Mapping Your Success: the Art of Being Yourself
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2022
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Mapping Your Success Overview
This unique and student-centered approach to a freshman or first-year seminar course was created by Dr. Grant Manhart, during his 25 years of teaching at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. This content and approach have shown elevated student engagement, enjoyment, evidence of conceptual and factual learning, but more strikingly, rave student reviews of having received a valuable life learning experience.
Focus:
Section 1 of the text places the student at the center of an investigation into themselves. For many if not most of the students, they report that the first section opened their eyes to truthful self-reflection which often led them to deep understandings of their weaknesses and strengths and delivers ways to effectively change habits and thoughts for the better, for success at university and life beyond.
Section 2 of the text is a real-life explanation of the numbers of one’s life, with examples of real university graduates and how they used knowledge of numbers to great benefit in their lives during and after university.
Section 3 of the text is an honest and statistically validated series of discussions of a young person’s relationship options, at university and beyond, and realistic work options. Topics include “why is there divorce?” and “If you are a child of divorce” and “If you remain single for life” and conversely “if you choose to partner for life”. This section is titled “The Forbidden Discussions” for they are routinely ignored in modern university curriculum and campus life, leaving young people in largely disrupted, emotional and anxious states about their current and future relationship potential, a life of work and any possibility of a family.
Scope: It is intended to provide a one semester 100 level Freshman Seminar university or senior level High School experience. In the classroom, the text can serve as a lecture/experience, with frequent embedded “pause and reflect” short answer moments, contained in the text itself. It also provides discussion space in the text where the students notate their thoughts, observations, and responses to prompts. This serves as a combined journal/experience, shared note-taking hub, and evidence of student involvement and work.
Emphasis: The text allows the student to explore themselves in almost therapy-like fashion, their strengths and weaknesses, identify their future goals and objectives, and provides frames and real-life examples to give models and roles to the student, in planning their success. In this way, each student seems to naturally “place themself” in the course, which is the essence of heightened engagement.
Format: The text uses video links, content sites and other media sites to provide depth, breadth, and examples. Links are kept live with ongoing monitoring.
The text comes with a quiz/test/study question bank for each chapter, and includes discussion topics in each chapter, and an appendix with a suggested final exam summary/reflection paper, a sample final exam summary paper, and an appendix addressing the elements of music. The text logs all student work automatically in the online gradebook in the text.
PART 1-TO KNOW THYSELF….
Week 1 Chapter 1 Introduce yourself. Let’s establish a framework that we understand, even if each uses their own. Identify the thing(s) you would most like to change about yourself.
- Understanding the disruption
- Essential skill#1 Learn to ask the right questions
- Icebreaker discussion: Introduce yourself to the class, reflect on what is unique about you, reflect on what you would most change about yourself if you could.
- Course Bonus: Discovering your photographic memory (author video)
Week 2 Chapter 2: Hierarchies, Class, Chaos and Survival. Where have you been, where are you now, and where are you going?
-What is class in America, or anywhere?
- Why is there class, and why are there classes, anyway? A discussion of hierarchies
- Ruby Payne’s 3 classes “Could You Survive in poverty, wealth and middle class” Quizzes
- Ruby Payne: 3 Classes Table
-Chapter 2 Quiz and Discussion
Week 3 Chapter 3: The Big 5 Personality Traits: Which are you? Understanding yourself explains a lot in your past, and helps you understand yourself in your present and future.
- Meyers-Briggs personality test
- Discussion 3 Your Personality
-Take the personality test and discuss your results Discussion 3
Week 4 Chapter 4 Who are the People That Can, and Will, Take You Out
- The Shame Game: Let’s stop playing it once and for all.
- A predator is among us: Narcissists and Narcissism.
- How the Narcissist works….at work
-Chapter 4 Quiz and Discussion Week 4
Week 5 Chapter 5 The Best Defense: Developing strong boundaries
-What is a boundary?
-Boundaries and how they are the pillars which shape you, support you, illuminate your path, and keep you from traps of conformity, groupthink, and ideologies. You will form your own ideology however….that is ideal. They also tell you when to run, not walk, from toxic people and relationships…ideally very early in the relationships, where damage is minimal!
-Develop your system for discovering and dealing with the toxic people who would take us sideways or out.
Week 6 Chapter 6 Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for life, and 28 more, and 60 more suggestions.
- Chose the rules that appeal to you and consider making them permanent parts of you.
PART 2: THE NUMBERS OF YOUR LIFE
Week 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Week 7: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide: The numbers of your life.
Either you control them, or they will control you! The numbers of your life: Knowing them will guide your growing disciplined behavior toward brighter todays and tomorrows.
