Children's Educational e-books, Apps & Toys

Children's Educational e-books, Apps & Toys Check out this site! Tyto Press is a children’s educational company based in Maryland that designs ebooks, apps/games, paper and soft products that teach American children about cultures from around the world, as well as touching base on subjects such as history, science, math and the arts. Currently Tyto Press is collecting reviews for their two free online games - "How Many Scoops?" and "Spooktackular History" Both games can be played by visited their website: http://www.tytopress.com/#!online-games/c236n

Why learn piano?

Why learn piano? There are many and varied reasons to play the piano. It is a beautiful instrument with a beautiful look and a beautiful sound. It can be a soloist's instrument or a group instrument. It sharpens the mind and body. The gift of music is therapeutic. There are many careers that require piano skills. The list goes on and on. One quality that the piano and not many other instruments share is that you can play more than one note at a time. It is polyphonic. Thus, unlike instruments like the flute or violin, one can play pieces with complex and rich harmonies when playing alone. That makes the piano a dynamic solo instrument. At the same time, the piano sounds beautiful accompanying other instruments. So, whether you are introverted or extroverted, the piano will suit your style. Unlike wind instruments like the flute or tuba, the piano leaves the voice free to sing along. Unlike the violin, any notes that sound out of tune can not be blamed on the performer. As long as you engage a piano tuner at least once a year, each note will always sound in tune, regardless of your skill level. Playing the piano also develops a high level of manual dexterity. While it may seem very simple to just push the keys, learning to perform complex pieces with precision AND emotion needs a little time and a very human touch. That is one reason why professional pianists have not been replaced by computers. It is more complicated than patting your head while rubbing your tummy! But it is ever so much more rewarding too! The piano is also a staple of family sing-along - whether you are singing Christmas carols or playing some favourite movie tunes. The very design of the piano lends itself to groups of people gathered around, singing along. This is one of the most social of activities. This is where some of our warmest and most treasured memories are made. Recently, research has shown that children who learn the piano do far better scholastically than their fellow students. Not only are their artistic and musical skills above the norm, but also their language and mathematics skills are also improved. While this benefit is sometimes difficult to measure, piano students also receive a very tangible benefit. Many schools are recognizing the achievements that children make in piano and reward them with high school credits when they pass certain grade levels. In Alberta, Canada, passing a recognized piano exam level/grade 6, 7, and 8 is worth 5 credits each for a total of 15. When you consider the fact that one needs only 100 credits to graduate high school, this is a huge recognition. Pianists also learn some basics in posture which can reap huge rewards. For one thing, the basic hand position required for the piano is also the one required for the typewriter/keyboard. Considering how vital the computer is these days, learning this technique is invaluable. With the proper hand position, one can avoid carpal tunnel syndrome that is plaguing our modern-day offices now that computers are being used so extensively. At the very least, the basic concept of sitting tall in a chair will help with basic posture and back pains. Anyone aspiring to be an orchestral or choral conductor is required to study the piano. Learning the piano trains the pianist to understand and hear the interplay of the various harmonic lines in each piece of music. This is a vital skill for a conductor who must hear and guide all the instruments of his/her orchestra and voices in his/her choir. If you go to colleges which teach music, or if you are applying towards a degree in music or you want to learn to master an instrument at a university it is necessary to take a year or more of piano. Piano is a really good music classroom teaching tool and is the key and basis to learning music theory. With a bass or a guitar, you might make beautiful chords, but there are cases in which many people have no idea what these chords theoretically are or what is it that they are playing. Instead, piano aids in music by providing a structure that makes sound, but to make such sound beautiful you must know what you are doing. This is not to say that guitarists or other players never know what they do! Rather, piano aids in the composition and greater experimentation with music. Since the piano differs from the guitar or wind instruments in which the person usually memorizes digital and finger patterns, the piano uses both hemispheres of the brain, requiring your ten fingers to be controlled independently! This might sound hard but with practice and time you'll be able to even do more than one thing simultaneously. A piano player who decides to play drums, if skilled enough can pick them up more easily than someone who hasn't had the experience to play such instrument. Moreover, There are many jobs and careers for pianists. One can be the piano player in a lounge, on a cruise ship, in a church (mass, weddings, funerals), or in a band. One can be an instructor with a college or university or teach out of a home studio. One can accompanying vocalists, choirs, violinists, and others as they perform for competition or for an audience. One can compose movie scores or commercial jingles or orchestral pieces. The possibilities are endless. The ability to play a musical instrument and to express one's self with a musical instrument is very healthy and therapeutic. Stresses can melt away. The piano is always there, ready for you to pour out your soul. It is a most patient and agreeable companion. If you're upset, go ahead and thunder away on the keyboard, and when you're done and feeling better, go ahead and pick up a more languid or cheerful piece. And, of course, a piano is a beautiful addition to any living room! READ MORE

Mosaic Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration Dec 1, 2012 Event Time: 11:00 - 6:00 Strawberry Park MORE INFO

The Music Momma Answers your questions...

"My son has been taking violin lessons for about 11 months and now wants to play guitar too. Is this too much? Will he lose what he has done on violin if he adds guitar? I'm not sure what to do." Betty, Fairfax, VA Dear Betty, Many students end up exploring more than one instrument. It's great to jump on these interests while they are fresh and exciting! He will lose nothing by adding guitar - in fact, one will only enhance the musical concepts, etc. of the other. My suggestion would be to give equal time to both in terms of lesson time and practice and let him explore and develop both @ his own pace. The more music, the better! Happy Practicing! The Music Momma Private In-Home Music Lessons - Multiple Instruments

The Music Momma Answers your Questions

Dear Music Momma - My daughter is 2 1/2. She LOVES music. I would love to get her started with lessons but I'm unsure what to do. What are your suggestions? Thank you! Anna, Bethesda, MD Dear Anna - Great question! Here at Learn Now Music we start as young as age 2 for our pre-school music exploration classes for both facilities and private lessons. We also start with guided piano instruction at age 2. This is a great age to begin any formal instruction. They are ready and capable of learning and understanding various materials and musical notations, etc. My suggestion would be to start with a combo of guided piano instruction and pre-school music exploration and see which she gravitates more towards and focus on experimenting with that. Good luck in all your musical adventures! The Music Momma Pre-school Music Classes

When Were The First Schools Established?

