What is a Capo Everything You Need to Know Here.

What is a Capo Everything You Need to Know Here. What is a Capo? Jessica Dais A capo is a helpful device that allows you to easily change the key of a song while using the standard “open position” chords that every guitarist knows. With a capo, you can play those same chords in any fret position along the neck of the guitar. Keep reading to find more answers to all of your capo-related questions! What is a Capo? A capo (pronounced “cape-oh”) is a small clamp that you can attach to the neck of the guitar at a specific fret. What does a capo do? It keeps all of the guitars strings depressed at that specific fret, all of the time. The parts of the capo that squeeze the strings against the fret board are made of rubber, so they don’t damage the wood on your guitar.   Let’s say you attach the capo at fret two. It will squeeze down all of the strings at fret two and keep them pressed down. So it’s like you’re playing a note at fret two with your finger, but on all six strings simultaneously. If you were to lay your index finger across all six strings at fret two and press down hard enough so that all the notes at fret two sounded clearly on each string, that technique would be called a “barre.” This barre technique is used by guitarists all the time, but if you are just beginning you may not have tried it yet and when you do, it will take a few weeks to master. Attaching a capo is a much easier way to achieve the same result. You could say that the capo produces a permanent barre at a specific fret. Now let’s look at what exactly happens when you have a capo attached to your guitar. How Does a Capo Work? Let’s use the capo attached at fret two as an example again, although you can put the capo across any fret. Once the capo is on, when you play your strings open, the notes that sound are not E, A, D, G, B, and E (the notes of open strings six through one). Instead, they are F#, B, E, A, C#, and F#. We say these notes are “one tone higher” or a “whole step” higher (the distance of two frets) than the normal open string notes. If you think of fret three as if it were fret one, and form a C chord as you normally would (but above the capo), it will sound as a D chord. If you played a song with Am, G, and C chords (which would be in the key of C major), you will hear Bm, A, and D chords (which would move the song to the key of D major). Every time you move the capo one fret higher, you have raised the music by one key. The most common reason for changing the key of a song is to make it easier to sing in your vocal range. To hear the sound of a guitar with a capo on, listen to “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. The capo is on fret seven and it gives the guitar a bright, mandolin-like quality. The chord progression would be in the key of D major, but with the capo on, it comes out in A major. Who Should Use a Capo? For beginners, using a capo means that you can play more songs with a limited knowledge of chords and delay learning those difficult “barre chords” you may have heard about. But capos are not just for beginners. Many songwriters use capos so they can play chords in the style theyre accustomed to anywhere along the neck of the guitar. By moving the capo, they can easily try singing a song in different keys until they find the one that works best for their voice. In fact, flamenco guitar players routinely use a capo in the first few frets for two reasons â€" to play songs in the traditional keys, but also for the way the capo tends to push the strings closer to the neck, making chords and fast melodic runs easier to play. Try this if your guitar is a beginner model that is a bit more difficult to play. SEE ALSO: 5 Guitar Gadgets That Will Change Your Life Which Capo is the Best? There are a few different capo designs. One of the best capos is the Shubb, which retails for about $16 on Amazon. It’s made of rugged steel and clamps on very securely. This is handy because if you accidentally bump the capo while playing, it won’t pop off and ruin your performance. If you’re on a budget, one of Amazon’s best sellers is the UGY plastic capo which retails for about $7. This capo uses a spring action and can be attached or moved very quickly by squeezing two levers together. There are many manufacturers making capos in this style. A third option is the Dunlop elastic capo, starting at around $3. It uses a stretchy elastic cloth that attaches to a rubber coated, pole piece. Several holes are provided along the elastic to allow for different tensions, as the neck gets wider the higher you go. Whatever style you prefer, you need to make sure you order the right one for the type of guitar you have. If you order the wrong one, it won’t squeeze the strings correctly. A “steel string” guitar capo has a slight curvature to the part that lies across the fret board, as the fret board on a steel string guitar is slightly convex. A “nylon string” guitar capo is wider and very flat. Many beginning guitarists often ask their instructors, What is a capo? Now that you know what a capo is and how to use one, you’ll be on your way to playing more songs than you thought you could! You’ll also be able to more easily play and sing along at the same time. Although the capo can be a very helpful tool, try not to rely on it too much. It’s still very important to expand your knowledge of different chords on the guitar. Need some help mastering some of the more challenging chords? Check out TakeLessons. Our expert guitar instructors can help take your skills to the next level! Need Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Mike J. teaches  acoustic guitar, bass guitar,  blues guitar, classical guitar, as well as  country guitar  in Ogden, UT. He received his Applied Music Degree from  Mohawk College and has gone on to receive many certifications and awards since then. Mike is a  full time music instructor with over 30 years of experience teaching, performing, and writing music.  Learn more about Mike J. here!

