Playing by ear and improvising workshops
Conventional music education tends to focus on reading the written note, but whenever piano players see a piano, whether in a friend's house, pub or hotel, they long to be able to sit down and play spontaneously.
Bringing her own keyboards with her, Lucinda teaches teachers, students and pupils how to play by ear and improvise in simple steps.
- Fun and easy improvisation for absolute beginners using a variety of different tonalities (pentatonic, modal and gypsy scales etc), accompaniments (open 5ths and ostinati basses etc.) and frameworks (question and answer, pictures and stories, free conversation etc.)
- Introducing chords for playing by ear and improvising
- Using chord progressions and other musical features from songs and pieces to inspire instant improvisation
“I've had a quick look at your improvising book and found it excellent! It actually got me to the piano to tinkle out a few of those old tunes. Making lists of songs under the heading of how many chords they use, and breaking everything down in the way you do is a really good way in”. LG Researcher and Lecturer in Music Education
“I particularly enjoyed the sessions on improvisation and have taken away so many new ideas on how to apply it in my lessons.” SG Piano Teacher
"It is so liberating to be able to improvise with the juiciest chords from my current piece, and I can't believe how easy it is!" CP Piano Student


Scientific Learning, Kiko Labs Partner on School Prep
Scientific Learning and Kiko Labs have partnered to release Kiko's Thinking Time, a new iPad app designed to help improve school readiness for pre-K learners.
A cognitive training program that aims to improve school success skills through games, Kiko's Thinking Time was designed by neuroscientists at Harvard and University of California, Berkeley. Areas addressed by the app include inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, selective attention, reasoning and spatial skills.
"While executive function and reasoning skills are critical for a child's success in school, their development isn't guaranteed. They can be impacted by socioeconomic status, demands on single parents or busy working families, as well as overburdened schools and teachers," said Grace Wardhana, co-founder of Kiko Labs, in a prepared statement. "Kiko's Thinking Time targets behaviors that train these skills, which are so important to a child's development and school readiness. We're delighted to have the opportunity to bring this program to schools and districts to help early learners build the foundational skills for school success."
A one-year school license for Kiko's Thinking Time is available for $2,000. More information is available at kikolabs.com.
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].


A new report has found disable musicians are "absent" in music education.
The Reshape Music study by Youth Music found these artists are missing out on music-making opportunities due to a lack of understanding about the additional support a disabled musician may need, knowledge about where to source adapted instruments and how to access financial support.
Conducted with the Take It Away Consortium, a group of leading music charities, the report is the first-ever national survey of disabled people’s experiences of music education and music-making.
“While there has been some progress, particularly over the last five years, Reshape Music illustrates in very stark terms that the views, lived experience and expertise of Disabled people are still absent in the planning and delivery of music education and music-making," said Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music.
"As a result, policies, programmes and infrastructure are often developed in a way that excludes their involvement and participation. This is discriminatory and particularly alarming knowing that there are 13.3 million Disabled people in the UK equating to 21% of the total population. COVID-19 has brought these inequalities into sharp focus with Disabled people being disproportionately affected, facing further barriers to accessing services and being at higher risk of contracting the virus."
According to the report, a majority (52%) of disabled people surveyed have not been able to find a teacher who meets their learning needs, while only a quarter knew how to find adapted musical instruments.
Despite this 80% of disabled people surveyed find music-making a positive experience, although only 61% know how to find the available financial support to make it possible.
The views, lived experience and expertise of Disabled people are still absent
Matt Griffiths, Youth Music
“Music has always been my way of expressing myself, it gives me a sense of purpose. Just because a musician is disabled or needs specialist equipment or adaptations or even support, shouldn’t stop them from having the chance to make music," suggested Jess Fisher, disabled musician and Reshape Music co-researcher.
"Disabled people often feel overlooked and excluded, but music-making can make you feel connected to others and part of something bigger. Especially throughout the pandemic, it has been a lifeline for so many people. I hope by sharing my experiences it inspires others and helps music educators and the industry to understand how to make music-making more inclusive.”
Recommendations made by Reshape Music include an action plan to increase the representation of disabled people within music education, spaces – including venues, education spaces and retail outlets – that are fully accessible for disabled musicians, performers and audience members and a call for music education and industry organisations to work closely with disabled musicians to better understand the barriers they face.
"Disabled musicians are often forced into choosing an instrument because it works for them, not necessarily because it is what they want to play," explained John Ramm, a blind drummer and Reshape Music co-researcher.
"I’ve always loved music and since discovering the drums at fifteen I couldn’t imagine my life without it. As someone who has always been blind, music helps me to understand the visual concept of beauty. I hope this research helps to bring more awareness of the barriers disabled people face. For me, recording music can be difficult, and although it’s possible, it takes much more effort which puts people like me at a disadvantage. I hope by highlighting some of the different problems we face it makes things better in the long run. Even a small change could make a massive difference for someone with a disability.”
The full Reshape Music survey can be downloaded at www.youthmusic.org.uk/reshape-music.


Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, a brilliant improviser, composter and conductor devised and developed his ideas concerning the relationship between movement and musicianship as a result of acute observation of his conservatory students.
He writes, “The story of my researches, my groping and failures, as of my definite achievements, can be found in the various chapters… In chronological order, these chapters record my ideas as developed from 1897 to the present day in lectures and articles”.
Many of his observations, thoughts and methods anticipate and still surpass the most recent developments in pedagogy and the arts today. Written in 1919, it remains one of the most important texts the 20th century music education.
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze | Paperback | 2000 | 5th edition | Dalcroze Society


On Thursday, Nov. 13th, Dr. Susan Avery held a workshop to discuss the uses of a piano in a choral classroom and what kind of "magic" you can create with it. This workshop was especially important to me, because my aspiration is to become a choral teacher, and my primary instrument is piano, so I wanted to learn how to best use my instrument when I am teaching. Dr. Avery is also my mentor for junior student-teaching this semester, so I knew how often she used the word "magic" in mentor meetings with me. A very effective way to keep kids engaged in what you say and do in your classroom is by using different techniques to create an effect that is close to magic.
Dr. Avery gave two primary perspectives: one from the eyes of a collaborator, and one that is probably relatable to a lot of us - being the teacher AND collaborator in your classroom. She explained these in the context of the song "Oye La Musica" by Jay Althouse. It was very interesting to see her teach right from the start with accompaniment. She brought up a good point - that many teachers wait to put in the accompaniment 3 days before the concert, but the accompaniment is an important part of the music that kids should hear in order to continue developing their ears.
Another point that I really took to heart was about physically hurting yourself by using the pedal. Teachers will often stand when using the piano because they usually have an upright piano. So in order to see the kids, they stand, play, and use the pedal. To do that, it's easiest to shift your weight all on one foot and leg. This can cause a lot of problems physically. Dr. Avery showed us that the pedal is not even necessary most of the time -- using finger legato can solve most of it.
Anyways, don't take my word for this amazing workshop -- watch it yourself! We recorded the whole thing in case you missed it. Enjoy!
-Sunhwa Reiner, ACDA President-Elect
As a freshman, I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I signed up to be a guide at the Choral Composition Competition and Festival. I was told that it was going to be a long day, and it was. I was told that it might be stressful at times to try and keep the hundreds of high schoolers under control, and it was. What they didn't tell me was how much I would learn from this experience. Each guide was assigned a high school group to work with for the entire day. All we really had to do was set up their rehearsal rooms, direct them to their places in the auditorium, help them on and off of the risers, and lead them to the dining hall for meals, but we also got to observe their rehearsals throughout the day. It was fascinating to watch the group warming up at the beginning of the day and then hear how their sound changed throughout the day as the students learned new things about choral music. I could tell that the students were gaining a lot, particularly from the composer whose piece they were commissioning; they were very receptive to his descriptions of the emotions that the piece was meant to convey. Sitting in the back of the rehearsal room, I thought, what a wonderful opportunity this was for high school students...to have the chance to work closely with a composer and premiere a new piece...and I was so happy to be a part of it. I learned a lot from observing rehearsals with West Genesee High School; as an aspiring music educator, I obviously enjoy watching high school music teachers in action, and I definitely learned some techniques at Choral Comp that I may one day apply to my own teaching. But, of all of the rehearsals and performances that went on throughout the day, my favorite part of Choral Comp was at the very end, when all of the high school and college choral students got together and sang the Sanctus from Mozart's Missa Brevis. I was surrounded by high school students for both the rehearsal and the performance, and I could viscerally feel their awe and excitement in response to the glorious sound we were creating together. Seeing their joy as they sang reminded me of the reason I'm studying music education: because communal music making is the most beautiful thing in the world, and I want to help as many students as possible to experience the happiness that it brings. My experience at Choral Comp made me proud to be at Ithaca College, and especially proud to be a member of ACDA!
Ithaca College 18'
One of the high school groups, Ward Melville High, singing "Images of Stars" by Richard Ewer, which received 2nd place.
Welcome to our site!


