Saturday, March 28, 2020

AP Chemistry Multiple Choice Answers - Review

AP Chemistry Multiple Choice Answers - ReviewHere's the third and final review of AP Chemistry Multiple Choice Answers. I spent the first half of the year working on answering that question, and I've really enjoyed it. This is probably my favorite section of AP Chemistry.Each term, you'll have a short essay to complete. You may be forced to write a paper for a class or grade, but each answer is different and all offer a different view of the subject, so there's a lot to learn about when you're answering.The first term is relatively easy, because it has two types of questions. For multiple-choice format, you are limited to taking the 'answers' on that question, as long as they are at least 50% correct. In single-choice format, you need to actually get the ideas down from the syllabus, not just write them down.In addition to understanding the rules, you also need to be able to learn how to think in a new way. This is done by doing some reading comprehension and personal reasoning, whic h can be challenging to do without proper practice. This is the section where you learn new concepts, because you'll be forced to compare them to the material you learned in the other sections.The second set of above questions takes you through the information for every term. This section offers you the opportunity to take notes, but don't try to work your way through the material. Instead, focus on trying to get an idea of what's in the text.While many people take the extra credit section, I prefer this as my home study. This gives me the ability to do the reading and note taking during the night, and I find that it's a lot more fun than waiting for the weekend. I doget the short-term credit, but I choose to do extra credit so that I know exactly what I'll have to write in the final.This is an area where you have to put in a lot of work, but will reward you with a graduate degree, a challenging curriculum, and work on critical thinking. And while many might not think it's worth the effort, it's one of the best parts of the AP exam.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Three Benefits of Winter Tutoring - TutorNerds

Three Benefits of Winter Tutoring - TutorNerds Winter Break Tutoring: 3 Big Benefits Winter Break Tutoring: 3 Big Benefits Winter break is a great time for students to relax and recover from the stresses that the school year brought.   For most students, their school’s winter break corresponds with the end of the semester, quarter, or marking period for grades and/or classes.   Because of this, there often are not large, looming tests or assignments that are waiting around the corner. However, this doesn’t mean that winter break must â€" or even should â€" be a total break from your academic work.   Winter break can be an even better time than the regular school year to seek the benefits of private tutoring.   While there are many advantages of hiring a tutor for yourself or your student, here are three that are especially relevant and significant for tutoring during the winter break. Catch Up or Get Ahead The first benefit of tutoring over the winter break is the ability to catch up or get ahead in a relatively stress-free manner.   During classes, students have so much going on academically for them to keep on top of:   multiple classes, multiple grades, and assignments, multiple lectures.   Tutoring alongside this workload can be very helpful at helping students manage their time and achieve their best grades â€" but that doesn’t mean it will be easy or comfortable. During breaks, on the other hand, gives the time when a student is not stifled by an endless stream of work and studying.   Instead, they have few academic obligations, or none whatsoever.   This allows the option of tutoring to be done in a much less stressful situation that will be beneficial to your student’s moral and their learning. When classes are over â€" or experiencing a significant break â€" a tutor can step in to help you either catch up to where you should be at or get ahead of the curve before classes start again.   In many year-long classes, the progression from the fall through winter in spring lends to stronger results if you understand the earlier, foundational material better.   This is especially true for most middle school and high school math and science classes, though it is relevant to social studies and language classes as well. This means that if you aren’t performing as well as you’d like, or if your grades have started to get just a little bit lower, then you are at risk to start falling behind and doing worse and worse in the coming months or years.   Or, if you know that you did poorly in the fall, don’t just hope that it will get better after the break.   If you are planning on getting a tutor, look into doing so during the break so you can begin to close the gap without the added stress of classes and assignments. Even if you are comfortable with where your student is at right now, having an experienced tutor and free time can help them get ahead.   Maybe your student is getting an ‘A’ in a regular or remedial class right now but they’re hoping to take a more advanced class next year.   Maybe your student is doing well, but will be taking their first AP classes next year and wants to be prepared for them.   Maybe your student is making good grades, but the teacher isn’t doing a good job helping them understand the material or prepare for next year.   Maybe your student just wants to be ahead to avoid extra stress and crunch time in the next few months.   Or maybe your student is just talented at the subject and wants to learn more than what the class is offering. Whatever the case, an experienced tutor can help you achieve that goal of getting ahead in a class or subject.   Whether it’s catching up or getting ahead, make sure you are clear with your tutor about what your goals are, and don’t wait until the break is over to get in contact with someone. Expert Evaluation and Planning Winter break is also a great time to learn where you are at and plan for the future.   An experienced tutor can do both of these things for you.   If you are halfway through a class, a tutor can help evaluate what you know, what you need to work on, and what to expect in the future.   If you have just finished a class, a tutor can help tell you what was important and what you should focus on for the next class. An infrequently utilized benefit of having an experienced, private tutor is their ability to help you plan through your classes and schedule.   These tutors have been through these processes themselves and helped many other students through them.   A tutor can, for example, evaluate the requirements for the degree you are looking for, look at course schedules, prerequisites, and conflicts, and make a comprehensive plan for you to optimize your time to degree.   For another example, if you are in high school, an experienced tutor can help you choose which classes you should take to most benefit you in college, or that best match your skills.   An experienced tutor can help you pick the best AP science class you should take, which CLEP exams will help you graduate a year early, or which or your major classes you should take in the next semester. Regardless of what level you are at now, checking in with someone experienced and knowledgeable can be a great way to make sure you academics are staying on track.   Whether you’re worried about how you’re doing in a class, confused about how to plan for the next four years of classes, or just hoping to judge your progress and be proactive, then the free time during the break is a great opportunity to get quality answers from an experienced Anaheim tutor. Accountability and No Wasted Time Despite what many parents often think, many students do plan to study and do class homework over winter break.   Often they hadn’t performed as well as they would like or saw the negative effects of their procrastination or disorganization during the fall.   Because of this, many students have optimistic plans for how they’ll spend their time over the break.   Maybe it’s reading the next few chapters of their textbook, or watching lessons or tutorials on YouTube, or looking through the syllabus and start assignments early.   Whichever it is, the fact is that many students do plan to do better and do work over the break. The problem is â€" most of them end up failing to follow through.   It is too easy to think, “there’s plenty of time left,” “I’ll get started tomorrow,” “I need more time to relax first,” and, finally, “I’ll just get ahead once classes start.”   The fact is that procrastination becomes even more tempting when there are no real deadlines or repercussions in front of you.   Getting ahead and doing work over the break is especially hard because there are no readily obvious consequences of not doing so. The way an Anaheim tutor fixes this problem is by adding accountability and structure.   It is easy to think “I’ll do a few hours of studying a week” and no follow through with it â€" but if you have an appointment with a tutor it will make sure that you are getting the work done.   Similarly, if you have a plan for getting ahead or catching up, a tutor can confirm that with you and check-in to make sure that you are doing what you planned to do.   If you don’t have plans or don’t know what to work on, a tutor can help with that as well. In this way, having regular appointments with a tutor over a break can guarantee that you don’t fall victim to wasted time and ultimately feel guilty or disappointed with what you’ve accomplished over a break.   This does not mean that you should be working everyday as if you were still in class â€" nor does it mean that a tutor will be assigning you so much work that you can’t enjoy the break.   Instead, it means that you will be accomplishing tasks that are small but substantial during the plentitude of extra free time that you may have during winter break.   Let this winter break be the one where you feel good about the work that you’ve done and the progress that you have made. Book your winter break, Anaheim tutor today! Michael C. is currently a private math, science, and standardized test tutor with TutorNerds in Irvine and Anaheim. All blog entries, except for guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Four Ways to Develop Leadership as a Home-Schooler