A Guide to Drawing Techniques

A Guide to Drawing Techniques Drawing Techniques to Suit You ChaptersWhat is Observational Drawing?What is Caricature Drawing?What is Editorial Cartooning?What is Technical Illustration?Discovering Drawing TechniquesDrawing is something everyone does at some point in their lives.We learn to paint and draw from a very young age, even before we learn to talk.From the basics of our first stick figures to the moment we learn how to draw animals more realistically and get used to gesture drawing, as a means of expression and communication, drawing can provide a basis for a variety of careers.Art and drawing can take many forms, but the basis is the same for all of them: being able to draw basic shapes, use basic techniques, colours and put a piece together.Contrary to what some people may think, drawing isn’t a talent you’re born with â€" it is something you can learn at any age.This is probably the most important thing to bear in mind. Drawing is universal and anyone can learn how to do it.As the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin said:  There is no one beautiful style, beautiful drawing, nor beautiful colours: there is only one true beauty, the beauty of the truth which reveals itself.What are the different types of drawing? What are their characteristics? FernandoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EmmaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £75/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidDrawing Teacher 4.75 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (7) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorrenDrawing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Julia janeDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EvelinaDrawing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZangmoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (6) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is Observational Drawing?Let’s begin by looking at observational drawing.Why?Because it forms a basis for so many disciplines in drawing.Your art teacher wil l start teaching  basic drawing lessons in techniques through exercises involving simple objects in class.How can observational drawing help beginners?Learning to master control of your drawing toolsDeveloping observational skillsFaithfully reproducing real-life objectsGetting used to artistic techniques including working with one point perspective, proportion and light and shadeObservational drawing is hard work and can take a lot of time.The objective of observational drawing is to reproduce an identical representation of the model on paper. In order to achieve this, you have to learn to ‘disconnect’ your brain and focus on how the thing in front of you actually looks, rather than interpreting it a three-dimensional object.Sketching a landscape demands an eye for detail as well as a good amount of patience ¦ source: Visualhunt - Aidan MeyerConsider your hand as an extension of your eyesight.Learning how to draw the human body, a face, and even a still life drawing are all dif ficult exercises the first time you attempt them, however, practicing them is essential to becoming a skilled artist.Getting the hang of representing characteristics of an object opens up the diverse world of art to you.Having the ability to perfectly reproduce a portrait, landscape or another object gives you the means to express yourself through your art and explore your creative side further.Coming up with ideas is one thing, but knowing how to materialise them on a blank sheet of paper is another.Regularly practicing your observational drawing skills will allow you to work on new techniques and styles that you will use throughout your artistic career.What is Caricature Drawing?Once you’ve learnt how to draw a portrait of a person, you can start to have a bit of fun by exaggerating their features  in a move away from realism to produce a caricature portrait drawing. Not only will this give you a chance to use your imagination, the person you draw will also appreciate your effor ts!Drawing caricatures has a long history spanning several centuries.The traces of caricature drawing on Greek vases show that the practice may go back to antiquity.Caricatures, like most styles of drawing, began as engravings, but the development of printing (which came about during the Renaissance) facilitated the distribution of satirical drawings.The birth of satirical drawing is strongly linked to a major event in European history: the French Revolution.Drawing became a means of criticising society and condemning the abuse of power.Satirical newspapers started to develop and the caricature became a universal method of expression.The reason for this was that anyone could understand a drawing, so a shocking picture which ridiculed a certain person had a greater impact than words when it came to changing someone’s image.Does the idea of creating amusing portraits appeal to you?In order to be able to do this, you’ll need to have mastered the drawing basics.Drawing a caricatured portrait requires the artist to have good observational skills which will help them to decide which characteristics should be exaggerated in their picture.You should also work on your figure drawing and portrait drawing abilities in particular, as learning how to draw people will provide a firm foundation for learning to draw faces and how to sketch caricatures.Whether you learn about the art of drawing through step by step drawing tutorials, extra-curricular art instruction or an online drawing course, the pencil is yours to master!With any portrait, you should start by tracing the main characteristics of the face whilst ensuring a resemblance to the person you are drawing.Next, work on the details which will make your caricature an exaggerated piece rather than a portrait.Do they have sleepy eyes?A particularly wide smile?An interesting hairline?It all depends on the appearance of the person you’re drawing.Drawing a caricature is an opportunity for you to have fun with your art through exaggerating small details whilst keeping your portrait recognisable as the person you’re drawing.Drawing caricatures doesn’t just mean drawing what you fancy. The people who look at your finished piece should be able