Basics of Singing The Dos and Donts of Singing in a Group

Basics of Singing The Dos and Donts of Singing in a Group Suzy S. Mastering the basics of singing  is just one of the many steps youll need to take when training your voice. You may think that once youve tackled the various exercises needed to improve agility, tone, and technique, and learned the basics of  good posture  and support, that youre winning the battle and well on the way to being a good singer.  The truth is, you may have mastered the basics of singing on an individual level, but if you want to eventually sing with others, there are many other skills that you need to learn to make you a both a good colleague and a useful member of any ensemble and many of them have nothing to do with your voice! Here are some of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to singing as part of a choir: Be Businesslike If youre just singing for fun, this may seem like a strange thing to master. However, your choir leaders are most likely renting out their rehearsal venue and keeping a careful eye on costs. If members are late and waste rehearsal time, its also wasting money for the choir; when it comes to re-auditioning, the perpetual absentee or member who always shows up late may find that their vocal services are no longer required. Dont be that person! Learn Your Music On some songs, depending on your vocal range, you may be assigned to the harmony line. This is quite different from singing the melody, which comes naturally to most singers. Knowing how to read music is one of the basics of singing that will help immensely work with a vocal teacher to help you with this, and youll go much further than your fellow singers who need extra time because they need to hear the tune several times or play it on the piano before being able to sing it. Dont be a Wrecker Those of us that have attended the concerts of friends and family members that already sing in choirs are probably familiar with the concept of The Wrecker. The Wrecker is usually brimming with confidence for all the wrong reasons, incapable of watching the conductor, sings off key or out of time loudly, and doesnt come in and come off notes at the same time as their colleagues. One of the worst things about a Wrecker is that they are usually completely unaware of what theyre doing. Watch the conductor, count carefully, and be aware of whats going on around you dont be a Wrecker! Listen to Your Colleagues Knowing your music isnt enough; to be a really good choral singer you have to know the other parts fairly well too, and be able to listen to others at the same time. Its important to work on blending with the other voices; make sure that you arent singing louder or softer than your section colleagues, and listen carefully so that you start and end phrases as a section, or in unison passages, as a choir. Work With a Vocal Coach   Whether youre a hobby singer or have professional aspirations, youve probably considered studying with a teacher one-on-one to get beyond the basics of singing (if you arent already!). A singing teacher will train your voice as an individual and teach you how to control your instrument, including how to manage pitch problems, improve your breathing, and develop your natural skills as a musician. These are all invaluable traits for any vocalist, whether youre singing solo or as part of a group! Of course, group singing isnt limited to choirs; you can improve your musicianship and vocal skills  by seeking out ensembles of varying size to sing with, even if its just singing duets with a friend at a similar stage of study, or a casual a cappella group. You may be surprised how much your abilities as a solo singer improve by listening to and singing with others! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by Erik bij de Vaate

