Why You Should Take a Creative Writing Course.

Why You Should Take a Creative Writing Course. All the Information You Need on Creative Writing Courses. ChaptersWhat is Creative Writing?The Best Creative Writing Courses in the UK.Tips to Improve Your Creative Writing Skills.The Main Features of Creative Writing â€" that Every Creative Writer Needs to Nail.Some Jobs You Can Do after a Creative Writing Degree.Creative writing classes have been popping up all over the country in the last decade or so â€" from poetry writing workshops to creative writing degree programs, from writing retreats to weekly screenwriting sessions.They come in all sorts of different forms, but the most novel â€" if you’ll excuse the pun â€" is the degree. That’s three years, for an undergraduate degree, spent learning how to hone your writing skills â€" and the same if you want to do PhD.But with this growth in the creative writing education industry, there have sat up the inevitable crowds of nay-sayers. Or haters, as we might call them these days. You can’t teach creative writing, they say. It’s not a real degree, they say.All of this honestly became quite boring before it had even begun. Because, as we’ll show below, there are very legitimate reasons why creative writing should be taught â€" and why creative writers can really benefit from dedicated teaching. Not to mention the dedicated time to practise that creative writing courses offer.Here, we’re going to look at everything you need to know about joining a creative writing program â€" from what creative writing actually is to the employment prospects you can anticipate afterwards.Creative writing is a wonderful discipline â€" so let’s take a look! CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusi c reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat is Creative Writing?So, what do we actually mean by creative writing? Our guess is that you’ll have a sense of this already.Generally, ‘creative’ writing is defined in opposition to those types of writing that aren’t thought to be creative. Journalism or technical writing, or the work of a copywriter, these are all considered insufficiently creative to be creative writing. Even academic writing is excluded from this definition.Unfortunately, this doesn’t really follow any meaning of creativity that we might hold. And, as a consequence, ‘creative writing’ appears to have something of a silly name.Writing Differs by Purpose.What really distinguishes the novelist from the copywriter is not how creative they are, but rather what they do with language. Writing fiction is, of course, different to writing marketing copy, but in different ways.Texts differ in terms of purpose: journalism informs and copywriting persuades. ‘Creative writing’ meanwhile entertains and doesn’t, really, do anything. This i s one of the fundamental ideas in poetics and theory: literature just sort of is. Creative writing is about reading too.The Types of ‘Creative’ Writing.A different way of defining creative writing is to look at the forms that are generally considered to be creative. These are, fundamentally, literary forms.Fiction. Fiction, including short fiction, is creative writing in continuous prose. It usually follows a narrative and includes some sort of character development.Poetry. Poetry is a form that is written in deliberate lines and is notable for its ambiguity and density of language. In can be performed or read on the page.Drama. Playwriting, scriptwriting, or dramatic writing is writing for performance on a stage. Dialogue is a crucial aspect of this form.Screenwriting. As opposed to the stage, a screenwriter writes for television or film.Creative Nonfiction. Distinguished from its fictional sibling, creative non-fiction is prose that takes reality as its subject. This can include personal essays, memoir writing, and other forms.Can Creative Writing be Taught? Of course, it can. Like all artistic disciplines, creative writing requires skill, specific writing techniques, and practise. In all of these things teaching can be helpful.You can see more on this in our article, What is Creative Writing?The Best Creative Writing Courses in the UK.There are lots of different opportunities for people wishing to study creative writing in any possible form â€" whether at university or more casually. The way that you choose will depend on the particular style of learning that you desire.Here we’ll look at three popular options: creative writing programs at university, the casual writing workshop, and the writing retreat. You can find out more about all of these options in our article, The Best Writing Courses in the UK.Studying Creative Writing at University.Taking a creative writing program at university is one of the most serious ways to study the discipline. Usually, you can expect to spend three years studying the subject at degree level, a year for a creative writing MA, and a further three years for a PhD.Whilst at a postgraduate level you can dedicate yourself fulltime to your creative process, during an undergraduate course you will most likely be dividing your time between your writing and the study of another subject â€" usually cinema, English literature, or fine art. Check out creative writing courses!Taking a Short Course in Creative Writing.You don’t need to go to university to have a bit of creative writing tuition, however. There are classes available in most major cities where you can work with a professional writer to hone the skills you need to polish off your first novel or start getting published.Whilst London’s Faber Academy is a great place to go for that, you can also try Superprof for a private creative writing tutor.  