to recognise the person in the picture upon first glance.To learn how to create art like this, try to sketch celebrities and members of your family, as drawing faces you know well will give you the means to analyse their appearence. FernandoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EmmaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £75/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidDrawing Teacher 4.75 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaDrawing Teacher 5.00 (7) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorrenDrawing Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Julia janeDrawing Teacher 5.00 (5) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EvelinaDrawing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ZangmoDrawing Teacher 5.00 (6) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is Editorial Cartooning?There is only one step when going from caricature drawings to editorial cartoons.Editorial or political cartoonists are caricature specialists.Their job is to give their opinion on a news item through their humorous pencil drawings. They usually achieve this by criticising aspects of society or political affairs without a sitter to pose for their painting.Political cartooning is particularly prevalent in France, where the controversial right-wing satirical comic, Charlie Hebdo, was born.The 2015 attack on the makers of Charlie Hebdo put political cartoonists at the heart of current affairs and demonstrated the risks associated with their profession.Editorial cartooning aims to provoke a reaction from those who look at the drawing and encourage a newspaper’s readership to ask questions. In order to do this, editorial illustrators use dark humour, stereotypes and irony.E ditorial cartooning is less about the drawing and more about the subject it depicts. What should shock readers isn’t the cartoon, but the story that has inspired it.Editorial illustration is all about the message behind the caricature ¦ source: Visualhunt - DonkeyHoteyEditorial illustrators don’t think up the horrors they depict by themselves, rather they find them in society.We must also remember that an editorial cartoonist is above all a type of journalist who analyses and produces criticism. Instead of writing an article, they send a message through a quick drawing.The most effective cartoon satire is funny as well as thought-provoking!What is Technical Illustration?Is your mind more mathematically-oriented?Are you a scientist at heart?Technical drawing can be considered to be the opposite of creative drawing. This style of realistic drawing is essential to engineering and concerns representing all kinds of prototypes of products through drawing.It is particularly important as a means of communication, as finished drawings should aid the transmission of essential information which can help developers with new concepts and products.Here are a few examples of the uses of technical drawing:ArchitectureVehicle designElectronicsThe key word in technical illustration is precision.Before producing a specific piece, a concrete representation of all of its angles is required.Drawings from numerous angles, with cross-sections and scaling create an exhaustive representation of the product which includes useful information for the manufacturer.Technical illustrations are usually created by a team of professionals working on a project.Each technical illustrator must strictly conform to several characteristics of the product they are drawing, such as:The format of the drawingsCharacteristics  depicted in the drawingKey points to highlight on the drawingThe number of angles the product is drawn fromYou may picture a technical illustrator sitting in front of a desk, working with their pair of compasses and a protractor. Today, the discipline of technical drawing has changed significantly since these days, and professionals now work on computers with design software.Technical illustration demands a great deal of attention to detail and self-discipline, and its practitioners are rewarded by their ability to work in a variety of fields.Discovering Drawing TechniquesWe’ve looked at the main types of drawing. Before finding your feet in the world of art and discovering your personal drawing style, you should learn some drawing techniques.If you’re still at school, your art teacher will introduce you to the different drawing materials used by artists.Getting to know your drawing tools will open up a world of creation ¦ source: Pixabay - pixel2013Depending on the type of sketches you’re aiming to produce, you’ll be able to choose from a range of methods, and some with suit your project sketchbook better than others.By now, you’ll have alrea dy gained some experienced sketching with a graphite pencil on paper. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your materials, tools and techniques and see how your work varies depending on these things.Here are a few things you may come across when trying out new ways of creating art:Charcoal: Charcoal is something you’re bound to encounter as an artist. It is created from burnt shrub branches and it particularly suited to portraiture.Red Chalk: As its name suggests, this chalk is pigmented with earthy reds as well as ochre and even orange tones. Red chalk is ideal for creating depth in pictures.Graphite: Graphite is the proper name for the lead found in everyday pencils. It is usually the first drawing tool we encounter and especially useful for creating contrast with shading techniques.When it comes to producing your own drawings, you’ll quickly find that you can change the style of your drawings by changing your drawing technique.You may use thick strokes to sharpen an outline, use negative space, blending, doodle and experiment with textures, hatching, contour, use different types of drawing pencil and paper, learn to create shadows in a perspective drawing, or even try digital drawing and learn about rendering!So, whether you choose to draw with a ball-point pen, oil pastel, coloured pencils or watercolor paints, experimentation is the best way to find your personal drawing and painting style!Search for a private tutor to begin taking drawing lessons:drawing courses Londondrawing courses Leedsdrawing courses Glasgow