- What are property taxes and who really pays them?
- What is a mortgage loan and how do banks profit?
- How do you buy a house? Why should you buy a house? Why not? Can you buy a house with nothing but being trustworthy?
- What is a credit score?
- Meet Ben and Anne: How they paid off their student loans in 24 months (video interview)
Chapter 8 Week 8 Chapter 8 Week 8 Your work life: The inevitable 4 paths
- More numbers, and meet Delayna LaBelle! On her way to financial freedom (video interview)
- Long term financial accounts for success: Compounding interest, and tied into “the promise”.
-What are income taxes and how do they work?
- What is a tax deduction?
- What Social Security and Medicare?
- Meet guest speaker Delayna LaBelle! From naïve college freshman to elementary music teacher to on her way to financial freedom
Chapter 9 Week 9 A Brief Look at Failure and Success.
-Meet Alan and Jamie: A garbage truck route and a small rural town, on their way to become the richest couple in South Dakota
PART 3: RELATIONSHIPS The Forbidden Discussion
Chapter 10 Week 10 The inevitable 4 paths of relationships
-Staying single has long term consequences
-Having a long term partner, no children, has long term consequences
-Having a long term partner and producing/raising children has long term consequences
Chapter 11 Week 11 Why is there Divorce?
-A Discussion of “Why is there Divorce?”
- If you are the child of a divorce, healing and trust issues.
Chapter 12 Week 12 The solo path: Independence as a way of life
Chapter 13: If you are planning on partnering…
Appendix 1 The Hidden Codes of Grownups
Appendix 2 107 Suggestions for Life
Appendix 3 If You Find You are Fragile and Chaotic
Appendix 4 The Infectious Qualities of Bad Ideas
Appendix 5 Ideology Versus the Individual
Appendix 6 For Women: The Danger of Being Married to the University
Dr. Grant Manhart joined the Northern State University faculty in 1998. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance and Jazz Studies from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and a Doctorate of Music in Trumpet Performance, Literature, and Performance, with minors in Jazz Studies and Music History from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His primary trumpet instructors were the legendary William Adam, Dominic Spera, Edmund Cord, Eugene Blee, Frank Brown, Scott Johnston, and Donald Whitaker. Other studies include Robert Nagel, Bobby Lewis, John McNeil, Bobby Shew, Charlie Davis, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Roy Poper, Charles Schleuter, Claude Gordon, and Uan Rasey. His jazz studies include such luminaries as David Baker, Dominic Spera, Frank Brown, Rick Van Matre, and Richard Davis.
His performing career includes tours with Broadway shows, the Buddy Rich Band, Carol Channing, Rita Moreno, June Valli, Carmen Cavallero, the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus, performing as Roy Eldridge touring the United States with the Columbia Artists Gene Krupa Band, and a stint in Puerto Rico with the Latin Jazz group, Picante. As a bandleader, he has created hundreds of performing opportunities for professionals and students, including his touring brass and percussion group, the “Dominant 7,” a five time recipient of a South Dakota Touring Arts Grant. He is now an author, creating this e-book for Music Appreciation for Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Not content to merely perform, he has transcribed, arranged, or composed over two hundred different works for his jazz ensemble, symphonic band and the “Wolfpack Pep Band”. He has composed and recorded several commercials, using faculty and students at Northern State University as the vocal and instrumental recording artists. He has performed as a vocal talent for various media productions.
He is in demand as a clinician, speaker, and performer.
An ongoing learner and creator, he pursued opportunities in online course development and teaching, and created an online “Music Appreciation” course, which runs three sections every semester. He is currently developing a “History of Rock and Roll” course to be offered fall 2016. His energy unbounded, he created a local real estate business and continues to do so, and engages and sponsors entrepreneurs inside and outside the university.
He creates hardwood furniture and is a general handyman and builder. He gardens in the summers and has created a locally known hot sauce with the peppers he grows. His passions include fishing and lure making, and ice skating and playing with his four children: twins Logan and Chase, 21; Louis, 12; and Claire, 8. His wife, Marcia, is an accomplished pianist, runs the house, his life, the children, and the real estate from their hobby farm outside Aberdeen. Dr. Manhart lost his wife Nicole to cancer in 2000 when their twins were 2, in his second year at Northern State University.
Paige: Freshman, College athlete
When I entered my freshman seminar class Mapping Your Success classroom I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But, more importantly I had no idea how my life was about to change. Over the course of the past three months, I have had the opportunity to discover and uncover things about myself, learn about others, and understand the foundation that every single human being is built upon.