Four Ways to Develop Leadership as a Home-Schooler Home schooling offers many exciting benefits: the opportunity to explore individualised materials within your realm of interest and to learn at your own pace. But it also comes with challenges, including the lack of immediate social interaction along with the chance to develop critical leadership skills. However, these things don't have to be missing from the home-school curriculum. Consider these four ways to grow as a leader: 1. Volunteer There's no better way to engage in social activities, become involved in your local community, and understand the importance of leadership than through volunteering. While volunteering in itself is not an act of leadership, it does give a first-hand view of leadership at work and of its great potential to change the world. Additionally, as you continue to volunteer your talents, your responsibilities may grow accordingly. A leadership role may soon be within your reach. 2. Join a club While joining your local ham radio club may not lead to the immediate presidency, over time you can aspire to new levels of leadership responsibilities. Check in with your local library or community center to find out about activities for home-schoolers in your area. You also aren't required to be the club president to demonstrate your leadership skills. Perhaps you like working with money or doing public relations. Heading up a finance or communications committee is a terrific way to show off a unique skill set while simultaneously assuming a critical leadership role. 3. Start a group Do you love to write poetry or make model rockets? Are you interested in sustainability and the farm-to-table movement? If so, there are plenty of opportunities for you to start a group within your own community to advance these causes. Put a sign up at the library and hold a meeting in one of the local rooms. You may be delighted by how many fellow writing enthusiasts or gardening gurus turn up! 4. Host an event Do you support a local organisation or charity? If so, why not organise a fundraising event on its behalf? It can be as simple as setting up a car wash at a local car dealership or a walk to raise awareness. Whatever the size or scale, organising this event from conception to fruition can not only help you develop the leaderships skills colleges are looking for, but can also be immensely fulfilling to you personally. Just because you're a home-schooler doesn't mean you have to miss out on valuable leadership opportunities. If you can't find the right club or group in your community, make your own opportunities by forming one.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

