Yoga for the Voice - an introduction!

Yoga for the Voice - an introduction! Suzy S. Here is a very interesting article written by our singing teacher gfire, hailing from Austin, Texas, about how practicing yoga techniques can improve overall singing capability: When I first began my professional singing career, still in my teens, I was extremely dissatisfied with the explanations I had been given for how and why the singing voice works. I just couldnt make my voice do the things I wanted it to. Admittedly, I had pretty high expectations. Fortunately, I went to my public library and happened on a copy of Science and Singing by the late, great Ernest George White of London, England. After decades of scientific research, White discovered how the voice and vocal tone actually originate in the four sets of sinus cavities in the head, not in the throat/vocal cords, as was previously believed. White taught people to speak who had had their vocal cords surgically removed just by training them in controlling the air in their sinus cavities. He explains in his book that the air vibrating in an enclosed space (the head) acts as a musical instrument, similar to a flute or a recorder or even air moving through a keyhole and producing sound. He felt that the vocal cords, or vocal folds as he preferred to call them, merely aided in regulating the flow of breath from the lungs up to the head, where the sound was actually produced. Unfortunately for me, White had already passed away in 1940, so I began my own attempts at playing with the air in my sinus cavities. After many months of study, pretty much by trial and error, I found that I was actually a first soprano, not a second soprano, as I had thought. I found that it took much less air and a lot of control to maintain my high notes, but that I now HAD control. And I really began to develop my own unique singing voice, after years of trying to sound like everyone else that I admired. Wow even my high expectations had been reached. When I moved to Austin a few years later, I began teaching singing (and piano) as my day job. I taught all kinds of people how to sing and speak, from age 8 to age 72. Many of my students found great success with playing with the air in their sinuses remarking that, although they hadnt had success with traditional exercises, they could now make their voices sound clearer and they could control the voice. There is a lot of joy in learning that what was once a mystery can be placed under control in a fun and musical way. But what actually ended up putting the true icing on the cake for what I now call Yoga For the Voice technique was my study of kundalini yoga, and subsequent training as a kundalini yoga instructor. I found that by incorporating yogic breathing and exercises, and sometimes even chanting yoga mantras, my students and I were able to make even more progress in controlling our vocal instruments. Not to mention the improvements in health, speaking voice, keeping the sinuses free and clear, and gains in personal confidence. Some of the benefits we discovered: * You learn exactly what your vocal range is and why your vocal range is determined by the shape, number and quality of the sinus cavities in your head. * You discover how to create the very best tone your voice is capable of making when you can keep as many muscles as possible out of the way of creating a pure tone in the head, you have the basis of beautiful, unencumbered musical sound * You feel the difference in your own body singing feels healthy, beautiful and under your control. If it feels right, it actually is right. The reverse is true as well if it feels wrong, then there is some work to be done, usually in releasing some tension and muscular effort that is getting in the way of the tone. * A side benefit includes keeping the sinuses free and clear it actually helps your overall health in addition to your vocal health. Ernest G. Whites sinus exercises have been used solely for the purpose of keeping the head cavities clear, and can be helpful for people with allergies and other problems which create mucus in the sinuses. * Whites exercises can be used to improve your speaking voice and your vocal projection they are excellent for actors, teachers and public speakers as well as for singers. In general, if one is just using the exercises for speaking purposes, the vocal range is more limited and focused on the actual speaking voice than in singing training. * For children, I tend to break it down to very basic, easy-to-understand exercises. I think the sinus concepts are too difficult for most children to grasp, so I try to give them exercises they can easily understand and have fun with. In the beginning stages of vocal training, a typical Yoga For the Voice lesson will consist of three parts. First I teach the student two different kundalini breathing techniques that have proven useful to the singing student. We next begin the sinus exercises from Ernest George Whites teachings, starting to find what I like to term the musical architecture inside the voice students head, i.e. her/his particular set of sinus cavities. The last part consists of integrating what we have learned into full body exercises, which enable the student to start to experience her/his full vocal instrument, from the solar plexus to the top of the head. I sometimes use traditional vocal exercises for this step or, depending on the student, chanting exercises. If you are interested in exploring Yoga For the Voice further, my voice lessons are available privately at my music studio in Austin, Texas. In addition, I offer lessons over the phone and over the Internet as well (using Skype), making myself available to you wherever you are in the world. ABOUT gfire gfire is a professional singer-songwriter, DJ, voice and piano teacher and Kundalini yoga instructor based in Austin, Texas. She has taught literally hundreds of students how to use their voices more effectively. For more information, please visit http://gfiremusic.com.