How to Jumpstart Your Spring Semester

How to Jumpstart Your Spring Semester Were you hoping to earn a higher GPA than what you ultimately received at the end of this last fall term? If so, this can understandably feel quite disappointing, but the promising news is that the school year is only half over! If you approach the spring semester armed with the correct study tactics and a positive attitude, you can easily redeem yourself. In order to succeed during your second semester, exercise strong study habits from the first class meeting. Here is a great study tip on how to create a good study environment. Every day counts, especially if your marks last term were lower than you intended them to be. The first week of a semester is often filled with syllabus overviews, but you shouldnt use this as an opportunity to be idle. Review your notes or begin on homework assignments if you find that you possess more free time than usual. However, do not enter the spring semester with such force that you burn out early on. Working at a steady pace is healthiest. You may also want to take a look at thisstudy tip on how to organize your notes. One of the simplest methods for remaining current with your assignments is by tracking due dates. To do so, maintain an agenda pad or calendar where you record approaching deadlines. Submitting a paper or project late can be just as detrimental to your grade as selecting the wrong answers on an important test. Thus, organizational skills can have a significant impact on how well you do during the spring semester. Do not underestimate the value of being orderly. If you did not do as well as you anticipated last term, invest in new binders, notebooks, and other supplies for the upcoming spring semester. This enables you to begin with a clean slate. It always feels refreshing to open a blank notebook and to see that you have another chance to prove yourself. However, do not dispose of your past assignments, exams, and notes unless you are absolutely certain you will not require them again! Keeping such materials as reference could aid you considerably with future class material. Its possible that some of your spring semester courses may be continuations of classes you completed during the fall. For example, you might have completed Anatomy Physiology I during the first term and now have to take Anatomy Physiology II in the springtime. If this is the case, it is particularly beneficial to review your notes from the previous course before delving into more complicated subject matter. Sequential courses typically build and expand upon previously learned information. For this reason, it will often be highly essential to save all papers youve accumulated from a preceding course. A new semester signifies a new beginning. Thus, you are also presented with the opportunity to join a student organization at your school. Consider participating in an extracurricular club that interests you and/or is related to your intended field of study. This is some great information on how to choose your extracurricular activities. You never know with whom you may network or what you may learn about your prospective career. Student organizations also enhance your resume significantly. Now, use this self-reflection, organization, and optimistic approach to enter this semester armed and ready to succeed. Good luck!

Word Counter

Word Counter How to Use the Word Counter on the Virtual Writing Tutor When you want to know how many words are in a particular text, paste the text into the text area and click the Count Words button. The system will count your words and sentences, and calculate your average sentence length. The text you enter can be any length. There is no limit. Contractions of two words with apostrophes are counted as one word. For example, words like isnt, its, and dont are counted as one word each. Numbers without spaces between them are counted as one word. For example, 1, 10, 100, 1000 are counted as four words. Just so you know, the word counter does not count numbers alone without words. If you try to count numbers only, the VWT will tell you, You need to enter some text to make this work. Average sentence length is calculated by counting the number of words and dividing it by the number of sentences. The minimum number of sentences it will count is 2. If you enter This is one sentence. This is another sentence. the system will report a sentence count of 2 and an average sentence length of 4. If you enter This is one sentence. This is one more sentence. the system will report a sentence count of 2 and round up the average sentence length from 4.5 to 5. Click the Count Words button below to return to the main page to count words now. Please follow and like us:

Understanding My Grandmothers English

Understanding My Grandmothers’ English We travelled to Eastern Montana to see my Grandmothers. I couldn’t help imagining my students meeting them and trying to understand their English. They speak in an older way and use tons of idioms and strange colloquial phrases.The mountains near Lewistown, where one of my grandmothers lives.I’m going to review a few here and talk about some of the idioms that you might hear an older American use. This is the ultimate test of your English level. Next time we visit them I will record them talking about something and post it to see if you can understand. They are also very good story tellers and as old Montanans they have some fascinating stories.Here are some idioms and colloquial English phrases my grandmothers from Eastern Montana commonly use:See if you can’tthey use this when they are suggesting something or want you to do something. For example: See if you can’t find the news station on TV. She is asking you to find the news station. I think this is a way of being polite and is a bit of colloquial English.Say.This is like the old version of hey. It is to get your attention. For example: Say, Teauna did you hear about your cousin? They always use it at the beginning of a sentence, just as an attention stopper.DrinkMy grandmother uses this for any body of water, the kitchen sink, the swimming pool, the lake, or the bath. For example: Just put your plate in the drink and I’ll wash it up later (kitchen sink). Well, I’m going to go get in the drink before bed (bathtub). This summer we made it to the drink every weekend (lake).Hotter than a pistolthis is used when it is hot outside. This fall it was hotter than a pistol.Madder than a hornetthis is used to describe when someone is very angry. He was just madder than a hornet when he found out about his paycheck.