When Were The First Schools Established? The first formal education systems developed when writing became an important means of communication. Around 300 B.C. the Sumerians and the Egyptians (who invented cuneiform and hieroglyphic writing) started creating centers where reading and writing could be taught to larger segments of the population. After the development of the first alphabet by Semitic (Hebrew) people in Syria between 1800 and 1000 B.C., schooling became associated with religious education. Priests in this region set up schools in which they could teach the sacred Hebrew writings of the Torah (the entire body of Jewish law and learning) to privileged boys. It is believed that the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 B.C.) opened the first truly public schools that were accessible, in theory, to anyone who wanted to learn. He taught literature, music, conduct, and ethics (a system of moral values). The Western model of education is based on the Greek system, which emerged around the fifth century B.C. and stressed military training. In the Greek city-state of Sparta, boys were taught to fight while being schooled in reading, writing, and music. In other parts of Greece boys were trained in poetry, athletics, and the social and political arts in the hopes of molding them into ideal citizens and statesmen. Read More

Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents

Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life. The degree of adjustment depends on the child, but parents can help their children (and the rest of the family) manage the increased pace of life by planning ahead, being realistic, and maintaining a positive attitude. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience. Before School Starts Good physical and mental health. Be sure your child is in good physical and mental health. Schedule doctor and dental checkups early. Discuss any concerns you have over your child’s emotional or psychological development with your pediatrician. Your doctor can help determine if your concerns are normal, age-appropriate issues or require further assessment. Your child will benefit if you can identify and begin addressing a potential issue before school starts. Schools appreciate the efforts of parents to remedy problems as soon as they are recognized. Review all of the information. Review the material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. These packets include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities. Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, especially back-to-school nights. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations. Arrange for a babysitter now, if necessary. Make copies. Make copies of all your child’s health and emergency information for reference. Health forms are typically good for more than a year and can be used again for camps, extracurricular activities, and the following school year. Buy school supplies early. Try to get the supplies as early as possible and fill the backpacks a week or two before school starts. Older children can help do this, but make sure they use a checklist that you can review. Some teachers require specific supplies, so save receipts for items that you may need to return later. Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especially breakfast) at least 1 week before school starts. Prepare your child for this change by talking with your child about the benefits of school routines in terms of not becoming over tired or overwhelmed by school work and activities. Include pre-bedtime reading and household chores if these were suspended during the summer. Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, flash cards, color, or read as early morning activities instead of watching television. This will help ease your child into the learning process and school routine. If possible, maintain this practice throughout the school year. Television is distracting for many children, and your child will arrive at school better prepared to learn each morning if he or she has engaged in less passive activities. Visit school with your child. If your child is young or in a new school, visit the school with your child. Meeting the teacher, locating their classroom, locker, lunchroom, etc., will help ease pre-school anxieties and also allow your child to ask questions about the new environment. Call ahead to make sure the teachers will be available to introduce themselves to your child. Minimize clothes shopping woes. Buy only the essentials. Summer clothes are usually fine during the early fall, but be sure to have at least one pair of sturdy shoes. Check with your school to confirm dress code guidelines. Common concerns include extremely short skirts and shorts, low rise pants, bare midriffs, spaghetti strap or halter tops, exposed undergarments, and clothing that have antisocial messages. Designate and clear a place to do homework. Older children should have the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Younger children usually need an area set aside in the family room or kitchen to facilitate adult monitoring, supervision, and encouragement. Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see. Explain that emptying their backpack each evening is part of their responsibility, even for young children. Freeze a few easy dinners. It will be much easier on you if you have dinner prepared so that meal preparation will not add to household tensions during the first week of school. The First Week Clear your own schedule. To the extent possible, postpone business trips, volunteer meetings, and extra projects. You want to be free to help your child acclimate to the school routine and overcome the confusion or anxiety that many children experience at the start of a new school year. Make lunches the night before school. Older children should help or make their own. Give them the option to buy lunch in school if they prefer and finances permit. Set alarm clocks. Have school-age children set their own alarm clocks to get up in the morning. Praise them for prompt response to morning schedules and bus pickups. Leave plenty of extra time. Make sure your child has plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast, and get to school. For very young children taking the bus, pin to their shirt or backpack an index card with pertinent information, including their teacher’s name and bus number, as well as your daytime contact information. After school. Review with your child what to do if he or she gets home after school and you are not there. Be very specific, particularly with young children. Put a note card in their backpack with the name(s) and number(s) of a neighbor who is home during the day as well as a number where you can be reached. If you have not already done so, have your child meet neighbor contacts to reaffirm the backup support personally. Review your child’s schoolbooks. Talk about what your child will be learning during the year. Share your enthusiasm for the subjects and your confidence in your child’s ability to master the content. Reinforce the natural progression of the learning process that occurs over the school year. Learning skills take time and repetition. Encourage your child to be patient, attentive, and positive. Send a brief note to your child’s teacher. Let the teachers know that you are interested in getting regular feedback on how and what your child is doing in school. Be sure to attend back-to-school night and introduce yourself to the teachers. Find out how they like to communicate with parents (e.g., through notes, e-mail, or phone calls). Convey a sincere desire to be a partner with your children’s teachers to enhance their learning experience. Familiarize yourself with the other school professionals. Make an effort to find out who it is in the school or district who can be a resource for you and your child. Learn their roles and how best to access their help if you need them. This can include the principal and front office personnel; school psychologist, counselor, and social worker; the reading specialist, speech therapist, and school nurse; and the after-school activities coordinator. Overcoming Anxiety Let your children know you care. If your child is anxious about school, send personal notes in the lunch box or book bag. Reinforce the ability to cope. Children absorb their parent’s anxiety, so model optimism and confidence for your child. Let your child know that it is natural to be a little nervous anytime you start something new but that your child will be just fine once he or she becomes familiar with classmates, the teacher, and school routine. Do not overreact. If the first few days are a little rough, try not to over react. Young children in particular may experience separation anxiety or shyness initially but teachers are trained to help them adjust. If you drop them off, try not to linger. Reassure them that you love them, will think of them during the day, and will be back. Remain calm and positive. Acknowledge anxiety over a bad experience the previous year. Children who had a difficult time academically or socially or were teased or bullied may be more fearful or reluctant to return to school. If you have not yet done so, share your child’s concern with the school and confirm that the problem has been addressed. Reassure your child that the problem will not occur again in the new school year, and that you and the school are working together to prevent further issues. Reinforce your child’s ability to cope. Give your child a few strategies to manage a difficult situation on his or her own. But encourage your child to tell you or the teacher if the problem persists. Maintain open lines of communication with the school. Arrange play dates. Try to arrange get-togethers with some of your child’s classmates before school starts and during the first weeks of schools to help your child re-establish positive social relationships with peers. Plan to volunteer in the classroom. If possible, plan to volunteer in the classroom at least periodically throughout the year. Doing so helps your child understand that school and family life are linked and that you care about the learning experience. Being in the classroom is also a good way to develop a relationship with your child’s teachers and classmates, and to get firsthand exposure to the classroom environment and routine. Most teachers welcome occasional parent help, even if you cannot volunteer regularly. READ MORE