Heading Off for a Writing Retreat.Finally, then, there is the third format: the creative writing retreat. These are where companies organise for you to go off into the countryside to work on your writing.They are a great opportunity for anyone looking for some peace and quiet â€" and a bit of friendly guidance. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson f ree!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsTips to Improve Your Creative Writing Skills.Creative writing instructors will give you plenty of tips on how to develop your craft of writing. And whilst many will try to develop the minutiae of your style and encourage you to find new stores of energy to finish your work, it’s important to think about the big things that creative writing requires too.Here are three lessons to keep you on the right track in your writing. You can find more in our article, Top Tips to Improve Your Creative Writing Skills.#1 Find Inspiration Everywhere.A creative writer should be interested in the world around them â€" and in the literary works of others. As they said of the Ivan Turgenev, the Russian novelist from the nineteenth century, he was ‘a born spectator’ â€" and he turned his spectating into art.Do the sam e. Because your inspiration comes from what’s outside your head.#2 Keep Experimenting.Don’t get hooked on a style too soon. There’s an infinite variety of different ways that you can write. So, keep experimenting â€" and keep challenging yourself â€" until you have perfected your own style.#3 Cut When Necessary.The process of writing doesn’t stop when you reach the end of the last line. Really, it continues into the process of editing too (which is just writing by a different name).Effective editing can turn a decent book into a masterpiece â€" so never shirk from cutting. Want to write a novel? Try a creative writing course.The Main Features of Creative Writing â€" that Every Creative Writer Needs to Nail.There are many aspects to creative writing â€" and not all of them are hugely creative. But these differ quite significantly from form to form, from genre to genre: what features in a poem is not really the same as that which you’ll see in a novel â€" by no means.But creative writers need to nail all of the important elements in the particular terrain on which they are working. To see more on this, check out our article, What are the Main Elements of Creative Writing?The Central Elements of Poetry.What makes poetry poetry? What really are its essential features? Well, honestly, it depends who you ask â€" but there are some that most people are probably agreed on.Metre: Metre refers to the length and rhythm of each line of poetry, how quickly it seeks to be read, how each word sounds and feels alongside the others.Form / Structure: The form of the p oem is what the poem is. Are we talking a sonnet or an ode? These forms shape the whole nature of the poem.Some Jobs You Can Do after a Creative Writing Degree.We’re guessing that the lot of you will be hoping to go into the literary industry after you have completed a course in creative writing: you’ll be hoping to write professionally, get published, and hopefully make a name for yourself. Good on you!If this is not your thing, however, there are plenty of other options that you can go for with a creative writing degree.These include teaching, working in a library or in a publishing house, or becoming a different sort of writer. You could become a copywriter, for example, or a journalist or literary critic!Find out more about possible jobs after a creative writing degree!

Art Classes Manchester

Art Classes Manchester Art Courses in Manchester ChaptersArt Classes in Drawing and PaintingCreative Art CoursesArt Classes in PotteryI know there’s plenty to paint here but I haven’t the slightest desire to work locally. - L.S. LowryIf every student of art felt the way that native son did about scenes in and around Manchester, we wouldn’t have two whole art galleries or the Lowry Art Centre in Salford Quays!There would be no art programmes offered at university, no workshops on how to draw a life figure or a still life; nor would there be other art classes on offer from anybody, anywhere!Thankfully, not everyone feels the way Mr Lowry did and, in fact, the art community is thriving in Manchester.If you are a student learning fine art at University of Manchester, you might be on the lookout for extracurricular classes on how to draw a proportionate human form or still life.If you have always longed to try your hand at creating art â€" not just fine art, you may enjoy some of the venues in and around the city that promote the culture and creation of art.Let Superprof help you find the best ones!Painting with watercolours is a great way to learn brush control Source: Pixabay Credit: UelloWestern European canons.If you wanted to learn fine art techniques but do not wish to enrol in art school, you could take an array of art courses that cover everything from pencil sketching to creative drawing.You could learn all of those skills and more at AWOL Art Studios.You might also learn how to execute a fine painting by taking art classes in Birmingham!Creative Art CoursesIf you have long wanted to learn painting and drawing but feared your window of opportunity has passed you by, you can let go of those fears and unchain your creative energy at AWOL.Manchester is most renown for its contributions to the Industrial Revolution.Why not partake of art education in a historic building â€" Hope Mill, one of the repurposed textile mills that made the city so rich and famous?The multitude of windows provide plenty of amb ient light and Brian, the lead tutor, brings over 20 years of experience in teaching art to anyone desiring to know the feel