How Does a Songs Key Affect its Sound

How Does a Song’s Key Affect its Sound Sign up successful As a rule, it was believed that music in the key of C sounds strong, simple and pure. The key of G, which has one sharp, sounds brighter and lighter. D major with two sharps, even more so. Each additional sharp in the key signature adds more brightness and sparkle to the sound, while each flat contributes softness, pensiveness and even melancholy. Also as a general rule, major keys sound happy, light, and regal; the minor keys are typically sad, dark and introspective. In the 17th century, Athanasius Kircher developed a system of colors associated with musical intervals and then tied them to emotions. For example, a major sixth was seen as both fire red and warlike. This colored hearing is known as synesthesia. 19th century composer Alexander Scriabin also claimed to  see music as colors. Tempo and Emotion Another aspect used in conjunction with key signature to evoke emotion in the listener is the tempo or speed that the music is played. Fast music usually sounds happy, while slower tempos tend to sound sad or melancholy. By combining tempo and key characteristics, composers can produce a strong emotional response for listeners. Many of these general rules have stood the test of time. The original key characteristics were developed in the Baroque and Romantic periods, when chamber and orchestral music was mostly instrumental. It was important for a composer to be well-versed in these emotional associations of key signature and tempo in order to convey the emotional intent of their work. Even the body has its own rhythm. We breathe at a certain tempo when we’re relaxed. We breathe faster when we’re scared or angry. Our heart beats faster or slower based on our emotional state. Composers have tapped into these biological functions to evoke physical responses from listeners. Modern Music and Emotion Today, we have the benefit of video to enhance how music affects emotions, by tying visual images directly to the music. Modern lyric writing makes expressing emotion much more direct, as well. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from the past. As a composer, no matter what your style of music, you can take these key and tempo characteristics and apply them to your music. The concepts of key characteristics and tempo have even been brought into the computer age. Companies like The Echo Nest use complex computer algorithms to analyze hit songs from the past for characteristics such as key signature, tempo, and chord progressions to determine what common traits make a hit. As a composer, you can do this too. Study the past. Do some basic research on key characteristics and use what you learn in your own music. As a musician, the greatest goal you can have is to touch your listener on an emotional level. Learning and understanding how music affects emotions will make you a better composer and performer. Photo by Surat Lozowick 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

Ask an Admissions Expert Joie Jager-Hyman

Ask an Admissions Expert Joie Jager-Hyman Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Joie Jager-Hyman is known internationally for her expert advice on the college admissions process. She is a graduate of Dartmouth Collegeand served as the Assistant Director of Admissions for the university later on. Joie is also the author of Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students and the Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize, a book on college admissions that was positively recognized by the Wall Street Journal, and has another book that is planned to come out in 2013. VT: How far ahead of time should a student begin working on his or her college application? Joie: I suggest that students start working on their common applications in the summer before their senior year of high school.July is a good time to work on the main personal statement and the short answer.August is a good time to start the supplements for Early Decision/Action schools. VT: What are the best ways to go about selecting a terrific essay topic? Joie: Understand the application componentsgrades, test scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendationand ask yourself, What is missing?What can you say about yourself that will add something to your application? Dont just write about your activities because those are already in your application.Think about what makes you unique and go from there. VT: Are there any essay topics you get tired of seeing or would warn students to stay away from? Joie: Very few topics are off limits but there are certain topics that are very common and writing about one of them will make your essay a little less likely to stand out.These topics include: sports (especially I won the big game), community service, and trips/vacations.Because these are so common, it can be hard to write something original about them. In no circumstances should you write your college essay about writing a college essay.The only thing the admissions officer knows about you is that you are applying to college so that does not add anything to their understanding of who you are and how you will contribute. VT: What is the biggest mistake a student can make on a college application? Joie: Not working on it enough.One draft isnt going to cut it here.Really think about how you are using the space and make sure that you are making the best possible case for how you will contribute to a campus. VT: What is the typical process an admissions officer goes through to evaluate applications? Joie: Academicsgrades and test scoresare most important. If a student is qualified academically, then the question becomes: how will this person contribute to the school? What will he or she add to the community?What makes him or her unique? VT: What do you think is the single most important thing a student should make sure they present in the best possible way on their application? Joie: Academics are the most important part of the application. VT: How should students go about determining the culture of a university, and whether they would be a good fit? Joie: If possible, it is always great to visit.However, I truly believe that the best way to get to know a campus is not just to go on a tour but to talk to real students.Theyll give you the scoop on the colleges pros and cons. VT: Early-action, early-decision, binding/non-binding, regular decisions...With so many choices when applying, what do you recommend to students? Joie: Early Decision can give students who a nice boost in the application process.So if you have a first-choice college, its always good to apply Early Decision, especially if you dont need to shop around for financial aid.Students who do want to compare financial aid offers should consider applying to some schools early action, which is not binding. VT: How important are grades and standardized test scores when admissions decisions are being made? Joie: Academics are the most important part of the applications. VT: What tips do you have for students asking their teachers for letters of recommendation? Joie: Its always a good idea to keep a folder of excellent work throughout your junior year of high school so that you can go back and reference what you have done when you ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation. The more details, the better the letter so feel free to communicate with your teachers about how you feel you have excelled in the classroom. Visit Joies website, College Prep 360, to check out her admissions consulting services.The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Every Child has a Right to Education