Summer Education Tips

Summer Education Tips Want to help your children keep up their academic skills over the summer? Here are some tips from the experts: 1. Set aside at least 20 minutes each day for reading. 2. To keep writing skills fresh, buy children a notebook and let them decorate the cover. Then tell them it's their vacation journal and have them write down three things that happen each day. 3. To keep up math skills, buy books of number puzzles (found at any bookstore). Also consider investing in math-related computer games. 4. Find ways to make hobbies educational. A child who loves to collect baseball cards, for instance, could practice penmanship by writing fan letters to players. He could also work on math skills by tracking players' statistics and sharpen up on reading by taking out books on baseball from the library. 5. If you're taking a family vacation, bring home brochures that describe the history and culture of the places you'll be visiting. Try plotting out the trip on a map with your kids. READ MORE

History of the Guitar

History of the Guitar The guitar is an ancient and noble instrument, whose history can be traced back over 4000 years. Many theories have been advanced about the instrument's ancestry. It has often been claimed that the guitar is a development of the lute, or even of the ancient Greek kithara. Research done by Dr. Michael Kasha in the 1960's showed these claims to be without merit. He showed that the lute is a result of a separate line of development, sharing common ancestors with the guitar, but having had no influence on its evolution. The influence in the opposite direction is undeniable, however - the guitar's immediate forefathers were a major influence on the development of the fretted lute from the fretless oud which the Moors brought with them to to Spain. The sole "evidence" for the kithara theory is the similarity between the greek word "kithara" and the Spanish word "quitarra". It is hard to imagine how the guitar could have evolved from the kithara, which was a completely different type of instrument - namely a square-framed lap harp, or "lyre". (Right) It would also be passing strange if a square-framed seven-string lap harp had given its name to the early Spanish 4-string "quitarra". Dr. Kasha turns the question around and asks where the Greeks got the name "kithara", and points out that the earliest Greek kitharas had only 4 strings when they were introduced from abroad. He surmises that the Greeks hellenified the old Persian name for a 4-stringed instrument, "chartar". (See below.) The Ancestors The earliest stringed instruments known to archaeologists are bowl harps and tanburs. Since prehistory people have made bowl harps using tortoise shells and calabashes as resonators, with a bent stick for a neck and one or more gut or silk strings. The world's museums contain many such "harps" from the ancient Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian civilisations. Around 2500 - 2000 CE more advanced harps, such as the opulently carved 11-stringed instrument with gold decoration found in Queen Shub-Ad's tomb, started to appear. "Queen Shub-Ad's harp" (from the Royal Cemetery in Ur) A tanbur is defined as "a long-necked stringed instrument with a small egg- or pear-shaped body, with an arched or round back, usually with a soundboard of wood or hide, and a long, straight neck". The tanbur probably developed from the bowl harp as the neck was straightened out to allow the string/s to be pressed down to create more notes. Tomb paintings and stone carvings in Egypt testify to the fact that harps and tanburs (together with flutes and percussion instruments) were being played in ensemble 3500 - 4000 years ago. Egyptian wall painting, Thebes, 1420 BCE Archaeologists have also found many similar relics in the ruins of the ancient Persian and Mesopotamian cultures. Many of these instruments have survived into modern times in almost unchanged form, as witness the folk instruments of the region like the Turkish saz, Balkan tamburitsa, Iranian setar, Afghan panchtar and Greek bouzouki. The oldest preserved guitar-like instrument At 3500 years old, this is the ultimate vintage guitar! It belonged to the Egyptian singer Har-Mose. He was buried with his tanbur close to the tomb of his employer, Sen-Mut, architect to Queen Hatshepsut, who was crowned in 1503 BCE. Sen-Mut (who, it is suspected, was far more than just chief minister and architect to the queen) built Hatshepsuts beautiful mortuary temple, which stands on the banks of the Nile to this day. Har-Moses instrument had three strings and a plectrum suspended from the neck by a cord. The soundbox was made of beautifully polished cedarwood and had a rawhide "soundboard". It can be seen today at the Archaeological Museum in Cairo. Queen Hatshepsut What is a guitar, anyway? To distinguish guitars from other members of the tanbur family, we need to define what a guitar is. Dr. Kasha defines a guitar as having "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides" . The oldest known iconographical representation of an instrument displaying all the essential features of a guitar is a stone carving at Alaca Huyuk in Turkey, of a 3300 year old Hittite "guitar" with "a long fretted neck, flat top, probably flat back, and with strikingly incurved sides". The Lute (Al'ud, Oud) The Moors brought the oud to Spain. The tanbur had taken another line of development in the Arabian countries, changing in its proportions and remaining fretless. The Europeans added frets to the oud and called it a "lute" - this derives from the Arabic "Al'ud" (literally "the wood"), via the Spanish name "laud". A lute or oud is defined as a "short-necked instrument with many strings, a large pear-shaped body with highly vaulted back, and an elaborate, sharply angled peghead". Renaissance lute by Arthur Robb Click on the picture to go to Art's website. Beautiful instruments! It is hard to see how the guitar - with "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides" - could possibly have evolved from the lute, with its "short neck with many strings, large pear-shaped body with highly vaulted back, and elaborate, sharply angled peghead". The Guitar The name "guitar" comes from the ancient Sanskrit word for "string" - "tar". (This is the language from which the languages of central Asia and northern India developed.) Many stringed folk instruments exist in Central Asia to this day which have been used in almost unchanged form for several thousand years, as shown by archeological finds in the area. Many have names that end in "tar", with a prefix indicating the number of strings: Dotar two = Sanskrit "dvi" - modern Persian "do" - dotar, two-string instrument found in Turkestan three = Sanskrit "tri" - modern Persian "se" - setar, 3-string instrument, found in Persia (Iran), (cf. sitar, India, elaborately