5 WAYS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF MUSIC LESSONS
These guidelines will help you have a successful, rewarding experience learning your instrument. These are just some practical tips that we have discovered over the years.
1. HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG?
- STARTING AT THE RIGHT AGE
For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons.
At our school 3 years old is the youngest age that we start children in private piano lessons.
Guitar - Acoustic, Electric and Bass
8 years old is the earliest we recommend for guitar lessons. Guitar playing requires a fair amount of pressure on the fingertips from pressing on the strings. Children under 8 generally have small hands and may find playing uncomfortable.
7 years old is recommended as the youngest age for private vocal lessons. Due to the physical nature of voice lessons (proper breathing techniques, development of the vocal chords and lung capacity), the younger body is generally not yet ready for the rigors of vocal technique.
Depending on the student, 3 years old is fine to start drum lessons. Learning to read rhythms at an early age can help in learning to read music for other instruments.
2. INSIST ON PRIVATE LESSONS WHEN LEARNING A SPECIFIC INSTRUMENT
When learning to play an instrument, private lessons are the best way to go. In group lessons, the instructor’s time is divided by the number of students in the class. In private lessons, each student can learn at his or her own pace. In group lessons, if one student misses a class, it slows the whole class down. In private lessons the teacher can help the student develop his strengths and correct bad habits. The teacher can answer questions that the student has and make sure that the student really understands what he or she is learning.
3. TAKE LESSONS IN A PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ENVIRONMENT
Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher, but also having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional school environment a student cannot be distracted by TV, pets, ringing phones, siblings or anything else. With only 1/2 to one hour of lesson time per week, a professional school environment can produce better results since the only focus at that time is learning music. In a school, the lessons are not just a hobby or sideline for the teacher but a responsibility which is taken very seriously.
4. MAKE PRACTICING EASIER
As with anything, improving in music takes practice. One of the main problems with music lessons is the drudgery of practicing and the fight between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:
Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works particularly well for children. Generally the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less reminding is required by parents to get the child to practice.
We use this method quite often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child 20 or 30 minutes seems like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For example, practice this piece 4 times every day, and this scale 5 times a day. The child then does not pay attention to the amount of time they are practicing their instrument, but knows if they are on repetition number 3 they are almost finished.
This works very well for children. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. Sometimes you can reward young children with stars and stickers. Verbal praise goes a long way. If you miss a day of practice don’t give up.
5. HAVE FUN!!
Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. So, try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace and the key is to be able to enjoy the journey.


Here are 6 ways that you can simplify STEM for students in Preschool, Pre K, Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade | Teach Outside the Box for STEM Activities for Kids
Fantastic STEM activity for Preschool, PreK, Kindergarten and early elementary. Cups and Sticks...all you need are jumbo craft sticks and plastic or paper cups.
Get Ready to Celebrate INTERNATIONAL DOT DAY | Carle Museum
Building challenge for kids: Create a LEGO Duplo marble run with pool noodles. Makes a great engineering project for STEM learning! by frugalfunforkids #DIY #Marble_Run #STEM
International Dot Day, September 15-Kim & Karen: 2 Soul Sisters (Art Education Blog): Dots like Vashti Did
I love Art blog shares great examples of all their student work and includes information on what they learnt from participating in International Dot day.
Art Week 1 - Mrs Jahnig's
Thanks to the alignment of our calendar and curriculum map this year, we're celebrating DOT DAY at the end of our "Colors All Around" unit...
FREE. Subitizing Game. Subitising is an essential skill for developing number sense, we do so much of it in my class so I am always on the look out for new ways to practice these skills! Such an important skills for our students with learning disabilities, especially autism. Get the link to download this free game and get all the directions at: http://earlyyearsfun.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/subitising-game.html?m=1
I would love to do this with the book The Dot as a collaborative art project!


In our classroom, we use our cell phones and other devices primarily in a literacy development fashion. I am a high school English teacher, and I find that many of my students feel more comfortable writing on their devices rather than using paper and a pen. From their devices, they can post their writing to our class blog for peer review and feedback.In terms of critical thinking, my students research extensively on the web and it is very convenient for them to pull out their phones to access our wireless network rather than going to a computer lab in the school. They can share the links to various sites via text messaging or Facebook in a timely and efficient manner. Many of my students communicate regularly in these mediums so it allows for the ubiquitous transmission of ideas into and out of the classroom.For the artists in my classroom, cell phones promote the expression of their thinking and learning. The students use the cameras on their phones to take photos for projects as well as to document the learning process for reflective writing pieces. Many students also use the cameras to take photos of our in-class work anchor charts and exemplars posted on the bulletin boards.Cell phones and other devices also help my students to stay organized. The students in my class use the calendar apps in their phones and can also access my Google Calendar to keep track of important dates. From their devices, they can also visit my website which houses our tasks for the day and digital copies of class assignments.


10, 9, 8, 7... Engines running - go!
Get suited up, take a photo and take your best friend with you to spend a day in space.
Get to know all about traveling to the moon and record your own instructions for space mission and program your science adventure to the space station.
Learn facts about space traveling, our solar system, the universe – and far beyond!
A beautiful illustrated and animated app that allows the children to dive into space and the world of space science in a playful way. In more than 20 sections they can play, explore and become a pro on space science.
This app relies on the the initial STEM foundation and provides standards-based structured inquiry-based and real world problem-based learning, connecting parts from all four of the STEM subjects. There is also an emphasis placed on bridging in-school and out-of-school STEM learning opportunities.
Code your spacemission:
Instructions in programs are executed following a precise order. When setting up your mission to the spacestation the instructions are put together by placing illustrations along a path that represents a command line. This way children learn computational thinking skills through play.
No reading required, the app features spoken stories and engaging voice over by children!
The children get to know many interesting facts such as:
– How old is the universe
– How does a rocket get to the moon (and back again)
– What do astronauts eat and how do they sleep
– Facts about the Solar System and each of its planet
- Original artwork
- More than 100 illustrations
- No reading required
- Voice over read by children
- Additional texts available for "little smarty-pants"
- Intuitive, safe, and kid-friendly interface
- Fun for all ages, from toddlers to adults
- No rules or levels, curiosity is rewarded
- Contains no in-app purchases or advertisements from third party companies
This is my Spacecraft – Rocket Science for Kids follows a playful and educational method that entertains children while learning.
We love to hear from you! Reach out: [email protected]
65% off for a limited time as part of the App Store’s Children’s Day promotion!
If you like this app, please leave us a review. It would mean a lot to us, thank you!
If you have other feedback, please reach out to [email protected] – at anytime.
Want more infos on updates or promotions? Just like us: http://fb.com/urbnpockets


Current research has begun to define the importance of music study as it relates to the development of a child’s mind. It continues to produce significant data demonstrating that students of music excel in everything they do.
At Dublin High School, we think music is a basic to life. It is an artistic language that helps the human connect imagination to expression; it cultivates the whole child. Instead of instructing the student ”what to think,” it teaches the student ”how to think.” It underscores the value of interpretation and personal judgment rather than the traditional right-or-wrong answer concept of learning.
Perhaps Dr. Gordon Shaw and Dr. Francis Rauscher (while at the University of California – Irvine) have done the most provocative neurological research about the value of music study:
”A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reports that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children’s abstract reasoning skills necessary for learning math and science. After six months of lessons, those children who received the music training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the others. These findings indicate that music uniquely enhances higher brain functions required for mathematics, science, and engineering.”
This is only one of many ongoing experiments that continue to support the theory that music enhances the human intellect. It is apparent we have merely scratched the surface concerning the positive implications of music study.
We also know that music is an integral part of a complete education. Music augments awareness and sensitivity in our children. We must never take for granted the excellent music program we enjoy at Dublin High School. Thanks to you, we look forward to many more years of quality music education.
With appreciation and Agape,
Congratulations to Mr. Ward / Ms. Schulz and the winter guard for being 2017 Champions for the Scholastic “A” California Color Guard Circuit. Congratulations to Mr. Van Loben Sels, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Peruzzi and the winter percussion ensemble for winning first place at the Northern California Band Association. Thank you to all of the parents / families / friends who supported both ensembles. Great year!!
April 17, 2017 7:30pm Boosters meeting
April 20, 21, 22, 28, 29 – 7pm; April 23; 30 – 2pm GUYS & DOLLS MUSICAL
Paul D. Everts
Dublin High School Instrumental Music Director