Watch Now How to Play Pumped Up Kicks

Watch Now How to Play Pumped Up Kicks Suzy S. The song Pumped Up Kicks has been a huge hit for indie rock group Foster the People, spending eight consecutive weeks at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and even earning a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.   Following the breakthrough success of the song, Foster the People have now earned their place alongside similar genre-defying bands like Phoenix and MGMT. And best of all, this catchy song is easy to play.   There are four main chords youll need to know, and you can be on your way to leading the karaoke with your friends and family.   Join TakeLessons staff member and guitar instructor Aldo B. as he shows you the four Pumped Up Kicks chords youll need to know below: Did you find this tutorial helpful?   What other songs would you like to learn how to play?   Leave a comment below or stop by our Facebook page to sound off! Looking for a guitar teacher near you? Click here to search by your zip code and lesson type! Like these posts?   Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!   Click here to subscribe. You might also like Watch Now: How to Tune a Guitar Videos We Love: Man With No Hands Plays Guitar Videos We Love: Walk Off the Earth Thinks Outside the Box

Learn the Violin Using Online Resources

Learn the Violin Using Online Resources Advice for Learning to Play the Violin Online ChaptersSet Clear GoalsPut Together a Programme For Online Violin LessonsPractising the Violin RegularlyPlay as much as PossibleListen to Violin PiecesChoose the Right Online Violin Lessons and ResourcesBe Motivated and PersevereWhether film soundtracks, classical music, or rock ‘n’ roll, the violin (or fiddle) is attracting new fans. But before you start playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, you need to have a look at a few tabs or study some music theory.Learning music theory (treble clef, bass clef, keys, reading sheet music, etc.) can take some time. You’re not going to become the next Vivaldi during your first lesson, after all.Music requires a lot of concentration, motivation, and teaching skills, learning to read sheet music and understand music theory needs to be done progressively, and the violin can be one of the hardest musical instruments to learn.If you want to learn music in more interesting ways, there are some who choose to learn violin with apps and new technologie s. There are plenty of ways to learn to play the violin on the internet (websites, YouTube videos, etc.).Which methods should you use in order to learn as effectively as possible?How do you avoid picking up bad habits without a tutor there to correct you? TomViolin Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StacyViolin Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtieViolin Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BenedictViolin Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TaisiiaViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AmyViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuísViolin Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoViolin Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsSet Clear GoalsWhy do you want to learn how to play violin?This is the first question you should ask yourself before you go online or start looking for violin te achers.Your goals won’t be the same if you’re wanting to become a professional violinist as they would be if you just want to play violin music with your friends on the weekends.Take more online violin lessons to improve your skills.There are plenty of good reasons for learning violin. (Source: StockSnap)While the basics will be the same for both, an amateur musician can skip over a lot of music theory and focus on violin playing while someone aspiring to go pro will need to be well-versed in the international language of music.This is why you’ll need to understand what your goals are and why you’re learning.  This can also help you focus on your learning and stop you giving up when things get tough. This is especially true when you’re teaching yourself as you’re the only person you have to answer to and there’s no music teacher spurring you on.Motivation can come in many forms. You might have a show at the end of the year, be playing at a friend’s wedding, you might have joined a band, or you might be applying to a music school at the end of the year.  Find a reason to stick at it.Put Together a Programme For Online Violin LessonsOnce you know what your goals are, you need to move onto the following step: putting together a plan.  When it comes to music lessons, it can be tricky putting together a coherent plan to follow.For example, you might find a video on vibrato you want to watch right after learning how to correctly position your hands.These two lessons can’t really be put one after another. Vibrato is far too complicated for somebody who’s just learnt about where to put their hands.  In order to make sure you’re progressing as you should, you need to make sure your lessons follow a coherent structure.So how do you do this?You could find books on violin playing in a library or even go on websites specialising in learning how to play the violin. Music schools also tend to explain the structure of their courses.You need to find the r ight order for all the violin topics you’re going to teach yourself:Positioning your handsImproving your postureHolding the violin bow and bowing techniqueNote valueRhythmMusic trainingFinding sheet music for violins and broadening your repertoireImprovisingTempoPerforming a concert as part of an symphony orchestra, quartet, or soloistComposing musicMaintenance such as changing violin strings and tuning your instrumentEtc.Some programmes might not suit your needs, either.Why not put together a list of violin learning objectives. (Source: Congerdesign)Don’t hesitate to change things by adding or removing certain lessons if they’re not suited to what you’re trying to learn.Practising the Violin RegularlyTo succeed