developed, many-stringed) four = Sanskrit "chatur" - modern Persian "char" - chartar, 4-string instrument, Persia (most commonly known as "tar" in modern usage) (cf. quitarra, early Spanish 4-string guitar, modern Arabic qithara, Italian chitarra, etc) five = Sanskrit "pancha" - modern Persian "panj" - panchtar, 5 strings, Afghanistan Indian Sitar The Indian sitar almost certainly took its name from the Persian setar, but over the centuries the Indians developed it into a completely new instrument, following their own aesthetic and cultural ideals. Persian Setar Chartar ("Tar") Tanburs and harps spread around the ancient world with travellers, merchants and seamen. The four-stringed Persian chartar (note the narrow waist!) arrived in Spain, where it changed somewhat in form and construction, acquired pairs of unison-tuned strings instead of single strings and became known as the quitarra or chitarra. From four-, to five-, to six-string guitar As we have seen, the guitar's ancestors came to Europe from Egypt and Mesopotamia. These early instruments had, most often, four strings - as we have seen above, the word "guitar" is derived from the Old Persian "chartar", which, in direct translation, means "four strings". Many such instruments, and variations with from three to five strings, can be seen in mediaeval illustrated manuscripts, and carved in stone in churches and cathedrals, from Roman times through till the Middle Ages. Right: Roman "guitar", c:a 200 CE. Mediaeval psalter, c:a 900 CE. Angel with guitar, St. Stephen's church, 1591. By the beginning of the Renaissance, the four-course (4 unison-tuned pairs of strings) guitar had become dominant, at least in most of Europe. (Sometimes a single first string was used.) The earliest known music for the four-course "chitarra" was written in 16th century Spain. The five-course guitarra battente (left) first appeared in Italy at around the same time, and gradually replaced the four-course instrument. The standard tuning had already settled at A, D, G, B, E, like the top five strings of the modern guitar. In common with lutes, early guitars seldom had necks with more than 8 frets free of the body, but as the guitar evolved, this increased first to 10 and then to 12 frets to the body. 5-course guitar by Antonio Stradivarius, 1680 A sixth course of strings was added to the Italian "guitarra battente" in the 17th century, and guitar makers all over Europe followed the trend. The six-course arrangement gradually gave way to six single strings, and again it seems that the Italians were the driving force. (The six-string guitar can thus be said to be a development of the twelve-string, rather than vice versa, as is usually assumed.) In the transition from five courses to six single strings, it seems that at least some existing five-course instruments were modified to the new stringing pattern. This was a fairly simple task, as it only entailed replacing (or re-working) the nut and bridge, and plugging four of the tuning peg holes. An incredibly ornate guitar by the German master from Hamburg, Joakim Thielke (1641 - 1719), was altered in this way. (Note that this instrument has only 8 frets free of the body.) At the beginning of the 19th century one can see the modern guitar beginning to take shape. Bodies were still fairly small and narrow-waisted. 6-string guitar by George Louis Panormo, 1832 The modern "classical" guitar took its present form when the Spanish maker Antonio Torres increased the size of the body, altered its proportions, and introduced the revolutionary "fan" top bracing pattern, in around 1850. His design radically improved the volume, tone and projection of the instrument, and very soon became the accepted construction standard. It has remained essentially unchanged, and unchallenged, to this day. Guitar by Antonio Torres Jurado, 1859 Steel-string and electric guitars At around the same time that Torres started making his breakthrough fan-braced guitars in Spain, German immigrants to the USA - among them Christian Fredrich Martin - had begun making guitars with X-braced tops. Steel strings first became widely available in around 1900. Steel strings offered the promise of much louder guitars, but the increased tension was too much for the Torres-style fan-braced top. A beefed-up X-brace proved equal to the job, and quickly became the industry standard for the flat-top steel string guitar. At the end of the 19th century Orville Gibson was building archtop guitars with oval sound holes. He married the steel-string guitar with a body constructed more like a cello, where the bridge exerts no torque on the top, only pressure straight down. This allows the top to vibrate more freely, and thus produce more volume. In the early 1920's designer Lloyd Loar joined Gibson, and refined the archtop "jazz" guitar into its now familiar form with f-holes, floating bridge and cello-type tailpiece. The electric guitar was born when pickups were added to Hawaiian and "jazz" guitars in the late 1920's, but met with little success before 1936, when Gibson introduced the ES150 model, which Charlie Christian made famous. With the advent of amplification it became possible to do away with the soundbox altogether. In the late 1930's and early 1940's several actors were experimenting along these lines, and controversy still exists as to whether Les Paul, Leo Fender, Paul Bigsby or O.W. Appleton constructed the very first solid-body guitar. Be that as it may, the solid-body electric guitar was here to stay. READ MORE

The importance of summer learning

We all know the value of good schooling for our children. However, the value of summer learning is often overlooked. Youth who do not participate in educational activities during summer experience learning losses, according to the National Summer Learning Association. For youth that never engage in summer learning activities, the learning loss accumulates each year to create a large achievement gap between these students and their peers. Families can play an important role in their child’s education by including learning activities into their summer schedule. Encourage your child to read a story or newspaper article, then have a discussion about it. Or have her compute the price difference between two items at the store. Activities such as these can help your child maintain skills learned from the school year through the summer. Families can also improve their student’s academic achievement by enrolling them into organized summer programs. Such programs foster positive social interactions as well as provide exposure to opportunities students might not have during the school year. READ MORE

Summer Camps for Music

Summer is a great time to get started on a musical journey! Check out some great area summer camps for - group piano group guitar and group voice Contact Learn Now Music for more deatils and locations TODAY!