8 Simple, Straightforward Ways to Learn a Language

8 Simple, Straightforward Ways to Learn a Language 8 Simple, Straightforward Ways to Learn a Language Did you hear the one about  the  guy in New York who learned how to speak over 20 different languages by the age of 17?No, this actually isn’t a set up for a corny joke. A young man by the name of Timothy Doner from Manhattan, New York, whose native language is English, actually started learning how to speak another language, French, at the age of 8.He says he didnt learn to fully appreciate his gift until he was older and  he started to learn Arabic for his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13.Since then, he has used a couple of the secrets found in this post to become the much admired polyglot that he is today. What’s even more impressive is that he was able to accomplish all of this without a teacher!The reason for sharing his story was not to intimidate you, but to inspire you.If you want to learn how to speak several different languages just like Timothy, then terrific!  What you seek to accomplish will take a lot of patience and work, but it can be doneâ€"and this article will show you how.You excited? You should be! Here are the eight secrets to speaking multiple languages fluently. 8 Simple, Straightforward Ways to Learn a Language1. Start nowYes, I went there. No sugar coating for this hard truth. Maybe youve been indecisive about which language to study or how to study. Stop hemming and hawing.The sooner you start learning, the better.Believe it or not, the best time to become a multiple language speaker is actually around the same time when you’re getting your potty training. (Hopefully this is when you’re a baby or a toddler!)Further evidence supports this, generally proposing  that children should be learning how to become bilingual (or multilingual) while strengthening both their cognitive and linguistic skills as early as the age of three.But why is this so?Well, the mind is in the best shape to take on learning a languageâ€"or even several different languages at onceâ€"during those pre-adolescent years. During the early childhood stages, the b rain is better equipped to take in all of the different sounds and patterns that go along with learning linguistics no matter what language theyre being taught. In addition, their listening skills are at their best because, since they cant really talk, they little choice but to listen! All of this then helps the baby or child regurgitate the information theyve received. All in all, theyre able to mimic what theyve learned at much better rates than either teens and adults can.Despite the above being true, you’re never too old to learn anything! Your brain keeps developing and growing until youre 25, and some say development continues even beyond 25. Even once its not technically still growing, your brain is still malleable.Plus, we can simply  take all of the above information about children learning languages and use it to our advantage. Just  try learning the way that children learn!Another lesson to be learned from children is that, if you do plan to start speaking several langu ages at once, its best to start now  rather than  later. The longer you wait, the more serious time and effort it will take. Remember, all that time you could spend learning will fly by anywayâ€"and if youre not studying, youre that much farther from reaching your goals.No more excuses. Start today! Take a break from reading this and watch one short video clip in the language you want to learn, or do it as soon as youre done readingâ€"but not a minute after!2. Make language learning habitualThere’s a wise old saying that goes something like this: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”This applies to various aspects of everyday life, including learning how to master speaking new languages.  To fully learn anything successfully, its imperative that you  possesses good planning skills and form good study habits (well, it may not be absolutely imperative, but it does help!).Planning ahead will give you  a mental map to follow in order to successfully get the results you want. It also helps you  set reasonable end goals so that you can try your best to accomplish them in the time frame that you  want.Here are some neat studying habits to keep in mind while you plan out the best ways to tackle your foreign language speaking mission!Think in your target language(s). No matter what youre doing, try thinking of vocabulary only in that language.When speaking in a target language, only use that language!  Seems simple, but this is often neglected.  If youre an English speaker trying to learn German, do your best to only think of German words when talking aloud. Dont think of them in English and translate them into German and, above all, dont ask what the translation is by uttering the English word to your partner!For example, if you mean to say,  I want to go to the store in Germanâ€"which is Ich möchte in den Laden gehenâ€"and you only know the words  Ich  möchte  (I want) and  Laden  (large store) then try to form a sentence with those words as best as you ca n, even if you know it wont make complete sense. Try to be create and dance around any unknown words until you get the meaning across. This will teach your brain to be more creative and nimble with the language.Afterwards, write down what you missed so you can keep practicing.Try to speak in other languages as often as possible in everyday life.  The goal should be for you to use all the languages youre learning to speak at least once a day, in order to best familiarize yourself with how words and phrases in those languages are used.Scribble out to-do lists, grocery lists, notes-to-self and memos in your languages.Go about your daily routine and narrative everything youre doing in your target language or languages. Try to keep track of any big gaps in grammar and vocabulary that are necessary to describe your day-to-day life.When studying, make it as interactive as possible. This includes singing along to songs in other languages as well as talking to the owner of the authentic ethn ic restaurant down the street who only knows a handful of words in your native language. Anything you can do to actively use and play with the languages youre learning is great for memory.3. Introduce the sound of music to your study routineDo you love music? If you answered yes, then did you already know that you can use your beloved music to help you learn how to speak languages  faster?Oh, yeah!Music and language learning practically go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly  or crackers and cheese. Not only does music match up well with language learning (since, you know, music is also a form of language) but it’s believed that incorporating music into your studies aids your concentration and overall brain performance. Music can also be a great tool to help you learn multiple languages, as you can use the lyrics of foreign languages songs as lyrical  study guides. The melody will make the language stick better in your brain, and singing along will boost your fluency.Yes, in deed, if you’re open minded to listening to music in foreign languages, then you can always  use music to your language learning advantage.As you listen, pay close attention and do your best to follow along with the singer while keeping your ear out for exactly how they pronounce their words. Eventually, with time and lots of practice, you’ll actually be understanding what they’re saying including how they pronounce every syllable. After that, its only a matter of time and practice before those same natural, authentic sounds start rolling smoothly off your own tongue.If youre ready to get started on effectively merging music and language speaking together, then whip out your iPod (or whichever device you use to listen to music), find some foreign songs that you love and get to singing.Try finding some  karaoke style  songsâ€"which have only music, no wordsâ€"and keep those too. Then, when youre ready, you can start trying to sing solo!4.  