of a paint-laden brush, whose strokes bring imagery to life.He teaches, among other courses:kids classesadult classesIntroduction to Creative DrawingIntroduction to WatercolorsLife Drawing â€" how to draw the human formDrawing techniquesNaturally, he is not the only instructor there.You may learn acrylic painting from Brigid, cartooning and manga from Paul; or you may choose to enjoy a lecture from Heather Spears, author of The Creative Eye.Indeed it appears that these creative art courses could be your one-stop shop for everything that deals with drawing and painting.Isn’t there more to art?How very Manchester to throw a pot! Source: Pixabay Credit: Lubos HouskaArt Classes in PotteryAdmittedly, Manchester is far better known for its music scene, that Madchester Vibe, than for its art scene.Unlike opportunities to learn various forms of art in Leeds, Mancuni ans are a bit limited in their artistic learning outlets!Nevertheless, continuing with this city’s long history of manufacture, you may enjoy taking a pottery class with Seven Limes Pottery.It is unknown whether the limes in question refer to argillaceous minerals â€" a clay-like composition that is nevertheless lime, or the green citrus fruit.However they settled on that fun name, they are quite serious about their art and wish to bring as many into the pottery fold as possible.Did you know that the Scottish Potters Association teaches pottery art classes in Glasgow?  Should you be looking for something to do of a weekend, you may meet them for an introductory workshop on Saturdays.If you like what they’re all about and the art they practise, you could commit to a six-week beginners course, held on Monday evenings.Prior to visiting with them, you may have thought that throwing a pot meant tossing cookware about in an angry fashion.Look up for  art courses near me  now.After a w eekend in their tutelage, you will be happy to learn that you do not have to be angry to throw a pot.Quite the contrary!That act consists of gently manipulating clay on a spinning wheel until it approximates a vessel of whichever sort you were trying to create.If you are plagued by stress and your confidence has recently taken a hit, you may find yourself restored through exploration of this relaxing and sensual activity.Their facilities are not suitable for smaller hands, though, so if you wanted to make pottery a family affair, let us direct you to Clay Studio.There, you will find a popular family ceramics course whose instructors are ready to welcome parents, grandparents and/or other caregivers, and their children.What an opportunity for quality time together!You might wonder about the difference between pottery and ceramics; a distinction that Caroline, Robert or Stephen, the instructors, will be happy to elucidate.The facility is clean and bright, and is equipped with no fewer than three kilns!Besides those pieces of equipment so vital to ceramics, you will find a multitude of pottery wheels, lathes, and a range of materials to work with.What we particularly liked about the clay studio is that their class size is limited to only five people!That way, you get the individualised attention you need to quickly master the art of pottery, ceramics and glazing.Also, if you wanted private tuition in throwing and glazing, you could book a series of three classes. Should someone want to attend with you, their fee would be discounted by half!Whether you are looking to refine your painting techniques or are just looking to learn to draw; no matter if you are looking for an art class for kids or hoping to improve your own drawing skills, finding an open studio in Manchester is not difficult.Unlike Mr Lowry â€" whose figure drawing  is likened to matchsticks, with a bit of imagination you may find that there is a wide variety of subjects to inspire you.Once you learn to draw and paint, once you gain a measure of technical skills, you may find yourself haunting the art supply store!Are you about to conduct an Internet search for art classes near me?You might book yourself into drawing classes, practising bold experimentation in colour mixing, to come up with a masterpiece that expresses your particular brand of creativity.Read our other posts about finding art classes in other UK cities such as, Glasgow, Edinburgh Belfast and Cardiff.Superprof hopes that, from this table, you can find the art instruction and painting classes that will lead to your self-expression and, one day, to your hosting an exhibition of your own artwork!Facility NameType of ArtPhysical AddressWeb AddressDidsbury Parsonage TrustDrawing, watercolour painting, open coursesStenner Lane Didsbury Manchester M20 2RQhttp://www.didsburyparsonagetrust.org.ukCreative Art CoursesDrawing, painting in acrylic and watercolour113 Pollard Street, M4 7JAhttps://www.creativeartcourses.orgSeve n LimesPotteryUnit 5, Windrush Millennium Centre, 70 Alexandra Road, Manchester M16 7WDhttps://7limes.co.ukThe Clay StudioPottery and Ceramics Family courses61 Old Birley Street Hulme Manchester M15 5RFhttps://www.claystudio.co.uk

How Much Does It Cost to Learn to Cook