Provided by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, this resource for teachers examines Islamic art, including calligraphy, arabesques, and geometric designs. A recounting of the spread of the faith and the tumultuous political history of the Middle East runs parallel to the artistic developments of the periods and images of period works.
- Perfect for humanities and/or art history classes, but also appropriate for social studies, math, and science
- To borrow the slides or a CD of the materials, you must create a free account with the National Gallery of Art Education Resources; to access, follow the link provided in the Included Materials section of this review
- The 64-page packet includes an introduction, images, slide descriptions, teaching suggestions, maps, and a list of related resources
- A Table of Contents makes it easy to locate specific resources within the packet
- The matrix on the final page of the packet indicates the content areas address by each slide
- Of particular value is the background information about Muhammad and the beginnings of Islam, and the basic tenets of the faith, the Five Pillars of Islam
- No specific plans are included


The incredible benefits of early music education on intelligence and success in life have been long known and shown by such universal geniuses as Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Recent studies have concurred that early music training can produce greater physical development in the brain,(1) and up to 27% higher math,(2) 57 points higher SAT(3) and 46% higher IQ scores.(4) Approximately 22% more applying music majors are admitted to medical schools than any other major(5) and “the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians.”(6)
Singing lessons not only have the potential to begin a wonderful life-long talent in your child that will bring great satisfaction, they will more importantly bring him or her greater confidence, intelligence, learning and studying skills, and performance and presentation ability. Perhaps the foremost expert on child music training, Shinichi Suzuki said: “The purpose of [music] education is to train children, not to be professional musicians but to be fine musicians and to show high ability in any other field they enter.[…]There is no telling to what heights children can attain if we educate them properly right after birth.”(7)
- G. Schlaug, L. Jancke, Y. Huang and H. Steinmetz, “In vivo morphometry of interhem ispheric assymetry and connectivity in musicians,” Proceedings of the 3rd international conference for music perception and cognition (Liege, Belgium, 1994) pp. 417-418.
- Amy Graziano, Matthew Peterson and Gordon Shaw, “Enhanced learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal training,” Neurological Research 21 (March 1999)
- College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. The College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ, 2001.
- Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Ky and Wright, “Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship,” University of California, Irvine, 1994.
- Lewis Thomas, “The Case for Music in the Schools,” Phi Delta Kappan (February 1994)
- “The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of the Public Schools,” The Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989.
- Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, Second Ed., Athens OH: Senzay Publications, 1983, pp. 79, 15.
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This week, I chose to study the flipped classroom. I am focusing on k-5, but this article talks about the flipped classroom in general… I’ll make connections to k-5 as we go along.
Title: To flip or not to flip?
Source: Learning & Leading with Technology. 39.8 (June-July 2012): p6.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 International Society for Technology in Educationhttp://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/L_L.htm
I chose to look at the flipped classroom because as an elementary teacher, it’s not talked about much. This seems like a method of teaching that high school level and above would use, but these authors say that it is used at all ages. A flipped classroom is one where the students get an introductory lesson of some sort at home (or some place other than their classroom), and then get practice time at school. I have had some college classes like this. You have to have had done your previous work, or at least attempt, to have an idea of what class is going to be about. I think this is hard to do in certain types of schools (I will talk about later) but other schools I think it would work great. You really have to know your status of students and know about their lives before you can even attempt to completely flip a classroom. The huge benefit is that the kids get the time that they really need with their teacher! We all know that we have gotten home before and then had questions about how to do your homework. In a flipped classroom, your homework time is when you are with your teacher. I think it’s an interesting idea, but I think it is asking quite a bit of students. It’s hard enough to get them there on time, but have them do it on their own at first (watch a video or read something) that it may be a struggle. Maybe I would be wrong, I’m just not completely sold on it yet.
The article does talk about some downfalls of a flipped classroom, all of which I agree with. The authors talk about how you have to have internet access to students at home for this to work. In a flipped classroom, you use the internet to do the primary part of the lesson, then practice time is in the classroom. This would be great for driven, self-motivated students. These students not only have to have internet access, but they also have to have a device to use the internet on. If there was a way to get all students equipt with all the things they needed, I think this would be a great idea.
When I think about the flipped classroom in an elementary school, I think of a classroom where the teacher doesn’t talk all the time! There would be time for kids to work through things and figure them out for themselves. The teachers would be there to facilitate and lead kids in the right direction, but there needs to be some time for kids to just work it out. I think this is especially true for upper elementary students. I think elementary education is headed in this direction, and that excites me!
When I think about a flipped classroom, I think a few NETS standards are addressed. The first of these standards being NETS-T 5c: Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources to support student learning. The whole focus of a flipped classroom is on the student learning. If you are not researching, and using judgement on what are the best types of tools for your students to be using during these learning times, you are not doing your job! I also think that NETS-T 1a is addressed: Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. Kids need the opportunity to do things themselves and take learning into their own hands. With the flipped classroom, this is all possible! Other standards can be connected, i just think that these two are the most applicable.
Flipped classrooms are an interesting idea that I feel like have many barriers and hurdles to jump over. I’m am anxious to find out more about them next week.


Volume 3 Supplement 1
Schooling and career aspirations of South Asian students
© Kwok et al; licensee Springer. 2014
Published: 4 December 2014
Numerous studies have been conducted in the West on the educational needs of minority students. These studies indicate that students from particular ethnic backgrounds have unsatisfactory educational experiences and various learning difficulties [1, 2]. Although the HKSAR government, through its equal opportunity legislation, has committed itself to eliminating ethnic inequality, the South Asian minorities are confronted with various difficulties. Recent studies on the needs of these South Asian students suggest that they face various difficulties in adjusting to living in Hong Kong due to a number of interrelated factors, including insufficient Chinese language skills, lack of a tailor-made Chinese curriculum for non-Chinese-speaking students, lack of knowledge about or access to available services, difficulties in finding school placements and employment opportunities, and discriminatory treatment . Although many local studies have been conducted to investigate ethnic minority students’ difficulties in learning Chinese [4, 5], little is known about their aspirations and perceived choices in schooling, training and employment.
This paper investigates South Asian students’ learning experiences and addresses issues of further studies and career preparation through understanding of their educational and vocational aspirations. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with Secondary 4 and 5 South Asian students in one designated and one non-designated school during April and May 2013.
The results reveal the diversity of needs among South Asian students during learning. The majority of the South Asian students interviewed aspired to ‘mainstream’ education and occupations, but they were acutely aware of their inability to fulfill their ambitions. Students’ emphasis on making themselves work harder in the pursuit of their aspirations testifies to the entrenched ideology of competitive individualism in local society. Because a limited number of affordable educational services target South Asian students at senior secondary level in the community, this calls for increased investment of the government on after school educational services for South Asian students across all levels of schooling. However, some interviewees were not aware of other educational choices except for mainstream secondary schools and universities.
Educators should recognize that academic education is not the best for everyone. There are alternative education programs available for those who do not cope well in the mainstream educational path, and vocational education and training (VET) is a way to improve students’ employability. Schools serving ethnic minority students are recommended to strengthen their career guidance services and make information and knowledge of VET more available to students and parents. These include technical and vocational programs targeting Secondary 3 and Secondary 6 transitions.
- Programme for International Student Assessment.: Where immigrant students succeed: A comparative review of performance and engagement in PISA 2003 [Internet]. c -2003 [cited 2014 May 8]. Available from: http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/programmeforinternationalstudentassessmentpisa/whereimmigrantstudentssucceed-acomparativereviewofperformanceandengagementinpisa2003.htm#PPP
- Thomson M, Crul M: The second generation in Europe and the United States: How is the transatlantic debate relevant for further research on the European second generation? J Ethn Migr Stud 2007, 33(7):1023-1041.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Tsung TH, Shum MSK, Ki WW: Language situation of South Asian students in Hong Kong (in Chinese). In Language Situation in China: 2007. Beijing: Commercial Press; 2008.Google Scholar
- Chuk J, Li DCS: Chinese literacy development: Key to ethnic minority groups’ integration and social mobility in multilingual Hong Kong. In Proceedings of Education, Ethnicity, and Inequality Symposium: Issues and Insights; 2013 Jul 12-13. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist University; 2013.Google Scholar
- Shum MSK, Zhang YH, Zhang QY, Ki WW, Ng SL: Studies of teaching Chinese as a second language to ethnic minority students in Hong Kong: Theories, challenges, and practices (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press; 2012.Google Scholar
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.