Choose languages that have similar str ucturesThis is a great secret strategy if you havent chosen which languages you want to study yet, or still have room to add one more to your study schedule.When it comes to learning how to speak multiple languages fluently, a good strategy to implement is to learn languages that fall under the same language family, which are groups of languages that are linguistically linked based on one ancestral mother language. This ancestral tongue is commonly known as the proto-language.For example, if you’re trying to learn how to speak Spanish but you know in your heart that Spanish isn’t the only language you want to learn how to speak, then it might be a good idea to learn a language with a similar structure, such as French or Italian, instead of something vastly different such as Swahili or  Japanese.In this case, Spanish falls into the same  Indo-European Romantic language category as French and Italian, so these languages will be easier to learn at the same time. The grammar style a nd all the vocabulary will be very similarâ€"youll just need pay attention to the handful of differences!5. Be patient and don’t give up!Out of all the secrets on this list, this might be the most valuable secret of all.Having both patience and perseverance  is the key to successfully teaching yourself how to speak any language.Some might grasp language lessons  faster than others, but everyone is different. Theres a chance that some lessons will come much harder than others, and some will require a great deal of effort to really learn.No matter how fast or how slow you learn, its always important to remember to take your time, be kind to yourself and never give up.A few tips to help you maintain a good sense of patience while you encounter hurdles on your language learning journey are:taking deep breathspacing yourselfstopping study sessions when you become overly frustratedrealizing that everyone messes upchatting about issues with fellow language learnersasking questions in onl ine forumssetting realistic and reasonable goalsRemember: It’s great to be enthusiastic, but if youre impatient and always chomping at the bit to reach the next lesson, then this could turn into frustration. You may be harming yourself  in the long run rather than helping.6. Go for quality, not quantityWe understand. You like to show off your rad language skills by saying different phrases in other  languages to impress your friends, family or even potential love interest.You may not know a thing about Spanish, but if you say to someone,  â€œte ves hermosa esta noche,  which is English for “you look lovely tonight,” then you’ll probably get the attention you seek.While this is great, make sure that you go for quality, not quantity, as best as you can while learning to speak different languages. This means that while learning how to speak several languages at once, try to become as fluent in the languages youre learning as possible instead of just trying to learn bits and pie ces of many, many more languages. By doing so, you’ll really be able to engage in deep and meaningful conversations with others instead of being limited to only short phrases that may or may not lead anything.In other words, if you dont want to end up like this:make sure that you put in the work to speak the language as fluently as you can. Itll probably save you from some embarrassing situations.And, hey, psst.Did you know that there are some tricks to prevent mixing up languages in your head or in your speech? Try thinking in the  languages youre learning and using slightly different voices for each  languages. Adopt specific faces for different languages. These are all great ways to help you speak various languages without mixing them up. These are just training wheels thoughâ€"after a while you can kick them off and speak using your average voice and average facial expressions.7. Cultivate passionHaving strong passion and drive for your languages sets the foundation for becomi ng a fluent multilingual.No matter what the reason is that you choose to become bilingual, trilingual or a full-on polyglot, it’s important to still feel  eagerness and enjoyment after days, months and years of intensive learning. Doing so will most likely keep you motivated enough to get the results you want.That means you need to do what you want, when you want.  If youre only squeezing in a little study time at obscenely early or late hours, it will be hard to learn well and stick to your learning plan. Give yourself a time slot during the day thats conducive to learning.And if you like learning by the book thats perfectly fine, but if youd much rather learn by watching K-Pop videos, or if you find yourself procrastinating language study by watching news clips, then thats okay too! Just have fun, digest as much content in foreign languages as possible, and youll soon find that this everyday language habit is quite easy to stick to.8.  Dont go it aloneWhen it comes to being skil lful at anything, whether that be cooking, hockey or mastering foreign languages, you can’t go wrong when youre  learning from the best.Experience is the best teacher, but other people with experience, like these guys right here, can be the messengers to help guide you by  sharing their most effective methods  and making the whole process more painless.If you’d rather learn how to speak languages with someone who’s on the same level as you though, instead of finding someone like a mentor or tutor, try finding language exchange partners. These will be people who are fluent in the language youre trying to learn but are beginners in the language that you speak natively.The more partners you have, the better you’ll be exposed to the language and the unique culture enriched with the language. For example, if you’re trying to learn how to speak Dutch, Arabic and Portuguese at the same time, then start finding people who are natives in those specific languages who  are willing to work with you to help you learn whether in person or online. In exchange, you can help them out with English or any other language you know natively and that they want to learn.Those are the eight secrets weve got to aid you towards fluency in any language you choose to studyâ€"even when juggling multiple languages at once.Good luck on your language learning journey!