American Idol Winner! 2012

Phil Phillips sings Home

The Importance of Summer Learning....

The Importance of preventing learning loss during summer and other away-from-instruction periods. Extensive research has been conducted showing that significant learning loss takes place during summer breaks and other away-from-school time periods. In research conducted by Cooper et al. 1 , the analysis showed that summer learning loss equaled at least one month of instruction. Especially vulnerable are mathematical computation skills and skills related to reading and writing, such as spelling skills. In addition, children who speak a language at home other than English experience a setback in their English language skills without practice during school breaks. 1 In order to prevent and slow this learning loss, students must have access to grade appropriate activities and practice materials during their away-from-school time. Kids Learn was designed to bridge the away-from-school gap in instruction with activities that are based on standards of learning, as well as best practices in education and learning. Kids Learn includes student-directed activities in mathematics, reading, and writing. The average learning loss in mathematical computation skills over the summer months is approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency. 2 Approximately 30% of the practice pages in Kids Learn provide basic mathematical skills review and computational practice. The remainder of the pages review reading and writing skills. In addition to the general learning loss experienced during the summer, studies show that this loss contributes to the achievement gap in reading performance, especially between lower and higher income children. 3 Kids Learn addresses this phenomenon by including both reading and writing activities. For example, students may be asked to read a passage or a book and write a directed/constructed response to it or they may be required to follow written directions in order to complete an activity. The reading selections are written at the reading level for the grade the students recently completed, maintaining their reading skills at an appropriate grade level. The importance of the connection between and reading and writing and how this connection improves both skill sets has been supported through research by Whyte (1985). 4 Kids Learn offers many opportunities to make that all-important reading-writing connection. For example, each ten-page section includes an activity that requires the student to read a book and write about it. And finally, studies show that students are most susceptible to losing facts and procedural skills during instructional breaks. 5 That is why Kids Learn places a strong focus on 2 practicing and reinforcing basic skills such as phonics, punctuation, parts of speech, seeing patterns in number sequences, and knowing the value of coins and bills. A synthesis and analysis of studies of learning suggests that there are nine factors that influence learning. The top two factors are: 1. Amount of time students engage in learning 2. Quality of the instructional experience including method and content. 6 Kids Learn addresses both of those factors by extending the learning beyond the traditional school year, and by providing research- and standards-based activities that practice both basic skills, as well as higher level skills needed for success in school and beyond. For additional research on the topic of summer learning loss, TCM recommends the influential article, The Learning Season: Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Achievement, written by Beth M. Miller, Ph.D. and commissioned by the Nellie Mae Foundation. This report is a synthesis of the latest research and data on how opportunities and experiences children have outside of school result in gaps in achievement-test scores. The author asserts “In fact, summer programs have the potential to close the test-score gaps in a way that thus far has alluded us” (pg. 3). To illustrate this potential, the author takes a look at why summer makes a difference for middle-class and lower-income families through the learning. Using data gathered from different types of summer programs implemented around the country, the author analyzes the efficacy of these programs and who participates in them. To conclude, the author makes policy recommendations, so all students have equal access to high-quality summer experiences. Through this report, the Nellie Mae Foundation hopes to spark public dialogue, policy changes, and on-going research about summer learning. This article can be accessed at http://www.nmefdn.org/Research/. Click on the link titled “New Nellie Mae Education Foundation Research Reveals that Summer Learning is more important than previously believed.” R READ MORE

THE MUSIC CORNER: Glee - Shake It Out (Full Performance) (Official M...

THE MUSIC CORNER: Glee - Shake It Out (Full Performance) (Official M...: Glee - Shake It Out (Full Performance) (Official Music Video) VIDEO

Dick Clark: From 'American Bandstand' to 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' Dick Clark, who died of a massive heart attack on Wednesday at age 82, left behind hundreds of hours of television footage from a lifetime of hosting. Though Clark didn't hold the record for having the most hours of his life broadcast on TV (that distinction goes to Regis Philbin), he was a reliable TV presence from the 1950s into the 21st century. Although he made his TV debut as host of the country music program "Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders" on a Utica, N.Y., television station in the mid-1950s, he didn't become a household name until "American Bandstand" began broadcasting nationally on ABC in 1957. (Previously, he had been fill-in host of the show, then called "Bob Horn's Bandstand" and broadcast only in Philadelphia). The series ran weekdays until 1963 and then became a weekly show until 1987. Here's Clark opening the broadcast in 1966, two years after it moved from Philadelphia to Hollywood. VIDEO READ MORE

