What They Dont Tell You About Becoming a Musician

What They Don’t Tell You About Becoming a Musician Sign up successful Early in high school, I decided to be a multi-instrumentalist. Saxophone has always been my “primary” instrument, but I play and teach many instruments. Like many 15-year-olds, I had the desire to try my hand at guitar. Having had solid experience with another instrument, it came to me very quickly, albeit self-taught. One day, I was in our high school music room playing a song I’d figured out on the guitar, and one of my friends heard me playing. “I didn’t know you played guitar!” he said. This was immediately followed by a request to join a garage band, help him with his bass playing, and write songs together. Whoa! Am I even capable of this? Well, I went for it, but as soon as I said yes, I felt the overwhelming anxiety of not being as virtuosic as I was falsely perceived to be. At this point, I had learned everything that I knew about guitar from a Walmart poster. I’m serious. Poster + guitar = now offering advice? I needed to learn some things and quick! I immediately started thinking, “Who do I know that plays guitar well?” Seeing a pattern here? No matter when we decide to give making music a try, someday, you’ll teach somebody something about music. Don’t be afraid of this; rather, rise to the challenge and let this be your inspiration to submerse yourself in thoughts and ideas that will in turn push you to the next level. For example, I’ve always been sort of a hobbyist in regards to guitar. I teach music for a living at a university, so guitar has always been an outlet instrument for me. I teach big bands, so now I have college-level jazz guitarists coming to me for advice. The best way for me to teach them was for me to pick up my guitar and put myself in their shoes. I’ve had great success teaching them, and they go on and on about how much more things seem to make sense. I’m just having fun playing guitar with them! Music is an art. This art of how to become a musician is passed down from generation to generation via friends, family, and mentors. On behalf of music teachers everywhere, welcome to the club! Carl S. teaches saxophone, music theory, piano, and more in Brookings, SD. He  completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of Kansas in 2014, and his Master of Music Pedagogy and Performance from Oklahoma State University in 2011.  Learn more about Carl here!   Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by Jhayne

10 Ways to Increase Productivity at Work - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 10 Ways to Increase Productivity at Work - Introvert Whisperer 10 Ways to Increase Productivity at Work What is productivity? It is the combination of focused efforts and intelligent planning. It can be a challenge to remain productive at work or at home. The odds are that you are not completely satisfied with your work after every work day. Productivity can be improved every day if you work continuously on some points. Making most of your time during the day is important. And, it does not mean that you cannot be social or enjoy. You just need to manage yourself and your work. It is not rocket science but it just requires you to be deliberate about managing your time. Here are some strategies that will help you increase productivity at work. 1. Track Your Time You might think that tracking time for each task you do is easy. But it is only 17% of people who have the ability to estimate the  passage of time. Therefore, you need to analyze your time spent on each task. There are some online tools that will help you do track your time according to the task you are doing. This includes the time you spend on mail, social media, and other stuff. 2. Breaks are Important Yes, to increase your productivity at work you must take frequent breaks. It improves concentration and the next task you do would require you to spend less time. Humans need to charge their batteries more often unlike cell phones who work optimally until the  battery dies. Taking breaks also have important other outcomes that employers might care about. They are: Higher job satisfaction Reduced emotional exhaustion Greater efforts by employees to undertake work 3. Get Rid of Unnecessary Meetings At the  workplace, time is the most important currency you have. Though it might be very tempting to attend meetings to network with people in your organization, you should know which meetings to say no to. If it is a one on one meeting with your manager, it is definitely important but meetings with discussing the picnic plans and next potluck are the ones you could avoid.