in music, or any other art for that matter, you need to regularly practise:You should be able to practise the violin at any given moment.Don’t regularly change your daily schedule.If you leave too much of a gap between your lessons, you’ll start forgetting things you learnt in previous lessons. Studying regularly is key to retaining information you've taught yourself or learnt from a violin teacher.The more regularly the practise, the less likely you are to give up. By setting aside an hour each week for practising the violin, you’re forcing yourself to work on your playing. TomViolin Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StacyViolin Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtieViolin Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BenedictViolin Teacher 5.00 (8) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TaisiiaViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AmyViolin Teacher 5.00 (1) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuísViolin Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoViolin Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsPlay as much as PossibleJust like friendships, you need regularly work on playing the violin.  Y our efforts will be in vain if you only practise the violin every two months.  As we said, you need to practise regularly if you want to make any significant progress.If you only practise once a month, you’ll not make as much progress as someone practising regularly even if you practise for just as much time.  About an hour per week is the very least you can practise.It can be quite difficult to schedule 10-minute practice sessions. By the time you get your violin out, choose a video, and learn in such a short time.  Between 30 minutes and an hour is generally enough time to get settled and learn effectively.This gives you enough time to go back over the last lesson and build upon it with new topics. If you are learning the violin as an adult, remember that learning new things will take more time than if you were still a child. That, and everyone learns at their own pace - you will get there eventually!Check for the best violin lessons near me on Superprof.Make sure that you make time for playing violin. (Source: Obpia30)Learning the violin can take a lot of time.  The more you practise, the closer you’ll get to your dream of quickly mastering classical pieces by Vivaldi, Mozart, or Bach.  So go get your violin!Listen to Violin PiecesEven if you don’t have perfect pitch, you can work on it by regularly listening to violin pieces.  You can then move onto playing these pieces.  By regularly listening to violin pieces, you’ll get better at hearing mistakes and correcting yourself.Without a teacher, it can be difficult to notice your own mistakes.  So here are a few songs that are great for those learning how to play the violin:Palchelbel’s CanonLindsey Stirling - CrystallizeLouise Attaque - Je t’emmène au ventJean-Jacques Goldman - Tournent les violonsAmazing Grave - TraditionalShostakovich’s Second WaltzPerfect - Ed SheeranYou can also find plenty of YouTube channels with these songs and tutorials on how to play them.You might become the next big thing on the platform like Lindsey Stirling.Why not film yourself playing and put your performances on YouTube?If you're still looking for music for violin, why not check out some of the greatest violinists of all time:NameBornDiedAntonio Vivaldi16781741Johann Sebastian Bach16851750Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart17561791Niccolò Paganini17821840Pablo de Sarasate18441908Jascha Heifetz19011987David Oïstrakh19081974Yehudi Menuhin19161999Isaac Stern19202001Choose the Right Online Violin Lessons and ResourcesWhen you learn the violin online, you have to carefully choose which resources you use.  It’s very easy to get lost in all the resources available on the internet.Do You Want An Online Violin tutor?It’s important that you consider who’s teaching the lesson you’re going to follow.Are they a real violinist?How many years have they played?Are they a good teacher?You should check out a few of their videos before deciding on whether or not you’re going to follow their course.  It’s u seful listening to other beginners so that you know which common errors you should avoid before embarking on your journey.It's important you choose the right teacher. (Source: Sasint)Choose the Right Resources for Your Learning StyleSome classes will be better than others depending on your background as a musician and your learning style.  Take the time to get to know the resources you’re going to use.Try finding complete courses that don’t stop once you’ve learnt the basics. There’ll come a time where you’ll have to go from a beginner to an intermediate player.Be Motivated and PersevereEvery musician will tell you that motivation is key to learning a musical instrument.  You shouldn’t really look at naturally gifted musicians such as Mozart to inspire you but rather look for rags-to-riches musicians.Sometimes a lack of time can cause problems, but a lack of motivation will always cause you problems. In addition to setting up a programme and following it to the letter, m ake sure you actually want to learn to play the violin.If you have the necessary motivation, learning will come naturally to you.When you’re motivated, it’s a lot easier to put the effort in.“Music is the language of emotions.” Immanuel KantDon’t forget to bring your passion for music to teach of your lessons. Beginner violin lessons can end up being quite dry before you learn how to play anything of note.  The same goes for any other music classes (guitar, saxophone, piano, clarinet, flute, ukulele, accordion, harmonica, bass, drums, harp, trumpet, synth, etc.).After all, when it comes to music theory lessons, using the bow, left hand fingering techniques, and violin scales, violin lessons and music classes aren’t always really exciting.  This is especially true when you’re teaching yourself to play the violin. Motivation will play a major role in this case.