Zu dieser ISBN ist aktuell kein Angebot verfügbar.Alle Exemplare der Ausgabe mit dieser ISBN anzeigen:
...an impressive assimilation of literature about a rapidly expanding area of research. (The British Journal of Music Education)Reseña del editor:
Music is so ubiquitous that it can be easy to overlook the powerful influence it exerts in so many areas of our lives - from birth, through childhood, to old age. The Social and Applied Psychology of Music is the successor to the bestselling and influential The Social Psychology of Music. It considers the value of music in everyday life, answering some of the perennial questions about music.
The book begins with a scene-setting chapter that describes the academic background to the book, before looking at composition and musicianship. It then goes on to look at musical preference. What aspects of music are crucial in determining whether or not you will like it?
In chapter 4 the authors consider whether rap and rock are bad for young people, highlighting some of the major moral scandals that have rocked pop music, and asking whether these have become more extreme over time. The following chapter looks at music as a commercial product. How does the structure of the music industry influence CD purchasing, and how does music affect customers in retail and leisure settings like shops and restaurants?
The book closes with an examination of music education. How does musical ability develop in children, and how does this relate to more general theories of how intellectual skills develop? Do musical skills develop independently of other abilities?
Exceptionally broad in scope, and written in a highly accessible style by the leading researchers in this field, The Social and Applied Psychology of Music will be required reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the role music plays in our lives.
„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.
Buchbeschreibung OUP Oxford, 2008. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Artikel-Nr. M00198567421-G


Are you looking for fun home-learning activities to do with your two-year-old? Our team of early childhood curriculum experts thoughtfully curated these home-education activities from our proprietary Life Essentials® curriculum to help your family Learn On® when away from the Academy. Whether it’s during mealtime, playtime, clean up time, bath time, or bedtime – our at-home curriculum is built so you can easily integrate school-from-home learning opportunities in seamless, easy, and fun ways.
Level of instruction: Detailed
When: Bedtime, Playtime
Time recommendation: 15 minutes
Learning Domain: Language and Literacy Development
Learning Standards: Comprehends and uses extended vocabulary to answer questions; Participates in stories, rhymes, and songs
Song “Kings and Queens,” paper, markers
Kings and Queens
Tune: “This Old Man”
Kings and queens, strong, brave knights
Fire breathing dragons fly
Around the castles and towers so high
Rule the land both far and wide
Sing the song with your child. Discuss with your child that kings and queens rule kingdoms. They create and enforce the rules of the land. Encourage your child to associate a king or a queen with a familiar adult such as a parent. Parents make the rules to follow in the house, just like a king and queen does for a kingdom. Invite your child to pretend to be a king or queen and list ways to rule his or her kingdom. Record your child’s responses on paper.
Observe to see if your child participates in singing the song. Does your child show an understanding of the question? Is your child able to answer the question with guidance?
Level of instruction: Easy
When: Outdoor, Playtime, Before bedtime
Time recommendation: 20 minutes
Participants: One-on-one, Child-led, Siblings
Learning Domain: Physical Development
Gross motor Development, Shape recognition and identification
Materials: White paper, markers, scissors
Draw shapes (or letters, or numbers) on white paper cut into cloud shapes and adhere them to the floor in an open area or outdoors on a sidewalk. Invite your child to play a game by hopping from cloud to cloud. Call out names of shapes, and challenge your child to locate and hop to that shape.
Observe to see if your child identified the shapes while hoping to each cloud. Does your child hop with one foot or two feet?
Level of instruction: Moderate
Time recommendation: 20 minutes
Participants: One-on-one, Siblings
Learning Domain: Language and Literacy
Learning Standards: Sorts objects by size, Comprehension, Attentiveness
Materials: Book Goldilocks and the Three Bears; household items that are small, medium and large
Read the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears to your child. Invite him or her to repeat the predictable text with you. After the story, display the items that you collected from around the house. Invite your child to help sort the items by size. Encourage him or her to make a pile of the big, medium, and small items. Use synonyms for the size words—large, tiny, etc.
Observe your child using vocabulary from the story. Does your child sort the objects by size? Does your child repeat the predictable text as you read the story?


Goals should be SMART - specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based.
The acronym SMART has a number of slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more comprehensive definition for goal setting:
- specific, significant, stretching
- measurable, meaningful, motivational
- agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
- realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
- time-based, timely, tangible, trackable
• Well defined • Clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project
• Know if the goal is obtainable and how far away completion is • Know when it has been achieved
• Agreement with all the stakeholders what the goals should be
• Within the availability of resources, knowledge and time
• Enough time to achieve the goal • Not too much time, which can affect project performance
=Time bound/Target 1. Every student will show evidence of one year of growth in mathematics each year in attendance.
= Math Problem-solving During the 2006-07 school year, all students will improve their math problem-solving skills as measured by a 1.0 year gain in national grade equivalent growth from the 2005-06 to the 2006-07 ITBS math problem solving sub test. 2. Reduce levels of non-proficient students by 10% in all eight-grade sub groups on ITBS math concepts and estimation.
= Math Concepts and Estimation During the 2006-07 school year, non-proficient students (as indicated by the ITBS math concepts and estimation subtest) at Sample School will improve their math concepts and estimation skills by 5% as measured by an increase in the percentage of students scoring in the “high” and “proficient” levels on the ITBS math concepts and estimation subtest. 3. Students will show one year’s growth in Language Total as measured by ITBS.
= Vocabulary During the 2006-07 school year, non-proficient students (as indicated by the ITBS vocabulary subtest) at Sample School will improve their vocabulary skills by 5% as measured by an increase in the percentage of students scoring in the “high” and “proficient” levels on the ITBS vocabulary assessment. 4. 95% of all 11th graders receiving f/r lunch will score above the 40th NPR on ITEDs. (increase from 80%)
= Math computation During the 2006-07 school year, proficient 11th grade students in the f/r subgroup group (as indicated by the ITED math computation) at Sample School will increase by 15% as measured by the ITED math computation subtest. 5. Prepare all students to make a positive transition to adult life.
= Social-Emotional 100% of 12th grade students at Sample School will be prepared for transition to adult life as measured by the completion of the “7-step Plan for Transition to Adult Life” during the 2006-07 school year.
Name ___________________________________ Date:___________________________ 1.
What is the ultimate long-range goal I have set for myself in relationship to technology? What must be learned to achieve my goal? How will this learning be used toward achieving my goal? What do I see as the best way to accomplish the learning necessary so I may reach my goal? How may I integrate, demonstrate, and share my new learning into as related to my life-long goals? What tools will my mentor and I use to continually assess and document my progress? What is the time frame for reaching both my short-range and long-range goals?
Name:___________________________________ Mentor(s)_____________________________________________________________ Date:________________________ Goal: Specific: Measurable: Attainable: Results: Time: ☐


English 1 defines and solidifies the foundational skills for effective communication in English as well as fosters international awareness, as both are typically required in the globally expanding domain of scientific and technological research activities. It also prepares students to study or do research abroad in the future. Students are assigned training exercises that cover the four language skills — reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The reading and listening materials include topics such as international and intercultural issues as well as the fundamentals of science and technology. Practice exercises in writing and speaking are provided so that students can develop confidence and competence to participate in discussions and conferences where opinions are exchanged through both text and speech. TOEFL-type exercise problems are also used in the course.
This course aims to establish a base on which students can build toward a higher level of communication competence specifically in an English language environment. The base is composed of three elements: (1) identifying relevant information accurately, (2) exercising fair judgement to form a valid opinion, and (3) stating opinions clearly and persuasively. English 1 covers these three elements, and the communication abilities acquired will help students in the future when they have to assume positions of responsibility in group activities.
Each student is assigned to a group led by an instructor. Instructors for each group conduct the course using the "Course description and aims" and "Student learning outcomes" as the basic framework. "Class direction," "Course schedule," and other information below explain the features of each class.
By the end of this course, students will:
・Become aware of the degree to which practical English abilities are required for learning at university and for research activities both in Japan and abroad
・Be able to grasp the main ideas and arguments of written and spoken materials in diverse areas including international and intercultural issues, science, and technology
・Have increased their knowledge of effective vocabulary and expressions to actively communicate their ideas and opinions in English
・Have gained confidence in using English to state their opinions
・Be able to understand the structural characteristics of good paragraphs and write their own short paragraphs with unity and coherence
Four language skills, fostering international awareness, communication skills, studying abroad, TOEFL
|Specialist skills||✔ Intercultural skills||✔ Communication skills||Critical thinking skills||Practical and/or problem-solving skills|
This course is designed to learn English through films produced in English spoken countries.Understanding a narrative told in English and knowing the history and ideas in the background of the story, students will be able to acquire the English language skills with fun. Students are required to attend as fully as possible and participate in class activities.
|Course schedule||Required learning|
|Class 1||Introduction and short speech||Reading scene A|
|Class 2||Unit 1 Ramen Revolution||Reading comprehension|
|Class 3||Unit 2 Top Twirler||Reading out loud and recitation|
|Class 4||Unit 3 Hope for the Future||Reading comprehension|
|Class 5||Unit 4 How to Beat the Heat||Reading out loud and recitation|
|Class 6||Unit 5 Party, Brazilian-style||Reading comprehension|
|Class 7||Unit 6 Smart Phones, Smart Kids||Reading out loud and recitation|
|Class 8||Review and final exam||Learn how to watch films with critical points of view|
Handouts will be distributed.
To be announced in class.
In-class performance: 40%, Final exam: 60%