Every Child has a Right to Education Tutorfair’s  intern, Hannah, explains how her experience on the VSO  (Voluntary Services Overseas)  ICS (International Citizen Service) programme in Malindi, Kenya has influenced the way she views everyone's right to education internationally and in the UK. To provide some context to this piece, ICS is a government funded 12 week programme for young people aged 18-25 to contribute to long-term projects in a developing country as part of a cross-cultural team. “Education is the most important weapon which you can use to change the world” - Nelson Mandela. This is indeed one of the most powerful statements in the world and one of the most true. My time in Kenya certainly taught me a great deal about the value of education because I saw how much children enjoyed learning and the opportunity it created for them. It definitely confirmed to me that going into teaching is the right step for me and I am very excited to be starting Teach First in June 2014. In the meantime it is my pleasure to be working with Tutorfair to broaden my knowledge about education in the UK and see the wonders that their one-for-one charity promise provides. My experience in Kenya however also made me aware of the issues that are preventing education from taking place. Based in Malindi, a popular tourist destination, we as volunteers soon realised the advantages and disadvantages tourism can bring. One of these disadvantages is the impact on school attendance because children instead work on the beaches to bring income into the family. There are many other factors which influence this such as a lack of sexual reproductive health awareness leading to teenage pregnancies and, despite primary education being free in Kenya, parents still struggling to pay for school uniform and additional costs. Hannah launching a peer education project (which aimed to combat the issue of school drop-outs) at the primary school in Jimba, a village outside of Malindi, Kenya Yet, without an education, children are unlikely to get the jobs that they aspire to have. And, children certainly have these aspirations. When working in a primary school in an outside village called Jimba, we asked the students what they wanted to be when they grew up. The list was incredible and varied from lawyer to pilot to policeman. Our job was to then teach them about why education was important to reach these desired careers. It is a human right to receive an education and every child should be able to exercise that right. Our primary education awareness day in Malindi, named ‘Right to Education’ aimed to highlight this by celebrating children and the importance of education with around 500 students, teachers and parents. Mural painting at VSO Cycle 5’s Community Action Day named ‘Right to Education’ - Central Primary School, Malindi, Kenya Of course, Malindi is just a small pocket of the world where children are struggling to go to school. Across the world, there are 57 million primary aged children who don’t get the chance to go to school. Despite this staggering figure, developing regions have made significant strides in expanding access to primary education. Since the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goal to provide universal primary education was set in 2000 to 2011, the enrolment rate grew from 83 per cent to 90 per cent, and the number of out-of-school children dropped by almost half. The problem is that international aid to basic education fell in 2011, which has hindered the progress to reach the  millennium goal by 2015. The fight is therefore on to make educational development central to the post-2015 agenda. UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Director-General Irina Bokova writes in the foreword to their latest report  â€œas we advance towards 2015 and set a new agenda to follow, all Governments must invest in education as an accelerator of inclusive development” and donors shouldn’t “step back from their funding promises”.[1]  For her, the report’s “evidence clearly shows that education provides sustainability to progress against all development goals. Educate mothers, and you empower women and save children’s lives. Educate communities, and you transform societies and grow economies”.[2]  Sadly however, the list of barriers preventing universal education is vast. The nearest school might be too far away; many children need to stay at home earning money for their families; or in war-torn zones, attending school, or making the journey there, m ay be hazardous. Then there are the children in school but still not receiving a good education. Perhaps the class sizes are too big, or the school doesn’t have sufficient learning resources, or the teachers haven’t had sufficient training. According to the same UNESCO report, “around 250 million children are not learning basic skills- even though half of them have spent at least four years at school.”[3] This is why the report proposes strategies to overcome this by providing the best teachers for all children. But again this requires more funding. This picture shows how lucky we are in the UK to have an education system that is free for all and generally easily accessible. Of course, I know and you know that it is nowhere near perfect - with huge educational inequality across society. In the UK, nearly 50% of students claiming free school meals get no passes above Grade D at GCSE and just 16% of these young people will progress to university, compared with 96% of those from independent schools. As I have discovered whilst working at Tutorfair, many of these privileged children will have received the benefits of private tutoring. And that is why I love the way Tutorfair works. For every student who pays for a tutor in London through Tutorfair, a disadvantaged child gets tutoring for free. Tutorfair  works with schools where high percentages of children are on free school meals, supporting the children identified as having the greatest need and are consequently working to narrow our own education gap here in the UK, like many other organisations are doing. One of those is Teach First, whose programme I will be starting in June this year. Now the biggest graduate recruiter in the UK, it trains enthusiastic graduates to teach in schools in challenging circumstances to help achieve the vision where no child’s background should limit the opportunities they have in education and in life. Education is powerful and we need to work to spread its power both internationally and in the UK. So I challenge you to do your bit for education at home and globally. Can you donate your time by volunteering at a local school or abroad? Can you donate some money to international aid or to UK educational charities? Can you share your passion for education by spreading the word, campaigning for more change or by even sharing this blog post? Development in education is working but it needs more support and everyone can do their little bit to make a huge difference. [1] http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2013/ Is cited in article here:  http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47034Cr=educationCr1=#.UvtMLPRdVPK [2] Ibid [3] Ibid