How Much Does It Cost to Learn to Cook How Much Does it Cost to Become a Cook? ChaptersLearning to Cook in a Cookery SchoolChange Careers with a Degree in CookingLearn How to Cook in Cooking WorkshopsGetting Private Cooking Tutorials“For me, cooking is an extension of love.” - Hedda SterneA lot of Brits would like to see cooking regularly taught in schools.  Learning to cook from a young age is a good way to teach children good eating habits, to spend less on making food, and improve their health.Cooking is usually a family affair. A lot of people learn to cook from family members. If you weren’t lucky enough to have any good cooks in the family, what can you do about it?How do you learn how to cook?In this article, we're going to be looking at the different ways you can learn to cook. Whether you want to become a professional chef or just become handier in the kitchen, we should have a solution that works for both your aspirations and your budget! GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/ h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearning to Cook in a Cookery SchoolWhether to impress your friends and family with gourmet meals or just to improve certain cooking techniques, you can always attend cooking classes on a variety of different topics.  It should go without saying that a building dedicated to teaching people how to cook is a great place to look if you're looking to improve your own skills in the kitchen.Find out how you can learn to cook for free!Learning next to great chefs is one of the best ways to learn how to cook. (So urce: Free-Photos)“If you don't treat an ingredient and its flavors with respect - if you drown it in oil, for instance - you'll spoil it.” - Alain DucasseAlain Ducasse needs no introduction. This Michelin-starred chef sees cooking as a love story and opened his own cooking school for amateurs and professionals to learn about cooking in a friendly environment.  However, if you can’t make it to France, there are also some great cooking schools in the UK where you can learn about:Cooking basicsCooking on an open fireCooking for childrenCooking like a professional chefTraditional cuisineHealthy cookingVegetarian cookingIf you’re after taking a professional course in cooking, then you should consider Le Cordon Bleu in London which offers a wide variety of different courses for those aspiring to become professional chefs. Their qualifications are recognised around the world and  French cooking is famous all around the world. In fact, this school was allowed to bring the Cordon Bl eu tradition from France to the UK, hence the name.Students can learn about cooking meat (veal, beef, pork, etc.), how to prepare fish and crustaceans (shrimps and prawns, scallops), as well as how to make desserts (macarons, millefeuille, petits fours, meringue, etc.)Did you know that it was this school that invented Coronation Chicken? here are all types of courses from internationally-recognised qualifications that you’ll study for years to short cooking workshops. You can also be trained in how to run restaurants.“Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.” - Auguste EscoffierWestminster Kingsway College is the college Jamie Oliver attended to get his NVQ and Professional Chef Diploma. Other famous alumni include Selin Kiazim, Antony Worrall Thompson, Sophie Wright, and Ainsley Harriott. Their Professional Chef Diploma is the UK's first professional cooking qualification. There are three main options for students to focus on when they reach their third year of study : cuisine, patisserie and confectionery, or restaurant management.In addition to the focused pathways available in the third year, students get instruction in butchery and fishmongery, practical cuisine, pâtisserie and bakery, health, safety, and food hygiene, etc.Change Careers with a Degree in CookingIf learning how to cook is going to be essential for your future career, it’s probably a good idea to have the right education. You’re much more likely to get a loan for your new restaurant if you have a qualified chef on board. Even if it’s probably better to have some experience in managing businesses, it’s the chefs that make a restaurant.Did you know there are university degrees in cooking available?You can learn about molecular cuisine, Italian or Asian food, etc.  Of course, this is just for those who are serious about cooking as a career.Why not try out these easy recipes that will fit in any budget?Cooking requires discipline and concentration. (Source: Pexels)Most co urses run along a traditional academic calendar starting in autumn and breaking up for the summer. If you’re this serious, the cost of the degree will pay for itself once you start working as a professional chef.  For example, the University of West London offers a variety of different culinary degrees and diplomas such as the BSc (Hons) in Culinary Arts Management, MA in Food Business Management, Diploma in Chefs Apprenticeship, and Certificate in General Patisserie and Confectionery.Keep in mind the extra costs, too:Equipment and utensilsBooksProfessional chef’s whitesYou’ll probably have exams in:Theory: Hygiene rules, running a kitchen, product knowledge and health risks, basics of cooking.Creating dishes for multiple people. These will be some of your most important learning opportunities as you’ll be given feedback on what you create.You’ll probably be expected to give presentations on the theory of cooking, too.The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts was set up in 1980 a nd offers a Master of Culinary Arts. This is a highly selective course and only for those with at least 10 years of experience as a chef, pastry chef, or in restaurant management and service. Three of these years need to be at a senior level!There are also apprenticeships offered by the academy. This option is for some very serious chefs at the top of their culinary career.Learn How to Cook in Cooking WorkshopsLearning to cook in a cookery school is part of a chef’s personal and professional journey. However, cooking is certainly about sharing. If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s probably better to sign up for a cooking workshop or cookery courses London.It's a good idea to learn some basic techniques alongside other people. (Source: Pexels)It’s a great way to learn while sharing the experience with others. A chef’s workshop can cover a huge range of different cooking styles:French PâtisserieMacaronsTapasBistrot CookingJapanese cuisineIt completely depends on where you live and the types of schools available. For a lot of these workshops, you can get a single cooking class as a gift for a friend, too.  