Gross and Fine motor skills have become an important parameter for assessing the development of the child. So it’s important to develop these skills in them which will in turn help them to perform better academically and physically too.
Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body involving physical movement of the child like running, jumping, hopping etc. These require balance and coordination skills.
Fine motor skills are the collective skills and activities that involve the small muscle movements using the hands, fingers with vision.
Today we are learning about 'fine motor skills', and its importance. Moreover what tasks your kids can perform if he/she has developed fine motor skills properly.
Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscle movements especially the coordination of finger movement with vision to perform precise and refinded movements. These skills are acquired as children, and humans secure and perfect them throughout life.
Importance of fine motor skill development:
Properly Developed Fine Motor Skills Are Important To Every Day Living. Parents can help their kids to practice, enhance, and evaluate fine motor skills. Fine motor skill development is not only essential for handwriting; it is a necessity for daily living: dressing, eating and computer use.
Fine motor skills require a child to manipulate and gain control over a range of materials and tools. These are often for communication purposes both functional and expressive, eg writing a name or message, manipulating a computer mouse, creating a sculpture. Opportunities to develop these skills exist in all six key learning areas of the primary curriculum.
Fine motor skills typically develop in a reasonably consistent and predictable pattern in the early years of childhood (from birth through to mid primary school). The process begins in infancy when a 2- to 3-month-old baby first bats at a toy, then progresses to grasping, releasing, and transferring objects between their hands). They then progress to using fingers to manipulate and explore things, stack blocks, self-feed, and dress, and as time goes by, during the early childhood years, use ‘school tools’ such as scissors, markers, crayons, pencils, and glue. Weaknesses in fine motor skills can affect a child's ability to eat, write legibly, use a computer, turn pages in a book, and perform personal care tasks such as dressing and grooming.
To have fine motor control, children need:
Awareness and planning
The following tasks can only occur if the nervous system matures in the right way: Cutting out shapes with scissors Drawing lines or circles
- Folding clothes
- Holding and writing with a pencil
- Stacking blocks
- Zipping a zipper
- Grasping -eg using a crayon, pencil, brush, glue stick, beater, blocks
- Manipulating - eg playdough, clay, unifix, centicubes, paper, sewing, scissors, fingerplays
- Hand-eye co-ordination - eg writing, cutting, threading, moving a cursor, using a glue gun
- tying shoes
- zipping and unzipping
- buckling and unbuckling
- writing legibly and without significant muscle fatigue
- playing games that require precise hand and finger control
- drawing, painting, and coloring manipulating buttons and snaps putting small objects together
- doing puzzles
- making crafts
- using scissors
- manipulating small objects such as coins opening and closing objects
- picking up and holding onto small objects
- developing and maintaining an effective and proper pencil grip
- pinching objects between fingers using locks and keys being able to isolate finger movements (i.e., using one finger at a time, such as in playing the piano or typing) turning things over or turning pages of a book
- holding and using utensils properly and effectively
- screwing and unscrewing
- doing ANYTHING that requires small precise hand and finger movements
These higher-level skills include being able to write fluently and focus on writing content (such as conveying information, thoughts, and ideas) rather than on the mechanics of writing, which involves pencil grasp, letter formation, spacing, and sizing.
First published at 'Factoidz'
* How to build fine motor skills?
* The Secret To Making Fine Motor Skills Activities For Children Fun
* Fine Motor Skills and How to Improve Them


heiau: Pre-Christian place of worship, shrine; some heiau were elaborately constructed stone platforms, others simple earth terraces. Many are preserved today. Several types are listed below. On the island of Kauaʻi where I live, there are 17 heiau located in the Na Pali district, 22 in the district of Haleleʻa, 20 in the Koʻolau district, 13 in the Puna district, and 81 in Kona district. Dedication of these heiau were to the four major gods; KU, KANE, KANALOA, and LONO, who represented Akua in natual phenomena. ʻAumakua were also honored by prayer and offerings.
Hale heiau, house of worship.
heiau hoʻōla: Heiau for treating sick.
heiau hoʻouluʻai: Heiau where first fruits were offered to insure further growth. Lit., heiau for the increase of food crops.
heiau hoʻoulu ua: Heiau where offerings were made to insure rain.
heiau hoʻoulu iʻa: Heiau where fish were offered to insure good fishing.
heiau kālua ua: Heiau for stopping rain, or (less frequently) for bringing rain. One such heiau named Imu-Kālua-ua (rain-baking oven) was in the Kaunakakai quadrangle, Molokaʻi; a land section in Puna, Hawaiʻi, also has this name. Rain in leaf packages is said to have been baked in an oven.
heiau maʻo: Small temporary heiau covered with tapa stained green (maʻo). Used for the hoʻouluʻai ceremony to bring food.
heiau poʻo kanaka: Heiau where human sacrifice was offered.
heiau waikaua: Heiau used for services to bring success in war.
luakini: Temple, church, cathedral, tabernacle; large heiau where ruling chiefs prayed and human sacrifices were offered; to perform temple work.
Luakini-type heiau were the largest and most complex and were sacrificial to KU. The KANE heiau were the simplest and were accessible to commoners. LONO heiau were dedicated to agriculture, and KANALOA heiau were associated with fishing. KU and LONO required complex worship and offerings.
Puʻu honua were places of refuge and restoration of pono when kapu was broken. The puʻu honua were consistent with Hawaiian protocol and would not be adjacent to heiau where human sacrifice was conducted. For example, at the puʻu honua at Wailua, Kauaʻi were for royal birth and burial. At such a place of mana and esteem, respite and peace was sought and mau haʻa lelea or repentance was made.
I have been away from home, my computer, and this blog for the past 2 months. Been traveling around a bit. Headed first to O’ahu where I attended the 12th Annual Hawai’i International Conference on Social Sciences. That was an intellectual teaser of sorts. It opened my eyes to what educators are currently studying as research topics. I presented my research about kapa and some applications that can be made to mainstream education. Education reforms are desperately needed and a complete overhaul to public school education seems in order. I propose embracing cultural domains where diverse worldviews are explored as paradigms. I was excited to share my research and it was well received. My presentation was short and to the point. At that time, I had not written out my full findings or outcomes. I will share some of these outcomes here in due time.
Next, I ventured to Florida where I studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville. I went there to complete the tail end of my graduate program and my Masters of Arts degree in Art Education (received August 13… whoopee! I did it in two and a half years). I attended two studio art courses this summer: Printmaking with Bob Meuller, and Sketchbook with Patrick Grigsby. The most important take-away? Make studio practice a priority!! An artist has to do as a singer has to sing as a dancer has to dance… I am looking forward to getting deeper into making more art, including more kapa! ~aloha~


ChiMOP curriculum is based on group instruction. Our program is ensemble based, time intensive, focuses on social objectives, and prioritizes performance as a way to emphasize a disciplined work ethic and confidence in our students. ChiMOP is considered an El Sistema inspired program, but is also influenced by traditional western music education practices. Our directors have created a structure that takes the best practices from both traditions.
ChiMOP students spend between eight and fifteen hours before and after school playing music. The majority of that time is spent in large ensemble classes such as symphony orchestra, string orchestra, wind ensemble, choir, and bucket band where students learn to play their instruments alongside experienced teaching artists who serve as coaches, mentors, and role models. String, woodwind, brass, and percussion players all learn to play together and learn right from the start important orchestral skills such as transposing, listening, playing in all keys, and knowing their roles within the ensemble. Students learn music theory, composition, improvisation, history, teamwork, and behavior control skills in all ChiMOP classes.


Improving educational outcomes for all students, whether at risk or not performing at full potential, is an important issue for educators and policymakers. Recently, tutoring programs have been identified as having the potential to turn academic failure or underperformance, into successes.
Two studies were conducted to determine the impact of a tutoring program. Results of the studies showed that students improved and attained better grades with the support of trained adult tutors. Researchers also found that tutors could teach strategies during their tutoring sessions and that students could learn the strategies while they worked on their class assignments.
Finally, researchers found that some students continued to be successful after tutoring ended, indicating that they were able to continue using strategies learned as an automotive manner.
Michael F. Hock
University of Kansas Centre for Research on Learning, firstname.lastname@example.org
EARLY YEARS & PRIMARY K – YEAR 6
Early Childhood education is the master key to shaping your children’s future. Our readiness programs for kindergarten & prep students teach essential reading and writing strategies, oral language skills and letter knowledge and formations. We also nature early numeracy skills using an investigative approach and allow students to explore the nature of maths in real life situations.
For children who have started their school life, our BAPLAN ready programs will set them up for success. Our reading writing and comprehension programs use the same indicators as NAPLAN expectations used in schools, leaving our students fully prepared for future testing.
We offer a “More Basics” program which encompasses NAPLAN readiness across spelling, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary & comprehension. Our easy to understand numeracy modules are a breeze with personalised coaching from our experienced team.
MIDDLE & SECONDARY 7 – 12
Secondary school can prove to be difficult for many students who require more time and care to grasp concepts than they receive in the classroom. 10/10 Tutoring provides explicit sequenced learning support for students with learning challenges. We’ll ensure your knowledgebase and foundational skills are on target for entry into the next level of study.
Many students struggle with numeracy and often all it takes is some extra time, attention and explanation to start seeing incredible improvements.
We offer essay writing modules for middle, upper and secondary students wishing to increase the standard and sophistication of their writing skills to maximise outcomes and scores.
No matter what you need assistance with, 10/10 tutoring have the skills and experience to propel students to the next level.
ADULT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
The 21st century requires its citizens and workers to have increasingly higher-level literacy and numeracy skills
The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALLS) revealed that Australian language, literacy and numeracy levels have shown little improvement in the decade since the 1996 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).
It found that approximately 7 million Australian adults (46 per cent) had literacy scores below the minimum level needed to function fully in life and work and approximately 7.9 million (53 per cent) had numeracy scores below the minimum needed.
This impacts on all aspects of our life and it can readily, with commitment, be rectified. You need not feel alone or ashamed.
Our education system has let many down and unfortunately, is continuing to do so. Refuse it to be YOU. Call us and have a chat about how we can help you.