The redesigned Arts Education curriculum strives to impress students’ clever habits of mind by way of engaged arts learning. Wolf Entice is integrating art with fundamental science and math studying for young children and the information present important results. U.S. Department of Schooling, “No Youngster Left Behind, A Toolkit for Teachers.” Accessed February 28, 2014. A passion for problems with fairness and social justice is a hallmark of HGSE and is shared by students in AIE, the place we discover the particular methods in which the arts can help help tackle these issues.
Analysis means that studying a second language is important to the educational course of, artistic inquiry and demanding pondering. The take a look at has been launched to evaluate those aspects of initial teacher training college students’ personal literacy and numeracy skills that may be measured by way of an online assessment device.
The mission of the Philadelphia Arts in Schooling Partnership (PAEP) is to advertise learning in and thru the humanities for college students in Ok-12 schools and group sites all through southeastern Pennsylvania. Arts education schemes develop artistically literate citizens, who’ve the information, abilities and understanding to actively engage within the arts all through their lives.
A graduate of theÂ MA Arts and Schooling Practices idea pathway. This program offers college students with arts studying experiences that spark creativity, creativeness, and innovation. Many AIE alumni work in museums as curators and schooling specialists, while others work for private arts foundations and grantmaking organizations.
To develop expertise, data and positive values and attitudes within the arts. The Arts Training Partnership, a middle within Education Commission of the States, is established through a cooperative agreement between the Nationwide Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Division of Schooling.


Planks for Block Play
Wooden blocks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. KAPLA building blocks are unique. Harvested from sustainable pine forests in the south of France. Laser-cut for precision in Morocco. Each unfinished pine plank in this wooden construction toy measures precisely 4 1/2″ x 1″ x 1/4″. As a result, planks adjoin perfectly for balance and even weight distribution. Children have to figure out how to use the identical planks in this wooden construction toy to build well balanced structures that don’t fall down. These simple planks fascinate both children and adults. That’s what makes KAPLA Blocks appealing for intergenerational play.
Origins of KAPLA
In fact, Tom van de Bruggen invented the blocks so that he could create three dimensional models of architectural drawings. Because he wanted to see what the structure he was designing would look like. He based his plank on the progressions of the uneven numbers 1:3:5. That’s why the planks are three thicknesses for one width and five widths for one length. KAPLA is an abbreviation of Kabouter Plankjes, Dutch for gnome planks, a perfect name for wooden planks for building models.
Blocks and Children Grow Together
Playing with blocks is a universal early childhood learning experience. One that builds skills in every area of human development. What begins when a baby picks up a block and throws it evolves as she grows. The composition of the blocks changes as the child ages. Lightweight, soft, and squeezable cubes gradually give way to classic wooden blocks in a variety of shapes and sizes. Initially young children arrange blocks in rows, then progress to stacking. Block play and children grow together. From the beginning blocks invite children to explore and discover. As they do, they build skills. Gradually they acquire more skills, and the way they play changes. Building becomes more complex.
Block Play Is Invaluable
Block play involves all areas of human development at all ages. It develops gross and fine motor skills: balance and coordination, grasp and release, dexterity, eye-hand coordination. As well as creativity, logical thinking, organizing, planning, and problem solving. In addition, spatial awareness develops as structures take form. Because obstacles arise, successful projects also require focus, patience, and perseverance. Learning to deal with setbacks is essential.
In addition children learn basic principles of mathematics and science. Specifically an awareness of shape, dimensionality, and volume. As well as an experiential understanding of balance and stability and the unyielding force of gravity. Along the way they begin to figure out how many planks they need to build what they’re planning.
Block play can be solitary or in a group. Working with others develops valuable social skills. From attentive listening while communicating clearly to compromise, and cooperation. With KAPLA building blocks, the key to success is building a solid base. Doing so requires and refines all these skills.


Adult language, literacy and numeracy
The right to literacy is an inherent part of the right to an education. All adult Australians, regardless of their employment or social status, should be supported to fully develop their language, literacy and numeracy skills.
Modern workplaces require workers with high levels of language, literacy and numeracy, and the capacity to problem solve in technology-rich environments.
Results from the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey found that around 1 in 7 Australians (14%) have very poor literacy skills and 1 in 3 (30%) Australians have literacy skills low enough to make them vulnerable to unemployment and social exclusion (refer policy 4).
Today Australians need proficiency in complex modes of communication and high levels of digital literacy. A lack of language, literacy and numeracy impacts all aspects of an adult’s life and has intergenerational effects on families, children and communities.
In order to compete in the global knowledge-based economy and to maintain the level of prosperity and social cohesion that Australians need and expect, the language, literacy and numeracy levels of the adult population must be at the forefront of public policy.
ALA is calling for:
- recognition of the contribution of non-accredited language, literacy and numeracy courses for both personal development and social capital through funding support
- opportunities for adults with barriers to learning to develop their language, literacy and numeracy skills to build their confidence and contribute to our diverse and changing society and economy
- investment in a national family literacy strategy focussed on socially and economically marginalised Australian communities and schools with large numbers of Indigenous students
- a funded workplace English language, literacy and numeracy program that addresses workforce LLN requirements
- funded ACE environments that support adults with low digital and health literacy.
- Policy platform
- Fact sheets
- Let’s get serious about adult literacy and numeracy
- Language, literacy and numeracy network


Learning A-Z creates useful, high-quality resources that correlate to state and international curriculum standards, popular curricula and reading series, and major assessments. Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z already provide correlations to Common Core, U.S. State Standards, Language Proficiency Standards, the International Baccalaureate Curriculum, EngageNY, and a host of basal reading series.
Now, Learning A-Z continues its commitment to saving teachers time and making it easier to find just-right literacy resources for all students with new Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z correlations to Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) Measures of Academic Progress ® (MAP®) and MAP for Primary Grades® (MPG® ) assessments. If your school or district administers NWEA growth assessments two to three times per year, Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z have the resources you need to deliver differentiated instruction that addresses students’ identified skill gaps.
Many Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus leveled resources are designed to address the foundational and higher-order thinking skills that will be evaluated by the MAP and MPG assessments, such as analyzing informational texts, vocabulary acquisition, and phonics and word recognition. The resources are built around these and many other skills, making it easier for you to deliver instruction targeting the skills addressed in the NWEA’s Learning Continuum while giving students the practice they need to perform their best on the MAP and MPG assessments.
After your students have taken the MAP or MPG growth assessment, Raz-Plus and Reading A-Z provide correlated resources by RIT Range that you can use to inform future instruction in skills that students need to practice. These downloadable PDFs, found in our Curricula and Assessments correlations, outline the specific resources that address the MPG assessments goals for Foundational Skills, Language and Writing, Literature and Informational texts, Vocabulary Use and Functions. The correlations also include resources that address the MAP assessment goals for grades 2–5: Informational Text, Literature, and Vocabulary Acquisition and Use. With our new MPG and MAP correlations, you can save time finding resources that address your students’ post-assessment learning needs.
Learning A-Z’s new partnership with NWEA empowers teachers to maximize their impact in the classroom with standards-aligned resources that differentiate instruction in reading and language arts.


We hear it all the time – why should my child stick with music lessons if they don’t plan on being a musician for their career? Music helps children (and adults!) learn important skills that carry over to every aspect of their life. Here are a few of the big ones!:
Responsibility & Accountability. While being in lessons is important to improve one’s musicianship, progress really comes from practicing consistently. It is the student’s responsibility to practice on their own time and apply what they learn in their lessons to their practicing. While this is something their teacher can help with, it is ultimately up to the student to hold themselves accountable.
Practice. Learning a new piece of music can be hard! It takes a lot of time to practice a piece enough to feel like it is worthy of performance. A lot of times, we want to be able to play something perfectly right away. Practicing teaches patience – over time we learn to perfect our pieces through hard work.
Social Skills. Music is a social activity! Even in private lessons, students are learning to communicate openly and honestly with their teacher. In group settings, students learn to work as a team to make their music the best it can be.
Prioritization. There are SO many different concepts to practice in music! From notes, rhythm, dynamics, phrasing, articulation, and so on. Students have to learn how to prioritize what to work on first based on what is most important for each specific song.
Outlet for Emotions. Of course, music is a great outlet for any sort of emotion. Even if a student doesn’t continue with music lessons for their whole life, they gain that skill to use their music as an outlet for whatever they are feeling.
A private music education is ESSENTIAL to students of any age, and we can’t wait for another great semester of music and learning!