“Mapping Your Success” covered a wide range of topics such as Ruby Payne's hidden rules, narcissism, the importance of compound interest, divorce, how to become ‘wealthy’, personal boundaries, and so much more.
Throughout this course I was able to grasp onto takeaways that I thought were important and applicable for my own life, as I’m sure many of my peers were able to do as well. This class didn’t only help me map my success, but it also helped me become a better person. I truly believe that things I learned during this class are things that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
The journeys to success that myself and my classmates all started in the exact same place: the discussion posts. Every week we were required to complete the discussion posts with whatever the posed questions were or what our personal takeaways of that day's lecture was. In a way, the discussion post became my counselor — it asked me a challenging question and I gave my best, honest answer.
After going back through and consulting all of my discussion posts from the past 14 weeks I was able to clearly identify the challenges I face as an individual.
Lydia: Freshman, Biology major
This course did exactly what the course was designed to do: demand that I contemplate myself, other people, and life as a whole in order to blossom. As far as mapping my success, I’d say this class has really taught me a lot. Not only about myself, but also about other people. How certain people are raised during their childhood and how it can affect them in the long run. Understanding narcissistic relationships and how to diffuse them. Like I said, I learned a lot and I have been applying the things I learned already. This class was not what I expected it to be. It really exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much, Dr. Manhart.
Thomas: Freshman, Marketing and Finance major
This class has taught me many things including things that I have faced in my life not even knowing about it. I knew I struggled with procrastination and I’m still trying to work on that but this class has helped. I liked the analogy you made with how this is an example of how being mature and tackling obligations early sets an individual free in their life, and putting things off entraps a person in their own cell.
Overall, this course has helped me extremely. I know you said congratulate yourself on mapping your success, but you have been a huge part in this process so I want to say thank you for this semester and hope to see you around!
Eli: Freshman, Music Education major
When I discuss freshmen seminars with my friends, the consensus is always, "My seminar is my least favorite class, it's so boring." But this isn't the case with Mapping Your Success. Not only is the content interesting and fun, but I feel like the lessons in this class will benefit me more than any other class I have ever taken. I actually feel like I am learning how to guarantee my future success. This seminar is so important, and I am so glad I was able to take it.
Miranda: Freshman, Psychology major
This course has been like a slap to the face. A much-needed slap :) The narcissism chapter has actually just changed my life in the last week. I have always blamed myself with resentment for letting narcissistic people enter and control my life. I finally feel that my empathy is worth having if given to the right people. Both the content reading and discussions have been SUPER helpful. This is the only class I think is worth my money!
Jessica: After this narcissism lesson, it has extremely opened my eyes. I can finally understand better why people do such things. I have ran across people in my life that I realize now are narcissists. I wish I could have known this years ago and it wouldn’t have made such a bad impact on me. I would’ve been able to do something about it sooner rather than later.
When a toxic person can no longer control you, they try to control how others see you. This misinformation will feel unfair and maybe hurt you, but you must stay above it, trusting that other people will eventually see the truth, like I did.
Pathological narcissists get away with their abuse because those who haven’t experienced it cannot wrap their heads around the possibility that such cruelty exists. Because the truth sounds insane—that’s because it is. If you’re lucky enough, like me, to get away from a narcissist, you’ll probably find that they act as though you’ve caused them severe injury. In their delusional heads they’ll be thinking “How dare you leave me, when I’m not done controlling, manipulating, and using or abusing you???” And because their ego will be damaged by the loss of their supply, be prepared to be slandered by lies and stories about you. They will share these fabricated stories and lies with anyone who is willing to listen. They do this so that they will look like the victim, they get to play the victim. BUT, you can’t let them get to you. Give them NO reaction, because your energy, your light, is above all that. Don’t feed into it.
You must hold your head up high and remember that it doesn’t matter what others believe, because you were there, living the nightmare, so you know the truth. Don’t ever feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life. It was one of the best, yet challenging obstacles I’ve had to do. I am grateful for what it has taught me. I finally felt more at peace, with life, and with myself.
Steve: This has helped me more than I even thought of right away. It has really opened my eyes to life in general more and how to improve it and what needs to get out of my life right now!
I personally have learned a lot from the course so far. I think it has been very beneficial to me in just 5 weeks, and I can't wait to continue learning more. This course has helped me see things differently and has helped me start to think in a different way.
Kannon: I feel like the first five weeks of the course has been very beneficial. I have learned a lot of things that I otherwise would've never thought of. That has helped me look at life with a completely different view, which has helped me greatly.