Multilingualism, Literacy and Dyslexia : Breaking Down Barriers for Educators
This fully revised new edition provides advice on the identification, assessment and support of bilingual learners and assists practitioners in identifying the difference between literacy difficulties due to bilingualism or multilingualism and dyslexia. An essential text for staff development, it includes innovative approaches in technology and teaching programmes beneficial to multilingual learners and advice on learning additional languages. With contributions from experts from across the globe, this book will provide guidance on key themes, including:
- the assessment of multilingual learners
- the impact of dyslexia on bilingualism
- the literacy challenges facing learners from Indigenous cultures
- the role of the SENCO in identifying children with English as an additional language and Dyslexia
- the emotional needs of learners with bi/multilingualism and Dyslexia
This book will provide guidance to anyone involved in literacy development and language learning. With the increase in international schools around the globe and the ever growing desire for parents to ensure that their children become proficient in English, this book will appeal to teachers, teaching assistants, specialists, and all other practitioners who work with bi/multilingual children.


Primary school pupils should learn how to blog and use internet sites like Twitter and Wikipedia and spend less time studying history, it is claimed.
A review of the primary school curriculum in England will be published in a final report next month.
But the Guardian newspaper says draft copies it has seen shows pupils will no longer have to study the Victorian period or the Second World War.
Ministers said British history would always be a core part of education.
The review of the primary school curriculum was commissioned by Schools Secretary Ed Balls last year and is being drawn up by Sir Jim Rose, former chief of England's schools watchdog, Ofsted.
The Guardian said the draft review requires primary school children to be familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter as sources of information and forms of communication.
They must gain "fluency" in handwriting and keyboard skills, and learn how to use a spell checker alongside how to spell, the article said.Comment: why not have UK students improve Wikipedia's entries on WWII and Victoria as class projects?


What's in a Grade? School Report Cards and House Prices
Throughout the last decade, many states around the country have begun making public student test scores or other evaluative measures of school quality available to the general public. The most recent trends in state policies under consideration, already enacted in Florida and a n major component of George W. Bush's education platform, involve the assignment of letter grades to rate school quality. Because school quality is one of a group of local public goods purchased along with a house, one would anticipate that additional information about school quality would capitalize into real estate values. This paper takes the first look at the role that this type of added information plays in the capitalization of school quality measures. We use rich student test score and housing value data from a medium-sized Florida school district, one of the nation's 200 largest, to directly investigate this link. Using data on repeat sales of properties before and after the assignment of school letter grades, we find significant evidence that arbitrary distinctions embedded in school report cards lead to major housing price effects.
|Date of creation:||Nov 2000|
|Publication status:||published as Figlio, David N. and Maurice E. Lucas. "What's In A Grade? School Report Cards And The Housing Market," American Economic Review, 2004, v94(3,Jun), 591-604.|
|Contact details of provider:|| Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.|
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Sandra E. Black, 1999.
"Do Better Schools Matter? Parental Valuation of Elementary Education,"
The Quarterly Journal of Economics,
Oxford University Press, vol. 114(2), pages 577-599.
- Sandra E. Black, 1997. "Do better schools matter? Parental valuation of elementary education," Research Paper 9729, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Bogart, William T. & Cromwell, Brian A., 2000. "How Much Is a Neighborhood School Worth?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 280-305, March.
- Kathy J. Hayes & Lori L. Taylor, 1996. "Neighborhood school characteristics: what signals quality to homebuyers?," Economic and Financial Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Q IV, pages 2-9.
- Bogart, William T. & Cromwell, Brian A., 1997. "How Much More is a Good School District Worth?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 50(2), pages 215-32, June.
- Bogart, William T. & Cromwell, Brian A., 1997. "How Much More Is a Good School District Worth?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 50(2), pages 215-232, June.
- Brunner, Eric & Sonstelie, Jon & Thayer, Mark, 2001. "Capitalization and the Voucher: An Analysis of Precinct Returns from California's Proposition 174," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 517-536, November.
- Brown, Byron W & Saks, Daniel H, 1975. "The Production and Distribution of Cognitive Skills within Schools," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 83(3), pages 571-593, June. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)


One questions that comes up a fair amount in lessons – especially lessons with younger students faced with new or difficult repertoire – is “can you play this so I can hear how it goes”? Most of the time, my answer is something along the lines of “yes, but everything you need to know is written on the music”, and then we can start picking apart the specific challenge(s) in the piece.
But is there a better way to learn repertoire quickly and efficiently?
Model Performance: Helpful or Not?
Interestingly, a study published in the Journal of Research for Music Education took a much more scientific approach to finding out whether listening to a model performance or recording can help improve learning and retention of a new piece of music.
Here is how the study went down, from the abstract of the study:
During evening training sessions, 32 nonpianist musicians practiced a 13-note keyboard melody with their left (nondominant) hand in twelve 30-s practice intervals separated by 30-s rest intervals. Participants were instructed to play the sequence “as quickly, accurately,
and evenly as possible.” Approximately half the participants, prior to the first practice interval, listened to 10 repetitions of the target melody played at 552 tones per minute (half note = 138). All participants were tested on the target melody the following morning, approximately 12 hr after training, in three 30-s blocks separated by 30-s rest intervals. Performance was measured in terms of the mean number of correct key presses per 30-s block.
The 13-note melody:
The Results? No (Real) Surprises
The results of the study showed that both groups – those that listened to a recording of the melody and those that simply practiced it without the recording – both improved during their evening practice session. This isn’t (or shouldn’t be) any sort of a surprise – practicing improves performance.
Perhaps more interestingly, both groups also improved overnight between the evening practice session and the next morning’s test session. This isn’t a huge surprise, either, since other studies have shown that good consistent sleep – especially when you get into the realm of deep sleep, where it’s difficult to be awoken – can help improve the small motor skills associated with playing any instrument at a high level.
Regarding the group of participants who listened to the recording vs. those who did not, the group that listened to the recording did noticeably and consistently better than the group that did not. The recording group began the study with an average of 52.18 correct key presses per 30s block (CKP/B), and by the end of the evening practice session had pushed that average up to 99.96 CKP/B – an improvement of 92%. At the same time, the non-recording group began with an average CKP/B of 48.71 and managed to increase that average to 84.16 CKP/B – an improvement of only 73%.
The disparity continued during the following morning’s test, when the recording group pushed their average up to 108.75 CKP/B (a further increase of 9%), while the non-recording group only increased their average to 87.24 CKP/B (a 4% increase).
Clearly, then, listening to a recording is always the way to go, right? Not so fast…
There Is Always a “But”
While this study does a good job at demonstrating the clear advantages of using a recording or model performance to assist in learning music under some circumstances, there are some important things to consider.
Remember, all the participants in this study were musicians that only had secondary training in piano. This means that even without the recording, they were able to look at the music and determine the notes, rhythm, and intervals of the 13-note exercise. They were not using the recording as a substitute for counting and internalizing rhythms and ear training.
Additionally, this study used a very short and simple musical excerpt and very easy-to-quantify measurement: how fast can you correctly play these 13 notes. The vast majority of music is more complex and has much more nuance (at least, one would hope so) than this. To me, this study, while useful, actually gives me more questions than answers:
- Does listening to a recording lock you into a particular interpretation or does it provide a useful starting point?
- Does it matter if the music is thoroughly marked (Romantic, Neo-classical, etc.) or if it is more dependent on the performer to add interpretation (Classical and Baroque)?
- Are multiple recordings better than one single recording – especially in highly interpretive works?
- What if the model recording is atypical of the traditions of a piece or style?
- What if there’s no recording available?
What are your thoughts – let me know in the comments!