There are often promotions for certain classes and you can get regular lessons or one-off workshops.You can learn various culinary techniques, daily recipes, how to make famous pastries, or traditional dishes.Some workshops even offer wine-pairing lessons. However, these lessons tend to be more expensive than regular workshops.Which kitchen accessories give the best value for the money?Getting Private Cooking TutorialsTo quickly learn how to cook or improve your techniques, have you thought about hiring a private tutor to help you?Superprof helps students to find the right cooking tutor for them. There are plenty of different tutors and they cost on average £25 per hour.You need to consider a number of factors when choosing your private tutor:Where you liveThe tutor’s experience and qualificationsYour goalsYour budgetChoose your flavours care fully. (Source: monicore)The tutors on Superprof choose their own rates and we don’t take any commission off their hourly rate.  As a student, you’ll have access to all the tutors across the country regardless of what they teach. A student pass costs £19 and allows students to contact as many tutors as they like for one year. They don’t even need to be cooking tutors!The first hour is often free and this can let you get a taste of what the tutor offers. This is rarely a proper lesson but rather for learning about:The teaching styleWhat a typical tutorial is likeThe subjects and themes they’ll coverHow they monitor progressAbove all, it’s a useful opportunity to see how you get along with your tutor. If you don’t get along with them, it might be a better idea to look at other options and get in touch with different tutors. You're going to spend quite a lot of time with just your tutor so make sure you pick the right one!Cooking VocabularyWhen it comes to learning how to cook, you have to also learn the vocabulary. In our articles on cooking, we’re including a few definitions to help you out so make sure you read all the articles.ChopThis usually refers to when you cut something into small pieces. There are plenty of different ways to cut ingredients and it's far more important than you might first think. The shape and size of ingredients can drastically change the way they cook, absorb sauces and liquids, and change their overall texture and flavour!GlazeGlazing meat is when you colour it by regularly re-adding its own juices.Now learn how you can start cooking on a budget...

How to Improve Focus and Concentration - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to Improve Focus and Concentration - Introvert Whisperer How to Improve Focus and Concentration Have you ever found yourself struggling to remember a word or phrase in a conversation? Or focusing on a book or article for any length of time? Or maybe staying awake and alert at work? The problem isnt necessarily that youre getting old its that your brain is out of shape. Just like our muscles atrophy, so does our ability to concentrate. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your focus and concentration that dont require you to take loads of meds or eat can after can of tuna. Its Not Your Fault But first, a reminder to you: its not your fault. Long working hours, increasing computer usage, and the hectic pace of modern life all affect your brain. Its hard to relax and sleep well at night when youre overworked and under-challenged. Our brains evolved for problem solving and creativity, not for rote tasks and computers. The dopamine-triggering nature of social media and email trains our brains to focus only in short spurts. Fortunately, you can affect how to concentrate and focus at work despite the distracting nature of the job youre in. How to improve focus and concentration: Brain Exercises According to this article by the Wall Street Journal, some brain exercises have been shown to put off dementia. If exercises can improve the brain health of individuals with dementia, imagine what they could do for the rest of us. The goal is to find exercises that teach you how to practice focus and concentration. These include longer puzzles that go beyond the start-and-stop of a crossword or sudoku puzzle. The Snake Cube Puzzle One example of an exercise that works to improve your mental clarity and focus is the Snake Cube Puzzle. Solving the snake cube puzzle isnt as easy as it sounds. What is the snake cube puzzle? Its a wooden toy in the shape of a block that, when separated, looks a bit like a snake or serpent.(Think of a Rubiks Cube that comes apart.) You can buy these for around $10, which makes it a far cheaper solution to brain training than taking some pills or buying a software product. To take it apart and put it back together you have to bend the pieces so that they fit together as a cube. This tests your spatial and geometric awareness and forces you to literally think outside the box. Why It Works There are a couple of reasons why cubes like this work to train your brain how to concentrate and focus. The first is that its tactile. Unlike text on a screen, the block has to be held and manipulated. This triggers the primal parts of our brain, the parts that were activated when we were children playing on the floor and touching everything. We learn through tactile manipulation of our environment, and brain exercises that involve real objects serve to activate those parts. The second reason is because its engaging. The physical nature of it combined with the visual beauty of the wood make it so that you cant just put it down. Youd lose your traction if you put the block down. Instead, you are forced to be engaged until completion, thereby training your brain to focus for longer periods of time. Improving your focus and concentration doesnt take a lot of money. It just takes some ingenuity, some time, and a willingness to sit down and work on a puzzle. Bottom-line â€" I want to help you accelerate your career â€" to achieve what you want by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my 4 Building Blocks to Relationships eBookâ€" the backbone to your Networking success and fantastic work relationships.  Grab yours by visiting here right now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Singing Tips for Vocal Techniques