Should I Go To University of Oregon

Should I Go To University of Oregon The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Schuyler is a 2014 graduate of University of Oregon with a Bachelors degree in Journalism. He currently specializes inmany subjects, including Essay Editing tutoring, Literature tutoring, and ACT Reading tutoring. Check out his review of University of Oregon: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Schuyler:Getting around campus and downtown Eugene is very easy. Students have free use of the bus system, including the EmX, which is an express that runs through campus, from downtown Eugene to downtown Springfield. Students need to keep their wits about them when traveling at night, though. Many friends and I left college with at least one story of being mugged. Do not walk around at night alone! I also had two bikes stolen. U-Locks are a must, but even those are not foolproof. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Schuyler:For every class, you are guaranteed to have at least one staff member there to help you through the course on a personal level. For the larger, lower-level lectures, that person is usually a teaching assistant. Professors for upper-level classes were approachable, available, and eager to share their knowledge with students. Professors are aware that they are getting paid to be available to students, and they encourage students to take full advantage of that. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Schuyler:The dorms at University of Oregon are tiny! Anywhere in the room, my roommate and I could reach out and touch each other. That being said, I am really glad that I lived in the dorms. I made friends with many people who I never would have talked to, if we had not been living mere feet away from each other and sharing a bathroom for nine months. The dorm food is also pretty good, with various food choices and venues open until 2:00 in the morning every day (disclosure: I worked in the dining halls for two years). VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Schuyler:Business and Journalism are the two majors you hear the most about. I studied Journalism because I heard it was one of the best programs in this field on the West Coast. Journalism was well supported as a major, with tons of resources, from the expertise of its professors to the ability to rent the equipment needed to produce professional-quality pieces of media. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Schuyler:The dorms provided lots of opportunities to make friends as a freshman. Many of the friends I made that year remained regular fixtures in my life throughout my four years at the University of Oregon. Greek life is very prevalent on campus, but I never got involved. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Schuyler:The Career Center seems fairly useful. I tried it several times, but no job opportunities ever transpired. Friends of mine, especially those with Business majors, used it with more success. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Schuyler:There is no shortage of places to study at the University of Oregon. Your favorite chair at the Erb Memorial Union might be taken come finals week, but there will without a doubt be a place for you to study somewhere on campus. My favorite place to study was outside on the beautiful campus amongst the trees and squirrels running around. The squirrels are friendly and used to humans, so they will eat any of your study snacks that you are willing to share, right out of your hand. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Schuyler:Eugene has joined the microbrewery explosion of the Northwest, and it has tons of great places to enjoy quality beer. Many bars also feature live music, so that was where I was most Friday and Saturday nights. Before I was 21, I spent my time enjoying the bounty of natural beauty surrounding campus. The Willamette River runs just off campus, and that was my favorite place to be on a sunny afternoon (or a rainy oneI am an Oregonian, after all). Spencer Butte is a short drive, or bus ride, away. It features a hiking trail that is short, but that will get your breath going and reward you with a wonderful vista at the top. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Schuyler:Lower-level classes were typically 150300 students, while upper-level courses were usually under 100. Many of my specialized classes (Reporting, Journalistic Interview, Travel Writing, etc.) were under 20 students. Those were my favorite courses, but anyone attending a state school should be prepared for their fair share of large lecture classes. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Schuyler:My favorite professor was Melissa Hart, a Journalism instructor. Many moments stick out in my head, but one that was a lot of fun was when she drove us off-campus to a raptor center she was involved with and showed us around as a part of our Travel Writing course. We hung out with birds of prey for two hours, took pictures, and then wrote a blog post about it. Check out Schuylers tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Learn To Speak French French Fluently

Learn To Speak French French Fluently How To Speak the French Language ChaptersThe French Language: French DialectsHow to Speak Fluent French FastPractise Speaking French With These Easy TipsSpeak French Right: French PronunciationLearning to Speak French: Perfecting Your French AccentLearn To Speak French SlangWhen you learn a language, you start with grammar, vocabulary, the French tenses, basic French phrases… It’s all very well for beginner French lessons, but if you want to speak French fluently you will need to go further. To become truly bilingual, you need to get a feel for the language, become immersed in it. Step up your French speaking skills with these tips.French sounds more musical than English because there is more ebb and flow in the stress of syllables within a sentence since, as we have seen, the last syllable of a word is stressed no matter how long the word. But is is also musical because, over the whole sentence, the last word is stressed the most - like a note held at the end of a musical phrase.So while an ENGLISH sentence mig ht be stressed in various places,Une phrase en francais sera toujours stressée sur le dernier MOT.I am GOING shopping. Je vais faire les COURSES.Luke, I AM your father. Luke, je suis ton PÈRE.Learn To Speak French SlangIn French class, you are taught a rather formal version of the language. French teachers usually don’t teach you any oaths nor French slang. However, as soon as you make it to France, you will be confronted with sphinxlike sentences such as:“Écoute, j’me barre, j’ai rendez-vous chez l’toubib.” Listen, I’m going now, I have an appointment at the doctor’s.“J’ai la dalle. Je pourrais bouffer sans arrêt.” I’m hungry. I could eat all the time.“T’as vu la nana? J’la kiffe, elle est trop sympa.” You see that girl? I love her, she’s so nice.Slang words in French come from various sources:A few come from regional languagesothers from English (être scotché à quelquechose, to be glued to something; from Scotch tape)some are shortened vers ions of common words, like “mimi”, cute, from “mignon” - c’est trop mimi! It’s so cute!a few are shortened forms of longer expressions: “ta gueule!” for “ferme ta gueule!” “close your trap!” (”gueule” is the word used for the mouths of animals)or re-imagining of words with the addition of suffixes or prefixes, like “microbus”, “tiny”, a twisting of “microbe” or “germ” with a pseudo-Latin ending.Two of the most common sources of French slang, however might be a little surprising:A lot of everyday French expressions, such as “toubib” (doctor) and “kiffer” (to like) come from the Arabic, brought back from Algeria and other North African countries such as Morocco first by soldiers, then by immigrants.Others are in verlan, a sort of French pig Latin. Thus, a woman can be a “meuf” (femme-me-fe-meuf) and a man a “meuh” (from “homme” - me-ho - meh) or “keum” (from another slang expression for a man, “mec” - cem - keum). You might listen to zikmu (music) or go out in a car that’s cheum (moche, ugly) with a meuh whose driving is “complètement ouf!” (fou, crazy).This verlan is a Finnish historic mill village not the french reverse slang Photo credit: SaijaLehto on Visual HuntSo when you learn to speak French, dare to step out of the classroom and listen to French music, watch French films and speak with French people: whether it be one of our private Superprof tutors, a language exchange partner or the new “potes” (friends) you made during your stay in France or Belgium or Switzerland. This is only way you can bring your French skills from: “French as a foreign language” to “bilingual”.

