Daily Archives: December 14, 2011

Practice Doesn’t Always Make Perfect

There is an old saying that is very often used, “Practice makes perfect,” but this isn’t always the fact. As a piano player, I understand how important it is to practice almost everyday, but my practices do not always go perfectly and I end up practicing many of the notes incorrectly. Therefore, when I go to my weekly lessons, I frequently make mistakes that I did not even notice I was making. This proves that just practicing does not always make you perfect, while perfect practice makes you perfect.

Through experience, I have found that the longer the practice session, the more focus I lose and the less effective the practice time. Also, if piano is only practiced for two to three days a week, then the practice is also ineffective. In my opinion, one should practice six to seven days a week for two thirty minute sessions, thus keeping focus and still practicing. For those who do not enjoy practicing what so ever, you are not alone. I also extremely dislike practicing but understand its value and importance and must do it anyways. One good way to make sure you get to practice as much as recommended, is good to make a schedule regarding your after school activities and homework so that there are planned times to do the necessary practicing. In addition, having an adult or sibling reinforce your practice times and habits will make sticking to your plan even simpler.

Some ways to make your practice sessions perfect are to use specific methods each time to target different aspects of your pieces. This then allows you to have a practice session that are extremely effective. For example, the first day you get a new piece to play, you should focus on solely the notes, which are the foundation of the playing. Then next day, one should focus on dynamics (loud and soft) and articulations (staccato, legato, and accents). Finally, the last things to focus on would be style (cheerful, melancholy, or joyous) and intonation (tone). You can work on all of these things in a rotation so that all are evenly practiced. This way you can cover each element of playing the piano and thus having success with your playing. You will find that using these techniques makes practicing more effective, if not more fun.

Anyone who does any activity involving practicing should take these tips that I have provided because they are not only for practicing piano, but just about anything.

~Maria Latta

Syria Crackdown

In a matter of 9 months over 5000 protesters have been executed. It’s hard for me to believe that all of these people have been killed by there “President” ,Bashar Assad, who doesn’t want to give up power. As Americans and being raised in an environment where we are encouraged to speak our minds, it boggles my mind that these people are being killed for doing what we take for granted every day. It’s scary to think about what life would be like without the freedom of speech. What do you guys think? Anyway, in Syria, people are on strike by closing businesses and keeping their kids home from school. In an attempt to stop the revolt over 300 kids where killed and thousands of people still remain in detention. If it were up to me, I’d send American troops in to help the Syrians take down their President. What would you do? I’d like to hear your thoughts and comments below.

~Gaelan Bergstrom

The Outdoors Trying To Compete with the Internet

All over the world, the internet has become a great issue. Every kid wants to be  exploring the web, and not getting active outside.  Even though every child’s parents want them to be outside playing with friends, the kids sit inside instead. I think that spending all your time on the computer is not good at all.  I use the interent all the time, but I still try to be outside with my friends too.  In my opinion, people throughout the world should start emphasizing the outdoors and get every kid to be more active.

Now that everything is revolving around electronics, it doesn’t help with the problem. I have always thought about this issue because its very serious and people don’t see the effect. I’m sure no one is gonna follow that rule of 60 minutes of exercise a day, but just sitting outside and having fun will make a difference in this world. I strongly think that every child and even parents should start making healthier decisions but most importantly, get outside, leave the internet, and be active.

~Kaley O’Connor

Is Homework Really Necessary?

Most students ask me if homework is really necessary. To me I just think teachers assign homework because they don’t want us to forget what we learned in school. They fear that if they don’t give us homework, then we’ll forget all the information we’ve learned during school. So homework is just like studying but you don’t realize it. I personally do like homework because it helps me remember what we learned. Most kids that don’t do their homework end up forgetting what they’ve learned, so they end up failing a test

 

Some kid’s still think it’s a waste of time. They don’t realize that without homework, then they’ll fail a test and have no way to bring up their grade. Homework is good for a little boost. Say you have a C, if you do your homework then you could have at least a B, depending on how many points the assignment is. Homework can be a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes over achieving is a good thing.