Singing Tips for Vocal Techniques Learn New Singing Techniques ChaptersHow to Sing Baritone?How to Hit High Notes?How to Sing in a Deeper Voice?Our daily life is full of sounds. We hear music almost everywhere we go, we gain information by listening, and we produce sounds using our vocal cords in order to talk to people. When we're not talking to people, we're listening to other people talk.  While the spoken language is at the heart of human communication, it’s also a way to express emotion through poetry, theatre, and song.A music school might help you when it comes to learning to sing? (Source: Thibault Trillet)The latter is without a doubt been part of humanity since the beginning of our history and accompanies us on both our saddest and happiest days.  Singing is universal, every time period, civilisation, gender, and race, has had their own type of singing and making music.Let’s have a look at all the different ways you can sing, from the lowest vocal ranges to the highest as well as the most important vocal techniques you should be le arning how to do.Find a voice coach London  or a voice coach anywhere in the UK. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow to Sing Baritone?Nowadays, when we think of opera singers, there are a few words that often spring up in every conversation.  Among these words, we could mention things like vocalising, vocal ranges, and vibrato.Vibrato is an essential part of being an opera singer and can add depth and a pleasing quality to an yone’s voice. In fact, vibrato is an essential part of any voice’s timbre.Generally, to make this concept a little easier to understand for novices, we can compare vibrato to a trill on a piano (or any other instrument capable of it) where there’s a quick alteration between a semitone or full note.However, vibrato differs from a trill in a few ways. Firstly, the alteration in pitch of vibrato is less than a semitone. Secondly, vibrato occurs at a rate much quicker than most musicians would be able to replicate on any given instrument.Of course, singers can do a trill but this occurs at a far more conscious level than vibrato does since it is alternating rapidly between notes rather than around a single note.Birds are very famous for their singing. Yet they never attend a single class. (Source: pixabay.com)You could say that a person’s vibrato is innate. If they’re young and on top of their game, their vibrato could come to them naturally without any need for taking tutoria ls (if they’re incredibly lucky, too!).On the other hand, the vocal cords tend to tighten over time which cannot be stopped by vocal training (though it can be slowed). The older you are, the harder it will be to find your vibrato or emulate it with age. This is why opera singers, much like professional athletes, have short careers since their bodies are constantly working against them.When it comes to singing, vibrato requires that you relax and carry out thousands upon thousands of breathing exercises.  If you want to master vibrato, you have to be able to do it without forcing it and tiring yourself out. You have to avoid going hoarse!Vibrato is being able to place your voice well without perfectly placing your voice and singing perfectly in key.  This technique can help you avoid trying to replicate a pure and hard recto tono which sounds even worse if you’re off.Every singer will have a moment where this modulation is over the top and seems exaggerated like the stereotypica l opera singer in popular media. However, every singer goes through this so you needn’t be embarrassed about it. Even famous singers start by singing in the shower and then they end up singing in a recording studio.How to Hit High Notes?In the West, singing with a head voice or a falsetto is one of the oldest singing techniques around. No matter what music school you attend or which music teacher teaches you, they’ll be familiar with the idea.But what is the head voice?These are the sounds, without screaming, that are emitted by the head or mouth on its own, unlike the chest voice which requires the participation of diaphragmatic breathing to be achieved.  For a better colortura, valour, and volume, there’s nothing better than the chest voice, of course.This is where the operatic revolution of the 19th century took place with the appearance of the tenor. Thanks largely to Rossini, the operatic high C began to be more commonly sung in a chest voice, a fact that Verdi continued to exploit.  However, this is for a very particular tessitura and for a very particular type of singer and range.  A chest voice is very common amongst baritones and basses.Modern musicians are expected to have stage presence when they perform. (Source: Josh Sorenson)On the other hand, when it comes to the higher ranges, in order to have the agility for a beautiful voice and healthy intonation, you’ll probably have to stay in your head voice.  