A Guide to Drumming Techniques and Styles

A Guide to Drumming Techniques and Styles The Drummer’s Guide to Musical Genres ChaptersRock DrummingJazz DrummingMetal DrummingWriting Music for DrumsVocabulary“It's been years and years and years I've been playing the drums, and they're still a challenge. I still enjoy using drumsticks and a snare drum.” - Charlie WattsA lot of teens listen to hip hop, pop music, r ‘n’ b, reggae, electro and rock.But where do metal and jazz come into it?Aspiring drummers can listen to and play any style of music they want.  However, you have to learn how to play the drums before you can start playing rock, jazz, metal, or any other musical style.In this article, we're going to be looking at a few different musical genres, which are the best for learning to play the drums too, and what makes their drumbeats so special.the drumbeat to learn! It’s used in more than just rock songs, too.If you're going to put on the metal show of the century, you're going to have to get practising! (Source: Donations_are_appreciated)To make your rock beat a metal beat, you can slightly o pen the hi-hat. This is called half-open hi-hat.Metal has a more aggressive sound than rock music. Don’t hesitate to put all your strength into hitting the snare and the bass drum.  It can be tricky finding a drum tutor who specialises in using a double pedal. That said, you can achieve a metal rhythm without a double pedal.The snare is still played on the 2nd and 4th beats. However, the bass drum is also played during the off-beats.Here’s an example of a few metal drum beats.1:1: Hi-hat and bass drum2: Bass drum3: Hi-hat and bass drum4: Rest2:2: Hi-hat and snare drum3: Bass drum3: Hi-hat and bass drum4: Bass drum3:3: Hi-hat2: Bass drum3: Hi-hat and bass drum4: Rest4:4: Hi-hat, bass drum, and snare drum2: Bass drum3: Hi-hat.4: RestYou’ll see that we count four beats rather than the two we’re used to in rock.  Make sure you break down each part and play it slowly before you start putting it all together.If you like playing metal, then you should probably look into getting a P earl or Ludwig double pedal.  Don’t forget that metal, like other musical genres, has fills, licks, and breaks, too.Writing Music for DrumsWe can’t start improvising or writing music if you don’t have an understanding of the fundamentals.  Before you get started, I recommend having a look at this basic song structure. Unlike what you might think, most songs will fall into this kind of structure.IntroVersePre-chorusVersePre-chorusChorusBridgePre-chorusChorusOutroEach part usually lasts 8 measures except for the bridge and the outro. Most popular songs last less than 4 minutes and are in standard 4/4 time.Are you ready to take to the stage? (Source: Pexels)Once you’re aware of that, you can start laying the foundations for your song. You’ll need a guitar part, a drumbeat, a bassline, and a vocal melody.Ready?When using the structure outlined above, the main drumbeat will be played during the verse with a variation being played during the chorus. You’ll need fills to transi tion between parts and musical breaks, such as a drum solo!Accentuate the powerful parts with the crash cymbal.Even if you’re not familiar with music theory and don’t know how to read sheet music, you can always write down your ideas in a way that you’ll understand.Once you’ve finished your piece, you should get an expert to listen to it before showing it off to the general public.Keep in mind that if you want to learn any of these styles or just how to play the drums, private tutors are a great option as they'll tailor their lessons to you. With a private tutor, you can decide upon what you want to learn, the musical style you want to focus on, and your own personal learning goals and how to achieve them.If there are no private tutors near you, don't forget that you can always look for online private tutors. These tutors will teach you via online video conferencing software (such as Skype) and are a great option for people living rurally or those who work late nights or shi fts who would be unable to attend a regular class at a school. Of course, you don't want to schedule your lessons early in the morning when you'd wake up your neighbours.If a tutor seems to be the option for you, then start your search on Superprof!VocabularyAd LibitumIf you play jazz, you’ll probably see this on the sheet music. It means “at one’s pleasure” or “as you please” and means you can do whatever you want.AccentThis is a note that’s clearly struck for emphasis. Accents are marked above the stave with an arrow over the accent notes.

