A Trip to Kolkata is Not to Be Missed

A Trip to Kolkata is Not to Be MissedA tutor in India's beautiful West Bengal town of Kolkata offers you an immersive experience. You can visit this wonderful town's central museum. Some of the most captivating pieces in the National Museum of Modern Art's Indian section alone are worth visiting. Then, you can also buy some gifts from the market.Visit the best of the tourist sites like the Asiatic Society, the Banaras Hindu University, St. Stephen's Church and Jhansi College. You will also get a chance to play outdoor cricket at the park. Another wonderful visit in this lovely town is the Sariska Golf Course. If you are really in for a scenic view, go for a ride in a Jeep through the midst of the forest.You can also have a wonderful day trip to the coastal city of Calcutta. You can also visit several monuments in the ancient Indian city, including the Red Fort. It is also a great place to have a romantic getaway. Visit the harbor of Calcutta to find out the mesmerizing sea. Then, tak e a cruise to Kolkata, Cochin or Pondicherry.Another exciting activity you can do in Kolkata is take a group tour. You can visit the world-famous Royapuri temple, one of the oldest in the country. This is also a great place to visit for a romantic honeymoon. Some of the other religious sites in Kolkata include the Kamarajika temple, the sanctuary of Manikarnika and the Somdangwa Temple.You can also make a visit to the hill station of Kalinga, which is a very good place to watch the sunset. For a tour to the lovely Indian state of Goa, visit the Gandhara.There are also several other spots in Kolkata that are worth visiting, including the Rock Garden, Bhowanajika National Park, Fauji Museum, Amtey Gallery, National Museum, the Heron's Fountain, Todong Rock, Worli Forest, Kamal Thoreki and a lot more. With so many points to explore, it will not be a good idea to leave the city, so you can plan to come back for another tour next time.For those who want to make the best of your trip, a t rip to Kolkata is an ideal idea. The city offers everything that you need. It offers breathtaking views and environment, lovely food and wine to accompany the nightlife, tours to India's most beautiful city, an adventurous wildlife trekking adventure, a wonderful trip to Indian culture and a lot more. An exhilarating experience awaits you in Kolkata.

Ear Training Exercises Chords Scales

Ear Training Exercises Chords Scales Suzy S. Before you can master an instrument like the guitar, students need to first learn the art of listening. When you can quickly recognize certain things like intervals, chords and scales, your playing ability will greatly improve. Read on for a great ear training exercise from Elk Grove, CA teacher Loren R When music students first hear of ear training, they might not understand what it means.   It sounds important and basic, but what is it? When we hear music, we know that its our ears that need to be trained, because music is only for ears, not for the eyes. We also know that hearing is not just hearing. Theres hearing and then theres knowing what were hearing. If we learn to know what were hearing well enough, we will have the skill to go to our instrument and reproduce the music, either in part, or with an arrangement that is manageable by our single effort on our instrument. We can learn to hear how to represent the various instruments in the band playing the music. When people see these skills in action they say, That musician plays well by ear. This is a high compliment among musicians. But how does one develop a good ear? One important part is simply being able to match the pitch one hears in the music to a pitch one plays on their instrument. Ask your teacher to let you give that a try if you havent done that. Many people can do that already, but dont know how to go beyond that to recognize more of the music than just the one note at a time. The trick is to find a way to play the sounds you need to learn the most. They are called chords and scales. Also, we need a few recognizable bits of melody that are common in music. I call these moves. In real music, chords, scales and moves always occur in the context of rhythmic patterns, too. Even in the music where there are lots of repetitions, and we can add even more repetitions to give ourselves a certain picture of what our ears are hearing. If we can find a way to play the most common chords, scales and melody fragments, and make direct comparisons one after another in repetition, well begin to recognize the most common elements in music. Thats ear training. Once a musician knows a good portion of the most common chord progressions, scales and moves in their favorite genre of music, theyll be ear-trained in that genre. For guitarists, the key of A is a common key to start with. Here are the chords derived from the A scale: A, Bm, C#m, D, E7, F#m and G#dim. Set yourself up to do chord comparisons by using chords that set up the key in four-square phrasing first (loops of chord changes once per measure in four measures lengths, measures being four beats on one chord). Play through the chords in the pattern youve chosen, setting the key up clearly by using lots of A, D and E7. Then have your guitar teacher help you to audition each chord by changing only one chord at the beginning of a new loop of 8 measures of the progression, beginning a new progression with just one substitution chord at the beginning of the loop. Audition chords borrowed from the parallel minor scale to find some really pretty or interesting ones. Like these: F, G, C   (borrowed from A minor). Prettier, but less common chords are the add 9 chords. They work even better, but you might need some help finding them with your teacher. You might also like Ear Training Exercises: Recognizing Intervals Music Transcription: How to Transcribe Your Favorite Song 5 Things That Challenge Even the Best Guitar Newbies Loren R. teaches guitar, piano, bass guitar, music theory, and songwriting lessons to students of all ages in Elk Grove, CA. Loren joined the TakeLessons team in October 2012, with two music degrees and several years of teaching experience. His specialties include country, rock and classical styles. Learn more about Loren, or visit TakeLessons to find a teacher near you! Photo by stephcarter

