Piano Teaching Methods Essays - Music Education, Suzuki Method

Piano Teaching Methods There is lots of piano teaching method and each one has its strengths and weaknesses. Now, I am going to inform you about the most common three methods for children ? Alfred, Suzuki, Amadeus. First of all, the Alfred method uses visual things such as colored pictures and graphics ? using software, compact discs, and /or cassettes is the newest updated one in this method ("Piano Teaching Method" 1). As you know, a picture is the greatest friend to children and it helps them, even adults like us, to understand something a lot easier. Additionally, it could grab children's attention more easily and quickly than a verbal explanation. For example, you can make a little card to show the scale or the relationship between notes. It is going to be helpful because students can look at it over and over. If you add colors or some pictures to that, it also would be helpful to get students' interest. This method gives students strength in reading intervals and seeing "the intervalic relationship between notes" ("Piano Teaching Method" 1). However, it might cause students to play by totally "relying on position playing" instead learning how to read the notes because it uses "the concept of position playing" ("Piano Teaching Method" 1). In other words, students memorize the hand position ? fingering ? but not read the notes. And some people point out that "the major composers should be presented to the students at a much earlier stage than is typical in this method" ("Piano Teaching Method" 2). This method is recommended for very beginning teachers who need a certain prepared lesson plan to follow and once the teachers become more comfortable and get to know about different methods, they are urged to "expand from this method" ("Piano Teaching Method" 2). The Suzuki method ? you probably heard this concept a lot. This method was applied to teaching violin originally by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki but it now is applied to piano teaching also (Mills et al ed. 1). The Suzuki method approaches playing piano with "listening and development of ear and the memory" rather than reading music (Mills 114). This method relies on playing by ear so that students become more sensitive about the tone they produce and it makes student concentrate more on their playing, and become more expressive with the music (Mills 114; "Piano Teaching Method" 4). In The Suzuki Concept, the author indicates that "after the good playing habits have been established, reading comes a little later" (114). However, the students trained by this method could lack reading music skill because they depend too much on playing by ear ("Piano Teaching Method" 4). For me, the most interesting teaching method is the Amadeus method. The concept of this method is that the teacher should give a lesson to children by playing with music as children play with toys (Back and Lee 25). The author remarks that teaching how to read the notes is not a first step (Back and Lee 25). In The Piano Teaching Method To Make The Best Student, the author describes that in this method, the teacher should guide children to be familiar with music by their sense of playing, and help children to feel and express music through their bodies (25). In this method, the easiest and the most recommended thing for teachers is to have children sing (Back and Lee 24). By doing that children could learn musical factors such as phrasing. Through this method, children can enjoy learning piano more and become familiar with music gradually and unconsciously (Back and Lee 26). I believe that unconscious learning process is the strongest advantage the students can get from this method. But as a teacher, you have to be always aware of the lesson plan, otherwise this method might end up just as playing instead of teaching (Back and Lee 26). Therefore, teachers should always prepare the curriculum carefully. As I mentioned above, there are strengths and weaknesses in each method. As a piano teacher, you should be knowledgeable about many different methods and use them according to the student's needs. You can't just insist on one particular method because each of your students' learning style will be different. I believe that the role of a teacher is to find out the best methodology for his or her students. Teachers should be flexible with different methods of teaching. Bibliography Back, Ki-Pung, and Bong-Ki Lee. The Piano Teaching Method to Make the Best Student. Seoul: Jak Eun Woo Li, 1993. Mills, Elizabeth, et al ed.