The nasal cavities, which are used as resonators, are fully exploited alongside the larynx, glottis, and pharynx.It’s important to therefore take care of them by drinking a lot of water and avoiding products that could harm them (like dairy products, wine, and tobacco).  This is the kind of range that countertenors are expected to reach.The baroque style, which includes composers such as Handel, often used this type of vocal range. Resorting to a speech language pathologist or a phoniatrician alongside your vocal coaching can often come wi th a lot of benefits for post-pubescent singers wanting to join the exclusive club of 21st-century countertenors.While changing your voice isn’t an easy thing to do, high notes can be sung by most singers without having to resort to surgery.  Every singer will eventually end up attempting to hit higher and higher notes with the help of their vocal coach (once they’ve mastered the lower notes, of course).These usually come as part of your head voice although they can later on become part of your chest voice with a bit of work. The greatest singers can have a very broad tessitura, like Luciano Pavarotti, who was largely self-taught.Our tutors could help you get to the bottom of the mixed voice, a third voice which rests at the junction between the head voice and the chest voice but is actually considered a juvenile technique in some circles.Learn all the tricks by taking online singing lessons.How to Sing in a Deeper Voice?If you’re not a fan of the high notes and the head voice , here’s where you can find the low powerful notes. Finding your voice amongst the low notes means that you’re able to interpret a large number of different songs.For female singers, the contraltos are those who sing with the lowest voices. For male singers, it’s the basses who sing in the lowest ranges.  Their vocal colour is often referred to as “heroic” and is essential in romantic music and even more so when performing a number of Wagner’s works.The organs around the thorax resonate with incredible force. It goes without saying that if you want to sing in these vocal ranges, you should definitely do some warm up exercises beforehand.  The lower vocal ranges tend to work almost exclusively with the chest voice.Diaphragmatic breathing is more essential than ever meaning that you’ll probably need to enlist the help of a vocal coach or singing teacher.  Additionally, you’ll need to work on taking care of your throat and all the accompanying organs involved.Nowadays, you can get vocal coaching almost anywhere and learn the necessary skills in private tutorials or group classes.  The first thing you’ll need to do is learn how to sing in tune. It’s pretty pointless trying to expand your range or alter your tessitura if you’re yet to have mastered the notes within your range.  Above all, don’t force it and never lower your head when you try to sing the lower notes.Don’t confuse singing with shouting, either. You should try to make your voice carry farther rather than yelling. Imagine you’re making your voice heard to someone far away rather than simply increasing the volume.With all this in mind, we recommend that you find an educator who can help you learn to sing, improve your lower range while ensuring you don’t pick up any bad habits.Vocal technique tutorials can help you to expand your vocal range. (Source: gratisography.com)Your voice is an instrument, after all, and you need to take care of it and work on it by singing in a gro up or performing, for example.Vocal warm ups and working on your elocution are great ways for singers to avoid losing their voice and make good progress.  Don’t forget to also rest your voice regularly and remember that music theory tutorials are always useful for both singers and those wanting to learn to play an instrument be it saxophone, acoustic guitar, piano, etc.You just have to make sure you keep up with your exercises after your singing lessons and, most importantly of all, have fun!

English Phrasal Verbs Come Back and Go Back (video)

English Phrasal Verbs Come Back and Go Back (video) The English phrasal verbs come back and go back are often confused because the meanings are almost the same.Both of these phrasal verbs are synonyms for return, but they are used differently depending on the speakers location. Watch the video below to get a better understanding of these differences, they try the exercise.Come Back and Go Back Phrasal Verb ExerciseUse a form of come back or go back to answer each of these.1. We ____ ___ from Argentina in 2010.2. I ___ ____ home after the concert.3. My parents dont want me to ___ ___ to South America.4. When do you think the Olympics will ____ ____ to the United States.5. João lived in the United States for 3 years, then ____ ___ to the Brazil, where he was born. matej 1. came back 2. came back 3. went back 4. went back 5. came back LOIEnglish MatejNumber 3 should be in present tense: go back. Also number 4 should be come back because the speaker is speaking from the United States. Number 5 is went back because the speaker is NOT in Brazil but talking about Joao who went back to Brazil. Francis 1. We ____ came back ___ from Argentina in 2010.2. I ___ came back ____ home after the concert.3. My parents don’t want me to ___ go back ___ to South America.4. When do you think the Olympics will ____ come back____ to the United States.5. João lived in the United States for 3 years, then ____ he came back___ to the Brazil, where he was born LOIEnglish FrancisGood work. The only trouble was with the last question. Question 5: went back. The reference is at the end of the sentence, where he was born. It indicates to us that the narrator is not in Brazil.