Motivate Your Child To Practice With a Reward System

Motivate Your Child To Practice With a Reward System Mac Getting your child to practice anything  can be tough. Its easy for them to get distracted, bored, or otherwise uninterested when faced with a task. In this article, piano and singing teacher  Mariana L.  shares her reward system for kids that works brilliantly on her music students Children can get bored  and easily distracted while trying to focus  on a task. Many of them look like this: As a piano and voice teacher, the number one question I receive from parents is: How do I get my child to practice more? This question usually arises after they find themselves constantly nagging their children to practice. In turn, this causes the music students to become frustrated; they may even  lose the interest and love they felt for their instrument when they began taking lessons. Whats my suggestion for handling this situation? A  reward system. Its purpose is  to encourage students to practice and regain the joy they felt for music when they first wanted  lessons. In my experience, parents are always excited about introducing a reward system for music lessons because its something familiar; most of them already  use a reward system at home for their childrens schoolwork, chores, behavior, etc. What is a Reward System? The concept of a reward system stems from the operant conditioning  studies of psychologist B.F. Skinner.  Skinner studied positive and negative reinforcement as a way of changing or achieving a behavior from an individual. In his laboratory, Skinner placed some rats in a box that had a lever, which, upon pulling it, released  pellets of food. At first, the rats would accidentally push the lever and receive their reward. After several times of getting food by accident, they figured out how to receive the reward (food) whenever they wanted it. For children, practicing their instrument is the lever and the food is  whatever your child gets excited about. Their reward  could be toys, books, games, or even an extra outing to the park its up to you. Setting Up a Reward System I strongly recommend you work with your childs instructor to figure out what both of you would like to achieve from the reward system. For example, you might simply want your child to practice more than fifteen minutes a day, but your childs instructor might also want them to mark their sheet music before coming to the lesson. Work out your goals first, then compare them to the goals of the instructor, and then construct the reward system from there. To prepare your little music student for success, make sure they have the following items: An assignment  chart Tons of stickers Fake money [optional] With my students, I use three sheets to manage the system. 1) The  Point Tracker On this sheet, each colored star has its own point value. All you need to do is assign X amount of points to X amount of dollars and youre good to go! I find it easiest to calculate points per one dollar value. 2) The  Point Earning Guide On this sheet, youll assign a point value to behaviors and/or tasks. You can be as broad or as specific as you want. For instance, you could reward ten points per one minute of practicing, or fifteen points for finishing a unit. In this example, the guide is quite specific because there were certain behaviors my student’s mother and I wanted to correct. 3) The  Reward Menu This part of the process, in my opinion, is the most fun to create! Parents, teachers, and students  can work together to decide what type of prizes the student will receive. My rewards include students getting to play with a box of my percussion instruments, playing a musical game on my iPad, or playing on my keyboard with voices other than the piano (violin, trumpet, xylophone, etc.). Remember to assign a somewhat high cash value to the rewards to ensure the goal is not achieved too early. As a bonus, this is also a wonderful way to teach children about saving money! My Shareable Files I use a free graphic design service called Canva to create sheets for my students.  Below are the sheets that I use. Feel free to change them based on your students needs and desires. Reward Chart Reward Menu How to Keep the System Working After working with a reward system for a few months, parents often  wonder if the system is sustainable. In other words, theyll ask: Will I always have to reward my child in order to get them to practice? To tell you with complete honestly, theres no general answer to that question. Some students develop an almost Pavlovian response to practice, where they no longer need a  reward to pick up their instrument every day; playing music IS the reward. The natural consequence of more practice is, of course, developing an advanced skill to play an instrument. And with enough practice,  being able to play more complex  and interesting pieces of music. If a student is not ready to practice without getting rewarded, its always a good idea to find ways to keep the system fun and fresh; every couple of months, sit down to change the rewards and ways to earn points. Its best to consult with the students teacher first, since certain behaviors and skills might have already been achieved. Conclusion If you can  take anything from this post, its this: remember the joy that music brings to your childs life. Find a way to keep that passionate flame  burning. The last thing they want is to restart piano lessons as an adult, regretting the fact that they quit as a child. For more information about reward systems and encouraging your child to practice, try scheduling a lesson with a private music instructor. A little one-on-one instruction  goes a long way! Know any tricks to get young students  to focus on practice? Comment below! Post Author:  Mariana L. Mariana L.  teaches singing, piano, and Spanish in Maple Grove, MN. Shes holds a Masters of Music degree from The Catholic University of America. Her approach to teaching is speaking in terms that are easy for her  students to understand and remember.  Learn more about Mariana  here! 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

