An Educational Safari

By James G. Pynn

The continued popularity of educational television shows has managed to generate some level of controversy, as indeed, it seems some people are not convinced as to the efficacy of the basic premise behind the idea of learning from watching television programming. Researchers at the University of Washington took aim at the assertions that exposing toddlers and young children to educational programming increased their learning capacity.

The research concluded there was no verifiable benefit to exposing children to educational videos. That being said, the research, conducted by Frederick Zimmerman, Dimitri Christakis, and Andrew Meltzoff, likewise concluded that there was no significant harm either. Indeed, the study specifically states, "Among toddlers aged 17 to 24 months, the study found no significant effects, either negative or positive, for any of the forms of media that were viewed."

While this is not a glaring condemnation, neither is it a glowing endorsement. The major company involved in this debate, Disney, has made it clear that it is parental involvement that makes programming educational. The concern is creating content that is age-appropriate and entertaining. Indeed, a show in-and-of-itself is no substitute for an involved parent who can help the child incorporate the material as educational information.

The quest to learn and know more is characteristic of toddlers and young children; indeed it is a uniquely human characteristic. How that information is filtered and assimilated is as much a byproduct of a child's environment as the raw information itself. Helping children correlate specific animal noises, for example, with specific animals requires a parent or teacher to help shape and make sense of the presented information. There is no magical fountain of learning -- and what plays out on the television screen must be translated and given scope.

So it is that educational shows seem to provide the raw material any involved parent can help shape for his or her child. It seems Disney, among others, is dedicated to this interaction between child, parent and screen. To be sure, without the parent, the television screen becomes nothing more than a surrogate caregiver, and a rather shallow one at that. The commitment to family entertainment is, in a manner of speaking, a commitment to family involvement. - 23815

About the Author:

Interested parents and children are encouraged to seek out a host of interactive, educational programs. One of the more popular series is Disney's BABY NOAH series.

Drumming Lessons DVD: Learn With the Pros

By Oniel Chester

But it was fun! A sales rep then told me I should enter their "fastest drummer" contest. When I asked him when it was, he said, "THE NEXT NIGHT"! After trying to bow out, I eventually said "okay". Since I've always disliked "musical competitions" I don't know why I agreed? So, I decided I wouldn't tell anyone (including my wife) about it - talk about being insecure!

The most important thing to remember about home drum practice is to keep your family happy. They need to be for you and not against you. Once they have agreed to have drums in the home, you need to agree on the amount of practice time. As for me, one hour daily is the magic number.

Beginners, Intermediates, advanced, expert and professional players all use drumsticks. Most professional drummers are particular about the weight, shape, balance, size, grain and density of the sticks. Thick, heavy sticks are used to play street drums in marching bands and drum corps. They can produce a high quality sound.

The first step in developing a solo, an important ingredient that would need to be addressed, is the proper execution of rudiments. Are your single strokes, doubles, paradiddles, rolls, flams, and so on, played well? You will want to execute these smoothly and with precision. It will present the difference of being a beginner or professional drummer.

The first step in developing a solo, an important ingredient that would need to be addressed, is the proper execution of rudiments. Are your single strokes, doubles, paradiddles, rolls, flams, and so on, played well? You will want to execute these smoothly and with precision. It will present the difference of being a beginner or professional drummer.

Take some lessons. Despite your level of experience, lessons always seem to inspire us. You will find new approaches, viewpoints, and techniques that you may have never encountered otherwise. Even the greats will often go back and study with a teacher after a long successful career. They are maintaining goals in their life and assuring continual motivation, excitement, and competitiveness

What is Second Line? Have you ever been asked to play a "second line" beat on a particular song? I know I have. Usually I cringe and realize that, although I basically think it involves a marching style on the snare drum, I really don't have a clue as to what to play. Luckily my experience and musicality got me by for many years. I learned how to fake things "very" well.