Micro Language

Micro Language Micro Language Micro-language, founded in 2012, aims to build an open public service platform, which can offer professional, international education to Chinese people by breaking the limits of educational resources, time and geography. Workplace Our workspace is another harmonious home for us. We preserve a vivid and motivating working atmosphere, holding the faith of being simple and efficient. Our Team We are a group who is extremely enthusiastic about language education. Elites from education, Internet technology, e-commerce fields constitute this unique and outstanding team. We are pursuing a brighter future through professionalism, efficient working and respect for education. We redefine work and cooperation We strive to create a three-sided mutual benefit community among students, teachers and schools by sharing integrative resources with our Internet platform as our tool. This is an innovative combination of education and the Internet, we are not only warmly welcoming overseas teachers to join us, but we will also do our best to achieve cooperation with well-known overseas colleges and universities. Seeking English Teachers We are hiring online foreign teachers to teach English. This is your chance to emerge yourself into Chinese Culture. For University Institutions We share resources, we share achievements. Cooperate with our English teachers and students as academic consultants.

?? Top Tips for New University Students - Infographic

?? Top Tips for New University Students - Infographic Top Tips for New University Students - Infographic Starting university can be a daunting experience, especially for those who have never lived away from home. There’s a lot to adjust to but much more to be excited about!Whether you’re most looking forward to freshers week, meeting new people or getting stuck into your degree, the university experience is whatever you make of it. You will, however, be given much more independence than you had in school and this new responsibility can be hard to handle.Things like budgeting, cooking for yourself and managing your time might be completely new to you.These can be challenging things to learn, which is why we’re here to help! If you've been convinced that university is the right option for you and wish to apply, you can find our ultimate university applications guide here.As well as our best tips to beat stress during the application process.Created byKatie Myers - a writer forTranscribe It. As well as providing a range of high-quality transcription services, Transcribe It also produces online content relating to writing, language and academia.

Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, Whats Next

Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next Ask a Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next? Question: I bombed one of my AP exams. What do I do now? ? Brief: There are several options for students who receive a 1 or 2 on their AP exams; students are advised to carefully weigh their options before making any permanent decisions. The most important thing is that students figure out what went wrong this time around and prevent the low score from damaging their college applications, if possible this is why its important to hire an Irvine AP test prep tutor early in the semester. Answer First, its important to know that you are not alone in this situation. Many students, especially those taking an AP for the first time, will fail to score the 3 needed to receive college credit. It’s important for AP students to go through the following checklist and make the best of a bad situation. 1. Speak with your classroom teacher If you failed to score a 3 or higher on AP exams, speak to your classroom teacher ASAP. Its important to find out if you will still receive classroom credit even if you failed the AP exam. Each school district is a little bit different, thus students should not make any assumptions. Some students will still receive an English, Math, or History credit on their transcripts while others may not. If you have to take a makeup course over the summer, you should find out now (READ: 5 Reasons to take a Practice Test Before Taking the AP Exam). 2. Speak with your college counselor Assuming that you can receive classroom credit for your AP course, you will want to determine what happens as far as college applications are concerned. The colleges you apply to will see that you took, for example, AP US History but that you didn’t send in your test scores. This can put you in a bad position so its essential to talk to your college counselor about your options based on the specific colleges you wish to apply to. 3. Hire a private tutor The reality of AP courses is that they are college level classes taken in high school. The majority of students taking AP are likely to have an Orange County private test prep tutor help them prepare for their exams because solitary study is generally not enough. If you received a 1 or 2 on this years exam, speak to a tutor and figure out if you will be capable of scoring at least a 3 next year before you commit to another year of AP courses that you may not get credit for. 4.  Look over your summary score report Its important for students who scored low on their AP exams to review their summary score report and see what the issue was. Students who scored low on the multiple choice sections should work on test prep techniques, such as process of elimination, whereas students who scored poorly on their DBQ or synthesis essays (depending on the subject) will need to work with a tutor to improve their writing skills before next year. 5. Spin it Students who are in their junior or senior year will have a difficult time spinning this situation, however, freshmen and sophomores may be able to include supplementary material with their college applications explaining that, although they scored low on that particular exam, they did make the effort to be in an AP class and scored higher on later exams. If a sophomore scored a 1 or 2 on AP US History but then scored a 4 or 5 on AP World History the following year, its a good demonstration of self-improvement and academic maturity (READ: AP Exams and the DBQ: How to Improve). It’s important for students to know that failing one AP exam is not the end of their potential college career. However, its paramount that students learn from their initial setbacks and improve in the future. If they got a 1 or 2 this time around, its even more important that they get a 5 next year. 6. Consider if AP classes are right for you If a student signed up for AP Calculus but was struggling to get a B in Algebra, it probably wasnt the right AP class to take. It’s essential to learn from this and make sure to only take AP classes in a subject you know, enjoy, and are willing to dedicate an extended amount of time to. If you scored a 1 on multiple AP exams, it might be time to think about switching into Honors classes (assuming your AP classroom grades are high), or into a regular high school class where you can receive both credit and a good GPA. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about. Ask A Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next Ask a Nerd! I Bombed My AP Exam, What’s Next? Question: I bombed one of my AP exams. What do I do now? ? Brief: There are several options for students who receive a 1 or 2 on their AP exams; students are advised to carefully weigh their options before making any permanent decisions. The most important thing is that students figure out what went wrong this time around and prevent the low score from damaging their college applications, if possible this is why its important to hire an Irvine AP test prep tutor early in the semester. Answer First, its important to know that you are not alone in this situation. Many students, especially those taking an AP for the first time, will fail to score the 3 needed to receive college credit. It’s important for AP students to go through the following checklist and make the best of a bad situation. 1. Speak with your classroom teacher If you failed to score a 3 or higher on AP exams, speak to your classroom teacher ASAP. Its important to find out if you will still receive classroom credit even if you failed the AP exam. Each school district is a little bit different, thus students should not make any assumptions. Some students will still receive an English, Math, or History credit on their transcripts while others may not. If you have to take a makeup course over the summer, you should find out now (READ: 5 Reasons to take a Practice Test Before Taking the AP Exam). 2. Speak with your college counselor Assuming that you can receive classroom credit for your AP course, you will want to determine what happens as far as college applications are concerned. The colleges you apply to will see that you took, for example, AP US History but that you didn’t send in your test scores. This can put you in a bad position so its essential to talk to your college counselor about your options based on the specific colleges you wish to apply to. 3. Hire a private tutor The reality of AP courses is that they are college level classes taken in high school. The majority of students taking AP are likely to have an Orange County private test prep tutor help them prepare for their exams because solitary study is generally not enough. If you received a 1 or 2 on this years exam, speak to a tutor and figure out if you will be capable of scoring at least a 3 next year before you commit to another year of AP courses that you may not get credit for. 4.  Look over your summary score report Its important for students who scored low on their AP exams to review their summary score report and see what the issue was. Students who scored low on the multiple choice sections should work on test prep techniques, such as process of elimination, whereas students who scored poorly on their DBQ or synthesis essays (depending on the subject) will need to work with a tutor to improve their writing skills before next year. 5. Spin it Students who are in their junior or senior year will have a difficult time spinning this situation, however, freshmen and sophomores may be able to include supplementary material with their college applications explaining that, although they scored low on that particular exam, they did make the effort to be in an AP class and scored higher on later exams. If a sophomore scored a 1 or 2 on AP US History but then scored a 4 or 5 on AP World History the following year, its a good demonstration of self-improvement and academic maturity (READ: AP Exams and the DBQ: How to Improve). It’s important for students to know that failing one AP exam is not the end of their potential college career. However, its paramount that students learn from their initial setbacks and improve in the future. If they got a 1 or 2 this time around, its even more important that they get a 5 next year. 6. Consider if AP classes are right for you If a student signed up for AP Calculus but was struggling to get a B in Algebra, it probably wasnt the right AP class to take. It’s essential to learn from this and make sure to only take AP classes in a subject you know, enjoy, and are willing to dedicate an extended amount of time to. If you scored a 1 on multiple AP exams, it might be time to think about switching into Honors classes (assuming your AP classroom grades are high), or into a regular high school class where you can receive both credit and a good GPA. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.