Post-Colonial Concerns and English Literature Essay Example

Post Post-Colonial Concerns and English Literature Essay Post-Colonial Concerns and English Literature Essay Gauri Viswanathan’s essay â€Å"The Beginnings of English Literary Study in British India† provides a compelling account of the ideological motivations behind the introduction of English literary education in British India. In her essay, she argues that â€Å"literary study gained enormous cultural strength through its development in a period of territorial expansion and conquest, and the subsequent institutionalization of the discipline in England itself took on a shape and an ideological content developed in the colonial context† (Viswanathan, 431 ). Meaning, colonial policies played a key role in the perpetuation of and institutionalization of English language in India which was then under the rule of Britain, which showed no reservations about exercising its authority in making its colony in India more amenable to its rule. Gauri analyzes the shifts in the curriculum of English Literature devised by British colonial officers and connects the developments within them to Gramsci’s concept of hegemony and debates over the objectives of English education both among the British administrators, as well as between missionaries and colonial officials. According to her,British administrators introduced English literary study in India in the early nineteenth century to improve the moral knowledge of Indians. But, since Britain followed a policy of religious impartiality and prohibited the coerced conversion of Hindus and Muslims to Christianity under the apprehension that such an action would incite mass uprisings. Therefore, Christian teachings could not be used in India to subjugate the natives in spite of its success rate in acquiring submission of the lower classes back home in Britain. In order to resolve this dilemma, Viswanathan observes, colonial officials revived Charles Grant’s tract â€Å"Observations on the State of Society among the Asiatic subjects of Great Britain† (1792) which, although a severely critical condemnat

African Caribbean Culture In The United Kingdom Marketing Essay

African Caribbean Culture In The United Kingdom Marketing Essay African-Caribbean communities organize and participate in Caribbean Carnivals Caribbean style carnivals throughout the UK. The best known of these is the annual  Notting Hill Carnival, attracting up to 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe. The carnival began in 1964 as a small procession of Trinidadians in memory of festivals in their home country. Leeds West Indian Carnival  is Europe’s oldest West Indian carnival and now attracts around 130,000 people. Other carnivals include the Leicester Caribbean Carnival and the Birmingham International Carnival. British African-Caribbean people A majority of the African-Caribbean population in the UK is of Jamaican origin; other notable representation is from Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Montserrat, Anguilla, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana (which although located on the South Ameri can mainland is culturally similar to the Caribbean and was historically considered to be part of the British West Indies), and Belize. African-Caribbean people are present throughout the United Kingdom with by far the largest concentrations in London and Birmingham. Significant communities also exist in other population centres, notably Manchester, Bradford, Nottingham, Coventry, Luton, Leicester, Bristol, Leeds, Huddersfield, Sheffield, Liverpool and Cardiff. In these cities, the community is traditionally associated with a particular area, such as Brixton, Harlesden, Stonebridge, Tottenham, Dalston, Lewisham, Edmonton, Peckham in London, West Bowling and Heaton in Bradford, Chapeltown in Leeds, St. Pauls in Bristol, or Handsworth and Aston in Birmingham or Moss Side in Manchester. According to the 2001 census, the largest number of African-Caribbeans is found in Lewisham, south-east London, with 9%. British African-Caribbeans have an extremely high rate of mixed-race relationship s, and could in effect become the first UK ethnic group to â€Å"disappear†. Half of all British African-Caribbean men in a relationship have partners of a different ethnic background, as do one-third of all British African-Caribbean women. 2009 estimates for England alone roughly put the full African-Caribbean to partial African-Caribbean heritage ratio at 2:1, with over 900,000 people of African-Caribbean origin in total. England in 2009: 609,400 (approximately 1.20% of the English population) Regions with significant populations Greater London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, West Midlands, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester Sheffield Caribbean London It’s hard to say exactly which parts of London are synonymous with Caribbean culture. In August it’ll be Notting Hill, but although there are hubs of residential areas – Peckham, New Cross, Dalston, and Lewisham That will have their fair share of Caribbean (and African) residents and at least a ha ndful of grocers or takeaways selling Caribbean food; it’s a community that’s fairly spread across town. Two main areas do stand out, however: Brixton in South London and Harlesden in the North West. Brixton Market is home to Europe’s largest amount of Afro-Caribbean foodstuffs, which obviously appeals to a large contingent of Afro-Caribbean consumers who can also find specialist hairdressers, barber shops as well as hair products in the surrounding streets. Harlesden also boasts its fair share of Caribbean cafà ©s and grocers, but is best known as the reggae capital of London.