Abby: I believe that the first five weeks of this course have gone well. I have learned a lot and look forward to coming to class. Mapping your success is different than any other class I have taken before. Instead of learning about a certain subject or concept we are learning about ourselves and steps to a successful future.
Cole: In all honesty, I really love this seminar, it has opened my eyes to new ways of looking at myself and the society around me. With that being said, the framework of what to do is laid out, but it is difficult for me to apply some of the things learned in class to my every day life. If the class was laid out over a longer period of time, with more self reflection and time to process I personally would enjoy it alot more, and have a deeper benefit from it.
Eli: I really appreciate the work you are doing Dr. Manhart. When I discuss freshmen seminars with my friends, the consensus is always, "My seminar is my least favorite class, it's so boring." But this isn't the case with Mapping Your Success. Not only is the content interesting and fun, but I feel like the lessons in this class will benefit me more than any other class I have ever taken. I actually feel like I am learning how to guarantee my future success. This seminar is so important and I am so glad I was able to take it. The only issue I see is that the structure of each class is a little frenzied and all over the place. This is okay for the most part, and it is very entertaining; however, a few classes have ended where you didn't have enough time to wrap up your thoughts or deliver the final statement.
Braden: I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. I personally think it is one of my favorites and it teaches me a lot about who is in my life and what they want to do. It also opens up a lot about myself and kind of helps me realize who I am. One suggestion I have is to have more group activities or just like an open discussion and just get the whole class involved rather than just having it be a lecture.
Esteban: This class is for students to go and find themselves and take all the information from the class and apply it to themselves and how they will act upon that discussion in class. I get to leave this class knowing that I can take all the information and apply it to myself to better myself and be the person I want to be. The discussions are simple, but they make us think deep about what we are really hearing and learning.
Cal: I think it is very important thing that you are doing. It is so much important to talk about these things that aren't talked about. So many teachers preach just the educational things and they never dig into real life situations and things that actually matter.
Seth: The course so far has been a really good. Dr Manhart has had a lot of great information that he has told us. He has taught me to not care about the people who are rude and who are selfish. After he told us about his life that taught me to not give up, because it can turn good just like that just like it did for Dr Manhart
Miranda: This course has been like a slap to the face. A much needed slap :) The narcissism chapter has actually just changed my life in the last week. I have always blamed myself (and hated myself) for letting narcissistic people enter and control my life. This only allowed more narcissistic people to come into my life because I felt that I deserved it. I finally feel that my empathy is worth having if given to the right people. Both the content reading and discussions have been SUPER helpful. This is the only class I think is worth my money!
Seth: As for any benefits, the Hidden codes discussion was interesting and definitely not something I had ever really thought about before. The Week 4 discussion was also really good and had me thinking about myself in a way I haven't had to do before.
Kaylin: This course is something important and teaches me where to find who I am. The past five weeks I have been noticing I have been bettering myself. I take what we discuss in class and put it into my life and decide whether it is something that will change and be positive or if I don't need to change anything. The discussion posts really get me to think about more in life and myself. They are not hard, because it's about us and also about what we are discussing in class. I like to wait until later in the week to enter my post, because I think about what we are doing in class for a few days, to see where I stand in the topic.
Jessica: This course is extremely eye opening and I am glad that I chose this course for my freshman seminar. I am learning more about myself, others, and life in general through these lessons. I can use this knowledge to help others even more. I respect how real and straightforward this course is. I am that way, so it makes me WANT to come to class. It's not just another class that I have to go to. It makes me reevaluate myself at times, to benefit me and improve my overall character and well-being. The power I have is to be the best version of myself that I can be to create a better world.
Victor: My feedback for the course for you Dr. Manhart is that your course is beneficial to me because it makes me rethink my character sometimes to try and understand what else I can do to improve myself and my well-being. Additionally, the discussion posts are a refreshing task because it requires you to think but isn't something overly complicated that makes you feel overwhelmed. Overall, my opinion of the class is its as beneficial as the student can want it to be either they can absorb the knowledge you present to us or let it rush over their head.
Brooke: My feedback for the course for you Dr. Manhart is that your course is beneficial to me because it makes me rethink my character sometimes to try and understand what else I can do to improve myself and my well-being. Additionally, the discussion posts are a refreshing task because it requires you to think but isn't something overly complicated that makes you feel overwhelmed. Overall, my opinion of the class is its as beneficial as the student can want it to be either they can absorb the knowledge you present to us or let it rush over their head.
Cameron: This course has benefitted me in many ways. I have learned how to start taking control of my life, as well as how to handle situations as they arise. Learning many of these aspects will help me in the future to create a future that I will truly enjoy. There are many tips that Dr. Manhart has taught that will be very useful in life.