What Students Love About Taking Online Classes

What Students Love About Taking Online Classes via Pexels Online classes are flexible. One thing that many college students probably dislike about traditional, in-person classes is that they’re inflexible. Whether you have a Monday-Wednesday class, a Tuesday-Thursday class, or what have you, there is usually a specific schedule you need to follow and you must attend the class in person. By contrast, online classes are much more flexible. They don’t require you to attend class at a particular time, which means you have the opportunity to do your work whenever you see fit. Of course, this comes with a possible disadvantage if you aren’t the best at managing your time. However, if you are efficient at managing your own schedule and getting your assignments and studying done in a timely manner, then online classes are a great option for you. What’s more, if your entire program is online (e.g., if you’re pursuing an online master’s degree), this affords you a lot more flexibility than if you’re attending traditional university classes. Especially if you happen to have a part-time or even full-time job at the same time, you will be able to get your work done for your online classes on your own time whether in the evenings when you come home from work, in the mornings before work, on the weekends, and any time in between. Ultimately, flexibility with your classes gives you the chance to make time for other important things in your life like working a job to earn some money, spending time with friends and family, and also taking much-needed time for yourself. Online classes offer a comfortable learning environment. Not only are online classes flexible, but they also offer a comfortable environment in which you can learn. Since you won’t have to physically attend classes, you’ll have the chance to work from wherever you want. So if you prefer learning and getting work done in a cafe, go to a cafe. If you would rather do your work in your bedroom in the comfort of your own home, you have complete freedom to do that as well. There is a variety of courses and programs to choose from. Another great thing about online classes is that there is quite a variety to choose from. You can find practically any degree program you want online to help you advance in your education and career. So, no matter what you want to study, chances are that there’s something out there that’s a perfect fit for you and you don’t even have to go anywhere to start! via Pexels Online classes are less expensive. I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear the words “college” or “university,” one of the first things I think of is how costly it is. After all, the costs of a college education definitely add up when you consider expenses for not only class credits, but also perhaps on-campus housing, textbooks, meal plans, and other fees. When it comes to online classes, however, you don’t have to worry about all those extra expenses. You’ll just be paying for your course credits AKA, only what you want to pay for which will save you a lot of money in the long run (and not only when it comes to school fees, but also for other expenses such as gas money, since you won’t need to be commuting back and forth all the time). As a result, online classes may be a good way to go if you’re looking to go down a more affordable route. You may be able to easily access your textbooks. Since your classes are online, it’s likely that your textbooks will be easily accessible online as well. What’s more, they will probably not be all that expensive, so you can access them online for little to no charge. This is highly convenient, especially if you prefer using online textbooks so that you won’t have to haul a physical copy around or worry about misplacing it somewhere. Online classes can help to advance your career. A really advantageous aspect of taking online classes is that they can help to advance your career, particularly if you decide to take online classes after you’ve already graduated from college. Doing so will make you stand out from other job seekers by showing that you are dedicated to learning new things in your free time, which means you are willing to take initiative to advance yourself personally, intellectually, and professionally. Plus, if the online classes you take are relevant to the specific position you’re applying to, that will also make you look good to employers. If you’re thinking about taking online classes, you should go for it. There are many benefits, and you’ll be able to get something valuable out of it for your education and future career.

What Is a Personal Tutor?

What Is a Personal Tutor?If you are planning to make the best of your free time, one thing that you can do right now is to find out about what is a personal tutor. A tutor is a person who will help you in your studies by giving you the required suggestions for improving your progress. A lot of people use the services of a tutor so that they can improve their performance in their studies and become an all-round student.Although tutoring is considered to be an effective way of helping a student to improve his or her education, there are also many students who opt for private tutors. However, as they may think that they will be spending less money than a tutor at a local college, this is not really true. In fact, it can take more effort and money than hiring a local tutor at your local college.The only difference between a teacher and a tutor is that the latter will let you decide on the type of tuition that you want to have. The way that the professional will make you take part in thei r lessons will differ with each teacher. The most common type of lessons that you can expect to get is the lecture, discussion, and examinations.During the lecture, the tutor will discuss the subject matter in detail so that you can get an insight on the subject and teach the same to your classmates. As you will learn the subject from him or her, you will not find it difficult to learn the material.The discussion and examination types of lessons will be done on similar topics. For example, during the discussion, the tutor will inform you about the basic things that you should know in the field of study that you have selected.During the examination, you will answer the questions given by the tutor in a methodical manner. After this, you will be asked to leave the room. At the end of the class, you will be tested on the areas covered during the lessons.It is not necessary that you get the full value of your lessons. Hence, you have to choose the one that is right for you.