Practice single strokes for LONG periods of time. Get them EXTREMELY fast to where they become "very" comfortable. If the rest of your technique is relatively good, your arms will not tire after that - 23815

About the Author:

Everything they never told you about drum beats revealed! For more insider tips and information be sure and check out drumming lessons dvd

Learning Acoustic Guitar: The Parts of the Guitar and Proper Posture

By Scott Forrester

Though it may seem to be a daunting task at first, learning to play the acoustic guitar really isn't as hard as some people make it out to be. Every skill has a starting point and the guitar is no exception. The best place to begin, is by learning every single part of the guitar, because once you know how it works you'll be better able to understand it, and therefore be able to play it better. The acoustic guitar is fairly simple and doesn't sport quite as many parts as other guitars might, so we can go over them relatively fast:

1. The body of the guitar is the big part that you need to worry about. This is where the strings are, and it is the largest part. It has a hole in the center which creates the so und that you hear when you actually play the instrument.

2. Behind the pick hand at the end of the body you will find the bridge. This is the area in which the strings are attached to the guitar before making contact with the hole, and making their way up the neck. On the majority of acoustic guitars, you will find that this bridge is composed of wood.

3. Then there is the neck, which is on the other end of the guitar's body. The neck is on the left, and is long and skinny. The guitar strings go from the bridge all the way to the top of the neck to the tuning keys.

4. In order to make different notes and sounds with your guitar, you need to place your fingers behind the frets. The frets are the golden bars running across the neck, and there are normally twenty four of them.

5. The next part is the nut; this is a divider that goes between the neck and the head stock. Normally this is grooved and keeps the headstock from sliding about while you play your guitar.\

6. Next there is the headstock, which is the topmost section on the neck. This is where the tuning keys are situated.

7. Tuning keys are the metal tabs which you'll see on the headstock itself. This is where the other end of the strings is situated, and you can use the tuning key to change the tone. This is usually referred to as keeping the guitar tuned.

So those are the basic parts of the guitar. After you have learned that you will need to learn to keep good posture while playing, that way your instrument will sound great when you play! Next we will tell you exactly how to accomplish that.

For right handed players: Begin in a sitting position, and raise one of your knees just a little bit. Put the guitar body in such a way that you are holding the neck to the left. Take the neck with your left, and then put the pick in your right. This is a decent posture, and one suitable for playing the guitar. If you need to, you can always use a strap.

If you are not right handed, then you are obviously left handed, and there is a specific way to do that as well. You need to make sure that you are comfortable first of all, and because of that you are free to sit in any way you want. All you need to do is reverse the posture of the right hand player and everything will be fine, just try it out a little, try a few different cords, and see what feels right. - 23815

About the Author:

Want some acoustic electric guitar lessons and get amazing at guitar in only a few short months from now? See these easy guitar lessons and get really good at guitar really fast!

Moving A Piano Carefully

By Beulah Woody

How does one move a piano? Very scrupulously.

Okay, I am being a tiny harsh, but moving a piano is a serious endeavor.

I am a gigantic disciple of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it's easy to damage a piano while moving it. I'm speaking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my oldsters purchased new for me when I used to be a child. That piano was a big score to me after having played on an old "clunker" of a piano for many years. I played that new piano each day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my home. My partner and his siblings moved it themselves. It wasn't an easy job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds - grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds ). The newbie move of my piano ended in each of the piano legs being damaged ( a standard occurrence when folks move a piano themselves ) and some unplanned internal work ( some pins needed repair and a string broke). I should have hired a piano mover. Then I wouldn't have had those problems, but my man and I thought we would save cash by doing it ourselves. It absolutely was a lesson I should have remembered, but I was dumb a second time.

A few years back my man and I built a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my man was reluctant to hire somebody to move it professionally because our pocketbook was feeling empty from the expense of building the house ( he called our new house a "money-sucking black hole." ) In his mind, moving it wasn't a big deal. Our new house was less than two miles from our old one ; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was prepared to help him.

Everything went O.K till my man turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a large amount of damage ( the complete "guts" of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched ). I haven't had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimation. It should take a lot of time and money to mend the piano. It has to be absolutely reconstructed. Thanks to the labor involved, it might be less expensive to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has a lot of sentimental value to me so I'm going to have it fixed. This is why I say, "Hire a professional!"

What does a professional piano mover do to ensure a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they almost always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The complete bundle is then usually put on a dolly and brought to its destination. If steps are concerned, the piano is taken off the dolly and slipped up or down the steps on the piano board.

Moving a grand piano is a touch more involved. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are typically all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.