Mapping Your Success Overview
This unique and student-centered approach to a freshman or first-year seminar course was created by Dr. Grant Manhart, during his 25 years of teaching at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. This content and approach have shown elevated student engagement, enjoyment, evidence of conceptual and factual learning, but more strikingly, rave student reviews of having received a valuable life learning experience.
Focus:
Section 1 of the text places the student at the center of an investigation into themselves. For many if not most of the students, they report that the first section opened their eyes to truthful self-reflection which often led them to deep understandings of their weaknesses and strengths and delivers ways to effectively change habits and thoughts for the better, for success at university and life beyond.
Section 2 of the text is a real-life explanation of the numbers of one’s life, with examples of real university graduates and how they used knowledge of numbers to great benefit in their lives during and after university.
Section 3 of the text is an honest and statistically validated series of discussions of a young person’s relationship options, at university and beyond, and realistic work options. Topics include “why is there divorce?” and “If you are a child of divorce” and “If you remain single for life” and conversely “if you choose to partner for life”. This section is titled “The Forbidden Discussions” for they are routinely ignored in modern university curriculum and campus life, leaving young people in largely disrupted, emotional and anxious states about their current and future relationship potential, a life of work and any possibility of a family.
Scope: It is intended to provide a one semester 100 level Freshman Seminar university or senior level High School experience. In the classroom, the text can serve as a lecture/experience, with frequent embedded “pause and reflect” short answer moments, contained in the text itself. It also provides discussion space in the text where the students notate their thoughts, observations, and responses to prompts. This serves as a combined journal/experience, shared note-taking hub, and evidence of student involvement and work.
Emphasis: The text allows the student to explore themselves in almost therapy-like fashion, their strengths and weaknesses, identify their future goals and objectives, and provides frames and real-life examples to give models and roles to the student, in planning their success. In this way, each student seems to naturally “place themself” in the course, which is the essence of heightened engagement.
Format: The text uses video links, content sites and other media sites to provide depth, breadth, and examples. Links are kept live with ongoing monitoring.
The text comes with a quiz/test/study question bank for each chapter, and includes discussion topics in each chapter, and an appendix with a suggested final exam summary/reflection paper, a sample final exam summary paper, and an appendix addressing the elements of music. The text logs all student work automatically in the online gradebook in the text.
PART 1-TO KNOW THYSELF….
Week 1 Chapter 1 Introduce yourself. Let’s establish a framework that we understand, even if each uses their own. Identify the thing(s) you would most like to change about yourself.
- Understanding the disruption
- Essential skill#1 Learn to ask the right questions
- Icebreaker discussion: Introduce yourself to the class, reflect on what is unique about you, reflect on what you would most change about yourself if you could.
- Course Bonus: Discovering your photographic memory (author video)
Week 2 Chapter 2: Hierarchies, Class, Chaos and Survival. Where have you been, where are you now, and where are you going?
-What is class in America, or anywhere?
- Why is there class, and why are there classes, anyway? A discussion of hierarchies
- Ruby Payne’s 3 classes “Could You Survive in poverty, wealth and middle class” Quizzes
- Ruby Payne: 3 Classes Table
-Chapter 2 Quiz and Discussion
Week 3 Chapter 3: The Big 5 Personality Traits: Which are you? Understanding yourself explains a lot in your past, and helps you understand yourself in your present and future.
- Meyers-Briggs personality test
- Discussion 3 Your Personality
-Take the personality test and discuss your results Discussion 3
Week 4 Chapter 4 Who are the People That Can, and Will, Take You Out
- The Shame Game: Let’s stop playing it once and for all.
- A predator is among us: Narcissists and Narcissism.
- How the Narcissist works….at work
-Chapter 4 Quiz and Discussion Week 4
Week 5 Chapter 5 The Best Defense: Developing strong boundaries
-What is a boundary?
-Boundaries and how they are the pillars which shape you, support you, illuminate your path, and keep you from traps of conformity, groupthink, and ideologies. You will form your own ideology however….that is ideal. They also tell you when to run, not walk, from toxic people and relationships…ideally very early in the relationships, where damage is minimal!
-Develop your system for discovering and dealing with the toxic people who would take us sideways or out.
Week 6 Chapter 6 Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for life, and 28 more, and 60 more suggestions.
- Chose the rules that appeal to you and consider making them permanent parts of you.
PART 2: THE NUMBERS OF YOUR LIFE
Week 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Week 7: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide: The numbers of your life.
Either you control them, or they will control you! The numbers of your life: Knowing them will guide your growing disciplined behavior toward brighter todays and tomorrows.