Should We Turn to Free Tutoring

Should We Turn to Free Tutoring Free Online Tutoring in the UK ChaptersThe Actors of Free Online TutoringPrivate tutoring through tutoring sitesFree Tutoring and Educational Support AssociationsFree Tutoring Resources: An Alternative to Private Tutors?Learning to read or succeeding in a test is not easy for everyone. It’s not infrequent for children to have difficulties in school. This is stressful for the teachers, but of course for the parents as well.Does this apply to you?Does your child have difficulty understanding the subject matter?Is doing their homework a constant struggle?What are the solutions?More and more parents are turning towards tutoring services and homework helpers. From elementary school to A-Levels, private tutors can help turn around a struggling student.Learning how to do revision, to improve and delve into the subject matter: these are the goals of any individualized tutoring classes.But among the various options - home tutoring, online tutoring, tutoring apps - there are a few that stand out to help students having di fficulties without spending too much money and allowing your child to progress.Whether free math tutoring, remedial science and engineering or help with chemistry homework - it’s up to you to find the formula that works best for your child.Free Tutoring and Educational Support AssociationsAnother option for those without a lot of money is tutoring associations for low-income families and various educational support programs at school and elsewhere.Sometimes, parents are unable to work with their children - either because they don’t have the education, or because their jobs don’t leave them the time - and can’t help them with their homework every day.Fortunately, there are volunteer associations dedicated to giving these children a chance. The homework helper doesn’t get paid - they are often retired teachers or academics working in the field who want to give back to the community by volunteering.After-school tutoring and library homework help sessionsSome schools offer an after-school tutoring program or homework sessions in-school, either with their own personnel or working with a tutoring association (see below.)Another place that offers homework help - often in homework sessions or study groups at a set time each day - are local libraries. They also serve as a resource centre for things such as ebooks or audiobooks on each subject. Check your local Council website for library locations and schools offering homework sessions to see if you can find a tutoring centre near you.Many libraries offer tutoring programs, making resources such as computers and documentation available to low-income children. Photo credit: City of Seattle Community Tech on Visual HuntNationwide tutoring programsThere are various associations and foundations dedicated to providing tutoring for children with learning difficulties or from underprivileged households. These are generally school programs who work with specific schools rather than from tutoring centres, giving on-th e-spot help in classrooms and offering one-on-one or small-group learning sessions after school to foster academic success. Some also offer to mentor children seeking to pursue an academic career, offering advice and career exploration, help with applications and encouragement.Some of them are:TutorFairThe Access ProjectAction TutoringHow Useful are Tutoring Apps for Extra School Support?It’s a fair question.Just as there are numerous learning websites, a number of apps have been developed to help children progress in various school subjects while having fun.It’s important to realise that smartphones are a common tool for today’s youth. They access them daily and, indeed, some teachers integrate apps and other smartphone tools into their classes.So why not turn to smartphone apps to help your child in school?Many of the apps are quite affordable, being either:Entirely freeFree for a certain amount of levels or without certain featuresCost under £5.00 for unlimited useThey hav e the advantage of speaking a language children respond to and capturing their attention with games and fun graphics.Education apps can help children master difficult concepts. Photo credit: flickingerbrad on VisualHunt.comCheck for those that have been developed not just by programmers and graphic designers, but with teachers as well. That way, you will have something user-friendly, with an engaging design that will also cover material relevant to your child’s classes, whether reading and writing, math and science.With such an incentive to learn, it’s obvious that apps are capable of helping children learn and improve their grades.However, they cannot replace lessons with a live person who can answer questions, see where your child’s weaknesses are and tailor their lessons to their individual needs. But they do offer courses accessible anywhere, anytime, with games and quizzes that will make learning fun.There are education apps for every level.Free Tutoring Resources: An Alt ernative to Private Tutors?Though educational websites and apps can definitely help your child improve their grades, are they enough for a student experiencing huge learning difficulties?One of the most important aspects of free tutoring, whether in live online classes, through revision websites or learning game apps, is that you have to organise yourself (or your child) properly.It’s important that parents follow what the child is doing, can track their progress and give them encouragement.Additionally, children are not often capable of imposing a learning rhythm on themselves. But it is proven that tutoring apps are only effective if they are used regularly and the child keeps at it.It’s important to find the right app - one that is adapted to the student and their needs - and set certain times aside, several times a week, to play and learn where the parent is available to answer questions and help with the exercises.The logical question, of course, is whether a physical tutor is even necessary for real progress to be made.It is.Deciding whether or not to get a private tutor is much more critical than it may appear at first.One-on-one tutoring is still the most effective way to help children with learning difficulties. Photo credit: US Department of Education on VisualhuntIndependent learning requires an amazing amount of discipline and autonomy. Having a teacher at hand is useful not just for motivation and to encourage certain learning habits, but also to give you feedback on your learning curve and to answer questions if need be. A teacher will guide their students depending on their needs and learning style and explain things in a different way if they don’t understand immediately. An app or website will present things in a certain way and not all children will respond to it.This doesn’t mean that websites and apps are useless. But they should be seen as a complementary tool to help stimulate the student and motivate them to learn trigonometry or geometry outside of any private tutoring lessons they might need.In short, free online tutoring - in writing, math/reading games; on YouTube, for engineering courses and quizzes or calculus 1 revision sheets are useful for students needing to bring up their grade a little, but who generally don’t have trouble learning.But if a specific subject - or all - is truly proving problematic for your child, choose one-on-one tutoring, whether a paid certified teacher through websites such as Superprof or a free volunteer-based program. The games and quizzes can still play a part in the learning process by motivating your child, but the real progress will be with their teacher.