Families and time spent at home always play a significant role in the development and maintenance of a child’s literacy skills. This year, the family and home are a much bigger part of everyone’s life, including our children’s education.
This summer, it’ll be particularly important to engage kids’ literacy development. Luckily, there are so many creative and fun ways to do this beyond just reading.
Invite your kids to try out some of these activities to keep them busy and learning this summer and beyond:
- Practice reading aloud to family and pets.
- Spend time in the kitchen reading ingredients, product labels, recipes, and anything else you can find.
- Learn all the words to your favorite song and practice singing along or even doing karaoke.
- Choose a book for the whole family to read and discuss together.
- Listen to a book or story while making art inspired by it.
- Move your body while listening to a story, book, or song.
- Learn your family history, funny stories, and jokes from friends and relatives and practice retelling them.
- Follow instructions for a new skill or craft, and teach a friend or relative how to do it, too.
- Play vocabulary-based board games like Scrabble, Boggle, or Bananagrams.
- Play verbal games like taking turns coming up with rhyming nonsense words or words that start with a certain letter.
- Find a favorite picture or piece of art and practice describing it in detail to a friend or relative.
- Create your own newspaper for your house or keep a journal of your daily experiences.
- Write letters or notes to friends, relatives, neighbors, or even community representatives.
- Listen to a podcast for kids (https://app.kidslisten.org/).
- Learn to type.
- Write your own story, poem, or book, leave it for a while, and then come back to revise and edit.
- Research a topic you’re interested in and teach a friend or relative about it.


The structure of education in the state is based on the national level pattern with 12 years of schooling (10+2+3), consisting of eight years of elementary education, that is, five years of primary and three years of middle school education for the age groups of 6-11 and 11–14 years, respectively.
Followed by secondary and higher Secondary education of two years each besides two years of pre-primary education.
The entry age in class 1 is 5+. Pre-primary classes form age group 3 to 4. The higher secondary school certificate enables pupils to pursue studies either in universities or in colleges for higher education in general academic streams and in technical and professional courses.


At Farnsworth Swim School, our program consists of 9 levels, ranging from absolute beginner to advanced. Our beginning level is the tadpole level and refers to swimmers who are not water safe and are often taking lessons for the very first time. The tadpole level is very important because it provides foundational skills that are built upon as the levels progress.
- The main focus within the tadpole level is for a student to become more comfortable in the water. While these students may not fully master water safety, the goal is for them to be able to remain calm, stay afloat, and get themselves to a safe location if they were to fall into a pool or body of water.
- One of the very first skills these swimmers learn is how to blow bubbles under water. This technique teaches students to exhale when their face is under water, preventing choking.
- Next, a student begins to practice fully submerging their face under water for a few seconds at a time. These skills might sound very basic to an accomplished swimmer, but they can often take time for beginners to master.
- Students within the tadpole level also focus on skills such as entering and exiting the pool safely, freestyle arms and kicking, and jumping into the water independently and reaching for the wall.
- Back floats are also an essential part of tadpole mastery and basic water safety. If a swimmer is able to float on their own, they will be able to save energy and stay calm if they are ever in a crisis.
In order to master the tadpole level, a student must be able to glide on their stomach, kick, and make arm strokes unsupported for 5 feet. They also must be able to float on their back independently for 5 seconds. Once a swimmer has accomplished these skills, they graduate to the goldfish level- more on this in next week’s newsletter!


The pesticide chlorpyrifos has been banned in US households but is still widely used as an agricultural pesticide on fruits and vegetables. A new study has shown a link between the pesticide and early childhood development delays. According to www.healthday.com, “the researchers found that a high level of exposure to the pesticide (greater than 6.17 pg/g in umbilical cord blood at the time of birth) was associated with a 6.5-point decrease in the Psychomotor Development Index score and a 3.3-point decrease in the Mental Development Index score in 3-year-old children.”
“This study helps to fill in the gaps about what is known about the effect of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on the development of young children by showing that there is a clear-cut association between this chemical and delayed mental and motor skill development in children even when there are other potentially harmful environmental factors present,” lead author Gina Lovasi, of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said in a news release.
The agricultural use of chlorpyrifos is under review by the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Factors Impacting Maternal Health During Hospital Births - August 1, 2019
- New Hampshire Should Adopt a Safe Patient Ratio Statute - June 5, 2018
- Delays in Discharge Summaries Associated with HigherRate of Readmissions, Studies Show - February 7, 2018


Unless I make an effort to read scores, there are some musical terms that I am apt to forget because either I just don’t come across them that often in music I am apt to be teaching to my students, or because the definition has become distorted by common misuse. Today, I thought it would be beneficial for me and hopeful you as well, to dust off some of these musical terms.
15ma means to play two octaves higher than written. It’s cousin, 15mb means to play two octaves lower than written. Both terms are an abbreviation of the Italian word quindicesima, which means fifteenth. When 15mb is used, the b is an abbreviation for basso, and indicates that the music should be played two octaves lower than written.
l’istesso literally means “the same.” It is most often used in reference to tempo, as in l’istesso tempo, meaning to continue in the same tempo. Frequently this marking occurs where the music transitions from one section or style to another. The change suggests a change in tempo, and so the composer contradicts this inclination by instructing the performer to continue without changing the tempo. Students who try to remember the meaning of words in other languages may mistake l’istesso for meaning less, or a slowing down.
Strophic is a term that refers to music in which the same music is used for several different verses of lyrics. We teach songs like this all the time, but because there is only one musical section, it is easy to overlook labeling the form. Strophic songs have no refrain or chorus, but only repeated verses. An example of a strophic song is “Deck the Halls,” which has many verses all sung to the same melody.
Classical Music, though not strictly a musical term, is nonetheless one of the most controversial and often misused terms in music education. The meaning of classical music has become unclear because of inconsistent use. Strictly speaking, it is used to refer to music written in a particular style characteristic of art music written from the mid-18th century through the early 19th century. Mozart and Haydn were two composers who lived in this time period and wrote music in the classic style. The music is characterized by strict formal organization in which balance is of primary importance. The music is fashioned after classical Greek architecture where windows and columns were always placed in equal numbers on either side of center, creating a balanced appearance. The term classical music is often used to refer to art music of any style or period, creating the confusion I mentioned earlier. This results in phrases like “20th century classical music” which is meant to describe art music written in the twentieth century.
Cambiata is a specific melodic pattern in which two non-chord tones on either side of the resolution precede that resolution. Generally the pattern begins with a chord tone, followed by a descending second to the first non-chord tone, followed by a descending third to the second non-chord tone, followed by an ascending second to the resolution. The cambiata can be inverted by reversing those directions.
Ben as in ben marcato. The word “ben” in Italian means “well;” it is a form of bene. When preceding another word, it strengthens the word; therefore, ben marcato means “well marked.” Gershwin marked the first movement of his Three Preludes, “Allegro ben ritmato e deciso,” which means “fast, well rhythmic and decisive.” Though not correct English, the intent is that the music be played with more than passing attention to the rhythmic aspects.
Alla This is actually a combination of two Italian words; al meaning “to the,” and la, meaning the. Because articles in Italian specify gender, it is correct to translate alla Marcia as “to the march” and not “to the the march.” It is also not correct to translate alla Marcia as “in the style of” or ‘to be played as a march.” The term means that at that point in the score, the music is a march. However, in French, a la means “in the manner of” so “a la mars” translates from French to English “in the manner of a march.”
These are but a few of the musical terms that I have to be careful with. Perhaps the meanings of some of these words have at times eluded you as well. It might be helpful to all of us to share musical terms that we are unsure of, and build a community glossary. Feel free to use the comments section to throw your term into the ring.