Elite Tutoring Places Are Where a Student Can Go to Get the Attention They Need

Elite Tutoring Places Are Where a Student Can Go to Get the Attention They NeedElite tutoring places are places where a student can go to get the attention they need. It can be hard to find places that offer such services. However, with the internet, there are places available.Elite tutoring can be accomplished at home or at the local public library. For a student who wants a way to do it, then the library is ideal. There are tutors available in the library who specialize in elite tutoring. They may not have the credentials but will gladly share their knowledge and experience with those who are interested. The only time a student needs to bring their own materials is if they want to take a class at the library.Sometimes people prefer to work at home or a local public library. At home there is the option of doing it through online tutoring. Some places even have an advanced tutoring service for those who need more than the basic tutoring.If you like to take online classes, then there are many tutors who offer tutoring at this time. It can be done via Skype or a similar program. If you are looking for an alternative, then you might consider online tutoring.Professional tutors can also be found online. These include instructors who will lead classes. With such a tutoring service, students are able to find the support they need.It is also possible to find free tutoring places. If you know someone who is willing to tutor you, then this is one of the best options available.Elite tutoring places are where students can go to get the attention they need. There are many different ways for them to do this. They can go to a school or campus to find the right one for them.

How to Keep Your Kids Engaged in Music Lessons

How to Keep Your Kids Engaged in Music Lessons Suzy S. When booking new students for music lessons, we often hear, How long will it take to see results?   We tell our customers that it really depends on each students ability to learn and how much dedication and effort they choose to put into it. Meaning, if a student is enrolled in weekly lessons but fails to show up for lessons and/or practice regularly, they probably wont see a drastic improvement. However, if they attend their scheduled lessons while continuing to practice and push themselves, they will be amazed at what they can accomplish. When we explain this to parents, another concern usually arises How can I help encourage my child to practice and stay engaged in lessons? The good news is that there are many ways parents can help keep their children excited about their lessons. We asked some of our talented TakeLessons music teachers to share how they encourage parents to get involved and got some really great feedback.   Check out this piece written by one of our Dallas guitar teachers, Jerry W. Jerry lists some interesting ideas for parents to make the musical learning process more enjoyable for their kids. Once the kids are engaged and practicing regularly, they are more likely to see their results faster! Jerry writes: Tips for Music Teachers: Young Guitar Students, Parents Practice Each year, I am approached by parents who request that I teach guitar lessons to their children.   I am always flattered that they would choose me to teach their child.   The child is usually enthusiastic as they begin their musical journey.   After about a month, the student’s attitude begins to shift from enthusiasm to the realization that they have undertaken a lifelong journey of learning.   Based on my experience, I have observed a number of ways parents can help keep their kids engaged in the process. 1. Stay informed about the lessons.   Parental involvement in the learning process is essential.   Students, oftentimes, get caught up in the details of the lesson that they are learning.   In this situation, they tend to lose sight of the long term goals.   Parents can lend a “big picture” perspective to the child.   Parental involvement can be anything from visiting with the teacher after each lesson to view the material that has been assigned to actually taking lessons with the student.   Taking lessons together is a great way for parent and child to foster a common interest.   Oftentimes, the parent can actually assist the student at home and can even practice together. 2.   The importance of the teacher’s attitude toward each student, and their progress, cannot be overstated.   The teacher must communicate with the parents each little “victory” in the learning process.   Honest communication to the parents of the areas which are going well, as well as areas which need improvement is very helpful in keeping the student engaged in the process. 3.   Parents, just like teachers, can develop creative ways to keep students practicing.   These strategies can include:   seeing that the student use play-a-long Cds, recording practice time, practicing with the student, and taking the student to performances of great artists.   Parental involvement in this way can be very effective in helping the student achieve both short term and long term goals. Learning is, quite simply, not a “one size fits all” process.   A Harvard education professor once stated that “you cannot make some learn something.   You can only create circumstances under which they want to learn the subject.”   Therein lies the great challenge for any teacher.   Common sense parental involvement can go a long way toward creating such an environment. -Jerry W.