Custom URL Lets Students Find You

Custom URL Lets Students Find You Results are now behind us and a new academic year in front. In the coming weeks, preparations for university and school applications, not to mention additional entrance exams, ramp up. September is the month for private tuition demand. From a parent's perspective, finding a tutor that matches the needs of their child is no simple business. Hiring  a tutor  is based on reputation, and if you do not know a good tutor for a given subject, it can be difficult finding someone suitable for your child. For this reason it is important as a tutor to display  markers of professionalism and competency. Experience, references, DBSâ€"these are all important for making a good impression. From my perspective, I aim to find clients locally. Less travel means less rushing. It also means greater reliability for the client. Losing lessons due to a bicycle puncture or, indeed, a tube strike is in nobody's interest. Towards both aims of the parent and the tutor, I recommend local advertising. Targeted flyers and business cards in neighborhood  coffee shops, supermarkets and artisan shops can be a low-effort, high-reward method for  reaching new clients. Being local is another sign a tutor can use  to demonstrate that they are a good bet. When it came to producing my flyers for this year’s intake, I decided to include my Tutorfair profile. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s now possible to create a short (memorable!) link to your profile page. So why include the link? After all, most parents will  use conventional methods of communication. Well several reasons! Firstly, a reputable website link is more professional than a generic free email account. Secondly, a lot more information can be stored on the Tutorfair profile pageâ€"hopefully answering any questions a parent may have. Thirdly, greater exposure of Tutorfair encourages more local clients onto the site. Fourthly, and finally, even if you aren’t a good match for the client, there might  be another opportunity  nearby. Not convinced? Check out these articles on choosing the perfect tutor: Finding a Tutor: It's a Cut-throat World How Do You Find a Good GCSE Tutor? How to Choose a Tutor Written by Mark Brown.