Some movers do not like to move a piano up or down steps. If it's feasible, they like to hoist it to the appropriate floor thru a window that is large enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you desire to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly vital to move it because there's always the danger of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most probable thing to get damaged or broken.

Be really careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get some robust folk to help if the piano is an upright ; and get at least 5 people if it's a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, lean the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but watch out not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you attempt to move it. It is not obligatory ( and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor completely.

If you're going to move a piano typically consider having it fitted with special casters that will enable you to move the piano simply. Or, have the piano placed on a piano wagon.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you've decided to not try and move it yourself? My recommendation is that you call your local piano store and ask them for recommendations. They should be able to offer you the name or names of credible movers in your area.

Ok, so you've decided you are really going to move your piano and you've decided on a technique. Now you have to figure out where you are going to put the piano. Where should it go?

Try to put your piano in an area of a room where there are little drafts, drafts, where it's out of direct sunlight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. The reason being because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Lots of temperature and humidity swings result in a piano to go out of tune quicker than ordinary, can damage the wood case, and if they are severe they even ultimately cause structural failure.

Don't place your piano over or next to a heat vent and elude placing it close to a fireplace. Don't put in front of a window because that is sometimes a drafty place as well as one with direct daylight. Try to discover a room in your home or flat which has consistently stable temperature and humidity. That's the best room for your piano.

If you can not find a place in your flat or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and doesn't have enormous temperature swings, you may wish to consider having a climate control system installed in your piano.

Moving and placing your piano properly will help guarantee you have a wonderful instrument to play for a long time rather than having what I now own - an outsized paperweight that needs to be dusted. - 23815

About the Author:

If you would like to find out more about Piano movers new yourk city the please visit Piano Movers New Yorkwhere you will find a comprehensive guide on how best to move your piano.

Learning Guitar - Simple Tips to Help You Play Even Better

By Scott Forrester

Learning the guitar is difficult, though it is definitely admirable and rewarding. There is a lot of work, and there is just as much fun involved. Though you may practice again and again however, there is a chance that you will feel your efforts are getting you absolutely nowhere. Fortunately there are a few tips here that may help you to hone your kills and become the guitar player that you have always wanted to be. You will find these to be very helpful regardless of what your skill level currently is; novice or beginner, it will help you out either way.

If you wish to develop even better skills, then you need to remember to keep your posture when playing. There are a lot of people that don't understand how much of an impact posture has on your guitar playing ability. You need to sit on a chair or even bench which has no arms that make it easy for you to hold a guitar. Also make sure that your back is straight because your posture affects not only the sound but also your back.

Ever thought about the way you hold your pick? You should if you want to play guitar even better. You see, you want to hold the pick firmly, but you don't want to grip it too hard. You need to have a good enough grip on the pick that you won't accidentally drop it.

The reason you don't want to grip your pick too hard when you are playing is fatigue. When you hold the guitar pick too firmly your entire arm is going to start getting tired pretty quickly. Go with a grip that is firm, but not too firm, and you'll get a great sound and won't tire out your arm as much.

Of course you also need to make sure that you pick out the right pick for playing guitar. There are flat picks and finger picks, although most people use flat picks. There are various levels of flexibility to choose from when you need a pick as well. If you are just learning to play the guitar, it is a good idea to start out with a soft pick and then once you get in practice, then go on to a pick that is firmer.

Another great tip is to begin to learn arpeggios. You may not have learned how to play these yet, but once you do, it will really make your guitar playing sound good. They are actually fairly easy, they sound great, and they are a whole lot of fun to play as well.

You can't use a guitar pick to play arpeggios. You will need to use your fingers to do this. You use your thumb on the bas note to pick it, then take the index finger on the third string and pluck it. Then you use the middle finger on the second string, and the ring finger on the top string. You have not picked four different notes. Now you have to learn to do this faster. Practice this over and over until you get it. Once you master arpeggios, your playing will really sound nice.

Those are just a few of the things that you need to know in order to become a great guitar player. So long as you keep practicing you cannot fail so long as you stick to them. Regardless of whether you're brand new to the guitar or if you've been taking lessons for a while, these are more than certain to give you a helping hand. - 23815

About the Author:

Hi do you want to see online guitar lessons and get the awesome skills of a master guitarist in a short period of time? See these great guitar instruction tips and get advice to show you how to be great at guitar!