13 Famous Singers With Surprisingly Bad Vocal Habits

13 Famous Singers With Surprisingly Bad Vocal Habits Sign up successful Régine, on the other hand, has trouble hitting accurate pitches in general and tends to go sharp (higher than she intended). Listen to her last note in the song for a good example. How to Avoid Pitchy Singing Like any other skill, learning to match pitch requires practice. If you have a lot of trouble singing in tune, devote five to 10  minutes a day to practicing this. I have my students use Pitch Analyzer  and a keyboard to do this. Just open the app, play a pitch on the keyboard, and try to match it with your voice. Pitch Analyzer helps you figure out if you are flat, sharp, or just right. Nasal Singing Rebecca Black Miley Cyrus Humans can breathe (and therefore sing) through both the nose and the mouth. The soft palate, located on the roof of the mouth behind the hard palate, lifts and lowers to block off the nasal passages from the rest of the breathing apparatus. Singing with a lowered soft palate lets air out through the nose, causing a nasally tone. See this video from Miley Cyrus as an example. How to Avoid Nasal Singing Learn to lift your soft palate. If you have ever “plugged” your nose without touching it (when changing a diaper or jumping into a pool, for instance), you already know how to do this. If not, try making a really nasally sound, then doing the exact opposite. If your soft palate is all the way up, you will not sound any different if you plug your nose with your fingers. Throat Tension Katy Perry Christina Aguilera  (last note especially, at 1:53) Throat tension is not only damaging, it sounds more like yelling than singing. In these videos of Katy and Christina, the vocals often sound closer to yelling than to singing. Note the frayed, pressed tone and the lack of vibrato. If you watch closely, you will also notice that you can see both women’s necks visibly straining. How to Avoid Throat Tension There are two ways to decrease throat tension in singers. First and foremost, try to relax your throat. Work in front of a mirror or place your hand around your neck so you can feel your throat muscles better. You can also move your neck around while you sing (from side to side, as though you are shaking your head “no”) to keep it from stiffening. The second way to decrease throat tension is to focus on the fundamentals of singing. Singers throats usually tense up to compensate for a lack of proper technique. Make sure your breath support is working, your soft palate is up, your posture is relaxed, and your energy levels are high as you sing. Tongue Tension Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) Sarah Brightman Your tongue is a huge muscle that stretches from the front of your mouth all the way back and down, where it connects to the muscles under your jaw. If any part of the tongue becomes rigid during singing, a distinct, clogged sound emerges. The best example of this that I can think of actually isn’t a singer; it’s Kermit the Frog. If you tense your tongue and talk, you’ll find that you sound like the little green guy. For  singers, this clogged sound results in modified vowels, as well as a general distinct tone quality. Both Sarah Brightman and Eddie Vedder’s sounds are characterized by this sound. Singing with tongue tension causes vocal fatigue and can eventually lead to vocal problems, so it’s not something you should ignore. How to Avoid Tongue Tension Many people are completely incapable of consciously relaxing their tongues, even when they aren’t making sound. Start by resting your tongue on your bottom lip, so you can see it well in a mirror, and relaxing it (a relaxed tongue is fat and motionless). Once you accomplish that, put your tongue back in your mouth and learn how to sing vowels without tensing your tongue. (The mirror is your best friend.) When progressing to words, focus on moving your tongue without making it unnecessarily rigid. Jaw Tension Eddie Redmayne Kathleen Battle When singing, the jaw should be loose and free. Tensing the jaw not only makes it harder to sing, it also sounds (and