International School in Kuwait

International School in Kuwait International School in Kuwait Our International School is a modern, 12,000 square meter facility. The Founding Director came on board October 2012. Support staff which included a finance office, an admission/registration office, purchasing office, and administrative assistants began work in early 2013. The first phase of the facility, the elementary building opened September, 2013. The teaching staff of 24 teachers, 11 co-teachers and 39 staff members were on board to support grades Pre-K through grade 5 and the 68 students for SY 2013-2014. The end of year enrollment was 103 students and the student population represented 11 nationalities. The second year (SY 2014-2015) saw 270% growth and the addition of the Middle School operating on the upper floor of the Elementary School Building. That second year, the teaching staff increased to 52 teachers, 23 co-teachers, 52 staff members and a student enrollment of 383 students. There were 28 nationalities represented in the student population. Additional personnel to assist and reinforce teaching and learning were added: Middle School Principal and Assistant Principal, Elementary Assistant Principal, Curriculum Specialist, Swimming Coaches, Information Management Officer, and other administrative support staff. The Schools third year, Fall 2015, represented a facility milestone as the Middle School building opened for the 137 students in grades 6-9. Grade 9, which was called at the time Freshman Academy, occupied space in this facility awaiting the finishing touches of the High School (HS) building. With a total student population of 524 students representing 34 nationalities, staff requirements increased to 112 members of faculty. For SY 2016-2017 the High School building opened to grade 9-10 students. The student population reached 769 and thefaculty increased to 133. The enrollment for SY 2017-2018 is 901 with the addition of grade 11. During that year, the faculty enrollment increased to 165. For the current school year 2018-2019 grade 12 is added, faculty increased to 174 and the enrollment reached 1045. The school achieved International Accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS) on February 2018, and by the Middle States Association of Colleges Schools (MSA-CESS) for the period May, 2018 to May 2018.

Academies - Tutor Hunt Blog

Academies Academies AcademiesSchoolsBack in march 2016 the Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan announced that all schools throughout the UK would be forced to become academies. When details of this radical proposal were outlined in the budget, there were very few people who expressed enthusiasm for it. Those supporting Ms Morgans decision were likely to be in favour of limited government involvement in the education sector. Academies are largely self governing, and have less state involvement than their counterparts. Critics say that academies can become too isolated, potentially deviating from the standard syllabus, to the detriment of their pupils` education. They say that it is helpful and logical for all schools to receive assistance from their local authorities. Academies are state-funded schools - independent institutions, funded directly by the government, instead of through their local authority. Another distinction is that the head teachers or principles are more autonomous, and don`t fall under the jurisdiction of the local authority; although charitable institutions or religious organisations may have some say in the day to day running of the school. Academies are a fairly new phenomenon - prior to 2010 there were only around 200 academies. Many of these had been recently built with the intention of becoming academies; others had been converted from state schools. The vast majority of schools that were converted to academies around this time had been struggling academically, and it was hoped the conversion would allow them to improve. These early `sponsor academies` were granted exemption from the national curriculum, and even dispensations with the rulings over teacher`s pay, in order to help them combat their their difficult position. The programme was immediately popular, partly because the schools that initially converted to academies were in areas of significant educational weakness, and were in dire need of any kind of assistance; but also though because these schools achieved a huge about of money to make the changeover. By early 2016, of the 3381 state secondary schools, 2075 - nearly two thirds - were academies. This may sound like a surprising proportion, but the abundance of academies only applies to secondary schools. As of 2015, of the 16,766 primary schools, only 2440 have become academies. Because academies are largely dissociated from their local authorities, many of them have greatly benefited from being part of `academy chains.` These are groups of schools working collaboratively under a unified structure - ; generally charities helping to run `chains` of schools; but often there are religious organisations helping to run the groups of schools, generally termed Faith Academies. As effective as these academy chains can be, many expressed concern with Nicky Morgan`s proposal to make all school academies, stating that there weren`t enough chains to ensure the schools would be sufficiently funded. The General Secretary of the Association of teachers Mary Bousted has said`It is hard to see how the government`s plans will work when there aren`t enough high quality multi-academy trusts to cope with thousands more schools, and some trusts are performing as poorly as the worst local authorities, according to Sir Michael Wilshaw.` The Head of Ofsted Sir Wilshaw somewhat controversially condemned the poorest performing chains for what he called their `Walmart-style` manner of appropriating academies. `You know, pile `em high and sell `em cheap. It was empire building rather than having the capacity to improve these schools,` he told MPs in June. Perhaps it was opinions such as this that led Nick Morgan to announce a radical U-turn on making all schools in the UK academies by 2022. In may 2016 she declared her change of plan, saying: `I am today reaffirming our determination to see all schools become academies. However, having listened to the feedback from parliamentary colleagues and the education sector, we will now change the path to reaching that goal.`Some features of that path seem granting powers to the department of education enabling it to force underperforming schools to convert to academies. She has kept some remnants of her original proposal, even though many have seen this U-turn as a huge embarrassment, with the Education Secretary Lucy Powell calling the Government`s retreat `frankly humiliating.` 3 years ago0Add a Comment