History of Bassooon

History of Bassooon Early Bassoon The modern day bassoon evolved from an instrument invented pre 16th century. This instrument was called the dulcian. It was a wooden instrument all in one piece. The dulcian was used to add a strong bass line in a wind ensemble that consisted of mostly recorders and shawms. There were 8 dulcians used during the 16th century, which included a soprano down to bass ranges. The dulcian also had a conical bore similar to the modern day bassoon. There were only 8 finger holes and 2 keys on the dulcian. Click Here to hear a sample of what a tenor dulcian sounds like. (Quicktime is needed) Modern Bassoon The 1800’s brought new demands on the bassoon and it had to be altered to meet the new needs of players, ensembles, and orchestral halls. Heckel System Carl Almenräder (a performer, teacher, and composer) and Gottfried Weber (acoustic researcher) designed a 17-key bassoon in 1823. The new design helped to improve intonation, improve response, and make playing easier for performers. J.A. Heckel (Almenräder’s partner) continued to make improvements on the bassoon along with 2 generations of his descendents. By the 1900’s Heckel was the main company producing bassoons with 4,000 bassoons produced by the turn of the century. The modern Heckel bassoon has between 24-27 keys and five open finger holes. Buffet System This system was stabilized before the Heckel system, but it was invented in a more conservative manner. The Buffet System mainly focused on improvements to the key work and not a complete overhaul of the instrument. This bassoon has a conical bore that is less in diameter than the Heckel bassoon. This system did not stay around because it wasn’t as consistent as the Heckel system and wasn’t as easy to play. READ MORE

Report warns US educational failures pose national security threat

Report warns US educational failures pose national security threat A new report finds that the United States' education system is putting the country's national security at risk. The independent study, sponsored by The Council on Foreign Relations, finds K-12 school systems across the country are failing to adequately prepare kids to grow up and protect the U.S. "For starters, we don't have nearly enough people who are capable in the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math," said former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, a member of the council's task force that wrote the report, titled "U.S. Education Reform and National Security." "When we think about the modern world of defense," Spellings said, "the fact that we don't have people who are capable to do this work is scary." In addition to skills needed to defend ourselves in war, the study found American schools fail to teach students skills needed to avoid conflicts. "We don't have people who know and understand foreign languages and other cultures," said Spelling, pointing out that U.S. children are ranked No. 17 in the world for language skills. "On any given day, there are hundreds of (job) vacancies for people who speak Pashtu and Arabic, and Mandarin and on and on." The Council on Foreign Relations report was chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein. It states America's educational failures pose five distinct threats to national security: - Threats to economic growth and competitiveness - U.S. physical safety - Intellectual property - U.S. global awareness - U.S. unity and cohesion Klein, who now works for News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, said he believes the greatest threat to national security is the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots and the increasing belief that the American Dream could soon become nothing but a memory. "This sense that your kids lives won't be better than your lives. That, to me will erode America's confidence. That will make us more divided," Klein said. "A massively undereducated country is not going to be competitive. It's not going to be cohesive." However, there is no difference between black and white, rich and poor, when it comes to American schools' failure to teach skills that could eventually be life saving. "Disadvantaged kids are the most impacted. But even at the high end, we are sort of fat, dumb and happy," Spellings said. "Some new data out suggests that even in Beverly Hills and Princeton and Scarsdale, any affluent community you can think of, those kids don't perform very well compared to their peers around the world, either." So what can Americans do? The report recommends these three main concepts: - Expanding state standards to offer more lessons necessary for safeguarding national security, like science and language - Provide parents and students school choice - Conduct "national security readiness audits" of all schools and hold them accountable if they’re not meeting standards To spur these changes, Klein and Spellings are urging Americans, whether they have kids or not, to discuss education issues with their local legislators. "Don't talk about tax abatement. Don't talk about pollution. Talk first and foremost about transforming education," Klein said. "That's the only way I know to make the political processes change." Spellings suggests getting involved yourself. "We've got to get back to the day where people in this room will stand up and say: 'I'm going to run for the school board.' We have left that level of politics to self-interested political careerists who want to use it as a stepping stone or people who represent the system," Spellings said. "If we're not paying attention, then shame on us. That's what we get." READ MORE

TIPS FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH ADD OR ADHD

TIPS FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH ADD OR ADHD Many teachers recognize the signs of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD): an inability to maintain attention, impulsive behaviors, and/or motor restlessness. Students can have mild, moderate, or severe symptoms and can be found in both general education and special education classes. For those who need educational interventions, MENC member Elise S. Sobol recommends these strategies for students with ADD with or without hyperactivity. Coordinate these approaches with a special education student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Teach and consistently reinforce social skills. Mediate asking questions. Define and redefine expectations. Assess understanding of content. Define and redefine appropriateness and inappropriateness. Make connections explicitly clear. Take nothing for granted. Reinforce positive behavior. Define benefits of completing a task. Include 21st-century relevance. Clearly mark music scores with clues to recall rehearsal information. Establish support through creative seating to enhance student security. Post your rehearsal plan. Repeat realistic expectations each session. Choose repertoire that enhances character development and self-esteem. Use lots of rehearsals to embed information into short-term memory. Be informed if a student takes medication to help regulate impulsive responses. Plan student participation accordingly. Follow classroom and performance program structure strictly so students know the sequence “first,” “then.” Sobol subscribes to William Glasser’s Choice Theory: Students will do well if four basic needs are addressed in the educational classroom or performance setting. All students need to feel a sense of Belonging—feeling accepted and welcome. Gaining Power—growing in knowledge and skill and gaining self-esteem through successful mastery of an activity via realistic teacher direction. Having fun—improving health, building positive relationships, and enhancing thinking. Students need to be uplifted and spirited to add to the quality of their successful program. Being free—making good choices, expressing control over one’s life. Students need to be a part of their educational process. Each student gains importance and dignity to as he or she participates in teaching and learning to set goals, make plans, choose behaviors, evaluate results, and learn from each experience to do things better. ADD and ADHD are disabilities and fall under the designating category of “Other Health Impairment.” READ MORE

