(Science) Getting Your Children Fired Up About Reading

October 2nd, 2008 admin Posted in education |

By Aydan Corkern

Do you have a person in your family that loves to read books? Most families do. There is at least one or maybe more than one that loves to curl up in their beds and stick their head into a book. These people would be referred to as bookworms. Some people call a person that keeps and maintains a high grade point average in college a bookworm. But that isn’t always the case. This person might be able to keep this grade point because they study very hard or it comes naturally to that person.

A bookworm is someone that just reads a book to read, and they will do this to keep from dating or maybe to keep from getting hurt. They think that if they stay in their rooms that they will never get into trouble. Well this may be true, but they will never have a normal life. If you know someone like this you need to try to get them out of their rooms.

It is okay to want to read but remember that you need to have a social life, too. If you would like to start someone to learn to love to read, then start them when they are young. Take them to the library, and let them pick out a book that you think that they would like to read. Make sure that the book that they pick out is for their age group. Sometimes that would be why people stop reading. It is because they might pick out a book that is too old for them, and they can’t read it or might not even understand it.

If you would like to get someone interested in a book or you wrote a book and you would like someone to come to your signing, you could throw a book signing party. You could invite some people to this party and let them sit in a cozy atmosphere. To make this party a big success you might want to invite some more authors where they can have their books signed also.

If you make this party as fun and as interesting as possible you might get some people to really like these books and their authors. These authors might pick up some people that have never been to a party like this before, and they might find out that they love to read.

Most people that love to read will usually stick with the same kinds of books, so try to cover types of territories in the land of books.

Aydan Corkern is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like

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5 Core ‘Getting Started’ Tips For Playing Piano By Ear
By Jermaine Griggs

When it comes to playing piano, or any instrument for that matter, there are proven guidelines you can follow to minimize mistakes and speed up the process.

While this article mainly focuses on playing an instrument without sheet music (”by ear”), there are rules here that will be beneficial to all types of players.

Tip #1: Understand how music works

One of the biggest myths is that you don’t have to understand music to play by ear. You just play. That is the furthest from the truth.

While there are a lot of “gifted” and talented musicians out there that have no idea what they are playing (…they just play by “listening”), this is not the way you want to be. At least if you can help it.

Believe it or not, understanding how scales are formed and how they create chords and progressions is one of the most important things you can learn.

(By the way, major scales are a series of seven unique notes played one after the other. They are the basis of what we call “major keys” and everything is based on them. Chords, on the other hand, are three or more notes played at the same time. These are the combined sounds you hear in songs. And chord progressions are no more than chords going from one to the other — a series of chords played one after the other).

Scales basically create chords. Chords create progressions. And progressions ultimately create the songs you hear! Understanding “how” and “why” is the difference between an average musician and a professional musician.

Tip #2: Master the patterns rather than memorizing stuff

I always get asked, “How do you memorize thousands of songs?”

The answer is I don’t. I understand patterns.

A couple dozen songs may follow the same exact patterns — so to a regular person, they think I know 36 songs but all I’m doing is playing the same pattern. Yes, the song may be in a different key (there are 12 keys but once you understand scales and patterns, you can instantly play ONE song in all TWELVE keys very easily). The song may have a different melody, but at the end of the day, it will almost always share the same chords and patterns as many other songs.

Tip #3: Learn to listen

Playing by ear is not reserved for geniuses. It’s all about listening.

Do you hear tones going up? or down? Does a chord sound happy (perhaps it’s a major chord) or sad and serious (minor chord). Maybe it’s a scary sound… spooky (diminished chord). How about a blues feel… very soulful-like (dominant chord).

See? All these chords have feelings attached to them. Those that play seamlessly what they hear and feel have simply learned how to unlock their ears.

Tip #4: Become a pro at recognizing intervals

“Intervals,” in music, are distances between notes. As simple as that.

There are very small intervals out there like unison, seconds, and thirds and there are larger ones like fifths, sixths, and sevenths. These intervals actually help to name the chords that we play. When you say the name, “major chord,” you’re actually referring to a particular interval in that chord that gives the chord its main sound quality. The same applies to minor and other chords.

There are different kinds of intervals: melodic and harmonic.

Melodic intervals are distances between single notes, played one after the other. Like “melodies.”

Harmonic intervals are distances between notes played at the same time (i.e. - “chords”).

Songs contain both melody and harmony so becoming a pro at recognizing both types of intervals allow you to hear the stuff songs are made of! And if you can do that, then it’s just a matter of putting this interval with that interval and you get chords and progressions.

Tip #5: Practice and get some real-world experience

You can study, study, study all you want but it won’t do you any good if you don’t put what you learn into action. Of course, this sounds a little cliche but it’s the truth.

Practice doesn’t make perfect.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Make sure to practice the right stuff. I’ve learned in music (and practically in life) that:

1) You can do things right

2) You can do the right things

There’s a difference. You can do things right… the WRONG things, right. Focus on the right things and do THEM right and you’ll get better, fast. My blog gives you a lot of things to practice (scales, modes, chords, progressions, harmonization techniques, etc.).

In the area of speed and finger independence, Hanon are great exercises. Focus on the right things and do them as best as you can, and you can’t go wrong.

Well, there you have it! My five personal tips to getting started the right way. Follow them and you will succeed!

Jermaine Griggs is the founder of HearandPlay.com and the author of the best-selling, “Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear” home study course.

If you want to learn music in an easy-to-understand, ‘no fancy words allowed’ way, you’ll love these piano lessons.

Getting Out Of Debt Through Debt Management
By Alexander West

It is possible that you are in need of a debt management company. There are several wonderful companies that cater to the needs of individuals that are drowning in debt. Not only can these companies help you get out of debt, they will teach you effective methods to keep you out of debt.

Every year more and more individuals are seeking the assistance of a debt management company to help them out of their debt circumstances. When looking for the right company to help you get back on your feet, you should first look into the organizations that are not going to charge you for the service. However, it is common to have to pay a small fee. Although, you should not be burdened financially by seeking help.

The next step you have to take in order to achieve financial freedom is getting all of those debts that are unsecured together. Such as credit cards and utility bills. The debt management company will work with these creditors to reduce your monthly payments. The debt management company is not able to work with any tax liabilities, such as the IRS, nor will they be able to help you with child support.

These bills will need to be given to the debt management company. You can hand deliver them or you can mail them to the company. From here they will contact the creditors and inform them of a financial hardship. Then they will negotiate the terms for repayment. It is common for a debt management to be able to eliminate your interest charges on these debts.

Typically, when the management company has completed all negotiations with your creditors you will be notified of the new amount of money you will be paying on a monthly basis. They will then give you a total amount of money to send in to them. They will then make your monthly payments for you.

It is unfortunate that in all the years we spend at school no-one teaches us financial education. One reason for this may be that the people who decide what is and is not included in the school syllabus are not themselves financially educated either. However, if you have read this article then you have an interest in the subject of debt. If you know someone who is in debt or you are someone who is in debt then please contact an organization that can counsel you for debt and if you live in the UK, the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help

Alexander West holds the Financial Planning Certificate. One of his passions is learning and teaching people about finances. You can read the rest of this article, and join others getting on top of their finances at Click Here

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