“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.” Madeleine l’Engle, Swiftly Tilting Planet
I don’t think I can count the many times have I stood in front of a children’s choir and said, “Listen! Not to your own voice, but to the voices around you!”
When we think of children and musical education we are often first distracted by the idea of lessons, classes and practicing. We ponder the different methods of learning how to read notes and keep a beat. We think about recitals, nerves and performance etiquette. We might pause for a second to consider the concept of listening, as a topic on its own, but rarely do we give it much importance.
I have always thought that we should give just a bit more attention to this seemingly simple skill. Listening is fundamental for any sort of musicality, and it is a skill we can introduce and nurture in our children long before they begin any form of music education.
The French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908 – 1992) wrote a series of compositions that included notated birdsong. He sat outside for hours, listening to birds sing, then went away and included these sweet little motifs in his music. I have always loved this story; this is listening in its finest form! Children can learn to listen in this way with a bit of direction and it will contribute to a lifetime of sensitive creativity.
The first step to learning how to be a good listener is learning how to be silent. This is not always easy especially for children, but it is a valuable tool. Start by speaking softly and encouraging children to speak softly.
There are always good times for hollering and whooping about but these moments can be balanced by softly spoken instructions and reminders to speak gently. Look for moments throughout the day where you can take a silent pause. Before a meal, before story time, before you drive off in the car or right before you exit the car to go inside! There are lots of opportunities to pause quietly.
A Listening Game
Our lives are hectic and highly stimulated. We are bombarded with noise. Even when we think things are quiet we are still living with the hum of our appliances, the subliminal buzz of our electric lights, and the rush of distant traffic noise. Beeps, screeches, whistles, and variations of hums accompany us throughout our days and while we sleep.
Cleverly, we have learned to tune most of it out but we can start to ‘practice listening’ by tuning back in. Sit quietly in your home with your child and play a listening game.
“Do not make a sound. What do you hear?”
“No, listen again, there is always something!”
As you begin to hear these noises describe them. Try to find each source and notice how the sounds change as you move about the house.
When we take this game outside our imaginations really come alive. Nature gives us such a broader symphony of sounds than we find in our electrically charged homes.
Stepping through leaves.
Wind through grass.
The songs of the birds.
The creaking of a branch.
Wild sounds inspire imagination and creativity in all of us. Time spent outside is one of the loveliest ways to practice listening.
Music is not just notes played on an instrument. Music is all around us and we connect with it and are inspired by it when we take time to listen.
|Starr Meneely is the author of the children’s picture book “What a Lovely Sound!” (Illustrated by Susan Merrick; Published by Starflower Press). She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Alaska, where she studied under Dr. Timothy Smith. She owned the Littlerose School of Music in Anchorage and taught at the Alaska Fine Arts Academy. Starr writes children’s books in a little village in Surrey, UK, where she lives with her husband and four children. She loves to hear from readers both big and small. Follow Starr on Facebook and Twitter.|


The objective of the African American Gallery of Nassau Region is to inform as well as promote understanding and appreciation of African American society, art and also practice through education, analysis, exhibits, collections, and workshops for the enrichment of the general public; featuring a focus on Long Island.The gallery's vision is to end up being the exceptional regional source for African American historic info.
In February 1968, Professor Leroy Leonardo Ramsey set up a Black History exhibit at Nassau Neighborhood University, in celebration of Black Record Month. At February's end, the display was left in place (as a result of prominent need) and also Professor Ramsey used his personal collection of artefacts to transform the exhibit once in a while. Before long, the exhibit outgrew its space and also he developed the Black History Display Facility in an establishment front at 106-A Main Street, in Hempstead. In 1984, Nassau County purchased the structure at 110 North Franklin Road as well as Professor Ramsey's Black Past history Display Center became the African American Museum of Nassau Region as well as relocated into 110 North Franklin in 1985.
AAM is among just two African American galleries in the northeast. (The other African American Museum lies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.) Renovation of the gallery's inside was launched by former Director/Curator, David Byer-Tyre. A work in progression, the home improvement remains to create an aesthetic ambiance for a social, academic gallery encounter.
The African Atlantic Genealogical Society, Inc. (TAAGS) came to be affiliated with the museum in 1998; making the African American Gallery distinct as the first museum to house a genealogical culture that gives workshops as well as appointments for the area. In 2005, the museum was allowed American Tradition Publication's "Heritage Honor for Conservation of African American Record as well as Culture". AAM is one of 10 museums to be so recognized.
Under management of TAAGS, considering that February 26, 2012, the museum provides programming that includes art exhibitions as well as fine art education, genealogical as well as historical research study, themed displays that concentrate on historical figures and also events, reading and also discussion workshops sponsored by the New york city State Council on the Humanities, theatrical and also musical workshops sponsored by the New York State Council on the Fine arts, as well as screening process and discussion programs. Our Saturday course routine consists of, Hands-On-Art (for youngsters as well as grownups), English as a 2nd language (ESL), and also prep lessons for the U.S. citizenship examination. AAM is a taking part institution of 2 prestigious annual art celebrations, ArtHamptons as well as ArtMarketHamptons. As an associate of the Household Study Collection we have accessibility to the millions of genealogical documents held by the Church of Latter-day Saints, in Utah.
110 North Franklin Street, Hempstead NY 11550-3029 • Telephone: 516-572-0730
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Learning at Hebrew Day School is challenge-based, supportive, developmental and dynamic. Our curriculum is ever evolving; each student and each teacher breathes new life into it, as we believe that every individual contributes to the collective whole. Grounded in standards and grade-level expectations yet flexible enough to meet and teach all students where they are, our curriculum is continually evaluated, updated and refreshed. High expectations coupled with a supportive environment assist students in moving beyond their comfort zones and rise to the challenges before them. Our multiage classes naturally offer opportunities for students to collaborate, communicate, teach and learn from one another. Our emphasis is on process: the process of thinking, the process of developing skills, the process of understanding. This is the process of learning.
The social and emotional development of our students is nurtured through a strong commitment to educating the whole child and is supported by an intentional culture of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. Collaboration is explicitly taught yet naturally integrated, as students work together within and across grades. It requires flexibility and a willingness to assume shared responsibility. Communication is understood to be about articulating ones thoughts clearly in oral, written and nonverbal formats. Communication is also about listening effectively. At HDS, these communication skills are taught in both languages. Critical thinking is essential for students to analyze and evaluate problems from multiple perspectives. It is also about making connections between ideas. Our students think critically in both languages. Creativity leads to innovation and expression. Our students develop their creativity by taking risks, celebrating productive mistakes and sharing who they are with the rest of the world.
Hebrew Day School gives its students the inspiration, tools and competencies needed to be confident and engaged participants in Jewish life. Through a pluralistic lens, our students develop an understanding of Jewish texts and practices, a facility with the Hebrew language, and a connection to the State of Israel as we guide them to find their own place and voice within our tradition. Our dual curriculum ensures that the Hebrew language is taught as both the modern and biblical language of our people. An unmistakable sense of community and a collective sense of investment in the responsibility of raising the next generation of Jewish citizens is what you will find when you call HDS home.
Children learn math through rich, hands-on, real-world experiences designed to develop their skills as intuitive mathematicians. Great emphasis is placed on conceptual understanding alongside consistent practice to promote accuracy and automaticity. Together these promote a depth of understanding for the mathematical concepts explored. The Common Core State Standards and Michigan’s Grade Level Expectations guide and inspire a developmentally appropriate, focused and rigorous math curriculum. Students engage as active problem solvers by expressing multiple ways one can understand and attack problems. Their reasoning is explored and developed as their competence and confidence as mathematicians grow.
HDS students learn in a comprehensive, developmental, and language-rich environment. The foundational skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening are established in the Gan (kindergarten) and built upon throughout the years. The Common Core State Standards and Michigan’s Grade Level Expectations serve to guide and inspire a wide range of literacy experiences designed to equip our students with the skills to communicate. Our goals are to instill in students a lifelong love of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and an appreciation of the power and possibility of words.
Science is curiosity and exploration. Through discovery, students contemplate and investigate their ideas, curiosities and questions as they build a body of knowledge and experiences to draw upon and apply. Science is also about developing the skills to make predictions, collect and interpret data, pose hypotheses and document results. Using the scientific method and a cycle of inquiry, students at HDS build a strong knowledge base in earth, physical and life sciences.
Thoughtful, empowered and responsible citizenship begins in the elementary classroom. Seeing connections to the past and future help students understand their place in the world, their community and their families. At HDS, the social studies curriculum is carefully integrated with the language arts and Judaic studies curriculum to help students make these connections explicit. The curriculum comes alive through fiction and non-fiction texts, current events and primary source documents.