Professores da LOI English Adriana Menoli

Professores da LOI English Adriana Menoli Ter aulas de Inglês por Skype pode ser estressante, até porque  existem mitos que envolvem este tipo de aprendizagem. No entanto, para que quem aprende ou pretende aprender nesse formato se sinta mais à vontade, resolvi falar com vários professores da LOI English, de forma a que possam conhecê-los um pouco melhor.Minha primeira vítima foi  Adriana Menoli, uma professora brasileira, que viveu nos Estados Unidos por mais de uma década, cujo trabalho é focado em ajudar os alunos que estejam em um nível de iniciação a se sentirem mais confiantes durante as aulas online.  Para entender como os alunos que não têm um nível avançado de Inglês são recebidos, tive uma conversa bastante descontraída com Adriana.Embora a professora fale Português perfeitamente, tivemos a nossa conversa em Inglês (nem eu escapei do método dela!). Adriana comentou que dá as suas aulas sempre em Inglês para ajudar no desenvolvimento das capacidades de compreensão e produção oral dos seus a lunos. No entanto, quando questionei sobre alunos que estão um nível tão inicial que não compreendem nada se não for em Português, Adriana contou que quando percebe dificuldades dá dicas para ajudar, tais como construir as frases de forma diferente, dar palavras-chave ou mesmo falar em Português, se tal for necessário.Segundo Adriana, algumas das maiores dificuldades para brasileiros que pretendem ser fluentes em Inglês estão relacionadas com as frases-tipo, aprendidas nos cursos de Inglês tradicionais e que criam a ilusão de que o aluno é capaz conversar naturalmente quando, na verdade, está apenas reproduzindo clichés aprendidos, que nem sempre são construções frásicas comuns para os nativos. Como é o caso do diálogo:    How are you?    Im fine, thanks. And you?.Mesmo não estando incorretas, existem construções que não são comumente utilizadas por nativos, o que faz com que a produção oral do aluno esteja limitada às construções e ao vocabulário d e cursos que focam mais em gramática do que em conversação. Isso faz com que o modo de falar não seja natural e, por esse motivo, seja mais difícil de entender. De acordo com Adriana, essa deficiência no desenvolvimento da produção oral é uma das causas de grande parte das dificuldades dos brasileiros enquanto estudantes de Inglês.Além disso, explicar conceitos que não existem em Português como o Present Perfect ou que são tão comuns no dia-a-dia dos alunos enquanto falantes nativos de Português, que passam despercebidos em Inglês, como é o caso dos idioms são desafios que Adriana encontra durante as aulas, mas que tenta superar estando sempre pronta para adaptar o que tem preparado de acordo com as necessidades específicas dos estudantes que a procuram.Conversei com a Adriana pelo Skype, da mesma forma que os estudantes da LOI English interagem com ela. Falando sobre o seu trabalho e sobre aquilo que pretende enquanto professora, percebi em Adriana o entusia smo de quem realmente adora ensinar, que acredita que estar preparada e saber como deixar o aluno à vontade são ferramentas cruciais para o sucesso, mas que, acima de tudo, demonstra ser uma profissional preparada para auxiliar alunos que ainda não se sentem confiantes o suficiente para ter aulas com um professor que não fale Português.