Sounding Out – Creative Futures publishes a free Toolkit for music leaders and teachers working with
Updated: May 24, 2019
Creative Futures has now completed its three year Youth Music ‘Fund B’ project with primary and secondary deaf children, called ‘Sounding Out’. 3 schools (2 specialist secondaries and one mainstream primary with a deaf unit) were involved in the project, receiving in total more than 200 workshops. 16 music leaders were involved in delivery and our partners included Music and the Deaf, local Music Education Hubs, and researchers from UCL.
At the end of ‘Sounding Out’ our music delivery team met to reflect and share ideas on the overall success of the project. The collective decision was made to document our findings and share our research through a toolkit which is freely available to teachers and music practitioners looking to work with deaf students. One of the key elements for us was that the toolkit illustrate what we noticed as being the main differences between making music with deaf children, compared to hearing children.
We highlighted specific moments that occurred during the sessions which changed our perspectives as practitioners and which became the foundations on which we built the activities employed during the course of the project. For example, we observed that the children were very visual based learners and so we created musical games based on clear visual cues that all the children could follow (see previous related article in this blog).
The toolkit consists of two sections, a theoretical guide and a practical section with activities accompanied by videos. The theoretical guide is intended to help teachers in areas such as communication, working environment and examples of potential difficulties that can arise during sessions. It also highlights two key areas of learning (inclusion and the relationship between music and movement) that underpin the activities. The practical section includes step-by-step guides to creating activities such as warm ups, musical games aimed at improving musical skills, and main activities. The video examples support the practical elements and provide visual based learning information.
The process of writing this toolkit has been a fantastic opportunity for us to go deeper in our way of teaching and has allowed us to shape and improve our methodology and approach. To have a framework that better informs our learning and decision-making will give us a platform to provide better musical education opportunities for deaf children in the future, and we hope will encourage other music practitioners and school teachers to embed more music in their teaching of deaf children.
The toolkit has been written by Tiziana Pozzo (leader of the weekly sessions) and Dr Kathryn Mason (UCL), thus giving the Toolkit input from two different perspectives: leader and researcher. Both were present at the sessions, allowing them to observe the children from different perspectives as well as monitoring their changes and development over the course of the project. This led to a continuous discussion about the musical approach, and gave the delivery team greater flexibility when trying out different methodologies. This regular insight helped provide the foundations on which this toolkit is based.
The Toolkit can be found on the Creative Futures website: https://www.creativefuturesuk.com/resources
Creative Futures, 2018


||||The Two-way Street in the History of
Americanand Japanese Art Education :
Akira Shirahama and Arthur Wesley Dow
Akio Okazaki, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Art & Design Education
School of Art & Design
University of Tsukuba, JAPAN
|"Bi-Cultural Education/Cross-Cultural Research" has become one of the central multicultural education concepts in the field of art education (Tomhave, 1992). Cross-cultural research in art education is seen as a "two-way street" (Okazaki, 1985a). While a vast ocean has separated Japan and the United States, it can also be a bridge by which Eastern and Western worlds encounter each other and become integrated into one (Okazaki, 1984, 1991). Japanese art educators have compared American and Japanese ideas for more than a century (Okazaki, 1992, 1994, 1995). American art educators have similarly synthesized Japanese and American culture of art in their theories of art education (Okazaki, 1985b, 1997, 2000). This paper portrays the process of cross-cultural interpretation as a way of making sense of oneΥs world in relation to the worlds of others.
|001-01@The Case of Akira Shirahama
001-02@Shirahama's Study in America
001-04@The Limitations of Shirahama's Transformation
001-05@The Case of Arthur Dow
001-06@Dow's Contribution to American Art Education
001-07@Japanese Foundation of Dow's Notan
001-08@Chinese Roots of Dow's Composition


Young Aces’ Play Smart Program is designed specifically to build the following foundation skills of pre-schoolers 2-5 years of age. In each 30 min class, our Young Aces staff help to build these skills by focusing on:
Hand eye coordination
Throwing and Catching
Why is this necessary for your child?
These fundamental movement skills play an important role in supporting a child’s physical development, enabling them to participate confidently in play, sport, dance & other activities within school and the wider community. Play is nature’s training for life, and positive experiences of play and physical activity can enhance children and young people’s mental health by building up their confidence, self esteem and resilience. It is also through play, both in the community and at school, that children develop friendships and a sense of belonging to a peer group.
How do we build fundamental motor skills?
The Play Smart Program provides a non-sport specific, fun, challenging and enjoyable starting point for children’s involvement in sport. Sessions include a wide variety of games and activities, all involving the development of skills and attributes that can be applied to a range of sports and physical activities that a child may subsequently choose to participate in. It provides a wonderful introduction to tennis that provides young children with multi-skills exercises to improve their motor skill development.


Students involved in GIPS practice powerful problem-solving skills that engage their critical and creative thinking.
A stand out project-based program for schools. Students select a real world problem, identify a solution, and then actively implement their action plan to address the problem.
A Scenario Writing competition in which students develop and submit short stories. Students compete individually, developing short stories related to one of five FPSP topics for the year.
An oral storytelling activity for individual students offering them the opportunity to develop creative and entertaining, short, futuristic stories related to one of five FPSP topics.
A non-competitive problem-solving program designed for implementation in the regular classroom divided into three stages: Foundational Skills (Prep -2); Developing Skills (Grades 3-4)


Inquiry in Music Education
Concepts and Methods for the Beginning Researcher
Inquiry in Music Education: Concepts and Methods for the Beginning Researcher provides an introduction to research and scholarship in music education. This textbook covers topic formulation, information literacy, reading and evaluating research studies, and planning and conducting original studies within accepted guidelines, based on research conventions in music, the other arts, education, and the humanities. Electronic search tools, hands-on assignments, supplementary teaching materials and other resources are included on the companion web site (available January 2013).
Skills in research and scholarship introduce students to the language and protocols by which to succeed in today’s competitive market of grant writing, arts advocacy, and public outreach as a contributing member of the community of music educators.
Following the legacy begun by Rainbow and Froehlich in Research in Music Education, published in 1987, the objectives of this book are:
- To expand what is meant by music education and research,
- To help students find their niche in those definitions, and
- To teach tangible skills that are useful for music educators with diverse instructional goals and career aspirations.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Chapters One through Four: Entering the World of Questioning 1. The Spiral and Modes of Inquiry: Options, Choices, and Initial Decisions 2. Finding and Mapping Sources of Information 3. Reading and Thinking in Conceptual Frames 4. Toward a Rationale and Research Plan: Writing a Contract with Yourself Part 2. Chapters Five through Thirteen: Methods in Modes of Inquiry 5. Approaches in the Philosophical Mode of Inquiry 6. Historical Inquiry: Getting Inside the Process 7. Purposes and Questions in Qualitative Research 8. Selected Procedures for Gathering, Analyzing, and Reflecting on Qualitative Data 9. Quantitative Research in Music Education: Letting Numbers Speak 10. Understanding Descriptive Statistics 11. Interpreting Correlations 12. Designing Ex Post Facto and Experimental Studies 13. Tools for Data Gathering: Basics of Content and Construction 14. "So What?" Interpreting and Sharing your Findings
Hildegard Froehlich is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas.
Carol Frierson-Campbell is Associate Professor at William Paterson University.


The researcher in this study examined parents’ perceptions of the engagement activities in their homes. Parents of elementary school students in one southeastern United States school district were asked to participate in this study. Findings related to literacy, academic, and family engagement. Parents’ preparedness to assist their children with reading and their related needs were also examined. Relationships between race and gender showed significance when considering children’s access to academic and literacy materials as well as family engagement in educational practices including literacy. Literacy program providers, including those that educate parents, may consider this information when providing literacy support to families as they engage in their children’s literacy development.
Smith, Nichole L.
"Family Literacy Engagement: Parents’ Perceptions of Their Home Learning Practices,"
The Language and Literacy Spectrum: Vol. 30
, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/lls/vol30/iss1/4


The Chinese government has opened up its education system since the early 1990s, blending traditional test-centered approaches with critical thinking and versatility, and easing exam pressures. This article examines the place of creativity in the education reform agenda, and creativity and assessment in Chinese arts education, from the perspective of Hong Kong students 10 years after the handover and 6 years after the launch of the education reform. The article reports the findings of a survey on the types of assessment employed by music and visual arts teachers in primary and secondary government schools, what arts students thought about arts assessment and what contributed to arts learning, their preparation for and confidence in taking arts assessment. Key differences between the practices and perspectives of music and the visual arts are highlighted, and the implications for creative music education in China are discussed. Copyright © 2010 The Author(s).
CitationLeong, S. (2010). Creativity and assessment in Chinese arts education: Perspectives of Hong Kong students. Research Studies in Music Education, 32(1), 75-92.
- Arts education


Online learning can be a challenge, but for young children it can be especially difficult to navigate the different platforms, find your way through applications and tools when still developing literacy skills, demanding to maintain focus, and mentally exhausting in unexpected ways as our visual system struggles with screens and virtual communication. After a particularly hard day, I invited our children to sit on the floor and create turtles with me. Inspired by turtles in many traditions and stories as symbols of wisdom, patience and perseverance, we made these pieces to display in our work spaces.
Turtles can be a remarkably simple or complex animal to draw. We started by drawing a large circular shape on the page. We added 4 feet or fins, a tail and head poking out from the circular shell. We then divided the shell in segments and used lines, shapes and colors to give our turtles their unique markings and personalities. From an art education perspective, the turtle shell provides an excellent space for experimenting with line quality and shape. From an art therapy perspective, creating your own simple shapes to fill in can offer a sense of soothing and mastery as completing each element of the design can be satisfying without requiring complicated decision making. Each maker was able to reach a unique endpoint from the same simple invitation.
While everyone is doing their best, we all need reminders to be patient and generous with each other, with technology and with ourselves as we figure out how to do this together. Thank you to all the teachers and so many others who are going above and beyond to support children and parents in this unprecedented time. I wish you turtle energy and hope you will make your own reminder to persevere!


