great step towards loving yourself and cherishing your individuality. Being a living example of just such a high standard is an amazing contribution to society and the world as a whole.

MUSIC CONNECTS US ALL


Expressing yourself. Putting your emotions into music. Anger, laughter, sadness, determination (extreme focus). We all have these colors/ingredients within us. These emotions are our ties to each other. When we like a style of music or a particular song, we are relating to the music emotionally. We understand the music because we have had the same experience to some degree. The emotions bring us in. We all have them. Feelings tie us all together in the most beautiful way imaginable.

By Andy Glockenspiel

“Learning to Love Yourself”
(Taking a closer look at the role’s attitude and optimism play in loving ourselves.)
by Andrew C. Germain
(AKA Andy Glockenspiel)

Charles Swindoll says, “the longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.” He goes on to say, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”
We exercise to build up our bodies, eat well to stay healthy, and dress nicely to feel good about ourselves. The question is what are we doing to build our inner selves? This talk will deal directly with our attitude regarding ourselves and the world around us, as well as building our self–esteem. How we treat ourselves effects how we deal with others. We will look at Charles Swindoll’s thoughts on “Attitude”, as well as Optimist International’s “The Optimist Creed”. Interaction, discussion and exercises will all be a part of this talk called “Learning to Love Yourself”.


1) We must realize that attitude effects the world around us, and this is the world that we experience.

2) We must improve our self-talk. Why are we so hard on ourselves when what we need to be doing is loving ourselves. Accepting where we are with promise to progress.

3) Staying on track means staying positive. Progress is our focus and priority. We are striving to be a better person today then we were yesterday.

Live Every Moment
Here, our little students of life learn that right now is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. Life is a series of amazing moments to be learned from. If you don’t keep your eye on the now, you just might miss it.
Finally Got a Friend
Children discover the value of friendship at a very early age. Life can certainly be enjoyed on our own, but just as a sweet treat can be enjoyed so much more when shared with a friend, the same holds true for all of life.
Excuse Me
Being polite is so much more than a pleasantry. It shows courtesy and respect for others. I can’t tell you how many adults I’ve seen not covering their mouths when yawning or coughing.
Different
We hear the term tolerance used in many schools today. The preciousness of individuality and uniqueness shouldn’t be merely tolerated, but celebrated.
I’m Supposed to Be Me
One of the greatest struggles in all individuals is the search for self-worth. What makes us so precious does not begin with what we do, but rather who we are. All we have to be is the best version of ourselves. What a relief!
Rosa Parks
This extremely brave woman “stood up for her rights, just by sitting down.” In a time when children desperately need positive role models, this song outlines the courageous life of one woman who made a world of difference with regards to our ever-expanding concepts of freedom and justice.
Summer School
We all learn best through a story. Although this song is fictitious, my hope is for students to learn about one possible negative consequence resulting from a search for negative attention and playing the age-old role of “class clown.”
El Gato Chico
Taking in a stray cat or dog is usually a sign of a big heart. Just beware; stray animals don’t always make the best pets. He did what on my pillow???
Hit by Your Karma
For those of us who have not had the blessed opportunity of having an older sibling, I’m sure that you can still relate to this song. “What you do will come back to you.” We’re either being a part of the problem, or a part of the solution.
I Make Mistakes
“… I won’t feel bad ‘cause when it comes to mistakes, everybody gets their turn.” There are so many reasons for today’s children to feel performance anxiety. Let’s reassure our students that honest mistakes are a very important step in the learning process. Just remember to say you’re sorry when your mistakes hurt someone else.

OUR PATH

One person eats before getting in the shower in the morning. Another person doesn’t eat breakfast at all. Some people go to college and do nothing with their degrees. Others never get formal, higher education and make a huge impact on their communities and the world around them. Some people feel they have a place on this earth because they have married and raised children. Some feel total completeness, satisfaction and fulfillment, simply by giving of themselves as individuals, never having married or feeling the need to.

I believe that more than anything else, this world needs compassion and understanding. If basically everything in our daily lives is individual, SO IS OUR PATHWAY IN LIFE.
No one can judge our path, if it is honest and heartfelt.
For what feels natural to one will not to another.
And what feels natural to us today, may not feel natural to us tomorrow.
The real beauty of our own individual path, is that it is our own. Others can give advice but only we can know what is best for us, if we are truly listening and asking resourceful questions.

Love leads to this connection. Love leads to Love. I believe that what this world needs is compassion and understanding….LOVE.


by A.C.Germain
(AKA Andy Glockenspiel)