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel Essay

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel - Essay Example The advert was effective. The marketers developed a unique product that upholds the quality standards of the company. Additionally, they use an equally unique yet effective marketing strategy. Social media enables the marketers to interact with their target audiences and share videos among other material that would enhance the profitability of the brand. Facebook provided the marketers with the interactivity that helps in the sale of the products besides the avenue to carry out market researches thereby understanding the patterns of demands. The information in the resource promises to influence retail of the products in future since the company will evaluate the success of such targeted sales thereby develop and position successive products on social media among other appropriate types of media. The success or failure of the event influences the profitability of the company thereby marking to change the company’s marketing strategies in the

Strategies and Synergies of Tempur-Pedic International's plan to Case Study

Strategies and Synergies of Tempur-Pedic International's plan to acquire Sealy Corp - Case Study Example These two companies had agreed to merge and create $2.7 billion international bedding provision. This agreement entails an acquisition of $242 million and assumption of $750 million in debt by Tempur-Pedic International from Seal Corp. Apparently, Seal Corp had raised its shares up by 9 per cent in anticipation of the acquisition by the rival firm. The shares traded at $2.33. Tempur-Pedic felt threatened by the rapid up scaling of the Sealy Corp and was determined to recapture the market share. Under the agreement, Sealy Corp would continue with its independent operations under its Chief Executive Officer, Larry Rogers. He will report to the Tempur-Pedic’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Sarvey. Although Tempur-Pedic Corp and Sealy Corp are both bedding companies, they each took separate paths over the past twenty years. Tempur-Pedic that was founded 1992 and later emerged as the biggest manufacturer of mattresses in 2011. Consequently, its sales revenue rose by 28 per cent attaining a $ 1.42 billion point. Sealy Corp has been operating for 131 years but the rise in Tempur-Pedic resulted in the plunging of its shares by more than ninety per cent in 2006. Consequently, its sales revenue was reduced to $1.23 billion during the 2011 public initial offer (Arora & Mukherjee, 2012). Sealy Corp had H Partners Management LLC as its number one shareholder. The New York based KKR and the Bain Capital are other important shareholders. Tempur-Pedic’s shareholders include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (myNews, 2012). Tempur-Pedic’s strategic rational Tempur-Pedic aims to expand its operations to cover more than eighty countries globally. Its acquisition of the Seal Corp is a movement towards this direction aimed at strengthening its efficiencies. Its long-term goal is to ensure that its expansion strategy will result in value addition to its global customers, shareholders and retailers. By merging with the Sealy Corp, Tempur-Pedic believes that it will create enough synergy that is instrumental to drive it into attaining this goal. Besides, Tempur-Pedic hopes to take advantage of the two companies’ highly regarded technologies, brands, geographic footprints and products to tap into the significant opportunities (Arora & Mukherjee, 2012). Is the current o ffer of $2.20 per share a fair offer for ZZ? The second quarter of 2012 saw Tempur-Pedic’s cashing $134 million and equivalents. This is despite the fact that it operates with debts, both short and long term of $682 million. This places it in a net debt position of $548 million. However, this position would be increased after merging with the Sealy Corp in the $ 1.3 billion transaction to $1.8 billion. The first half of 2012 saw Tempur-Pedic’s revenue generation attain a $713.9 million mark, giving it a net of $85.3 million. This is equivalent to $1.31 for every share diluted. The firm expects to generate $1.43 billion n revenues independent of Sealy Corp. This will create expected earnings of $2.80 for every diluted share. Based on this valuation methodology, it will be appropriate for Tempur-Pedic to offer its shares at $2.80 instead of $2.20 (Empowered News, 2012). Do you think TPX or ZZ shareholders are getting the better deal at this price and why? The $1.3 billio n transaction between Tempur-Pedic International was not fully welcomed by all the shareholders of the two firms. The Sealy Corp shareholders were only entitled to a cash of $2.20 for each Sealy stock share owned. This represents a 3 per cent premium of the past closing stock and unfavorably lower than the fifty-two week high of $2.45. This has potential of undervaluing the Sealy

Critically Assess the View That We Are Not Responsible for Our Evil Actions Essay Example for Free