You know all the things that go out in your trash or recycling bins every week – papers, empty cans, old shoes and food scraps. But what about all the trash left behind in space? Any time space shuttles travel into space they leave debris behind. It might be tools, old engine parts, fuel tanks or even an astronaut’s gloves. Satellites eventually wear out and stop working. They, too, become space junk. Most of this space junk orbits around the Earth, although some of it is found deeper in space.
Fun Facts about Space Junk and Debris for Kids
- Space satellites are launched by governments, as well as individuals and companies. If you have a cell phone, for example, it operates because of satellites launched by your cell phone company.
- In 2012, Russia had 1446 satellites in orbit over the Earth; The US had 1111. As of 2010, there were 8,000 man-made objects orbiting the Earth.
- Space junk can cause problems. Working satellites can crash into the space junk, creating more space junk. Sometimes space junk falls back to the Earth. Most of the time it burns up before it reaches the ground, but not always.
- Scientists are working on ways to clean up space junk.
- Satellites are very expensive. It costs about $100 million to build them and another $50 million to launch them.
Space Junk Vocabulary
- Space junk: debris in space
- Orbit: a circular path created by gravity
- Expensive: costs a lot of money
- Launch: send space satellites into space
Learn More All about Space Junk and Debris
Watch this amazing video all about space junk:
A video documentary about space satellites and space junk.
Space Junk Q&A
Question: Has anyone been hurt by falling space debris?
Answer: Most of the debris that has fallen from space lands in oceans or places where few people live. So far, no one has been seriously injured. In 1997, a woman in Oklahoma was hit on the head by part of a booster from a space shuttle, but she wasn’t hurt.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Space Junk info? Take the FREE & fun Space Junk quiz and download FREE Space Junk worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.


Expanding learning environments and support in early childhood education “the LaTVa” project
The LaTVa project focuses on the development of research-based and multi-professional expanding learning environment and the utilization of technologies to support children with special needs in early childhood education. The key aims are to develop knowledge and tools to facilitate the effective integration of the activities of different actors (early childhood education, family-and healthcare service Siun Sote and enterprises), the use of technologies and the development of learning environment to support the implementation of three-tiered support in early childhood education.
The core activity of the project is a multi-professionally developed and piloted technology-enhanced learning environment that utilizes the expertise from professionals in early childhood education, in Siun sote and in enterprises. In addition, a support kiosk model as well as a technology briefcase concept will be piloted in the project. The project also organizes thematic workshops in the piloting area, three regional workshops in North-Karelia and a kick-off and a closing seminar. The project invites technology and welfare enterprises to join the development of early childhood learning environment and disseminates results regionally, nationally and internationally.
As on outcome of the project, there will be holistic knowledge on the needs of the children in early childhood education and on the provision of currently missing but needed services in early childhood education in North Karelia region. In addition, the project creates an expanding learning environment model that illuminates how the key actors (early childhood education Siun Sote and enterprises) can work with families in a flexible manner by utilizing each other’s’ expertise when delivering support to children in early childhood education. The project also creates opportunities to enterprises to develop services and technologies for early childhood education and for networking with different actors in early childhood education


Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best of the musical canon.” Music programmes of study: Key Stage 3. 2014
Music Department Aims:
To provide all students with the opportunity to access and engage in a variety of musical genres, traditions and styles.
To provide all students with the opportunity to develop the ability to perform, create, appreciate and appraise music.
To encourage students to work independently and as part of teams, to share musical experiences.
To provide a music education culture that is creative, expressive, technological and vocational.
To encourage active independent participation in cultural opportunities by students.
To provide students with the opportunity to explore and develop their own spirituality
DID YOU KNOW?
We offer tuition on a number of instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, cornet, trombone, French horn, tuba, piano/keyboard, classical/acoustic/electric/bass guitar, drums, vocals and uniquely, steel pans. Instrumental lessons are provided by Birmingham Music Service. There is a nominal termly charge for instrumental lessons of £50 per term.
The Music Department provides a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities to cater for all musical interests! There are a number of ensembles such as String Group, Steel Pan Band and a successful Choir. A number of students participate in Birmingham Music Service Central Ensembles. Practice rooms are always available to students who wish to work on their own independent projects. Our musicians perform regularly in school in Mass and assemblies and we participate in a number of projects with other local schools. We have an annual school production or pantomime. We organise regular trips to theatre performances and concerts at venues such as Birmingham Hippodrome and Symphony Hall.
“Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind and life to everything” Plato
KEY STAGE 3
In Key Stage 3 we encourage active involvement in different forms of music-making. Music lessons are active with students engaging with musical concepts in a predominantly practical way. The core skills of performing, composing, listening and appraising are developed through the study of a wide range of musical styles. The Key Stage 3 curriculum serves as a platform for students ongoing study at GCSE.
KEY STAGE 4
Students follow OCR GCSE Music which extends and develops students’ skills and knowledge in the three key areas of performing, composing and appraising. Students will find out more about different genres of music, investigate how music is put together, compose their own pieces and improve their performance skills both as a soloist and in an ensemble.


Some families have chosen to have their children attend national schools for one or more of the following reasons:
- to learn the national or local language.
- to build relationship with the local people.
- to integrate into and appreciate the national culture.
- to learn some of the academic skills they need.
At the same time, most families choose to have their children learn to read and write first in their mother tongue. The children may attend a national school for:
- a limited time each day (while continuing home study in the mother tongue.
- a year or two of their schooling career.
- higher academic instruction in the second language after they have the foundational skills in their mother tongue.
Some of the factors parents consider when they make these choices are:
- the quality of academics available in the national schools.
- the philosophy of instruction and disciplinary methods employed.
- whether that philosophy and approach is acceptable to the parents as they observe its effects on their children.
- how the education received affects the goals parents have for their children’s higher education and identity information.
Using national schools might be beneficial during some of the years of a child’s schooling career but not during others, depending upon which goals families want to emphasize at different times.
Permission is granted to copy, but not for commercial use.


World Human Rights day is celebrated on 10 December 2019 every year to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation.
Human rights are rights essential to every person, paying no mind to race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or some other status. Human rights incorporate the privilege to life and freedom, opportunity from bondage and torment, an opportunity of education, the privilege to work and living and some more. Everybody is qualified for these rights, without separation.
Here are some human rights that every individual should know:
- Right to Equality
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are blessed with reason and voice and should act towards each other in a soul of fellowship.
2. Freedom from Discrimination
Everybody is qualified for rights and opportunities set out in this Declaration, without qualification of any sort, for example, race, shading, sex, language, religion, political or other supposition, national or social birthplace, property, birth or different status.
3. Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and their freedom and the security of themselves.
4. Freedom from Slavery
No one shall be held in slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
5. Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment
No one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
6. Right to Equality before the Law
All are equivalent under the watchful eye of the law and are qualified with no separation for equivalent security of the law. All are qualified for equivalent insurance against any segregation disregarding this Declaration and against any impelling to such separation.
7. Right to Fair Public Hearing
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and any criminal charge against him.
8. Right to be Considered Innocent until Proven Guilty
Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to the law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
9. Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, and Correspondence
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
10. Right to Free Movement in and out of the Country
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
11. Right to Marriage and Family
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
12. Right to Own Property
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
13. Freedom of Belief and Religion
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.
14. Right to Participate in Government and in Free Elections
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
15. Right to Education
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.


The English learning area includes the teaching and learning of Language, Literature and Literacy. Students learn about language and how to use it effectively. They develop an understanding of the ways in which language operates as a social process and how to use language in a variety of forms and situations. They learn to speak, listen, view, read, write and create effectively. The teaching of English involves recognising, accepting, valuing and building on children's existing language competence., including the use of non-standard forms of English.
Literacy learning at Willetton Primary School underpins every facet of our school curriculum. Our school has committed to the development of a whole school approach to the learning of English. This encompasses common pedagogical approaches as well as the development of scope and sequence documents that guide staff in planning, pedagogy, targeted outcomes and the measurement of student progress.
All teachers have the goal of encouraging lifelong learners and lovers of literacy. A range of strategies are used in the teaching of writing, including First Steps and the Seven Steps to Writing Success. A stimulating print rich environment is provided by all teachers to further support students' literacy development. The students are encouraged to read, write and speak from Kindergarten. High expectations and structured learning and teaching programs ensure success in this priority learning area. Uninterrupted, sustained literacy teaching occurs daily with teaching and learning programs combining both explicit teaching and time for children to practise and consolidate their learning.


Children and their Art
Art is an integral part of a child's education journey, through exploration, practice and lots of fun on the way, children engage with projects that encourage them to be curious about the life and environment around them. Raquel has offered her insight on art education and how children can benefit from a solid grounding in art through a series of candid interviews about her experiences in art and art education.Find out more...
Art is a fundamental tool for expression and empowerment.
A fascinating perspective on why art is so important in the education of our children. Published on May 5, 2015 Campaign for Drawing and NSEAD patron Bob and Roberta Smith RA on why all schools should be art schools.
What can children learn through art?
Children who participate in the Brava Art Visual Art Program express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, and at the same time, they develop their own symbols and techniques to create their art works.
As artists, children are encouraged to rely on the concept of personal freedom and expression - utilizing a variety of both new and old materials - to transform this Visual Art Program into a very creative adventure.Find out more...
Find out more about the School Art Lesson program from Brava Art Press. Once you register as a member you will have access to multiple Art Lessons, Videos and Teacher’s help.Find out more...
This video presents ideas how to use and collect recyclable materials to use in the classroom, to see our whole range of video tutorials go to our video gallery page.
Register for free Art Tutorials
Subscribe to Brava Art Press
Brava Art Press is a FREE art education resource for teachers, students and individuals, all we ask is that you register so that we can include you in our community.