Time Management for High School Students - Private Tutoring

Time Management for High School Students BobbiM Apr 8, 2013 There are a few age-old questions such as, What is the meaning of life? What happens after I die? Why do bad things happen to good people? Then, there are other types of questions that dont quite make the big questions of life category, but they are still pretty important. And, when youre in high school, often the small questions are the big  concerns. PS: Yes, the picture of a girl with hair on her face has nothing to do with high school time management. But dont you think its interesting? Yeah, me too. And so it is today. I asked my daughter, Kameron, to help me better understand what she does to stay on top of things as a freshman in high school. Below are her words and may they be helpful to you. High School Time Management Im only finishing my freshman year, but Ive seen enough of high school to understand that the greatest skill needed is how to efficiently manage your time. Making time fore homework and other activities is one thing, but getting the motication to do them is another. Here are some suggestions on how to develop the havit of managing your time. Get enough sleep. You nee your sleep to stay awake and be aware. Keep some sort of planner. This will help you keep track of things you need to get done and help you remember the homework for 1st period, seven periods later. This will also help you remember other activities in your life. Make the time to get things done. If you sis there in life waiting for an open slot of your time set aside for duties, youll never get those done. Make time for these things and stick to the times, getting as much done as you can. Put distractions away. Is it homework time? Put your phone away, keep the television off, dont even eat until youve finished what is to get done during this time. By following these simple steps you will quickly develop a habit of getting things done and managing your time. Be prepared to feel proud of yourself when everything is done and there is time left in the day to play.

GCSE results out today! Congratulations your hard work has finally paid off

GCSE results out today! Congratulations your hard work has finally paid off The long wait is over for the 500,000 students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland waiting to hear their GCSE results. We hope all that hard work has finally paid off and you can now make clear decisions about where you go from here. Figures out today reveal a mixed picture as schools and teachers have had to deal with extensive exam reforms this past year. Overall though students achieving grade C or better at GCSE increased for the first time in three years. Student getting at least a grade C or higher in Maths has gone up slightly. Those getting an A* increased from 4.9% to 5.4%, while those students receiving an A* or A increased from 14.3% to 15.2%. Although the percentage of students that achieved a C or higher at English was slightly lower this year, those getting an A* increased from 3.3% last year to 3.6% and those students getting an A* or an A increased from 14.2% to 14.3%. There was also significant increases in those achieving a C or higher in science. There is a 6% increase on last years figures although those students achieving an A* remains static at 1.4%. We wish all our students, and of course all those parents that have been anxiously biting their nails the past few months, the very best for the future and would love to hear your good news stories and what you intend to do next.