looks) weird. Eddie Redmayne’s clenched, shaking jaw and matching vocals attest to this. Although Kathleen Battle (an acclaimed classical singer) still sounds lovely, it is obvious from watching her sing that her jaw is doing some bizarre and unnecessary work. How to Avoid Jaw Tension Avoid jaw tension by paying attention. Stretch it out before you sing, look in the mirror, and put your hands on your jaw to feel the muscles. If you notice yourself clenching, stop singing, stretch it out, and try again. Always make sure that you are breathing, standing, and resonating well. Just like the throat, the jaw tends to clench when your singing technique is incomplete. Damaged Vocal Chords Mariah Carey Kelly Clarkson Vocal cord abuse and overuse can damage your vocal cords. Singers who perform lots of taxing music often suffer from vocal cord damage, especially after years of performing in tours and concerts. Kelly still sounds good, but the newly acquired raspy quality and her avoidance of high notes are both red flags. In Mariah’s recording, her cloudy tone quality, squeaking, and inability to hold out notes all point to severely swollen vocal cords. Singers can even get calluses (nodes), polyps, or vocal hemorrhaging (bleeding welts) that require surgery. Adele, Sam Smith, Tove Lo, Keith Urban, John Mayer… the list of celebrity victims goes on and on. How to Avoid Damaged Vocal Chords Be kind to your voice! Don’t scream and yell, and don’t overuse your vocal cords. If you suspect that you have hurt your chords already, or if you don’t know how to sing or speak properly for your health, consult  a voice teacher or a vocal therapist immediately. If it hurts to sing or speak, consider taking a few days off and going on vocal rest (no talking or singing whatsoever). It’s amazing what good a few days of quiet can do. While celebrities sing off-key through their noses, you can learn to sing in tune, with a raised soft palate and healthy vocal cords. Find a good teacher, ask him or her about these vocal faults, and practice a little every day. Soon, you might be singing better than some of your favorite famous singers! Post Author:  Elaina R. Elaina R. teaches opera voice and singing in Ann Arbor, MI, as well as through online lessons. She received her Master of Music from  the University of Michigan, and she has a B.M. from the University of Southern California. Learn more about Elaina here! Photo by  Jana Beamer 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

Equivalent Decimals

Equivalent Decimals We can say decimals are a kind of fractional numbers. For example, the decimal 0.5 represents the fraction 5/10. We know 5/10 is equivalent to 1/2. In other words we can say decimal number is a number which contains decimal point. It has whole part and decimal part. We can say digits before decimal as whole part and the digits after decimal as decimal part. We have some rules to write the equivalent decimals. Those are, an equivalent decimal has same digits after the decimal point. If we add a number zero at the end of decimal digits the value of that number will not change. If we add zeros before the whole number the value of the number will not change. And the important thing is the place value of a decimal will not change. Example 1: check the decimal 0.45 is equivalent to 00.4500 Solution: Given decimal is 0.45 We need to find the place values of these two decimals First we can find the place values of 0.45 4 is tenth place and 5 is at hundredth place .(1) Now we can find the place values of the digits of 00.4500 The place value of 4 is tenths and place value of 5 is hundredth ..(2) From (1) and (2), The place values of the digits are same. So the given decimals are equivalent. Example 2: check the decimal 0.5 is equivalent to 00.500 Solution: Given decimal is 0.5 We need to find the place values of these two decimals First we can find the place values of 0.5 5 is tenth place .(1) Now we can find the place values of the digits of 00.500 The place value of 5 is tenths ..(2) From (1) and (2), The place values of the digits are same. So the given decimals are equivalent.

