Showing posts with label Rock the SAT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rock the SAT. Show all posts

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Music-Linked Learning Helps Restore Neural Connections


Michael Moshan is a respected entrepreneur who has created edutainment series such as "Rock the SAT,” which places SAT test vocabulary within the context of song lyrics. Michael Moshan’s work as co-executive producer has included creating the original music that is used in building students’ vocabularies. 

The close connection between music and learning has been demonstrated in numerous studies. A recent University of Edinburgh study found that basic movement performed to music, while a simple task is being learned, helps develops cognitive centers within the brain.

In particular, the practice of this music-related movement affected those parts of the brain that control movement and sound processing. This enhanced structural connectivity provides the wiring for different cells to better communicate with each other. 

A conclusion of this study is that this connection could help rebuild structural elements of brains that have suffered impairment. This finding could be critical in enabling patients who have lost a limited degree of movement control to regain mobility.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Rock the SAT - Helping Students Master SAT Vocabulary


The president of Haven Tusk Title, LLC, Michael Moshan manages staff and oversees client development and account management at the New York City-based title company. Outside of work, he is a musician who formerly played in the band Brother Josephus and the Love Revival. Michael Moshan also used his musical skills to co-write volumes one and two of Rock the SAT. 

Co-written by Moshan, Michael Shapiro, and David Mendelsohn, Rock the SAT 1st Edition integrates SAT vocabulary into real rock songs to help students master terminology relevant for the SAT. The package features 13 tracks and a study guide with definitions, song lyrics, and sentences that use key SAT terms.

The 2nd Edition includes six additional tracks with unique vocabulary-packed names, including The Evil, Nefarious, Wicked Town of San Pedro, Copasetic, and Panegyric to My Grandmother. With these songs, students can master terminology in a fun, engaging way to boost their performance on the SAT and prepare for postsecondary studies.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Why Songs Help Students Remember


Michael Moshan stands out as co-executive producer and co-songwriter of Rock the SAT, a learning kit that uses high-energy songs to help students remember SAT vocabulary. In 2015, Michael Moshan and colleague David Mendelsohn released the collection's second volume.

Music helps students to memorize rote information in a way that few other things can. Experts attribute the effect partially to repetition, as a catchy song inspires a listener to play it multiple times. The brain then naturally remembers the lyrics and, in turn, the information that the lyrics contain.

The lyrics themselves may also contain repetitive material that aids in memorization. Lyrics tend to feature poetic devices such as alliteration, assonance, and rhyme, the latter of which is particularly effective in helping the human brain to remember lines of text.

Meanwhile, the pairing of music and lyrics helps the brain to form multiple connections related to the same piece of information. Just as a driver can reach a destination by multiple roads, so a learner can find his or her way to the definition of a word by remembering the associated lyrical or musical pattern. These multiple contexts also improve longevity of the memory, so that it stays accessible to the learner for a longer period.