The GCSE results are in!

The GCSE results are in! GCSE results are released today, ending months of suspense as candidates finally find out what months of hard work and revision has achieved. Don't let the relief of finally knowing your grades become tainted by press reports of the first fall in A*-C grades in 24 years. The slip in A*-C grades is only 0.4%! In recent years the tone has always been that exams are getting easier and easier, the grading more lenient, so perhaps a more demanding marking scheme is simply a response to this, and may explain the minimal drop in top grades. This is a time to focus on what you have managed to do and you should give yourself a pat on the back for making it through your exams. For those of you moving straight onto A-Levels, we wish you the best of luck. But, if you feel your marks are unfair or an unrealistic assessment of your abilities there are things you can do. Should you wish to improve your marks there will be opportunities to resit exams - resits generally take place between November and January. Or, if you feel your exam results are at odds with the results you were achieving through coursework, teachers will generally be more than willing to help you appeal your marks. A more comprehensive overview of what to do in light of disappointing GCSE results can be found on the BBC website. It should also be recognised that the academic environment is simply not for everyone. Vocational courses generally do not require exceptional GCSE results, and can offer more practical and enjoyable career alternatives to those who can't wait to leave school. Whatever results you receive today, just remember that there will be plenty more opportunities to prove yourself! GCSEs are most definitely not the be-and-end all. If anything, the results you get today should help you make a more informed decision of what you want from the future, and what career may be best for you! Finally, tutors, we know you will be nervous as well! Good luck as the results come in! We' round off with some of the feedback we've received so far this morning: Lisa, ''Lisa has been working with our 15 year old son to prepare him for his maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSEs as well as helping him to master some study skills and to be better organised in his school work and homework. He has shown significant improvement in a very short space of time with Lisa's support. He enjoys his lessons and has gained a better, more in-depth understanding of the subject matter.'' Sue, ''Sue has been very helpful with our daughter's GCSE German, particularly speaking. Before this she was very hesitant, but following Sue's help she is now much more fluent and confident. Sue makes the subject fun.''

I am a Math Tutor!

I am a Math Tutor! Hi, I am Clara M. I have graduated from Purdue University, Indiana. I am now working as a private tutor. I would like to share with you my experience as a private tutor. I have graduated with an BA in Mathematics in 2010. I am a hard worker and learning does not come easy to me. When I started my studies I never thought I would major in Math. But my math teacher Anna made enjoy solving math problems like nobody before. Anne is my role model. She teaches well and I get go in her office for private lectures. Students say Math is very tough subject but, for me, it became easy as well as rewarding. Thus I decided to major in mathematics at Purdue University. I am now a personal tutor teaching all types of math including Algebra, Statistics, Trigonometry, Geometry, Calculus and Differential Equations. I registered myself in tutorz.com, an online private tutoring service. It was about four months back; I got a call early morning. Young mom needs tutoring help for her kid to learn math. She also said that the child got exam next week, and asked to help at any cost. It was like a challenge in my tutoring career and I decided to tutor the child. The place was nearly 20 miles away from my place in Indiana, I went that evening to see the child and started tutoring classes. Steven, the child was looking smart and energetic. We were given separate study room and agreed to take two hours of classes daily. I was most excited and happy that I’m going to tutor a child for the first time. On first day, I had a general talk with Steven and asked his likes/dislikes, hobbies and other things. The next hour I gradually started to talk about Calculus. He was so studious and grasped things quickly. We scheduled daily time table for his exams and moved towards reaching that goal. My notes were very helpful to him as well as for me. For every one hour I used to give a break for few minutes. I say inspiring stories to motivate the child during interval time. I gave daily test and also weekly test to improve his capability. Finally he scored “A” grade in Math exam. Steven’s mom was so surprised on seeing his confidence and brightness. She thanked me a lot for providing such a valuable support in her son’s studies. She gave me nice doll along with my pay. I really thank tutorz.com to give me such a nice opportunity to portray my teaching skills and also to make my teaching experience most pleasurable. Clara M.