A Day in the Life at Oregon State University

A Day in the Life at Oregon State University Melissa, who specializes in English tutoring, writing tutoring, and a number of other subjects, shared her college experience below. She earned her bachelors degree in psychology from Oregon State University in 2012. Check out what she had to say: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Melissa: I did my undergraduate work at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The town had around 60,000 people and the school had around 18,000 students. The University was a huge part of the community and public transportation was free for all OSU students. I usually took the city bus or rode my bike around campus. Corvallis is a safe place and OSU has a very nice campus that is both pedestrian and bicycle friendly. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Melissa: Overall, I think the professors and advisers make themselves available, but it depends on the department. I had problems when I was taking statistics with TAs not being available and that was really frustrating. I ended up getting a tutor and did really well, but I really needed the extra help. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Melissa: I lived about a mile off campus. The dining halls were really nice and provided many choices for students and staff. They were almost always busy during day and were a great place to meet friends. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Melissa: The College of Engineering, Business, Geoscience, and Fish and Wildlife were the big programs at OSU. I started out studying business and psychology. While taking general requirements, I didnt feel like there was a lot of support, but within the departments, professors seemed more invested and did a good job of providing support for students. The College of Business had a lot of tools and resources to support students with computer labs, internships, and scholarships. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Melissa: At first it was hard for me to make friends and get to know people. Greek life is huge at OSU. I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta at my previous school and I didnt pledge once I got to OSU. There were a lot of big events, game day activities, and things to do on the quad and at the Memorial Union, but I was really busy with work and school so I wasnt able to fully participate. Over time, I made friends with people who I had classes with a lot and through study groups, which was really nice. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Melissa: The Career Center was always holding big events and recruiting opportunities, but the student support I found most helpful was through the library. The library was open 24 hours a day, and had so many student services including scanning books into digital files, access to online articles, and study rooms. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Melissa: There are so many places to study on campus at OSU! The Valley Library is huge! The coffee shop in the basement was one of my favorite places to study. I also liked the MU. The buildings are all huge and even though they are busy, they provide enough seating to accommodate a lot of students comfortably. Describe the surrounding town. Melissa: Downtown is a short distance from campus and is a popular destination for students, especially on weekends. There are small shops, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and a river. Just outside of town, there are great places to go hiking like Marys Peak, Bald Hill, and Peavy Arboretum. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Melissa: The student body was big with around 18,000 students. The popular required classes like math and statistics were really big and had between 100 and 150 students per section and those professors usually taught several sections and had several hundred students. In those classes it was impossible to get help from the professors. The upper division classes usually had between 25 and 50. I liked the small classes a lot better. Most of my classes were smaller and I was pleased with the size. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Melissa: My favorite class at OSU was Geo 300. The professor (Dr. Cook) was one of the most informed people Ive ever met and his lectures were awesome. Although the class was on resource management, he touched on every element of life including personal enrichment, history, politics, business, and ecology. Every year he took a group of students to Albania to work in a village, where he had a library and he would personally fund a scholarship for one student from that village who excelled. He encouraged me and inspired me through his teaching. He was an amazing person and an excellent teacher. Check out Melissas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