A Field Guide to AP and SAT Biology Tests

A Field Guide to AP and SAT Biology Tests In junior year of high school, most students become keenly aware of the wide array of tests available for them to take, either for college admissions or for college credit. Surrounded by a whirlwind of acronyms, it is easy to assume that two tests on the same academic subject would be very similar. Indeed, the AP Biology and SAT Subject Biology exams cover much of the same course material. However, the two tests are distinct in emphasis and structure, and they require different mindsets on test day.AP vs. SATThe tests’ most obvious differences are in their structure. The SAT Subject Biology test is entirely multiple choice, with 5 answers to each question and a 1/4 point penalty for incorrect answers. It is very fast-paced, with 80 questions in 60 minutes. The AP exam, in contrast, is much slower-paced but longer, with 63 multiple-choice questions and 6 numerical grid-in questions in 90 minutes, and then another 90 minutes for 8 free response questions. There are only 4 answers to each multiple-choice question and no penalty for incorrect answers.GuessworkIt is important to be aware of these differences while taking the tests, as they determine how long it is reasonable to spend on each question and under which circumstances it is advisable to guess when stuck. Generally, even in the SAT Subject test, if some of the answers can be eliminated as clearly incorrect, then guessing when stuck is statistically beneficial. The presence of free-response questions in the AP is also a major difference because these questions require a mindset that is different from how students should approach multiple-choice questions. In general, graders of free-response questions look for a specific array of potential answers, and in some cases two very different answers can be considered correct so long as the student properly explains the one he or she chooses to write about.ContentThe tests are also somewhat different in content. Although the topics they cover overlap, their focu ses are different. The SAT Subject Biology test is heavy on memorization and vocabulary, while the AP Biology exam puts a greater emphasis on scientific method, experimental design, and theory. There are still vocabulary questions in the AP exam and experimental questions in the SAT Subject but fewer than in their counterparts. In addition, due to the greater emphasis on mathematics in the AP exam, students taking that test are allowed a simple calculator and given a formula sheet for reference, while no such materials are permitted in the SAT Subject Biology test. Mathematical concepts common in the AP Biology exam include graph reading, probability, the chi-square test, and understanding exponential growth.One topic that often comes up regarding the SAT Subject biology exam is the difference between Bio-E (Ecology) and Bio-M (Molecular). These two tests are delivered in the same packet and share the first 60 questions of the test, only branching into two sections for the last 20. Students do not have to register for them separately and, in theory, could choose which one to take as late as the day of the exam itself. At AJ, we encourage students to try out both as part of the preparation process, and then pursue whichever one they score higher on.It is certainly possible for a student who is proficient in biology to take both the SAT Subject Biology and the AP Biology exams with knowledge of much of the same academic content. However, being aware of the differences between the tests, becoming familiar the different techniques needed to tackle them, and studying with practice tests of both varieties will give students the best chance of success.Our tutors have expertise and experience with both exams, so please reach out to us to learn more about how AJ can help your student.

5 Tips for Landing an On-Campus Job

5 Tips for Landing an On-Campus Job via Pexels.com 1. Consult your college career center. Most likely your college or university has a career center you can visit, where you can obtain information, updates, and guidance about potential career and job options. Starting at the career center is a great first step, especially if you aren’t quite sure how to start in the first place. While most college students probably visit the career center for advice and guidance on future job possibilities, the career counselors there can also be a great resource for those who are looking for an on-campus job. And as career counselors are trained to point you in the right direction, they may also be able to suggest a good on-campus job that lines up with your interests and potential career options. So, if you are at a loss for where to begin, visiting your college career center is certainly a great place to start! 2. Work on making your resume the best it can be. An extremely important part of any hiring process is the resume. In any situation, of course, you want your resume to stand out and show off who you are as a professional individual, which is also relevant to any on-campus jobs you may want to apply to. One great resource to help you improve your resume, as mentioned previously, is the college career center at your school. If you know at least generally what kind of job you will be applying to on-campus, the career counselors there can help you figure out what to emphasize on your resume so that you can display your relevant, previous work experience and academics. Which leads to the next point 3. Capitalize on your academic achievements. When putting together your resume, it’s a good idea to focus on your academic accomplishments. Whether you’re applying for a job as a food server in the dining hall or a paid internship as assistant to the dean, you should do your best to make known your academic achievements (such as honors, awards, and GPA) to show that you are a hardworking and determined individual. Especially if your academic work relates to the job you’re leaning towards, emphasizing your academic achievements will certainly work in your favor. For example, if you are an engineering major, your academic history (such as the classes you’ve taken and the projects you’ve worked on) may be valuable if you want to work on the IT team on-campus fixing things such as computers and screen projectors. 4. Apply to multiple on-campus jobs. Applying to several jobs at once will increase your chances of getting hired for at least one of them. Even if there are some jobs that don’t perfectly line up with your dream career, it certainly doesn’t hurt to apply to several of them maybe some of them work well with your class schedule and would be convenient for you. Whatever the case may be, having at least a few other on-campus job options is ideal so that you have something to fall back on, just in case your first option doesn’t work out. 5. Prepare for your interview. Just like any other job in the real world, it’s definitely always important to prepare for an interview. The type of interview questions will most likely be different depending on what kind of job you’re applying to, but generally you should have some standard answers prepared. That way, no matter what the interviewer asks, you will already have something in your mind that you can quickly use. All in all, landing an on-campus job doesn’t have to be complicated. If you follow the effective and strategic methods outlined here, you may soon be able to find an on-campus job that suits you.