Critically Assess the View That We Are Not Responsible for Our Evil Actions Essay Many Philosophers, such as Hoderich and John Calvin, believe that humans do not have free will to act in moral situations and that all moral actions have uncontrollable prior causes. Hard determinists, therefore, follow the belief that humans can not be morally blameworthy for their actions, evil or not, because their actions are predetermined. However, this is a ridiculous stance to take as humans are free to make moral choices, meaning they are entirely responsible for their evil actions. Many argue that hard determinism is the best approach to take when assessing this hypothesis as once you abandon the outdated notion of freedom; you can create a much better world. B.F. Skinner supports this view by recognising that since people are ultimately the result of their conditions, â€Å"and will get conditioned by their upbringing and environments anyway†, we ought to control people’s upbringing and environments as much as possible to ensure that their conditioning is positive. Skinner argued that such a plan would be more helpful than the current situation, in which peoples conditions is ultimately dependent on to luck. The case of Leopold and Loeb demonstrates this idea perfectly. If you look at the case on the surface, it seems like an act of pure evil, both boys kidnapped Bobby Franks and demanded ransom from his family, when this failed, they murdered him by hitting him over the head with a chisel. Harrow, whom was their lawyer and a follower of hard determinism, argued that â€Å"they killed [Bobby Franks] because they were made that way. Because somewhere in the infinite process that go to the making up of the boy or the man something slipped†. If one looks into the background of these two boys, evidence refutes this point; both of these boys were from very privileged backgrounds, Leob was actually the son of the vice president. Despite this, Leob was fascinated by detective stories; he read about crimes, he planned them and he eventually committed them. Leopold, on the other hand, who was reading Philosophy at the University of Chicago, became attracted to Friedrich Nitezche and his criticism of moral codes; he believed that those who followed Nitezche were super human and did not have to abide by the moral laws that others did. Darrow argued that Leopold’s obsession with crime and Loebs fascination with Nitezhce was a form of rebellion against the well-meaning, but strict and controlling, governess who raised him. They can not be hold morally responsible for the murder of Bobby Franks because each â€Å"child takes one shape or another shape depending not upon the boy himself, but on what surrounds him.†. However, this is a weak view to take as it suggests that people do not need to feel guilty for their actions; they have no moral responsibility, as their actions are already determined. If people were not morally responsible for their evil actions, then the world by a chaotic place, people could commit evil crimes and blame it upon their surroundings. It is therefore clear that hard determinism is a ridiculous view to take when assessing this hypothesis, as it would lead to utter anarchy and the notion of sin would be undermined. Many argue that soft determinism is the best approach to take when assessing the question, as it does not rule out free will- the two are compatible and so moral decisions and moral debate remains possible. Followers of soft determinism believe that some of our actions are conditioned, while others have so complex a collection of causes that they may properly be described as freely decided or willed. Hume is the Philosopher who is normally associated with this idea. Hume believed that events are determined because of a casual link between objects. Take for example, in 2012, when the travellers were prevented from flying as a result of ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland. For Hume, this casual link is called the constant union of objects. For instance, the volcano’s eruption prevents you from flying; that is outside of the control of the individual. But the response to that situation produces free will. In relation to murder, one could argue that your upbringing is determined, but the way you respond is a result of free will. This is a differing view to that of Take for instance the case of Mary Bell in 1968 who was convicted of the murder of two toddles. She was subject to an awful upbringing; her mother was a prostitute who specialised in sado- masochism- Mary was forced to listen to her mother perform these acts. A soft- determinist could argue that although Mary was subject to an abusive upbringing, she must hold some moral responsibility for her actions. Although this view seems highly logical, soft determinists have not agreed on precisely what is and what is not a determining factor in human action. This means that contradictions between followers of soft determinists are highly likely. Many disagree that Libertarianism is the best approach to apply to questions surrounding moral responsibility. They believe that cause and affect is too apparent in the world for us to simply disregard it; it must have an impact on human actions. Take for instance, the idea of murder, if you are brought up in a family in which murder is regarded as a sin, you are less likely to commit such a crime as one understands that murder immoral. This demonstrates the idea of cause and effect perfectly; someone teaches you that murder is immoral; the cause, you understand this and therefore do not do it; the effect. Despite this, one could refute this weakness by arguing that these are just moral rules that coincide with the societal norm, they do not strip us of our free will. Even if we were not brought up with these moral codes, we can still abide by them as we posses free will. The idea of free will also makes logical sense to us. In our day-to-day lives, we feel as if we posses it; we make daily decisions based upon our feelings, not something that has already been determined. As put by Aquinas, â€Å"man chooses not of necessity but freely†. Peter Van Inwagen’s also follows this approach, he argues that we can see that we posses free will by the deliberation of two choices of action; if we are able to do both, then we must have it as it ultimately is our choice to do either or. Peter Van Inwagen used an analogy to demonstrate this idea; you are walking along a road with many branches on it, which branch you choose to go down is your decision. Therefore, in relation to moral responsibility, we should all be held responsible for any evil actions committed as they do not come about as a result of chance or random events. Some may be subject to events which could potentially alter their morality, but they are free to choose which path they take. To conclude, although hard- determinism has some strengths, the fact that it believes that we should not be held morally responsible for actions mean it is useless when looking at questions surrounding moral responsibility. Soft- determinism, on the other hand, is far too vague and would produce many contradictions. Libertarianism is the best approach to take as it makes logical sense; we can see we possess free will and we should therefore be punished if we commit evil actions.