- What are property taxes and who really pays them?
- What is a mortgage loan and how do banks profit?
- How do you buy a house? Why should you buy a house? Why not? Can you buy a house with nothing but being trustworthy?
- What is a credit score?
- Meet Ben and Anne: How they paid off their student loans in 24 months (video interview)
Chapter 8 Week 8 Chapter 8 Week 8 Your work life: The inevitable 4 paths
- More numbers, and meet Delayna LaBelle! On her way to financial freedom (video interview)
- Long term financial accounts for success: Compounding interest, and tied into “the promise”.
-What are income taxes and how do they work?
- What is a tax deduction?
- What Social Security and Medicare?
- Meet guest speaker Delayna LaBelle! From naïve college freshman to elementary music teacher to on her way to financial freedom
Chapter 9 Week 9 A Brief Look at Failure and Success.
-Meet Alan and Jamie: A garbage truck route and a small rural town, on their way to become the richest couple in South Dakota
PART 3: RELATIONSHIPS The Forbidden Discussion
Chapter 10 Week 10 The inevitable 4 paths of relationships
-Staying single has long term consequences
-Having a long term partner, no children, has long term consequences
-Having a long term partner and producing/raising children has long term consequences
Chapter 11 Week 11 Why is there Divorce?
-A Discussion of “Why is there Divorce?”
- If you are the child of a divorce, healing and trust issues.
Chapter 12 Week 12 The solo path: Independence as a way of life
Chapter 13: If you are planning on partnering…
Appendix 1 The Hidden Codes of Grownups
Appendix 2 107 Suggestions for Life
Appendix 3 If You Find You are Fragile and Chaotic
Appendix 4 The Infectious Qualities of Bad Ideas
Appendix 5 Ideology Versus the Individual
Appendix 6 For Women: The Danger of Being Married to the University
Dr. Grant Manhart joined the Northern State University faculty in 1998. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance and Jazz Studies from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and a Doctorate of Music in Trumpet Performance, Literature, and Performance, with minors in Jazz Studies and Music History from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His primary trumpet instructors were the legendary William Adam, Dominic Spera, Edmund Cord, Eugene Blee, Frank Brown, Scott Johnston, and Donald Whitaker. Other studies include Robert Nagel, Bobby Lewis, John McNeil, Bobby Shew, Charlie Davis, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Roy Poper, Charles Schleuter, Claude Gordon, and Uan Rasey. His jazz studies include such luminaries as David Baker, Dominic Spera, Frank Brown, Rick Van Matre, and Richard Davis.
His performing career includes tours with Broadway shows, the Buddy Rich Band, Carol Channing, Rita Moreno, June Valli, Carmen Cavallero, the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus, performing as Roy Eldridge touring the United States with the Columbia Artists Gene Krupa Band, and a stint in Puerto Rico with the Latin Jazz group, Picante. As a bandleader, he has created hundreds of performing opportunities for professionals and students, including his touring brass and percussion group, the “Dominant 7,” a five time recipient of a South Dakota Touring Arts Grant. He is now an author, creating this e-book for Music Appreciation for Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Not content to merely perform, he has transcribed, arranged, or composed over two hundred different works for his jazz ensemble, symphonic band and the “Wolfpack Pep Band”. He has composed and recorded several commercials, using faculty and students at Northern State University as the vocal and instrumental recording artists. He has performed as a vocal talent for various media productions.
He is in demand as a clinician, speaker, and performer.
An ongoing learner and creator, he pursued opportunities in online course development and teaching, and created an online “Music Appreciation” course, which runs three sections every semester. He is currently developing a “History of Rock and Roll” course to be offered fall 2016. His energy unbounded, he created a local real estate business and continues to do so, and engages and sponsors entrepreneurs inside and outside the university.
He creates hardwood furniture and is a general handyman and builder. He gardens in the summers and has created a locally known hot sauce with the peppers he grows. His passions include fishing and lure making, and ice skating and playing with his four children: twins Logan and Chase, 21; Louis, 12; and Claire, 8. His wife, Marcia, is an accomplished pianist, runs the house, his life, the children, and the real estate from their hobby farm outside Aberdeen. Dr. Manhart lost his wife Nicole to cancer in 2000 when their twins were 2, in his second year at Northern State University.
Paige: Freshman, College athlete
When I entered my freshman seminar class Mapping Your Success classroom I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But, more importantly I had no idea how my life was about to change. Over the course of the past three months, I have had the opportunity to discover and uncover things about myself, learn about others, and understand the foundation that every single human being is built upon.