Quick and Easy Student Recipes

Quick and Easy Student Recipes What Are the Quickest Dishes for Students to Make? ChaptersAvocado Toast, a Quick Classic for StudentsCheese Toasty or Grilled Cheese, a Simple, Quick, and Effective DishMarble Mug CakeThe One-Pot Pasta, Quick Pasta for StudentsFennel Carpaccio, a Quick Way to Prepare VegetablesAvocado Cream and Crab, Healthy Food in a PinchRoquefort Quinoa, Ready in 15 MinutesTomato and Mozzarella Omelette, Student Cooking RevisitedMatcha Tartlets, a Quick, Easy, and Original Dish“Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart.” - Wolfgang PuckStudents are often limited by what they can make in the kitchen. Be it due to a lack of time, means, small flats, whatever, students need to be inventive when they cook. As a student, you need to find simple, easy, and quick recipes.Peppers, lasagne, spaghetti, spinach, omelette, or chickpeas are all good for students with the right recipes. Generally, students aren’t as bad at cook ing as you might think.The main problem is that students don’t have enough time to cook good dishes. They mightn’t have the time to prepare a good meal between two classes.So which are the best quick recipes for students to make?Place them into the fridge for a few minutes and take them out of their moulds. Garnish the tarlets with a bit of yoghurt, raspberry, and serve. It’s simple, quick, healthy, and a whole lot easier than pancakes.So there you have some simple, balanced, and easy-to-make dishes that you can quickly make in a few minutes.Student cooking doesn't need to be boring!If you need some help with your cooking, consider getting in touch with a tutor on Superprof. There are three types of tutorial on offer: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials.Face-to-face tutorials are the most costly but also the most cost-effective as you have a tutor preparing tailored lessons for you.Online tutorials are cheaper since the tutor has fewer expenses and ca n pass their savings onto their student.Group tutorials are more like your traditional cooking class London at school as there are multiple students. However, you can get a few friends together and share the cost of a tutorial.

2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference - Heart Math Tutoring

2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference - Heart Math Tutoring 2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference 2018 NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference January 3, 2019 By Heart Program Managers Sarah Cover and Kelsey Ripley Sarah and I joined the Heart Math Tutoring team as Program Managers this summer, and in October, we had the opportunity to join Heart Program Director Cydney Kramer in attending the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (NCCTM) in Greensboro, NC. We were joined by hundreds of other North Carolina math teachers, facilitators, and researchers. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many other education professionals who are working to creatively and effectively address the challenges of math instruction. As a Heart Tutoring team, we had many of our mathematical beliefs confirmed, and we also learned important new things about how to best support our students and families! We’ve summarized some of our findings below. Heart Tutoring Program Coordinators Sarah Cover and Kelsey Ripley with Heart Program Director Cydney Kramer at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (NCCTM) in Greensboro, NC. The Power of Productive Struggle The best way to help a student is to be less helpful. While seemingly contradictory, the best action we can take for our students is to step back and allow them the time and space to struggle through solving a problem. The notion of productive struggle maintains that by allowing students to experiment with different strategies, they will figure out what works best for them, rather than imitating procedures they don’t fully understand. This exploration is key to their understanding of not only a particular concept, but also key to what mathematics is about! Thanks to Heart’s one-on-one model, we have the time to encourage productive struggle in our students, allow them to explore new concepts, and support them as they work through their math anxieties. Should your students read a word problem and stop, waiting for instructions on how to solve it, ask them: “What is this problem about in your own words? What information do you know? What information do you need to know?” Give y our students the opportunity to solve the problem however they’d like, then ask them to explain their reasoning. By sitting back and allowing your students to tackle the problem on their own, you are showing them that you trust their learning process. Struggling through math concepts provides students the opportunity to take control of their learning and grow their thinking! Discovery Through Assessments “Give children time to work on a concept in a million different ways.” In a keynote session delivered by Kathy Richardson, we were reminded of the value that time and variety add to the learning process. Often assessments can take the form of a checklist or a series of tasks that students “ought to know.” What if we changed our perspective and instead treated assessments as exploratory opportunities to learn what students actually know? This approach can allow us to assess more frequently and more effectively, driving our instruction toward individual student needs. When we approach math (and math assessments) as a sense-making process, rather than a box to be checked, we give students the opportunity to discover what they know and what they do not yet understand. At Heart, our tutoring hour each week is designed to offer students time for that discovery. We use an assortment of materials and methods throughout our curriculum and mini-assessments to clarify our understanding of each student’s progress. The focus of an assessment doesn’t have to be on getting the right answer, but rather on the math making sense. What Does Math Practice Look Like at Home? Heart Tutoring Executive Director Emily Elliott with keynote speaker and leading educator on elementary mathematics, Kathy Richardson While it’s relatively common knowledge that families should read with their child in the early years, how to support your child in building math foundations is often more ambiguous. Studies have shown that if students don’t find meaning or engagement in math, they can lose motivation as early as first grade. Not only does this finding affirm Heart’s emphasis on elementary instruction, but it also reveals the urgent need to support connections between home and school environments in order tomake math more meaningful for our kids. Many families see math as a static set of skills to be learned in a classroom, but math in the early years is much more about play, reasoning, and exploratory problem solving. Parents don’t need a degree in algebra to support the foundational learning of their child. Instead, they simply need the time and space to play! This learning looks like sitting on the floor and counting out a series of objects or putting together a puzzle and describing the pr ocess of fitting the pieces together. The discovery of math can be found everywhere â€" it’s just about knowing what types of questions to ask. For more ideas about how to foster meaningful math at home, check out our Heart Family Page!