The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright

The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright Suzy S. Stage performance is a challenging art form. Whether youre acting out a role in a musical theatre setting, giving a speech in front of a crowd, or even playing a solo at an open mic night, the experience can be nerve-wracking even for seasoned performers. It can be even more anxiety-inducing if youre a perfectionist, as that can breed a fear of failure and from there, performance anxiety can feel even stronger. Performance anxiety (commonly  referred to as stage fright)  can devastate a performer’s career and enjoyment of their craft, but it doesn’t have to  performance anxiety is a normal human reaction and a completely curable condition if given the right resources, patience, and support system. This article is a guide to learning how to overcome stage fright, for anyone who may experience it  musicians, actors, dancers, speakers, educators, and students. If you wish to understand and improve anxiety issues that are holding you  back from giving your  best performances, read on! What is Stage Fright? Lets start with  anxiety, which  is defined as a feeling or worry, nervousness, or unease about an upcoming event. Most people have experienced some level of anxiety before, during, or after a performance, speech, sports game, or test. Anxiety differs from fear in that fear addresses a present threat, while anxiety is typically felt in relation to something in the future. Anxiety is a normal, healthy human experience and, in small doses, is beneficial in making decisions and in achieving peak success. Performance anxiety (stage fright) in particular is nervousness or unease about a specific future event in which you will be required to execute a task, such as a song, a scene, speech, or test and usually when you’ll be in front of an audience. Symptoms may be present during the task, for weeks or months leading up to it, and sometimes after the event is over. So, how do you get over  stage fright? Even most experienced performers feel anxiety, so its more a process of learning how to deal with stage fright. Here  are the steps  I recommend. Knowing if you are truly experiencing anxiety is critically important, as it’s the first step toward understanding and overcoming it. If you have experienced a few or many of the following symptoms before or during a performance situation, you are experiencing stage fright: Excessive sweating (typically in the palms, feet, armpits or face, but could be anywhere) Increased heart rate Chills, hot flashes, or sudden changes in body temperature Shallow breathing, tightness in the chest, or hyperventilation Feeling dizzy Racing thoughts, obsessive fear of failure during the task Inability to concentrate or process logical information Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea Loss of appetite Frequent urge to use the bathroom Inability to make small talk or hold a basic conversation Shakiness, especially in the hands Sensitivity lights, sounds, or textures in the environment As you can see, this list of sensations is not only unpleasant, but makes performing at your best nearly impossible. Fear of failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Look at the list of anxiety symptoms, and make a mental checkmark next to the ones that you have felt during performance situations. Note when it happened, how often, and any other details you remember. Are your symptoms limited to a specific few, or all of them? Are there symptoms you’d like to solve first as a priority, before others? Now go back next to each symptom that you’ve checked, and rate it on scale of 1-10 as to how severe it felt (1 being hardly felt it, 10 being you felt it so much you couldn’t concentrate on anything else). If you are seeing numbers in the 1-4 range, it’s likely that you are experiencing normal, healthy jitters that can actually add to your performance by making you more focused. If you are seeing numbers in the 5-10 range, you are experiencing moderate to severe stage fright  and should read on to discover strategies for improvement. Before you can properly map a route to overcome stage fright, it’s important to know where you’ve been and what has caused stage fright in the past. Let’s look at some of the reasons why you are experiencing stage fright, how they might contribute to your present challenges, and how you can utilize them most effectively. Start by asking yourself some questions about your performing career, starting from the very, very beginning, which might include childhood memories or more recent situations depending on your age. Recall the first time you performed for an audience, formally. Who was there? What thoughts and feelings do you remember? Were you happy with the outcome of the performance? Was it a positive or negative experience, was it stressful or relaxed? Recall the first time you performed and experienced anxiety (if different from above). What were the circumstances? Who was there? Did you practice or prepare, and how much? If different from #1, what do you think sparked anxiety if there were previous performances that didn’t? Recall the next few times that you performed, after #2 above. Ask yourself the same questions and look for patterns. Recall the 2-3 most recent times you performed. How recent was it? Have you purposely avoided performing in recent circumstances due to fear? Were you with a large group, small ensemble or solo? Were there any post-performance experiences worth noting? From the above questions, look for patterns. Are there any pivotal events that dramatically changed the course of your performance history? Are there any key people, venues, or pieces that contributed to where you’re at today? The next step is re-contextualizing key anxiety triggers so that they don’t continue causing problems. Most people can identify one or two key incidents that left a large impact on their self-esteem. Maybe it was a teacher giving an aggressive critique, a family member telling you not to quit your day job, or a performance in which you froze on stage and ran off crying. At the time you may not have realized the impact of this key event, but in hindsight you can see that it has undermined your confidence and affected your ability to perform ever since. The mind is powerful and can distort memories, making them seem bigger and nastier than they really were in real life. As far as exercises that can help you deal with stage fright, this is a great one to try. Pick one of your key incidents that is particularly painful or memorable and jot a few notes about it to the facts: What venue were you performing in? What piece were you performing or practicing? Who was watching? What feedback were you given, either verbal or non-verbal? How did you react? Did you shout, cry, freeze up, or laugh it off? If you responded verbally, what did you say? What did you do after the event? Re-Contextualizing the Event Now let’s bring some imagination to it: sometimes taking the gravity out of a memory and bringing it into a lighter, if not humorous, context can be