5 Horrible Solo Albums From Famous Musicians

5 Horrible Solo Albums From Famous Musicians Mac Going solo isnt easy.  Once you leave a famous band, its hard to achieve  the same level of success on your own. In this article, Jessica Kane from SoundStageDirect  discusses  five solo albums from famous musicians that just  didnt cut it There are unknown reasons as to why some famous musicians feel the need to try to wing it on their own. Some have found great success upon breaking away from their band, while others have only put more nails in their creative coffins. Ready to hear what many consider some of the worst albums by solo artists? Here are five horrible solo albums from famous musicians: 1) Gone Troppo by George Harrison The Beatles are perhaps the most famous rock band of all time. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr have all had successful and well-received solo albums in their post-Beatles lives. However, Gone Troppo by Harrison is one of the weakest releases of the bunch. To say that George Harrison is full of talent is a massive understatement, but his charm, skill, and focus fell short with this album. Its generally regarded as underwhelming and does not capture the magic that Harrison has brought to other albums. Listen to the title track and hear a part of George you havent  heard before: 2) Two Sides of the Moon by Keith Moon Keith Moon is known as one of the most iconic and powerful drummers in rock history. His thunderous hammering can be heard across all of The Whos powerhouse albums of the 1960s and 1970s. Two Sides of the Moon delivers you on a half hour journey to a much too dark side of Moon that is best left unexplored. The tracks on this album are as lifeless as the actual moon. Keith Moon, while a savage drummer, is a pitiful solo artist. He lacks the talent of most famous singers, and despite an impressive lineup that includes Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, and a rumored David Bowie,  Two Sides of the Moon plays more like a strung-out mishap. This is what happens when you let someone as wild as Keith Moon alone to his own devices inside of a recording studio, with the intention to do a vocal cover album. 3) This Time by Melanie C The Spice Girls treated the world to energetic, fun, and sexy pop music that bred a cult of millions of Spice wannabes and fashion-deficit followers. Sporty Spice, or Melanie C, tried to capture some of that same success in a post-Spice Girl world but fell flat  on her face. While not one of the worst albums of the last 100 years, This Time is just unoriginal and dull. This was Melanies fourth solo effort and one of her weakest. In contrast, Northern Star was a solid pop experience that had good energy and lasting themes. Let your bleeding ears check it out here: 4) Who I Am by Nick Jonas This album deserves to be ranked among the worst albums of all time on every list of bad albums, ever. The Jonas Brothers are known for their cute pop rock that caters to pre-pubescent teen girls. Nick Jonas tried to set himself apart with this edgy attempt at a solo album. The blues is universal, as everyone feels suffering and angst, but Jonas needs to keep out of the blues world. This track is all the reason to stop listening to Nick Jonas: 5) Oh Yes I Can by David Crosby David Crosby is perhaps best known for his influential work with the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, but as a solo artist, hes been hit and miss. Oh Yes I Can is a definite miss. Released in 1989, this album does not bring the listener the same deep emotional satisfaction that was found in previous releases. Crosby is an excellent songwriter and performer, but he should have kept this one to himself. The impact he found in other hits is missing from this release. Conclusion Youve just experienced five horrible solo albums  back to back. Hopefully your ears are recovering now! If you want to avoid making horrible solo albums yourself, schedule a lesson with a private music instructor and get better at your craft today! Know any other horrible albums from famous musicians? Comment below! Post Author:  Jessica Kane Jessica Kane is a music connoisseur and an avid record collector. She currently writes for SoundStage Direct, her go-to place for all turntables and vinyl equipment, including VPI Turntables. 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