MCAT Success Depends on these 5 Attitude Shifts

MCAT Success Depends on these 5 Attitude Shifts MCAT Medical School Admissions 1. Priority Shift to a Career In Medicine Deciding to undertake and conquer the MCAT is also an unspoken commitment to the profession of medicine. Just as studying during medical school will takeover most all priorities, preparation for the MCAT should also begin to take priority in your life now. It is an investment in the now for a much larger return of a medical degree and career, later. It is sometimes daunting when students make this realization all too late, but the MCAT is the first exam in a series of exams that will qualify you and prepare you for the medical profession. 2. Developing Self-Imposed Discipline Unless you plan on hiring an around the clock coach/tutor, preparing for the MCAT requires an incredible amount of self-imposed discipline. If you are an athlete, you may know that mastering mental discipline is important for success. A 4+-hour question-answering-marathon, the MCAT is physically, intellectually, and psychologically draining. And just like a marathon requires weeks of training, successful mastering of the MCAT requires a “training” schedule so that come the day of the exam, taking the MCAT just feels like another routine day of practice. You need to be prepared for the fact that while you are inside studying, your friends and colleagues may be out “enjoying life more.” Knowing that you will have to decline many future invitations is important so that when the time comes you are ready. Most future physicians and medical students I meet find the medical profession and studying about it to be worth the sacrifice and enjoyment in itself. 3. My Intelligence is Not Being Tested An important thing to accept regarding the MCAT is that, like most standardized tests, it is not a measure of intelligence. The MCAT is, in part, a measure of the ability to take a standardized exam. This is directly pertinent to a successful medical career: constant recertification and updating of degree/knowledge. Recognizing this allows one to move beyond initial failures since they are just an indication of needing to learn how to navigate the MCAT. 4. Developing a Relationship with the MCAT It is important to begin to form a relationship with the MCAT; after all, you should be spending several hours together over the course of preparation. As you attempt to begin a career in medicine, forming a “relationship” with the MCAT is important so that you feel the desire to learn as much as possible about the exam. That is to say, you should start to begin to feel the impetus to want to “read” the MCAT exam so well that you predict answers based on how questions were asked or what was asked. On the other side, you should be so familiar with the format of the MCAT that you are able to eliminate possible answer choices because of their formulation or key words. Think of the MCAT as a new girlfriend/boyfriend that you need to learn every single detail about, from favorite color to pet peeves. 5. I Have Never Studied This Way Before Now, I can imagine lots of students already contesting this statement. But unless you have already studied for the MCAT and successfully mastered and conquered it, then you have never studied this way before. It is important to recognize that every standardized exam is its own “beast;” each exam is written differently by different people, and thus requires the acquisition of new knowledge on the new exam format. And as a consequence, each exam may require a shifting of study habits and way of thinking concerning subjects. The first few weeks of preparation should be spent trying to figure out how studying for this exam, the MCAT, works for you the best. Nasya Mendoza is private MCAT tutor in Chicago who’ll be attending the University of Illinois â€" Chicago Medical School in 2014. She attended the University of Chicago, where she majored in Biology. She’s been working with MyGuru to deliver high quality, customized MCAT tutoring as well as high school and college level biology, chemistry, and physics tutoring for the past few years.