While developing my GAME Plan there were two standards in particular which the International Society developed for Technology in Education (ISTE). The first one is that teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. The second standard being to advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). In the following weeks and months, I hope to be able to make improvements to my game plan by working hard, and collaborating with my colleagues at the middle school level and with my colleagues at Walden University.
The past couple of weeks I have been looking at various websites and other teacher blogs and classroom blogs to get ideas from on where to go with my class blog. I found an interesting website that has tons of information in particular for art teachers called Art Education 2.0. There is a massive amount of information pertaining to technology and art education and I need to spend some time to process it all. When it comes to the second part of my GAME Plan about advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, I am going to have to talk with the technology coordinator about what they already have implemented. At this point, I can get ideas from the students at Walden University and my Instructor, the text and videos and research ways to do these things in the classroom.
Thus far, in the process I have learned that technology does not have to be the focus, but is useful as an aid in the teaching process to guide the teacher in teaching content and students in learning. When it comes to technology, it can be used for student creativity, tools for student learning and assessment. In the course text Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach it suggests “that as a teacher it is important to know whether how you teach, with or without digital technology, is effective in helping students learn the intended content” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). For now, I feel that I am on task with my GAME Plan, but am always open for suggestions.
I feel that, I am jammed with lesson ideas for my students because I know that not all students will go to the high school and take a visual art class. When I have them at the middle school, I do as many hands on projects that I can fit into 30 school days of art. If I had any questions that I had in mind it would be about the process of the GAME Plan is how do I fit this all in to my curriculum? Any input with the above would be of a great benefit.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.


Despite savage public sector cuts, the British government has ring-fenced money for musical education. While music may not appear to have as significant a hold on the Australian cultural imagination as sport or literature, there are many good reasons why our government should follow suit.
The Henley Report is credited with helping to persuade English ministers to dedicate funds to music education from primary school through to high school and beyond.
Following Henley’s recommendations, students’ access to, and experience of, music in and out of the classroom will be taken into consideration in developing a new national strategy for music education.
The report also makes specific suggestions concerning the desirability of a system of professional qualifications for private music teachers, as well as a programme of inducements to encourage our best music practitioners into the classroom.
The underlying assumption of the Henley report, and in my view its most important, is that music education should ultimately be about questions of value. Music education should be encouraging all of us to ask what, exactly, is worth listening to, or playing, and why.
This is because it considers Music should be ultimately, and I believe properly, conceived as a humanities discipline in the broadest sense.
This is no mere taxonomical finding, it has policy implications for education departments and our universities in particular.
Music has, without doubt, become one of the most highly regarded and sought-after disciplines in our primary and secondary schools.
Buttressed by evidence drawn from numerous empirical studies, it is now generally accepted that active participation in music improves a student’s discipline and social skills.
It also has beneficial flow-on effects in areas such as numeracy, literacy, language attainment and mental health.
It is not for nothing that musicians feature heavily on brochures promoting the country’s elite private school.
Nor is it coincidental that so many of them have made multi-million dollar investments in music facilities in recent years.
Music is a key factor in the proposition of added value that these schools represent for parents of prospective students.
But the current federal government is reluctant to include music as a stand-alone subject mandated in the national curriculum.
This suggests that in Australia, at least, access to quality music education and quality music educators will remain substantially determined by a pupil’s social and economic circumstances.
This should be of general concern for us all.
For the value of music education to Australian society extends beyond just student skill sets and school buildings.
Even if we accept that music does not currently inhabit our public discourse with the potency that characterises many indigenous or immigrant societies, it has arguably been never more significant a social phenomenon.
It now inhabits most of our waking hours, from the moment our radio alarm clock goes off, through what we absorb during the course of a day, whether that be from our iPod, or the musak pumped into the supermarket or nightclub. It could also be the soundtrack to the film or television programme we might be watching, or what we play through our car stereo.
A mind that can appreciate music, but is yet unable to create it, reflect on it, analyse it, or judge it, is a mind that remains at the mercy of this sonic reality of modern Australian life.
Indeed, music education provides one important way through which a society can think and reflect on what makes life worthwhile.
There is a strong case, then, for the federal government to make specialist music education a educational priority for all Australians.
Our universities should ensure that our tertiary education system continues to provide courses of the requisite breadth and depth.
These courses should concern themselves not just with the heritage of Western music, but also its contemporary realities.
Universities need also to lobby for public and philanthropic funds to ensure they provide adequate infrastructure to support them; music facilities on campus often compare very poorly with those offered at local secondary schools.
They will then be best placed to provide the nation with not just a new generation of performers and academics, but also music teachers of sufficient quantity and competency.
In short, policy makers need to look to the Henley Report.
The ultimate value of music education, like any system of education, lies not only in its capacity to increase our economic prosperity, but also in the extent to which it improves our ability to understand, reflect upon, evaluate, and negotiate, the conditions of existence.


Literacy is the core curriculum at Village Elementary School and students receive a balanced literacy program through a reading and writing workshop approach. Students’ writing development follows Lucy Calkins Units of Primary Study.
Our goal is to guide the literacy development of all students at Village and to build the partnership between school and home that ensures each student’s success.
Early intervention is essential to ensure the literacy development of our students. Students in kindergarten through grades two are assessed and instructed by their classroom teachers using the Benchmark Assessment System, components of the Observation Survey as well as a computerized assessment that measures literacy and math skills.
In addition, literacy teachers at Village Elementary School support classroom reading and writing instruction by providing additional instruction for identified students in grades K-2. Our literacy interventionists are trained in Reading Recovery and participate in continuous professional development. Village Elementary School houses the Southern Maine Reading Recovery Center and employees a Reading Recovery Trainer who supports our literacy staff and special education staff. In the fall of 2014, both Elementary Schools will share the benefits of a literacy coach to support the classroom teachers.
Parents whose students receive literacy intervention are asked to be active participants in forums that promote their child’s
literacy development. All children are encouraged to read on a daily basis at home.
For additional literacy information, please link to:
Reading Recovery - (http://www.readingrecovery.org/)
Calkins Units of Primary Study - (http://www.unitsofstudy.com/default.asp)
Fountas and Pinnell - (http://www.fountasandpinnellleveledbooks)
Comprehensive Intervention Model - (http://umaine.edu/cre/currentprojects/support/cim/)


World Health Day
World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 every year. The World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948 and the day is celebrated to mark the anniversary. The main purpose of this day is to draw attention to the subject of global health. Every year, the events of this day have a different theme. Headquarters of the World Health Organization are located in Geneva, Switzerland. According to a report of WHO, around 60% deaths of children aged below 5 are caused by infectious disease with Pneumonia.
Fast Facts: –
- The World Health Organization aims at the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible standard of health.
- The main responsibility of the World Health Organization is assisting governments in strengthening health services.
- Some other WHO global health campaigns are: – World AIDS Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Week, World No Tobacco Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Hepatitis Day and World Tuberculosis Day.
- Events held on World Health Day include Conferences, free medical checkups, public marches and demonstrations.
- The WHO has many other programs that help to improve overall word health by providing different sanitation practices.
- Depression sits on the top of the list of major causes of ill health.
- According to a survey, more than 300 million people are living with depression.
- Margret Chan is the current WHO Director-General.
- The World Health Organization was founded to better address the needs of global health issues.
- There are three distinct components that help the WHO to operate: – the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and the secretariat.
Cite This Page
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Internationally renowned pianist, Ben Schoeman, has said there is a severe lack of music and arts education in South Africa.
Schoeman believes that music is essential in human development as it has the ability to bring together cognitive elements.
“It’s a very sad thing. Music is one of those few subjects that bring together cognitive elements. As a musician, you have to read, you have to feel, you have to hear. The concentration, the memorisation. It’s all very unbelievably important,” he said.
He also believes that one cannot fully understand and perform a piece of music if they are not educated entirely in the cultural activity of the era from which the score originates.
“One cannot internalise the colour palette of the piece if they do not know the art and literature from that time,” he said.
Schoeman completed his degree in music at the University of Pretoria and went on to complete his PhD at the Guild Hall School of Music and Drama in London. He focused his research on the work of South African composer, Stefans Grové, and touched on the benefits of music education and awareness in schools.
Despite a lack of funding in the arts in South Africa, Schoeman claims it is a global issue.
“Music education is globally underappreciated,” said Schoeman.