English, Creative writing and SAT tutor in London

English, Creative writing and SAT tutor in London This week we would like to introduce Erica G, an English, Creative Writing and American SAT private tutor. She is originally from California, but is now a tutor living in London.  Erica is passionate about teaching writing and critical thinking skills through literature, and believes learning these skills can see individuals through much of their academic and practical challenges.   So let’s find out a little more about her… Erica, why do you love tutoring? I enjoy passing on knowledge in a subject that I love as well as building a child’s confidence in their own abilities. Often struggling children have the ability, they just need to believe in themselves. I love being able to instil that belief in a child by maximising their skills so they can reach their full potential. Who inspired you in education? My 8th grade English teacher and two of my lecturers at university where I studied writing and literature. They inspired me because they stood up for the right to education. They were strong teachers and taught me to think for myself in an original way and to believe that I could achieve great things. What else do you get up to besides tutoring? Well, I’m currently a PhD student so I spend a lot of my time doing my research for that. My research is in love and romance in LGBT young adult novels. I’m also an avid textile crafter so I enjoy quilting, knitting and doing some cross-stitch. I just love anything where I can express myself creatively. If you had a super power what would it be? If I could read while I sleep and remember everything in the morning that would be amazing. Then I would have a whole library of books stored in my head. What advice would you give to a parent on how to find a tutor? I would recommend first to find someone who is a specialist in the subject the child needs support with and then to find a tutor who can really help children believe in themselves. A personal tutor needs to be able to work alongside a student and act as coach as well as a tutor. Want to meet Erica?  See below to view her short video: Subjects taught by Erica English- Degree, IB, A-Level, GCSE, 11+, Primary, AS Basic IT Skills Blogging Creative Writing Internet Keyboard Microsoft Office Microsoft Powerpoint Microsoft Word SAT Twitter If you or your child needs help with any of the above then please click here to visit Erica’s profile page and book a lesson. Illustration from  www.flickr.com     CC-by

A Three Step Process to Essay Writing

A Three Step Process to Essay Writing Improving Academic Performance Students who partake in a college English course (most college freshmen) are under pressure to comprehend a reading, interpret a related inquiry to that reading, and produce an individually written response in return for a grade. This alone may not seem sufficient cause for a mental block, but when we consider that students often have math, science, and other course requirements to deal with simultaneously, taking the time to read critically and write a thorough essay seems difficult, if not impossible. On top of finding time to complete assignments, the reading is often obscure in both content and author. Another complexity is getting used to an instructor's individual teaching style. It's much more likely that time constraints, content difficulty, and issues with class structure or instruction are the obstacles to performing well in English courses than any sort of personal inadequacy. One particular technique that, in practice, may resolve all matters is to confront the assignment on a closer level. First, closely examine the question in its entirety. Then begin to read (or re-read) the text, sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph until there is a mental connection between the question and reading material. Somewhere within the pages of text and the wording of the inquiry is one, if not more, corresponding themes upon which to form the basis of a thesis along with corresponding topics and subtopics. Then you can begin to write. The Outline This phase of drafting is the necessary step in generating ideas and connections between the question and the reading that can be transferred directly into a standard outline. The outline serves as a mechanism for preserving the draft in all phases of composition and revision. The planning facilitated by an outline will save time, boost your grade/score, and will prove valuable in other disciplines. It is the instrument that propels the writing forward and keeps thoughts organized. In essence, the outline exists as a structure that lends itself to incorporating the writer's personal experience and understanding into a formal college essay. Here are a few good outline examples from Explorable.com. Research After several iterations, the outline will stabilize to the point where external sources will be required in order to develop and expand the writing beyond the limitations of the course or the student. The first place to look for informational substance is in the course itself and the discussion that emanates from class. It is the main place where crucial judgments can be made regarding what to include and what not to include in the final draft. During this phase, make good use of your college library; it is replete with a variety of publications and librarians who can offer useful advice on how to navigate the seemingly endless supply of research articles, publications, and textbooks. Reassessing the Writing As a final step in the drafting process, it may be worthwhile to read the assigned text once again, followed by reading the written response to the text soon thereafter. Although tedious and time-consuming, it could serve a dual purpose. First, to realign the student’s work with the textual source, and, secondly, to initiate a proofreading phase which could provide further motivation to identify and eliminate any lingering syntactical, grammatical, or thematic inconsistencies. The greater the number of intermediary steps preceding the final draft, the stronger and more transparent the conveyance of argument will be. In conclusion, it's important to examine the question closely and establish connections between it and the required reading while you are reading (and re-reading) the text. Next, it's necessary to build an outline to organize your ideas and keep yourself focused on the prompt. This is an especially important skill that will carry over into other undergraduate and graduate courses. Research is another essential aspect of your writing, in all collegiate courses. Make use of the resources available to you (online databases, librarians) to make this a much less daunting experience. Always leave time for editing and redrafting, to make sure that the final result is polished and cohesive. About the Author Luis Freire has been an English and writing tutor for the past 10 years. For more information on tutoring, click here.