Why the Makah Indians Hunt Whales Essay -- essays research papers fc

Why the Makah Indians hunt whales: â€Å"Whales provide us with the food for our bodies, bones for our tools and implements and spirits for our souls.† â€Å"We haven’t hunted the whale for 70 years but have hunted them in our hearts and in our minds.† â€Å"Whales are a central focus of our culture today as they have been from the beginning of time.† This has been a tradition of the Makah Indians for more than 2000 years. They had to stop in 1926 due to the scarcity of gray whales. But their abundance now makes it possible to resume their ancient practice of the hunt. They have had an intensification of interest in there own history and culture since the archeological dig at their village of Ozette in 1970, which uncovered thousands of artifacts bearing witness to their whaling tradition. Whaling and whales have remained central to Makah culture. They are in their songs, dances, designs, and basketry. Their social structure is based on traditional whaling families. The conduct of a whale hunt requires rituals and ceremonies, which are deeply spiritual. And they believe hunting imposes a purpose and a discipline, which they believe, will benefit their entire community, especially the young, whom the Makahs believe to be suffering from lack of self-discipline and pride. Why the Makahs have they right to hunt gray whales: Before entering into negotiations with the Makah for cessions of their extensive lands on the Olympic peninsula in 1855, the United States government was fully aware that the Makahs lived primarily on whale, seal and fish. When the United States Territorial Governor, Isaac Stevens, arrived at Neah bay in December of 1855 to enter into negotiations with the Makah leaders, he was met with strong declarations from them that in exchange for ceding Makah lands to the United States they would be allowed to hunt whale. They demanded guarantees of their rights on the ocean and specifically, of the right to take whale. The treaty minutes show Governor Stevens saying to the Makahs: â€Å"The Great Father knows what whalers you are--- how you go far to sea to take whale. Far from wanting to stop you, he will help you – sending implements and barrels to try the oil.† He went on to promise U.S. assistance in promoting Makah whaling commerce. He then presented a treaty containing the specific guarantee of the United States securing the right of the Makahs to contin... ...hey should rise to a â€Å"higher† level of culture by not whaling. Whether or not you like what they are doing or not you should respect their culture and their traditions. The Makahs are just trying to keep their culture alive. Bibliography: â€Å"Makah Indians may become pirate whaling nation.† www.eye.net/news/enviro/1995/env0803.htm â€Å"Whales die, a culture lives.† www.seattle-times.com/extra/browse/html/altwhal_101396.html â€Å"An open letter to the public from the President of the Makah Whaling Commission.† www.Conbio.rice.edu/nae/docs/makaheditorial.html â€Å"Makah whaling: questions and answers.† www.makah.com/whales.htm â€Å"Edsanders.com – Politics – The new bigots.† www.edwanders.com/pol.bigots.htm â€Å"Treaty of Neah Bay, 1855.† www.nwifc.wa.gov/tribes/treaties/neahbay.htm â€Å"U.S. Indians plea to kill whale.† www.whale.wheelock.edu/archives/whalenet96/0247.html â€Å"Makah management plan for the Makah treaty Gray whale hunting for the years 1998 - 2002.† www.nwifc.wa.gov/whaling/whaleplan.html â€Å"How this happened – the Treaty.† www.seashepherd.org/wh/us/mktreaty.html â€Å"Indian tribe gets OK to resume whaling.† www.japan.cnn.com/earth/9710/23/whales.indian.tribe/index.html