GCSE Maths Passport Revision Resources
Version 2 - Legacy GCSE Maths Passports Grades A* to G
The new maths GCSE passports are a resource designed to encourage students to have independence of their revision. However the maths GCSE passport resources also provides direction for the students about how to revise maths, which maths topics to revise and where to look for maths resources. Commonly students struggle to be able to correctly revise mathematics. Many believe reading through a revision guide is enough no matter how many times you tell the students the need to complete maths questions.
After a lot of rethinking last year, I decided to take the GCSE maths passport resource one step further. They focus on both numeracy and maths skills. I was lucky enough to be given a little time to be able to develp the new passports when I moved schools last year. We launched them with a very cheesy assembly to year 11 and placed incentives behind the students completing them such as an iPad prize draw for every completed passport.
The new maths GCSE passport resources are more detailed than ever before. Instead of there being only three passports there are now five. the new maths passports support students with basic numeracy skills up to the complex mathematical concepts. They are seperated into GCSE grades A/A*, B, C1, C2, C3.
Passport Break Down
Passports A/A*, B and C1 resrouces have been designed to help those students taking higher GCSE maths (specifically edexcel)
Passports C2 (D to C) C3 (G to C) resources have been designed to help those students taking foundation GCSE maths (specifically OCR)
New Maths Passports
The students need to provide evidence thet have done these tasked and answered the exam style question on the maths passport. If you are happy a student has completed the topic then you sign it off. This allows you to have a way to check up on the students revision and there revision practices.
I like to keep track of students in a simple spreadsheet of which maths passports and topics they have completed. This also gives me data I can easily provide to parents and tutors to help them support the student.
Each new maths passports also includes four traveling quizes. The categories are;
- Data Handling
These provide students opportunities to attempt topics which may not have appeared in the passport but which are just as relevant.
So it's time for students to collect their maths air miles by completing the new maths gcse passport revision resources.
Higher Maths GCSE Resource
Foundation Maths GCSE Resource
I Hope you find these resources useful.


A number of historically black colleges and universities make their home in the Commonwealth of Virginia. During the reconstruction period after the Civil War, advancements for blacks happened rapidly in Virginia. These advancements included some of the first schools dedicated to teaching blacks only. Today, some of the colleges, trade schools and technical institutions that began during reconstruction have evolved into some of the country's top institutions of higher learning.
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University, founded in 1935, began as the Norfolk unit of Virginia Union University. In 1942 the college became Norfolk Polytechnic College and in 1944 it became a part of Virginia State College. In 1969 the college gained complete independence from Virginia State College and in 1979 it was granted university status and the name changed to its current moniker. Norfolk State University has five different schools---the school of education, college of liberal arts, college of science, engineering and technology and the school of social work and the school of business. The liberal arts college offers degrees in English and foreign languages, fine arts and history and interdisciplinary studies. Norfolk State University's graduate school programs offer advanced degrees in pre-elementary education, teaching, criminal justice, music and urban affairs and social work.
Norfolk State University 700 Park Ave. Unit 2568 Norfolk, VA 23504 757-823-8600 nsu.edu
Virginia State University
Virginia State University was the first four-year fully state supported school of higher education for blacks in the state of Virginia. Founded in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, the school has a 236-acre main campus and a 416-acre agricultural research facility. Students at Virginia State University have 50 baccalaureate and master's degree programs from which to choose. Virginia State University has schools in engineering, science and technology, business, agriculture, liberal arts and education and graduate studies, research and outreach. The school of agriculture offers degrees in agriculture and human ecology, hospitality management and family and consumer sciences and nutrition and dietetics. Liberal arts majors choose from a number of programs including criminal justice, mass communications, music and sports management and economics.
Virginia State University 1 Hayden Dr. Petersburg, VA 23806 804-524-5000 vsu.edu
A private institution located in Hampton, Virginia, Hampton University held its first class on September 17, 1861, under an oak tree that later became known as the Emancipation Oak. This tree still stands on Hampton's campus. In 1863 General Benjamin Butler founded the Butler School for Negro Children using funds from the U.S. government. Hampton's most famous graduate, Booker T. Washington was one of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Hampton University has six schools---business, engineering and technology, liberal arts, nursing, pharmacy, science and the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. Hampton offers advanced degrees in multiple subjects including atmospheric and planetary sciences, chemistry, math and physics and nursing.
Hampton University 100 E. Queen St. Hampton, VA 23668 757-727-5000 hampton.edu
- Rosslyn, Virginia image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com


Kindergarten Through Second GradeStudents in kindergarten through second grade explore the elements of music using the Orff Approach, a developmental approach which combines music, movement, drama and speech. Students study famous composers, sound, beat, melodies, rhythm, and musical instrument families with one of our musicians in residence, Ms. Kristine Romero, who has forty years of experience teaching classical guitar. Please see Mrs. Romero's bio here.
Third Through Fifth GradesStudents in grades three through five create music using modern technology in our Music and Recording Studio. Students continue their studies of famous composers, music theory and musical genres. Please see Mr. Florentine's bio here.
Middle SchoolIn The Rhoades School Music and Recording Studio students enrolled in the Music & Composition Elective use MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to write, compose and record their own music. Students use Yamaha keyboards and computers or iPads to edit their music. The sound and recording booth in our studio enables students to compose and record music using various instruments and/or vocals. These technologies not only serve students in music classes but also benefit students in other disciplines as they create podcasts, radio plays, films and documentaries to demonstrate their understanding of a vast array of topics. Please see Mr. Florentine's bio here.
Music AcademyThe goal of The Rhoades School Music Academy is to provide the highest quality, authentic music education to children. After school weekly lessons are taught by professional musicians and music educators who support the School’s philosophy of inspiring musical excellence, knowledge, and creativity in children. For more information, please click here to visit the Music Academy page.


Are education efforts and outreach to children in rural India producing positive results? The answer is both encouraging and troubling, according to NGO Pratham’s 10th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), released this week in New Delhi.
“While more than 96 percent of children in the 6-14 age group are attending school,” reports Indian media site IBN, Pratham’s analysis suggests that “there are still some worrying signs as reading and mathematical abilities are still not up to the mark.”
Pratham was honored in 2010 with the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Nonprofit Leadership for its literacy efforts throughout the country, particularly the program Read India, which has reached more than 34 million children.
But as the organization’s latest ASER indicates, much work remains to be done even though the report presents substantial success. Among the findings announced this week:
- for the 6-14 age group, the percentage of children enrolled in schools across the nation remains at more than 96% for the sixth year in a row; the percentage of children not enrolled for that age group is 3.3%
- in older age groups, particularly for 15- and 16-year-olds, the number of children not enrolled in school jumps to much higher percentages: 15.9% for boys, 17.3% for girls
- simple reading and basic arithmetic skills continue to be “a serious and major source of concern,” with increases in various age groups of children struggling with number and character recognition
- daily attendance percentages for primary and upper primary schools continue to climb, which is a hopeful sign, as are improvements in facilities (availability of clean drinking water, toilets, equipment) which is improving the overall quality of the daily experience at Indian schools
The goal of Pratham’s ASER is to provide the Indian government with reliable data in making strategic decisions regarding the country’s educational system. According to Pratham, “ASER has demonstrated that it is possible to use simple, reliable, and scientific methods of sampling and assessment on a large scale for high impact at a low cost. It has also been an excellent example of building local participation at a national level and has allowed ordinary citizens to understand the current status of elementary education.”
–For more about the ASER, visit Pratham’s site here
–For more about the findings in the newly-released ASER, visit the IBN news site here
—Visit here for more about Pratham and the Kravis Prize


Prior to shaping the world with his deeds, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) needed to win the struggle against the social and attitudinal forces that were all staked against one genius with a will of steel.
He was born into the name "Napoleone Buonaparte" (the name was altered to its more familiar state in 1796) on August 14, 1769, in the city of Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, one year after the island had been incorporated into the Kingdom of France. He was the second child of eleven, of which only eight had survived early childhood.
Napoleon's father, Carlo Buonaparte, was "an anti-French lawyer" ("A Paper on Napoleon", Norfolk Academy, VA, 1). Prior to marrying Napoleon's mother, Leticia, Carlo fought for the Corsican Independence Movement, led by rebel leader Pascuale Paoli. However, recognizing the fruitlessness of the cause, he settled down to raise a family.
Paoli retained a lifelong grudge against his former comrade and extended his hatred to even Carlo's children. Although Napoleon's family enjoyed the title of minor Corsican nobles, they suffered from a lack of funds and thus, poverty. The Encyclopedia of World Biography states that "following the annexation of Corsica by France, Carlo was granted the same rights and privileges as the French nobility" (306).
Although this did not solve their financial dilemma, it opened up new avenues to success for the younger generation of Bonapartes, who were now permitted to attend the same prestigious educational facilities as the cream of the Parisian elite. Perhaps this was the reason for Carlo's abandonment of the struggle for Corsican independence, seeing that his family had ampler chances at prosperity under French rule.
Thus, Carlo Buonaparte sent his children to obtain an education on the mainland. Napoleon remained in Corsica until the age of nine. Having obtained an "elementary education at a boys' school in Ajaccio, he was sent in January 1779 with his older brother Joseph to the College of Autun in the duchy of Burgundy. In May of the same year, he was transferred to the more fashionable College of Brienne, another military school, while his brother remained at Autun.
Here Napoleon's stature earned him the nickname of the 'Little Corporal.'" (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 307). He was also mocked and ridiculed for his Italian accent and abstinence from rowdy public gatherings. While his peers threw away their lives at parties, Napoleon remained buried in volumes of mathematics and philosophy.