Parents can help their children develop key mathematical skills by playing simple games with them, and by maintaining enthusiasm for the subject.
“From our experience in Foundation Phase Mathematics education, we have come to appreciate parents’ crucial role in putting children on the right track,”
says Wendy Bergsteedt, head of marketing at Coronation Fund Managers.
Coronation has been involved for a number of years in supporting hundreds of foundation phase teachers in impoverished communities to strengthen their maths knowledge and implement practical teaching strategies. Over the past year, more than 8 000 children have benefited from the Counting with Coronation project, which is managed and implemented by the Primary Science Programme (PSP).
Teachers participate in a training programme, developed by PSP, over a cycle of two years. Experienced PSP facilitators also visit schools to help coach and mentor teachers in their classrooms to improve teaching and learning.
“The project focuses on primary school teachers, as early intervention will put children on a firm trajectory for the rest of their school careers,”
says Bergsteedt. Learning maths is an incremental process: you can only build on your existing maths knowledge. Children who fall behind in primary school are left with huge gaps in their maths foundation, leaving them unable to catch up in high school.
“Parents’ support at home complements and strengthens learning at school. Parents can improve a child’s confidence and develop their maths skills by introducing concepts into daily routines and fun activities,”
says Dr Zorina Dharsey, Director of PSP. A skilled teacher will build on the excitement and curiosity initiated in the home.
Academic research shows that simple parental interventions like playing dominoes with a young child, or encouraging older children to work out fractions as part of household chores, can deepen maths understanding.
Here are some ideas to get started:
• Show your child how numbers and counting apply to everyday life. Involve them in counting activities, e.g. measuring and counting the number of cups or spoonsful needed for a recipe. Talk about how things or
amounts are more, less, bigger and smaller, and be sure to praise and encourage.
• Collect a variety of materials such old keys, plastic bottle caps, jelly beans in a bag, and buttons in jars for hands-on counting. Every day, encourage your children to count and recount these items. For added fun,
offer guesses at the total number of items and see who comes the closest.
• Use food (like dried pasta) or items from around the house to experiment with addition, subtraction and “more” and “less” activities.
• Read, tell stories, sing songs, and recite poems that include numbers and counting.
• Set your child simple daily challenges, like asking them to calculate the daily shop, or counting out utensils.
“The most important message to give children is that maths is fun,”
Parents who are enthusiastic about maths help their children feel more confident and positive about learning key concepts. But all too often, parents express reservations about their own ability to do maths, and their anxiety rubs off on their children. At least one study shows that parents who believe being good at maths involves hard work and not innate ability, correlates with better achievements in maths.
“Be careful about how you speak about maths – in particular, avoid negative comments about your own ability and interest in the subject,” says Dharsey.
Parents can also strengthen their young children’s literacy skills, and by extension their ability to develop numeracy skills, by reading to them before bedtime. “Similarly, committing to doing a sum a day with your child can have a lifelong impact,” concludes Bergsteedt.


Hobbies Playing Music Mano Sinistra in Piano Music Notation Share PINTEREST Email Print Public Domain / Pexels Playing Music Playing Piano Tutorials Piano Chords Buying Advice Music Education Playing Guitar Home Recording By Brandy Kraemer Updated February 28, 2019 In piano music, sometimes the acronym "M.s." is used to indicate when a player should use their left hand to play a passage rather than their right hand. M.S. is an Italian term that stands for mano sinistra, literally translated as mano, meaning "hand," and sinistra, meaning "left." Music that is written with French notation typically uses a different acronym that is similar, "M.G." which stands for main gauche and also means that the passage should be played with the left hand. Sometimes composers will indicate this in the German I.H. (Iinke Hand) or even in simple English for the left hand, L.H. When M.s. Is Used Since the left hand typically plays music written on the bass clef, M.s. is most commonly used on the treble clef to indicate the left hand should move to up or cross over the right hand. However, it can be used on the bass clef as well. If the right hand has been playing music in the bass clef, M.s. might be used to indicate that the left hand should return to the bass clef and resume its regular positioning. There is a term for the similar functioning of the right hand as well. Mano destra abbreviated as "M.D." is used to convey for a piano player when the right hand should be used to play a specific passage of music.


Build college and career readiness skills with engaging, real-world ELA, science, and social science topics for grades 4-12
ThinkCERCA’s personalized literacy platform helps teachers nurture students' critical thinking skills. Through standards-aligned close reading and academic writing lessons for English language arts, science, social studies, and math, our schoolwide approach to literacy instruction prepares students in grades 4-12 for post-secondary life by building up their analytical skills in every subject. It provides educators with an online platform to differentiate literacy instruction easily while creating engaging learning experiences for their classrooms of diverse learners.
Research suggests that discipline-specific close reading and writing practice improves students’ literacy skills while building up their critical thinking skills. As the authors of the Common Core State Standards point out, these skills are essential for 21st century success. ThinkCERCA’s evidence-based argumentation framework helps students develop strong critical literacy skills across subjects by teaching them how to make Claims, support their claims with Evidence from texts, explain their Reasoning, identify Counterarguments, and address the appropriate Audience in a given academic, professional, or personal situation. ThinkCERCA’s flexible CERCA Framework also empowers whole school teams by providing teachers, parents, administrators, and students with a common language to drive sustainable academic growth.
The ThinkCERCA program includes different types of lessons on varied themes for the development of rich argumentation skills. The main types of lessons that form the basis of the program include:
1) Independent Reading – Short lessons containing high-interest, authentic informational texts with five multiple choice questions to get students engaged with independent reading.
2) Direct Instruction – Expert introductions to CCSS-aligned key skills and concepts that include introductory ideas related to the CERCA Framework, such as how to make claims, find evidence, and explain one’s reasoning, in addition to other basic literacy skills.
3) Applied Close Reading and Writing – Using the CERCA Framework, these lessons walk students through the process of developing formal written arguments about debatable topics that get students to think critically about relevant issues.
ThinkCERCA’s instructional designs were developed based on the research and practice of master teachers and nationally recognized literacy experts. The ThinkCERCA lesson library features a curated array of direct instruction lessons, passages, and automated and constructed response assessments. Its lessons include authentic informational and literary texts from real-world sources and support 10 different levels of readiness to meet the needs of diverse learners. Close reading is activated in instructional settings through discipline-specific highlighting and summarizing practice, as well as in-text vocabulary and audio support. Writing practice is supported by ThinkCERCA’s scaffolded, interactive Argument Builder, rigorous writing prompts, and standards-aligned sentence frames. In addition, ThinkCERCA lessons are designed to support student collaboration, including classroom discussion and debate, which allows academic literacy development through social and participatory learning.


Multi-Sensory Reading & Writing: Part 1 – Grades K – 2 – Winter A 2021 – 5 Weeks – Twice a Week
Wednesday, January 13 2021 @ 10:00AM - Wednesday, February 17 2021 @ 11:00AM EST| $125.00
It would be helpful if your child knows how to blend basic CVC words and knows most of the letter sounds before starting this class. We will cover the following lesson objectives: phonemic awareness (both blending and segmenting of words), phonological awareness, phonics instruction (CVC/CCVC/CVCC words), and numerous phonics rules.
Last, we will wrap up each class with a creative writing activity related to the passage learned that day. We will focus on writing complete sentences, spacing, and using details to make our writings more interesting.
Please note this class meets on WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY every week from 10:00 am – 10:45 am ET each class.
*Next Course: Multi-Sensory Reading & Writing Part 2 during Winter B.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing your child in the classroom soon!
Registration deadline is December 15, 2021.
There must be a minimum of 5 students to run this class.