extremely healing. By re-contextualizing this event, you are not dismissing it or minimizing its impact, but re-framing it in a more positive, lighthearted perspective. By giving your brain a new way to interpret it, you will begin to move past it and no longer allow it to block your present performance opportunities. Jot a few notes in response to the following: If you could go back and re-live this event, what would you do differently? Is there anything positive that has come out of the negative memory? We’ve spent the preceding sections of this guide  processing your past. Now it’s time to move into the present and start thinking about what you can do now, and in the near future, to overcome stage fright. There is no magic formula, unfortunately; you must expose yourself â€" you must perform, perform, perform, and this is known as exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is a fancy name for the common-sense approach known as “facing your fears,” a technique commonly used by psychiatric doctors to treat phobias of all kinds. However, there is an art to exposing yourself to your fears, and it should be done in careful, small, planned doses that gradually lead up to a major milestone. Create an Exposure Ladder Exposure ladders are a technique used widely by the medical psychiatric community to treat generalized anxiety, panic disorders, and phobias of all types. An exposure ladder is a list of activities that lead you gradually to a big goal (such as performing on your citys biggest stage, for example), with activities ranked from least to most anxiety-provoking. An individual will work up the steps of the ladder, moving on to the next step only after mastering exposure to the current step with little or no anxiety. You’ll need to create your own customized exposure ladder, starting with #1, which is your first, tiny little step toward performing something that you could handle right now, today, with little or no anxiety symptoms. Then you’ll move on to #2, and so on, gradually making steps more anxiety provoking as you go, until you’ve reached a final step which is your final performing goal. You can make your final step as big or small as you want, just be honest with your true performing goals. One precaution: be careful not to create too big of a jump between steps on the exposure ladder. You can repeat a step as many times as needed, in order to master that level with little to no anxiety. Depending on how often you are working on the steps, it might take months or years until you feel you’ve mastered a step, and that’s just fine. Study the example below to help you brainstorm ideas for your own ladder. Example Exposure Ladder 1. Imagine yourself performing. 2. Perform alone. 3. Record  yourself performing a scene or song and watch it without critique. 4. Perform for  a supportive partner or friend. 5. Perform a duet or ensemble in front of family or friends at an informal gathering. 6. Perform solo in front of family or friends at an informal gathering. 7. Perform a duet or ensemble at a venue that is higher caliber, like a talent show for your class at school, a neighborhood barbeque, or karaoke at a bar. 8. Perform solo within the same circumstances in #7. 9. Perform with a semi-professional ensemble, such as an audition-only community chorus  or  community theatre. 10. Arrange an opportunity to perform solo for your peers or an audience, within the group you’ve identified in #9. 11. Enter a  competition. 12. Continue finding opportunities similar to #11 with gradually higher caliber venues (or even paying gigs!). Once you start working the steps on your exposure ladder, there are going to be successes, and also setbacks. It’s important to arm yourself with relaxation techniques so that when setbacks occur, you have a strategy in place to deal with them  in a healthy way. Try these: Meditation Find a quiet space, sit or lay in a position that is comfortable enough to sustain for 10 minutes minimum, close your eyes, and stop thinking. It’s as simple as that; meditation is simply a state of thoughtlessness. Your mind will wander, and when it does, just bring it back to a blank space. If you can commit to meditation as a daily practice for 10-20 minutes, over time you will be able to push aside thoughts that distract you during performances, including anxious thoughts. Progressive muscle relaxation Find a quiet space and lay down with your arms naturally at your sides and legs fully extended. Close your eyes. Prepare with three slow, deep breaths. As much as possible, focus all of your attention on the task at hand; don’t let your mind wander. Tense your forehead muscle, holding it as tight as you can for about five seconds. As you do this, inhale and hold the breath while the muscle is tense, and then exhale and breathe normally as you let the muscle relax. Enjoy the relaxed position for about five seconds. Repeat the above process with the following muscle groups: your face/cheek muscles, neck muscles, shoulders (pull them up and tight), back muscles (pull your shoulder blades back and in), abs/stomach muscles, arms and hands (make a fist while you do this and tense it all the way down to the fingers), glutes, thighs, calves, and then finally feet. Acceptance is a final and critical step in learning how to overcome stage fright, as resistance will only make a problem grow stronger. It’s important that you stop criticizing or judging yourself for having fears or challenges on stage, as it is one of the most common types of anxiety, and you are definitely not alone! Acceptance is not declaring that stage fright  is “just a problem you have” and that you’ll have to deal with it for the rest of your life. Acceptance is realizing you have some uncomfortable symptoms that are occurring and allowing the process of change to unfold, even if the process is difficult. Acceptance is allowing setbacks to happen, refraining from self-criticism when they do, and celebrating the small successes along the way. Conclusion Public speaking and performances of all types continue to be the number one fear of most adults. By reading this article, you have embarked on a journey that very few are brave enough to take â€" congratulations are due just for starting! Your reading has given you initial tools for understanding what stage fright  is, how you experience it personally, how your past is affecting your present, and  beginning to learn how to deal with stage fright. Performing is one of life’s great joys and you too can enjoy sharing your unique gifts and stories in front of an audience, free of fear, paralysis, or uncomfortable feelings. Don’t give up, and remember that psychological change is a gradual process. Good luck, and happy performing! Readers, what other ways have you learned how to overcome stage fright? Let us know in the comments! Post Author: Erin R. Erin teaches acting, singing, speaking voice, and more in San Diego, CA. She holds a B.A. from University of Minnesota in Vocal Performance, a M.A. in Education from National University, and has been teaching since 2007. Learn more about Erin here! Image credit: Kian McKellar