The 4 Basic Principles of Problem Solving - Private Tutoring

The 4 Basic Principles of Problem Solving BobbiM May 23, 2014 Lets tackle problems!! Follow these four principles to become a master at solving problems.  You got this. By adopting a systematic approach to Problem Solving, you will have a clear, concise method for thinking your way to a response. You wont waste time by attacking a problem in a tentative or haphazard manner. A systematic approach will ensure that you find the most efficient solution to the problem and that you make as few careless and unnecessary errors as possible. 1. Develop the ability to decipher question stems quickly. Learn to quickly recognize exactly what youre being asked. 2. Decide how much effort to put into each question. Depending on where you are on the test, you might be better off guessing and saving time for other questions. Only you know what type if questions give you a particular trouble. If youre not that good at ratios and hit a ratio question in the second half of the test, you should move through it quickly to allow time to answer other questions more completely. 3. Consider alternative methods. If the question seems as if it will take too long to solve, look for shortcuts. There are many different ways to solve a given math question. Remember, youre not looking for an ideal method for everybody but the fastest method for you. Time is a key element on standardized exams, so you should maximize the value of your time with shortcuts or alternative methods. The Kaplan Method is all about time management. The right method is whatever method is quickest for you. -Picking Numbers Picking Numbers is a powerful alternative to solving problems by brute force. Rather than trying to work with unknown variables, you pick concrete values for the variables. Any answer choice that does not work for the concrete values cannot be the correct answer. How does Picking Numbers work? -Pick simple numbers to stand in for the variables. The usefulness f the strategy depends in large part on your ability to pick convenient numbers. -Try all the answer choices, ditching those that dont agree with the question information. Remember to keep the values youve picked for the variables constant throughout the problem. -Try different values when more than one answer choice works. Sometimes more than one choice will give the right answer. If that happens, pick some new numbers. The correct choice must work for all possible numbers. When you encounter a problem that contains variables, think of Kaplan alternative approaches to Problem Solving. Very often, Picking Numbers and substituting is quicker than any mathematical calculation. -Backsolving. Backsolving is a strategy that allows you to use the answer choices to work backward through the question stem. You plug the answer choices into the question to see which one works. The answer choice that agrees with the information in the question stem is correct. Youve probably used this strategy unconsciously when you ran into a multiple-choice question that you found difficult. Backsolving can save a great deal of time if you use it wisely. It is an exceptional method for solving questions when you have no idea where to begin on a problem. 4. Guess if youre stumped. If you simply cannot solve an equation using regular math or an alternative method, sometimes thats the time to make an educated guess. The key to good guessing is the elimination if wrong answer choices. Many questions will have answer choices that are obviously wrong or dont make sense. If you can eliminate some wrong choices using common sense, make a good guess and move on. Kaplans 4-step method for problem solving. Now that youve got a grip on the basic principles of Problem Solving, lets look at how to attack the questions youll see on the test. 1. Read through the whole question. Determine exactly what the question is asking. Is the question or situation complicated? 2. Decide how much effort to put into question. Is this the sort of question you normally do well on? Will you be able to solve it quickly? Be aware of where you are in the test and how much time you have left. 3. Choose the fastest approach to the answer. Choose the approach that you feel most comfortable with. Questions are often deliberately confusing and contain traps for the unwary. 4. Select an answer. Answer every question. Eliminate answer choices whenever you can. The more unlikely answer choices you can eliminate, the better your chances of guessing correctly. And if youre running out of time and several questions remain, make sure to answer each question by guessing something.

Harry Patch has died is History becoming harder to teach

Harry Patch has died is History becoming harder to teach The last month has seen a stream of interest in the two World Wars as these events begin to fade from living memory. In the UK, the deaths of Henry Allingham and Harry Patch, our last two veterans of World War I, have sparked a time of national remembrance. Meanwhile, in Germany this week, a 90-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes in a case thought to be 'the last of its kind'. This latter event shows how long human memory can be, because the success of the case has relied on the survival of eyewitnesses. As a History student at university, I was immensely privileged to be able to speak to people who were involved in the Second World War. My grandparents and their generation were testimony to that period. Allingham and Patch were internationally important for this very reason: they put a human face on an terrible era of history now defined for many by war movies and fiction. The battlefields, memorials and abandoned camps all still remain. These have a power of their own - no-one can visit Tyne Cot, the largest war cemetery in the Commonwealth, without being awestruck at the sheer scale of the massacres. These are however very rooted to their context and can't easily be evoked in the classroom. How can History tutors, both now and in the future, compensate for the loss of eyewitnesses? Many children claim to find History 'dusty and boring'. How can we ensure that written records, documentary evidence and other resources engage students of History to bring out its human aspects, and hopefully encourage more pupils to take up secondary History beyond the compulsory age of 14?