Dr. Jeff Broome, associate professor and director of the doctoral program in art education at FSU, recently published a chapter in a newly edited book titled “Culturally Sensitive Art Education in a Global World: A Handbook for Teachers.” The book is published by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), and is edited by Marjorie Cohee Manifold, Enid Zimmerman and FSU alumnus Steve Willis.
Culturally sensitive art education has the ability to promote empathy for others within students. This handbook serves as a source of useful models for art educators to teach art to students from diverse populations in a culturally sensitive way.
According to Dr. Rita L. Irwin, Professor and Associate Dean of Teacher Education at The University of British Columbia and past president of InSEA, “This remarkable book is an intricate cartography of culturally sensitive pedagogies, images, and art practices; it illustrates for arts educators worldwide how to embrace, create, question, and critique traditional and contemporary perspectives of culture.”
Dr. Broome’s chapter is titled “Art Education with Migrant Hispanic Populations in Multi-age Elementary Classrooms: Instructional Strategies Learned from Practice. It largely focuses on his experiences teaching art for eight years at an elementary school located within a predominantly migrant Mexican-American community in rural central Florida.
The department invites you to purchase a copy of the handbook and explore the inner workings of culturally sensitive art education.


What are Music Education Hubs?
Music Education Hubs are groups of organisations such as local authorities, schools, art organisations, community or voluntary organisations. They work together to create joined-up music education provision, respond to local need and fulfil the objectives of the hub.
An independent analysis of performance
Since 2013 we have commissioned independent analysis of Music Education Hubs’ annual performance.
The analysis is based on information provided by hubs in an annual survey, as well as data from the National Pupil Database. The reports focus on the main key performance indicators agreed between the Arts Council and the Department for Education.
For 2014/15 you can also see survey data at an individual hub level. To look at the key data for a hub in comparison with national averages, select the hub from the dropdown menu in this tool. To look at all the hubs together against a specific indicator, see these graphs. You can also see the full dataset.
Music Education Hubs operate in unique settings and this context paper sets out some key points for consideration when looking at hub data.
Where can I find the reports?
The 2015 report was published in October 2016. It is available to download below, along with the reports from 2013 and 2014.


700 Journals and 15,000,000 Readers Each Journal is getting 25,000+ ReadersThis Readership is 10 times more when compared to other Subscription Journals (Source: Google Analytics)
|Maria Lourdes de Vera|
|Universidad de Sta. Isabel, Philippines|
|ScientificTracks Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother|
|Learning and Discovery is fun, using socialized learning is a starting point. Fostering a non-competitive environment focuses on positive reinforcement to affirm of abilities, mastery of existing and acquisition of new skills. An effective teaching and learning strategy is one that understands the learner and is able to translate these potential capacities into skills. Excellence and efficiency arises from utilizing the natural talents of the child. Learning takes place within the context of using positive reinforcement and using creative arts as multimedia tool for teaching; the use of different forms of visual arts, as drawing, painting and the use of different mediums as watercolor, acrylic, oil, pigments and alternative media. Exploring sculpture, clay modeling, and pottery clay, there are types of dances from classical to current day dance steps. The projective and personal touch of role-play and theatre arts supports and nurtures the developing child. It supports the social, cognitive and physical development of the child in fun way of learning. Creative arts are a transformative space that allows for flexibility and adaptability. Creating the space for the child to experience meaningful learning enhances proficiency and dexterity. The creative environment in which the child is exposed is critical to learning, positive reinforcement: Education is a catalyst for positive change and behavior modification. Using positive reinforcement is an effective means to achieve good behavior in children. The use of creative activities reinforces and affirms child's achievement of developmental skills. Positive reinforcement is an effective social learning experience. The creative approach to positive reinforcement enhances cognitive skills and improves social interaction and participation. Education is not a goal, but a process of finding fulfillment in what we are capable of doing and meaning in our ability to create. Creative art education is a venue for endless possibilities exploring, expressing and experiencing learning.|
Maria Lourdes de Vera is a Registered Nurse and a Psychologist, working on her Postgraduate studies in Medical Surgical Nursing at La Concordia, Paco, Manila. She has undertaken Postgraduate studies in Guidance and Counseling at Universidad de Santa Isabel. She was a former Clinical Instructor for Nursing and has a license to teach grade school to secondary School. She also worked as a Steiner Education Teacher, mentoring lower school children for five years. Currently, she is an award winning Author and is involved with public hospitals and oriented groups for children, doing creative artistic works with the child and the adolescent.
Email: [email protected]
|PDF | HTML|


- Education and Science»
- Home Schooling & Life Experience Education
Jose Rizal’s Education in the Philippines: The First Teacher
During the time of Jose Rizal, there was no prestigious elementary school established yet in provinces like Laguna. The four R’s – reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion, characterized a typical education that was offered. Although it was not handled by professional teachers but the instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils through memorization method usually aided by teacher’s whip. It would be a lucky day for the pupils if the teacher were in good mood. The Spanish elementary education was defective. Pupils behaved and studied well out of fear or suffer from abusive disciplinary measures. Jose Rizal made a good account of himself in spite of the primitive style of education. He was able to equip himself with necessary knowledge and showed great acumen in his school performance despite of outmoded and limited knowledge in preparation for his college work in Manila and abroad.
The First Teacher
Since the mother of Jose Rizal was an illustrado, she valued and understood the importance of education. She patiently taught Jose Rizal the ABC’s and stimulated her son’s imagination by telling many stories. She even encouraged Jose Rizal to write poems and made the necessary corrections if needed.
With all these encouragement Jose Rizal gradually understood the importance of education.
As he grew older, his parents hired private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first one was Maestro Celestino and the second was Maestro Lucas Padua. Even the former classmate of his father was also employed who taught him Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he died four months later.
In June 1869, Jose was sent to Binan accompanied by Paciano who acted as his second father. He was brought to the school of Maestro Justiano Aquino Cruz.
According to stories, the son of Justiano Cruz by the name of Pedro once bullied him. Jose Rizal was insulted in the presence of many children when Pedro made fun of him. Having a high regard and respect of himself, he challenged Pedro to a fistfight to prove himself and regain the lost respect. He wrestled Pedro furiously inside the classroom. Jose learned the art of wrestling from his Tio Manuel, the reason he was able to beat the bigger boy. Since then, many boys in Binan tested him to a fight. Having a reputation as a good wrestler, he became a worthy opponent for the macho bravado kids.
His early eduation in Binan contributed for the love of independence in Jose. At that tender age, he was able to control himself. Although he was struck by homesickness but diverted the feeling of nostalgia in developing talents and focused more in his academic studies. He spent his leisure hours at the painter’s studio of Juancho, who gave him free lessons in painting and drawing. He even surpassed all his classmates in Spanish and Latin and other subjects. He ended his studies in Binan on December 17, 1870 after one year and a half of schooling.


Why do we have to write in Math?
As I was sitting in a Kindergarten meeting this week, the teachers were talking about Math Journals. I hadn't really heard of Math Journals before, especially for Kindergarten. So, the first things I did was to ask my co-worker Melissa Edwards if she had any resources for Math Journals and I went on Twitter to ask for help from my Twitter PLN.
I wanted to share some blog posts about Math Journals and what a couple of my Twitter friends said about the way they use Math Journals.
Math Journals Blog
Math Journals by Terry Tunkel
Setting up Math Problem-Solving Notebooks by Kathryn
Here is what a couple of Twitter friends said about Math Journals:
@CaraSJohnson said: "We use them in our class. The students glue in the prompt that I have printed out. I try to focus on problem solving skills."
@Mr_Fines said, "It starts off simple - writing a number and illustrating it. Writing a number word, or drawing a shape and writing the shape "word'. As the year progresses I'll put a problem on the document camera. It could be a number line with 2 or 3 numbers missing and they write the missing numbers. When they get to addition i may put 1+1 on the board and they draw it. We draw our numbers with lines for 10's and small circles for 1's. I may have them represent a number like 12 - they draw 1 line and 2 small circles. The possibilities are endless really. I did it every day "before" we did math as a cue that it is math time in our room."
What I learned from reading about Math Journals is that even Kindergartners can create a journal. The journal doesn't have to be all written words. It could be pictures, math problems, etc. I liked the idea of having math prompts, just as you would in Language Arts. I have always thought that by writing things down it is easier to remember them. So, why not write in Math to remember new concepts?
Do you use Math Journals in your classroom? If not, how could you use Math Journals in your classroom?
Image: 'Journal Writing II' http://www.flickr.com/photos/10485077@N06/4530922906