“Mapping Your Success” covered a wide range of topics such as Ruby Payne's hidden rules, narcissism, the importance of compound interest, divorce, how to become ‘wealthy’, personal boundaries, and so much more.
Throughout this course I was able to grasp onto takeaways that I thought were important and applicable for my own life, as I’m sure many of my peers were able to do as well. This class didn’t only help me map my success, but it also helped me become a better person. I truly believe that things I learned during this class are things that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
The journeys to success that myself and my classmates all started in the exact same place: the discussion posts. Every week we were required to complete the discussion posts with whatever the posed questions were or what our personal takeaways of that day's lecture was. In a way, the discussion post became my counselor — it asked me a challenging question and I gave my best, honest answer.
After going back through and consulting all of my discussion posts from the past 14 weeks I was able to clearly identify the challenges I face as an individual.
Lydia: Freshman, Biology major
This course did exactly what the course was designed to do: demand that I contemplate myself, other people, and life as a whole in order to blossom. As far as mapping my success, I’d say this class has really taught me a lot. Not only about myself, but also about other people. How certain people are raised during their childhood and how it can affect them in the long run. Understanding narcissistic relationships and how to diffuse them. Like I said, I learned a lot and I have been applying the things I learned already. This class was not what I expected it to be. It really exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much, Dr. Manhart.
Thomas: Freshman, Marketing and Finance major
This class has taught me many things including things that I have faced in my life not even knowing about it. I knew I struggled with procrastination and I’m still trying to work on that but this class has helped. I liked the analogy you made with how this is an example of how being mature and tackling obligations early sets an individual free in their life, and putting things off entraps a person in their own cell.
Overall, this course has helped me extremely. I know you said congratulate yourself on mapping your success, but you have been a huge part in this process so I want to say thank you for this semester and hope to see you around!
Eli: Freshman, Music Education major
When I discuss freshmen seminars with my friends, the consensus is always, "My seminar is my least favorite class, it's so boring." But this isn't the case with Mapping Your Success. Not only is the content interesting and fun, but I feel like the lessons in this class will benefit me more than any other class I have ever taken. I actually feel like I am learning how to guarantee my future success. This seminar is so important, and I am so glad I was able to take it.
Miranda: Freshman, Psychology major
This course has been like a slap to the face. A much-needed slap :) The narcissism chapter has actually just changed my life in the last week. I have always blamed myself with resentment for letting narcissistic people enter and control my life. I finally feel that my empathy is worth having if given to the right people. Both the content reading and discussions have been SUPER helpful. This is the only class I think is worth my money!
Jessica: After this narcissism lesson, it has extremely opened my eyes. I can finally understand better why people do such things. I have ran across people in my life that I realize now are narcissists. I wish I could have known this years ago and it wouldn’t have made such a bad impact on me. I would’ve been able to do something about it sooner rather than later.
When a toxic person can no longer control you, they try to control how others see you. This misinformation will feel unfair and maybe hurt you, but you must stay above it, trusting that other people will eventually see the truth, like I did.
Pathological narcissists get away with their abuse because those who haven’t experienced it cannot wrap their heads around the possibility that such cruelty exists. Because the truth sounds insane—that’s because it is. If you’re lucky enough, like me, to get away from a narcissist, you’ll probably find that they act as though you’ve caused them severe injury. In their delusional heads they’ll be thinking “How dare you leave me, when I’m not done controlling, manipulating, and using or abusing you???” And because their ego will be damaged by the loss of their supply, be prepared to be slandered by lies and stories about you. They will share these fabricated stories and lies with anyone who is willing to listen. They do this so that they will look like the victim, they get to play the victim. BUT, you can’t let them get to you. Give them NO reaction, because your energy, your light, is above all that. Don’t feed into it.
You must hold your head up high and remember that it doesn’t matter what others believe, because you were there, living the nightmare, so you know the truth. Don’t ever feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life. It was one of the best, yet challenging obstacles I’ve had to do. I am grateful for what it has taught me. I finally felt more at peace, with life, and with myself.
Steve: This has helped me more than I even thought of right away. It has really opened my eyes to life in general more and how to improve it and what needs to get out of my life right now!
I personally have learned a lot from the course so far. I think it has been very beneficial to me in just 5 weeks, and I can't wait to continue learning more. This course has helped me see things differently and has helped me start to think in a different way.
Kannon: I feel like the first five weeks of the course has been very beneficial. I have learned a lot of things that I otherwise would've never thought of. That has helped me look at life with a completely different view, which has helped me greatly.