A History of Musical Theater

A History of Musical Theater The history of musical theater is an interesting one. From the earliest plays of Ancient Greece, music has been an important part of the theatrical experience. During ancient times, it was most often in the form of a short musical interlude. At the time of the Renaissance, it was popular to have a musical piece at the close of each act. But how did musical theater as we know it today begin, with music and dialogue telling a coherent story? Classical Roots Musicals as we know them today have their roots in opera. An opera is a dramatic presentation in which the story is told through music, similar to modern musicals. Opera got its start in Italy, around the turn of the 17th century. In opera, there is generally no spoken dialogue; sung passages and dramatic arias move the plot along. This is similar to popular sung-through musicals of today, such as Evita, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. Even more closely related to the modern musical were operettas; in particular, the English operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan produced during the Victorian era. The topics and themes of operettas, as well as their style, was generally much lighter than in traditional opera. Operettas did occasionally feature small bits of spoken dialogue. Musicals on Broadway Musicals on Broadway got their start in 1866, with the presentation of The Black Crook. This musical extravaganza came about when a fire destroyed the venue where a ballet troupe was scheduled to perform. The producer of The Black Crook struck a deal with the ballet troupe, and they joined the show, which now had songs and elaborate dance numbers incorporated into the production. After The Black Crook, many more Broadway shows, as well as off-Broadway plays were musical in nature. Many people consider the first true example of the modern musical to be Showboat, which premiered on Broadway in 1927. Showboat was unique, in that it featured the first-ever completely integrated book and score, the style that would become the standard form for musical theater. Early musicals were most often light, comedic diversions. But starting with Showboat, some playwrights chose to depart from this convention, and give audiences more dramatic, topical plots and themes. In musical theater today, anything goes. From frivolous musical comedies to serious, dramatic pieces, there is something for every taste to be seen. From London's West End to Broadway and across the world, musical theater continues to be a popular form of entertainment. READ MORE

Group vs. Private Lessons

Group vs. Private Instruction The age old question - which one is best? The answer is - both! They both bring a different style and challenge to the student’s learning experience. Private lessons obviously give a one-on-one attention to the student and their specific learning abilities and desires. For some students this might be perfect. For others, it may be too much pressure. Group lessons allow the student to be in a more relaxed environment where they can draw from the other students playing and experiences to enhance their own. For some students this might be perfect, for others it might not be. Here is the key - group lessons are great for students to learn to work in a group and perform together. It allows for a relaxed learning environment where the pressure is not on them specifically to perform individually for the entire time. If you are looking for one-on-one personalized time you will want to lean towards a private lesson as this is not the purpose of the group lessons. Children are allowed to work at their own pace with a mixture of individualized attention and group direction. Private lessons are great for the student that may need the individualized attention to stay on task and motivated or for those who have specific learning goals that would be better presented in a one-on-one circumstance. Either way, you are not locked into anything forever! Try a group or try private or try both! But, whatever you do, allow your student the ability to complete the program into which you have started. Without that, you will not truly know what the best fit is as you have not allowed for the process to come to fruition and you're also potentially teaching that when you make a commitment to something and it gets tricky, etc. it's OK to just give up. Happy Practicing! The Music Momma

Where do I start with Music Lessons?

As spring is quickly approaching our minds and hearts race to new challanges and opportunities. Music lessons is one of these very worthwhile ventures. The benefits of a musical education are wide reaching and unmistakable but where do you start? Here is a guide to getting started by focusing on the top three most important characteristics of that experience - 1 - Safety - when talking about our children specifically you want to make sure the person is fully background checked. This is why going to a professional music service is the only way to go. 2- Convenience - Unless you are a person with unlimited time and money to spend convenience is VERY high on the list. When considering price really think about what you are getting for it. Having a professional music instructor come right to your home so you can save time and money by being productive in your own home while the lesson in taking place is priceless. No more dragging the entire family out somewhere through traffic at $4 a gallon of gas, sitting in traffic, potentially missing your lesson if you're late and then waiting in that overcrowded waiting room trying to keep one or two or three other children interested while one partakes in a sub-standard musical experience just to turn around and fight traffic, etc. all the way back home. Total time lost anywhere from one to two hours at least not to mention that music lesson just tripled in price when you take into account your time, gas, etc. 3 - Professionalism - From the instructor that is sent to the office handling payment, scheduling, materials, etc. - you want a service that sends you an actual musical educator trained in the pedagogy of musical training - not "Joe who plays in a band..."..... Get started today on that musical journey for either your children or yourself or BOTH! You know, it's never too late until it's....well....too late (if you know what I mean) to start something new and challenge yourself. Happy Practicing! The Music Momma

Leap Year!

Leap Year!!! OK - you got an extra day. What are you doing with it? Organizing a closet? Getting a jump on spring cleaning? Catching up on all the New Years' resolutions that went south on Jan. 2? Are you being "productive"? Forget it! How about take this day and just enjoy. Enjoy the extra day with your family, your friends, your co-workers, your pets, yourself! Enjoy being alive for an extra day before we churn into the next "productive" month, year, millennium of tasks to do and things to tackle. Enjoy your leap year! Leap Year Explained - A leap year (or intercalary or bissextile year) is a year containing one additional day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year.[1] Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a common year. For example, in the Gregorian calendar (a common solar calendar), February in a leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365. Similarly, in the Hebrew calendar (a lunisolar calendar), a 13th lunar month is added seven times every 19 years to the twelve lunar months in its common years to keep its calendar year from drifting through the seasons too rapidly. READ MORE

How many lessons do I start with?

How many lessons do I start with? Another question we get here at LNM quite often. Here is the thing. Music is a life-long pursuit. Does this mean you have music lessons your whole life? Well, you certainly could as the potential for learning is never capped. You never reach the end, so to speak. So, when starting music lessons you want to see this as a process, a long term one. Music is a journey that takes time and experiences. Of course, there are always restrictions in time and cost that are understandable. Not with-standing these restraints, you will want to start the process and allow it to unfold at its own time and pace. Each student learns at a different speed and has different goals. Keep in mind, music can be a wonderful exploratory educational experience and putting a limitation on its timing can put undue pressure on the student and may impede the progress and enjoyment that you sought to gain by starting the process in the first place. Keep sending in your education questions! Happy Practicing! The Music Momma