Reviews, Interviews, and Grammar Checker Articles

Reviews, Interviews, and Grammar Checker Articles Here is a list of articles that were published recently about the Virtual Writing Tutor grammar checker: EFL Magazine  interview with Nicholas Walker  by Sharyn Collins 10 Reasons to Use a Grammar Checker with College Students  by Nicholas Walker  Teaching English to Intermediate and Advanced Learners on the English Learner Portal Using grammar checkers to provide written corrective feedback by Paul John, Nina Woll, Mariane Gazaille, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières; Walcir Cardoso, Concordia University (PDF) Teacherpreneur interview with Nicholas Walker ESL Teacher, Writer and Website Designer  by Patrice Palmer The Virtual Writing Tutor by Nicholas Walker Compare Virtual Writing Tutor vs. Reverso Perfect Your Writing: 5 Free Grammar Checkers Check Your Grammar With Virtual Writing Tutor What is the best grammar checker software/online for aspiring ESL writers? What is the best grammar checker software? Writing Analysis: online spelling and grammar checkers and text diagnostics Grammar and Punctuation for Academic Writing Guide: Free Online Grammar and Punctuation Checkers  by Charles Darwin Library Services 7 Best Free Online Punctuation Checker And Corrector Tools: Picked By A Freelance Writer  by C. Newcomer Best English Grammar Checkers Online ›› Grammar check your writings  on My  English Teacher Grammar Checker | Virtual Writing Tutor  on Union  County Technical-Vocational Schools 15 GREAT Grammar and Punctuation Checker Tools for Writers  on Proficient  Blogging Virtual Writing Tutor  on Edshelf How the Virtual Writing Tutor Can Provide a Better Writing Solution on Medium.com Grammar Checkers and Writing Aids  on Writers Write Virtual Writing Tutor A Trusted Grammar and Spelling Check Tool  on IBO Social Le Virtual Writing Tutor : un correcteur web adapté à l’anglais langue seconde par Nicholas Walker Présentation du Virtual Writing Tutor : un correcteur web adapté à langlais langue seconde   par Nicholas Walker  Addressing Mixed Levels in Courses with Information Technology by Norman Spatz Integrating Grammar Verification Technology into Your Classes webinar 10 Reasons to Use a Grammar Checker with College Students by Nicholas Walker Grammar Checker Tools Sent Back from the Future by Nicholas Walker Please follow and like us:

3 common misconceptions people have about teaching English online (as told by a real teacher)