Abby: I believe that the first five weeks of this course have gone well. I have learned a lot and look forward to coming to class. Mapping your success is different than any other class I have taken before. Instead of learning about a certain subject or concept we are learning about ourselves and steps to a successful future.
Cole: In all honesty, I really love this seminar, it has opened my eyes to new ways of looking at myself and the society around me. With that being said, the framework of what to do is laid out, but it is difficult for me to apply some of the things learned in class to my every day life. If the class was laid out over a longer period of time, with more self reflection and time to process I personally would enjoy it alot more, and have a deeper benefit from it.
Eli: I really appreciate the work you are doing Dr. Manhart. When I discuss freshmen seminars with my friends, the consensus is always, "My seminar is my least favorite class, it's so boring." But this isn't the case with Mapping Your Success. Not only is the content interesting and fun, but I feel like the lessons in this class will benefit me more than any other class I have ever taken. I actually feel like I am learning how to guarantee my future success. This seminar is so important and I am so glad I was able to take it. The only issue I see is that the structure of each class is a little frenzied and all over the place. This is okay for the most part, and it is very entertaining; however, a few classes have ended where you didn't have enough time to wrap up your thoughts or deliver the final statement.
Braden: I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. I personally think it is one of my favorites and it teaches me a lot about who is in my life and what they want to do. It also opens up a lot about myself and kind of helps me realize who I am. One suggestion I have is to have more group activities or just like an open discussion and just get the whole class involved rather than just having it be a lecture.
Esteban: This class is for students to go and find themselves and take all the information from the class and apply it to themselves and how they will act upon that discussion in class. I get to leave this class knowing that I can take all the information and apply it to myself to better myself and be the person I want to be. The discussions are simple, but they make us think deep about what we are really hearing and learning.
Cal: I think it is very important thing that you are doing. It is so much important to talk about these things that aren't talked about. So many teachers preach just the educational things and they never dig into real life situations and things that actually matter.
Seth: The course so far has been a really good. Dr Manhart has had a lot of great information that he has told us. He has taught me to not care about the people who are rude and who are selfish. After he told us about his life that taught me to not give up, because it can turn good just like that just like it did for Dr Manhart
Miranda: This course has been like a slap to the face. A much needed slap :) The narcissism chapter has actually just changed my life in the last week. I have always blamed myself (and hated myself) for letting narcissistic people enter and control my life. This only allowed more narcissistic people to come into my life because I felt that I deserved it. I finally feel that my empathy is worth having if given to the right people. Both the content reading and discussions have been SUPER helpful. This is the only class I think is worth my money!
Seth: As for any benefits, the Hidden codes discussion was interesting and definitely not something I had ever really thought about before. The Week 4 discussion was also really good and had me thinking about myself in a way I haven't had to do before.
Kaylin: This course is something important and teaches me where to find who I am. The past five weeks I have been noticing I have been bettering myself. I take what we discuss in class and put it into my life and decide whether it is something that will change and be positive or if I don't need to change anything. The discussion posts really get me to think about more in life and myself. They are not hard, because it's about us and also about what we are discussing in class. I like to wait until later in the week to enter my post, because I think about what we are doing in class for a few days, to see where I stand in the topic.
Jessica: This course is extremely eye opening and I am glad that I chose this course for my freshman seminar. I am learning more about myself, others, and life in general through these lessons. I can use this knowledge to help others even more. I respect how real and straightforward this course is. I am that way, so it makes me WANT to come to class. It's not just another class that I have to go to. It makes me reevaluate myself at times, to benefit me and improve my overall character and well-being. The power I have is to be the best version of myself that I can be to create a better world.
Victor: My feedback for the course for you Dr. Manhart is that your course is beneficial to me because it makes me rethink my character sometimes to try and understand what else I can do to improve myself and my well-being. Additionally, the discussion posts are a refreshing task because it requires you to think but isn't something overly complicated that makes you feel overwhelmed. Overall, my opinion of the class is its as beneficial as the student can want it to be either they can absorb the knowledge you present to us or let it rush over their head.
Brooke: My feedback for the course for you Dr. Manhart is that your course is beneficial to me because it makes me rethink my character sometimes to try and understand what else I can do to improve myself and my well-being. Additionally, the discussion posts are a refreshing task because it requires you to think but isn't something overly complicated that makes you feel overwhelmed. Overall, my opinion of the class is its as beneficial as the student can want it to be either they can absorb the knowledge you present to us or let it rush over their head.
Cameron: This course has benefitted me in many ways. I have learned how to start taking control of my life, as well as how to handle situations as they arise. Learning many of these aspects will help me in the future to create a future that I will truly enjoy. There are many tips that Dr. Manhart has taught that will be very useful in life.