The importance of music education in schools

The importance of music education in schools Editor's note: Vince DiFiore plays trumpet in the band CAKE, which is currently touring the U.S. and Europe. The band has teamed up with the US Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) for "The Federal Funding March," a nationwide contest for high school and college marching bands. (CNN) -- During high school, I was a consistent member of the symphonic band. The band director regularly called on me to sight-read daily rhythm exercises for the rest of the class and, more significantly, gave me the honor of conducting one of our compositions for the annual fall concert. That leadership experience was a milestone and will stay with me for a lifetime. Still, I fell short of joining the marching band. When a trumpeter friend from middle school invited me to be a guest player in a pep band for a basketball game at a nearby high school where most of my classmates from eighth grade had attended, I realized the excitement involved in that music. This scaled-down version of the marching band was loud and impactful in the reverberating gym, and at that moment, it was clear what I had been missing out on.The camaraderie alone was incredibly uplifting. My high school band teacher's name was John McRae. Now, as the trumpeter for the band CAKE, I work with songwriter John McCrea. Parallels can be constructed beyond the similar names. Certainly, it could be said that the world of rock shares many of the same elements as the high school society: cliques, direct attention to individual issues of attitude adjustment and, most importantly, the frequent notion of liberating oneself. Basically, both realms share themes that are recurrent throughout an entire lifetime. During high school, however, these issues face our promising citizens in an abrupt and acute way. That sense of belonging, having a healthy perspective on weighty issues and the ability to self-individuate may be never fully realized, even in a lifetime. What is necessary in the microsociety of high school is a sturdy vessel in which to navigate a safe and fulfilling journey to the next transition. In high school, music programs are that vehicle. Our drummer, Paulo Baldi, for instance, lived in three states as a teenager (Colorado, New Mexico and Washington) while attending four different high schools. Joining the marching band in each unfamiliar place helped to connect his high school experience. He made friends through each transition, and it made comfortable what could have otherwise been an alienating experience. Gabriel Nelson, the bassist for CAKE, was in jazz ensemble at Sacramento High School. He learned a great deal there, at a critical time in his life. After excelling at music theory in a piano class, he was recruited into the school's accomplished jazz band, as it needed a competent bass player. Gabriel and his friends in that group later went on to form bands together outside of school. Paulo Baldi testifies that, "Marching band in particular is the savior for people who may or may not be athletic. Marching band is music, memorization, eye-hand coordination and good for your posture. It may hurt to be told your paradiddles suck, but it builds character. It's a team sport. You create friendships that become your buddies for life. High school music is something focused to do. You don't have to be great to belong, and members immediately have something in common." Aside from the social benefits, students in high school music programs have higher test scores and cognitive development. A U.S. Department of Education study found that those who reported consistent involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12. (This observation holds regardless of students' socioeconomic status.) Additionally, students who learn to play an instrument develop a greater language capacity and a greater ability to learn a new language. In another context, it is invaluable to gain a wider perspective on cultural history by being exposed to centuries of our rich cultural heritage. When the track "Federal Funding" (from CAKE's new album "Showroom of Compassion") was completed, there was something about it that made it sound like a ready-made marching band arrangement. The topic of the song (the delicate issue of applying for federal grants and receiving favors from friends in high places), in the hands of CAKE, became a romp that was full of syncopation, melodies and counterparts, with a mean and bouncy rhythm section. At our studio in Sacramento, California, as the dust hadn't quite settled after completing our album, I returned to remove all the electric instruments and the drum kit from the session, then recorded my friends in town who had played saxophone, tuba and drums in various marching bands around northern California. The result is the "Federal Funding March," an ode to the epic marching band sound. On a fall weekend in junior high, my dad took me to see a marching band parade in Long Beach, California. We sat in the VIP grandstand, shoulder to shoulder, with Iron Eyes Cody, the actor who portrayed the tearful witness to roadside littering in the public service announcement from the '70s. All the marching bands were playing "Star Wars" that year. It is our hope that every band will be playing the "Federal Funding March" next year. Band directors, we're offering the charts for free, and we guarantee that you, and your players, will gladly accept it into your repertoire. Best wishes for an exceptional marching band season next year. READ MORE

The Importance of Starting Out Right

The Importance of Starting Out Right We get the call often, "My child knows how to play a little song they figured out on the piano, guitar, etc." What do I do next? It's a great sign of interest and talent when kids start plunking out songs on their own. It's great ear training but now's the time to get started the right way. Unfortunately, what happens sometimes is that the interest and natural ability is not professionally guided until they have already developed many bad learning habits. Music is like math. You may be drawn to numbers and have a natural talent with them but that alone will not take you very far. You need to continue to build upon your talents with professional and sequential instruction. When children play "by ear" for too long they get a satisfaction by figuring out the latest song on the radio but sometimes that's as far as it goes and they are limiting their future repertoire to potentially one of two songs. They have not learned the building blocks that will open up the entire musical world to them. Mainly, notation. Starting at the age of 2, children begin to recognize and put meaning to symbols. This is prime time to introduce professional instruction and guided experimentation utilizing musical symbols and note reading. Now, we are not saying to discourage their ear training efforts - far from it! Any quality educational program will have a healthy emphasis on ear training but it will be hand-in-hand with those important reading building blocks. For more info on professional music instruction in your own home - contact LNM today! Happy Practicing! The Music Momma

Vocal Summer Camp

LNM Summer Vocal Performance Camp July and August 2012 Join us for July, August or Both months! Available for Boys and Girls Ages 4 – 15 Monthly Program includes: - 2 private music lessons weekly (30 min lessons – 8 total per month – lessons scheduled based on your availability) - 4 x 2 Hour Weekly Group Rehearsals (4 total per month – Day/time TBA) - 1 public performance at the end of the month (Day/time/location TBA) - LNM Performance T-shirt - Materials and rehearsal packet Contact us today for pricing and more details! CustomerService@LearnNowMusic.com 800-399-6414

Musical Quotes A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. – Leopold Stokowski Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. – Berthold Auerbach All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls! – Thomas Carlyle If the King loves music, it is well with the land. – Mencius Without music life would be a mistake. – Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body. – Oliver Wendell Holmes If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music. – Gustav Mahler Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them! – Oliver Wendell Holmes Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. – Charlie Parker READ MORE