3 common misconceptions people have about teaching English online (as told by a real teacher) Hello! I’m Shannon - an energetic, caring, goofy and ukulele-playing teacher. I currently live in Toronto, Canada, where I work as an online English teacher with VIPKID. I love that my commute to my classroom is approximately 30 cm, from my bed to my computer desk. From the time my alarm beeps, it takes me about 30 minutes to make a coffee, fix my hair, clip on my pearls and put on a nice shirt so I can teach in my pajama pants. A little more about me: In 2011, I graduated with my BA. After graduating, I worked as a university recruiter for about five years, traveling around Canada to speaking with high-school students about post-secondary education opportunities. I loved working with students on a daily basis, so I decided to go back to school to study for my bachelor’s degree in education. In 2016, I landed my first teaching job through Teach Away, teaching kindergarten students in South Korea. In 2017, during my second year in Korea, I started teaching English online a few evenings a week to supplement my income. Read this: 5 reasons why licensed teachers should try online teaching When I finished up my second contract in Korea, I took a two-month break from teaching and went on a backpacking adventure around South East Asia. Now that I’m back in Canada, I’m taking online English lessons four mornings a week as I try to figure out where in the world I want to travel to next. Anyway, back to the topic at hand! Myths and realities of teaching English online. When it comes to teaching English online, educators have a lot of questions about how the job compares to teaching in a physical classroom. (At least, I know I had!) While it is a different experience and requires tweaking traditional teaching methods to adjust to teaching on an online platform, it can be just as rewarding. So let’s dispell some of the myths about teaching English online together! Watch this: A day in the life teaching English online 1. I need lots of teaching props and tools. Nope! Everything I use in my classroom fits into one shoebox. I’ve got a mini white board, dry erase markers, an old sock turned into a puppet, reward system cutouts, alphabet cards, a notebook, a few small stuffed animals, a mini toy car and a ball of sticky tack. I guess I should admit that the one thing I regularly use in my lessons that does not fit in my shoebox is my ukulele - but that is not a required online English teaching tool. On occasion, I will momentarily run off screen to grab other applicable items lying around my apartment. Sometimes I pop on my chef hat when we talk about food or hobbies, my snorkel mask when talking about underwater life, or I’ll grab my trusty jar of peanut butter to explain the word “squish,” but these are just bonus items. My shoebox of goodies is all I really need to effectively teach a lesson. I can easily throw my shoebox in my bike basket to take to my friend house, in my suitcase on a plane or even just under my arm to the basement on a sweltering summer day when it’s too hot upstairs and I want to save on my AC bill. The items in my shoebox are super helpful when I am teaching, but truly, the most important thing you need as a teacher is a genuine smile and a positive attitude. Those are much more important than knickknacks, fancy backdrops, alphabet cards or lesson plans. An enthusiastic teacher who shows genuine interest in their student is the most important factor contributing to student learning. Sign up to Teach Away today for access to the latest teaching jobs around the world. 2. You can’t build a relationship with your students. Also nope! Every week, I usually meet a handful of new students in my classroom, but I would say that most of my students are repeats. Before each lesson, I facilitate a brief QA session in which my student and I take turns asking each other three questions and providing an answer. Not only is this an opportunity for the student to practice their conversational English skills, but it fosters a stronger student-teacher relationship. We chat about our hobbies, what we ate that day, family members, what the weather is like, what our weekend plans are, favorite colors and so much more! I also have an excel document where I jot down notes on my students to help me remember little details, such as “Sam has a salsa dance competition this week”, “Lily has a pet pig named Lulu” or “if John was an animal, he’d like to be a lion”. Not only can I use this information to personalize my lesson but the kids are excited to tell me about what is happening in their life. For example, during a lesson on measurement, I asked Lily to estimate how long her Lulu is in centimeters and millimeters. She loved it! 3. The lesson is set in stone. Nope, no and another big fat NOPE! One of my favorite things about teaching English online is that all of my lessons are made for me. With my company, I’m provided with powerpoint slides of pictures to inspire conversation, writing activities, stories, questions and language games. That being said, every student has their own personality, likes, abilities and learning needs. I may teach the same lesson to multiple students, but it is NEVER the same experience. While it is important to stick to the learning goals of that particular lesson, the way you execute it is up to you. For example, on one slide you may find a picture of a bear with the sentence, “bears live in caves.” One student might need to focus on the pronunciation of the word “bear”. With another student, you may focus on animal habitat vocabulary and ask questions, like, “where do bees live?” and “where do ants live?” You may discover that you have a very high-level student and choose to ask thinking or opinion questions like, “why do bears live in caves?” Or, “if you were a bear, what would you do?” Another day, you may have a student who really likes music and you could decide to compose a song about bears with them. If you see a stuffed teddy bear on your student's shelf, you can ask them to use it to demonstrate a grammar point, such as, “my teddy bear is eating.” I’m sure you’re already thinking of your own ideas based on these little examples! This keeps things exciting for the student and teacher alike. The more fun you’re having as an online English teacher, the more excited you will be and that energy will, in turn, transfer to your student. So there you have it - some of the most common myths about online English teaching officially busted! When I’m chatting with my friends about home-based jobs, I always highly recommend giving online English teaching a go. I love that this job has allowed me to be flexible with my location, working hours and vacation time. Best of all, I always look forward to seeing my student’s smiling face when our lessons start! If you have any more questions about teaching English online, ask away! The amazing Teach Away team is ready to answer. Recommended reading: Are you ready to teach online? This calculator shows how much you can earn teaching English online Want to teach abroad? Try teaching English online first.