A single-subject design of the effects of teaching Tier Two vocabulary on the vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, fluency, and prosody of fifth-grade nonnative English speakers was conducted. Results suggested that vocabulary instruction improved vocabulary knowledge, but further research and study is needed to determine ways to improve fluency, prosody, and comprehension in nonnative English speakers in the intermediate grades who are also struggling readers. Implications for classroom practice include the need and benefit of teaching Tier Two words to nonnative English speakers who are struggling readers in intermediate grades.
|Commitee:||Daniel, Mayra, Richgels, Donald, Van Laarhoven, Toni|
|School:||Northern Illinois University|
|School Location:||United States -- Illinois|
|Source:||DAI-A 71/06, Dissertation Abstracts International|
|Subjects:||English as a Second Language, Elementary education, Literacy, Reading instruction|
|Keywords:||Comprehension, ELL, English language learners, Fifth-grade, Fluency, Non-native, Nonnative English speakers, Prosody, Vocabulary, Vocabulary instruction|
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Resources › For Educators Cosmos Episode 1 Viewing Worksheet Share Flipboard Email Print FOX For Educators Teaching Teaching Resources An Introduction to Teaching Tips & Strategies Policies & Discipline Community Involvement School Administration Technology in the Classroom Teaching Adult Learners Issues In Education Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Homeschooling By Heather Scoville Science Expert M.A., Technological Teaching and Learning, Ashford University B.A., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cornell University Heather Scoville is a former medical researcher and current high school science teacher who writes science curriculum for online science courses. our editorial process Heather Scoville Updated April 27, 2019 Once in awhile, it is necessary to have a "movie day" in class. Perhaps you have a substitute teacher and want to make sure your students are still learning and reinforcing concepts you've been studying. Other times call for a "reward" of a movie day or as a supplement to a unit that may be particularly difficult to grasp. Whatever the reason, a great show to watch on these movie days is "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" with host Neil deGrasse Tyson. He makes science accessible and exciting for all ages and levels of learning. The first episode of Cosmos, called "Standing Up in the Milky Way", was an overview of science from the beginning of time. It touches on everything from the Big Bang Theory to the Geologic Time Scale to Evolution and Astronomy. Below are questions that can be copy and pasted into a worksheet and modified as necessary for students to fill in as they watch Episode 1 of Cosmos. These questions are designed to check understanding of some of the most important parts while hopefully not taking away from the experience of watching the show. Cosmos Episode 1 Worksheet Name:___________________ Directions: Answer the questions as you watch episode 1 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey 1. What is the name of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “spaceship”? 2. What is responsible for creating wind and keeping everything in the solar system in its clutches? 3. What lies between Mars and Jupiter? 4. How big is the centuries-old hurricane on Jupiter? 5. What had to be invented before we could discover Saturn and Neptune? 6. What is the name of the spacecraft that has traveled the farthest away from Earth? 7. What is the Oort Cloud? 8. How far from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy do we live? 9. What is the “address” of Earth in the cosmos? 10. Why do we not know yet if we live in a “multiverse”? 11. Who wrote the banned book that Giordano Bruno read that gave him the idea that the Universe was infinite? 12. How long was Bruno jailed and tortured? 13. What happened to Bruno after he refused to change his mind about his beliefs of an infinite Universe? 14. Who was able to prove Bruno right 10 years after his death? 15. How many years does one month symbolize on the “cosmic calendar”? 16. What date on the “cosmic calendar” did the Milky Way Galaxy appear? 17. What date on the “cosmic calendar” was our Sun born? 18. What day and time did human ancestors first evolve on the “cosmic calendar”? 19. What do the last 14 seconds on the “cosmic calendar” represent? 20. How many seconds ago on the “cosmic calendar” did the two halves of the world find each other? 21. How old was Neil deGrasse Tyson when he met Carl Sagan in Ithaca, New York? 22. What is Carl Sagan most famous for?


What is the EBacc?
- The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a headline accountability measure for schools in England which has a major impact on what pupils study.
- It measures the achievement of pupils gaining GCSE qualifications in English, Maths, History or Geography, the Sciences and a Language.
- The EBacc was first introduced by then-Education Secretary Michael Gove in 2010. As a result of the first campaign led by Bacc for the Future which was set up by the ISM in 2012, the Government dropped its policy in 2013. Following the unexpected Conservative party win in 2015, the EBacc policy was relaunched, with proposals for 75% of pupils to be studying it by 2022, and 90% to be studying it by 2025.
Why is the EBacc a cause for concern?
- Put simply: the EBacc excludes creative subjects.
- The EBacc does not measure achievement in creative, artistic and technical subjects such as Music, Drama and Design and Technology which means schools are less likely to offer creative, artistic and technical GCSEs. In turn this is making it much less likely that pupils will study these subjects later, or participate in extra-curricular activities related to them.
- Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications show there has been a 34% decline in the number of state pupils taking arts and creative subjects at GCSE since 2010.
- Studies by the University of Sussex, King’s College London, the Education Policy Institute and the BBC have shown a clear link to the EBacc.
- The EBacc threatens the skills pipeline for creative industries in the UK, with severe consequences for their ability to recruit future talent. Without action by the sector to change the Government’s mind, the UK risks losing our USP as a global centre for the creative industries.
Why is the EBacc a failure on its own terms?
- The Government’s target is for 75% of pupils to be sitting the EBacc by 2022 and 90% by 2025.
- By contrast, in 2018, only 38% of state pupils in England sat the EBacc, and just 21% passed it. These figures have been almost static for years.
- Even as it damages creative and artistic education in our schools, the EBacc is failing on its own terms. There is no justification for keeping it in its current form or for retaining unreachable targets.
What can you do about it?
- Use our template letter to write to your MP and make sure they know about the damage being caused by the EBacc.
- Read our advocacy pack and share it with friends who are worried about the impact of the EBacc on our schools.
- Tell your friends about the campaign on social media, using the hashtag #BaccfortheFuture.
What does Bacc for the Future propose instead?
Bacc for the Future believes there are a number of viable alternatives to the present EBacc which have extensive support across the arts and the political spectrum.
We believe the simplest option is to reform the EBacc by including a “sixth pillar” of arts and creative subjects. This was recommended by Darren Henley, now Chief Executive of Arts Council England, in his 2011 review of music education in England.
The Government could also abolish the EBacc and Progress 8 outright. However, if it does so, it must ensure that any new accountability measures effectively incorporate arts and creative subjects.
Bacc for the Future supporter the Edge Foundation, an education thinktank chaired by former Education Secretary Lord Baker, produced a report in 2016 which detailed its ideas for a “New Baccalaureate” incorporating creative subjects. You can read the full report on the Edge Foundation website.


NCERT Books for Class 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 Free Download: This page gives you free Download of pdf Books from NCERT. These Books are the Latest Edition which are written for Academic Year 2020-21. Students of those classes and candidates who are preparing for Competitive Exams like JEE, NDA, IBPS, IAS, UPSC and State PSCs can Read these book to gain the knowledge in concerned Subject.
Download the NCERT Books from this page for Hindi, English, Urdu Mediums. Most of the CBSE Schools in India follows NCERT Books. So CBSE Students also can Download these books from Here.
Here You can get Class wise, Subject wise links for Download of NCERT pdf Books. We request you to Share this link with freinds to access this page and Download FREE NCERT Books from here.
NCERT Books for Class 1 to Class 12
|NCERT Books for Class 1||NCERT Books for Class 7|
|NCERT Books for Class 2||NCERT Books for Class 8|
|NCERT Books for Class 3||NCERT Books for Class 9|
|NCERT Books for Class 4||NCERT Books for Class 10|
|NCERT Books for Class 5||NCERT Books for Class 11|
|NCERT Books for Class 6||NCERT Books for Class 12|
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organization set up in 1961 by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programs for qualitative improvement in school education. The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to: undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education; prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc. organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers; develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices; collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions; act as a clearinghouse for ideas and information in matters related to school education; and act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education.
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Designed for our youngest students (ages 2-3 years old), Terrific Tots introduces movement exploration, spatial awareness, and large motor skill development, as well as an exploration of music through movement and instruments. Shapes, colors and patterns will play a part of each child’s learning experience.
Designed with our younger students (ages 3-4 years old), Tiny Dancer is a creative movement class which incorporates large motor skill development, spatial awareness, musicality, movement exploration, and imagination. In addition, students are introduced to tap dance for the last 15 minutes of each class.
We teach the Cecchetti method of Ballet, which has been taught for many years in the Ballet world and is the same method practiced in many college programs and professional companies. This method also uses a structured syllabus that is known to progress students logically through Ballet technique from Beginner to Advanced levels.
Rhythmic and fun, Tap Dance strengthens students’ abilities to count and dance in time with music and increases footwork speed. Tap is also a great way to improve coordination in young dancers.
In Tap/Ballet Combination Classes, students have the opportunity to experience both Ballet and Tap instruction during each class.
Fun, quick-paced, and energetic, Hip Hop dance finds its roots in street dancing. Students learn to coordinate movements with music and are encouraged to express themselves as individuals.
A graded ballet program, the Cecchetti Program is offered to students by invitation only. Contact us for more information.
An improvised rhythmic dance style that often uses popular music, Jazz incorporates sharp and fluid movements to create a visually technical dance and style. Body isolations, stretching, turning, leaping, and technical steps are taught in this class.
Encompassing elements of Ballet, Jazz, and Modern Dance, along with the use of tricks and turns, Contemporary Dance allows dancers to tell a story with their movements and gestures and learn to express their emotions through their dancing.
Musical Theater Dance
This is a great class for drama students between 8 and 12 years old. They will learn dances to songs from musicals as well as basic jazz skills that can be used for their upcoming drama performances.