GCSE Grading Changes - Tutor Hunt Blog

GCSE Grading Changes GCSE Grading Changes GCSE Grading ChangesSecondary SchoolsThe GCSE qualification is about to undergo a huge change as of August 2017. The changes relate to a new grading system as well as alteration to the syllabus.A numerical scoring system will be replacing the current A* - G system. The only remnant of the old grading method will be the U - unclassified - ; for those pupils who fail to achieve the minimum mark.A grade of 9 will be the highest achievable ranking, replacing the A* - while a grade 1 will be the lowest. A grade 5 will be classed as a good pass - perhaps the equivalent of a B or C grade. Pupils should be aiming for a ; grade 5 or higher. With a C grade being the minimum pass grade in the current system, some have said that the new numerical system will make it slightly harder to achieve a pass grade, since they must now aim for a B - C grade. This new nomenclature has been designed to heighten the differences at the top end of the academic spectrum - with the A and A* being differentiated more sharply. Infant people are already saying that a grade 9 will be the equivalent of an A**, and will only be awarded to the cream of the crop - the top 3% of pupils.The demand of the content is increasing, with tougher topics being introduced for both foundation and higer papers. In Mathematics there will be a greater emphasis on problem solving and mathematical reasoning and students will be required to memorise more formulae.GCSE s were introduced back in 1988, when they replaced O-Levels and the CSE exams. Over the last for years there have been a number of changes to the qualification, one being the removal of GCSE English from the syllabus. This is not quite as radical as it first sounds, since it was replaced by GCSE English literature and GCSE language. The language qualification, along with Mathematics, is a mandatory qualification - English literature being an optional (though extremely popular) subject.Though the first set of results bearing the new grading system wi ll not be released until August 2017, current year 10 students are already studying for these exams. The new grading system will not cover all subjects however: only results for English Language, English Literature, and Mathematics will be graded from 1 to 9 in the results next August. The remaining subjects will carry the traditional A - G grades. Year nine students are currently studying for the new GCSE grade in most subjects - more eclectic subjects will still be marked according to the old system for this year group. Only from 2018 will the all subjects be graded according to the new system. Along with the different grading system there are a number of accompanying changes - perhaps the most significant (and most publicised) is the removal of assessed coursework from those subjects where large written projects traditionally contributed to the final grade.In English there will be a far greater demand for students to students to read a broader range of literature. In the past the re was criticism that many of the more challenging novels had been excised from the syllabus. Students will be required to study literature from diverse periods. Fifty years ago Chaucer was required reading for most school children; while today anything earlier than the nineteenth century is rarely read and taught in schools.The modular character of certain subjects will be completely dropped. There won't be number of assessments throughout the course, with each one contributing slightly to the student s final grade. Instead there will be a a set of exams at the the end of the two years, with everything resting upon ; how well the students perform in them. The major change will be more demanding and challenging content in all subjects. With too many students achieving As and A*s in recent years, there has been less opportunity for the abilities of high achieving students to be differentiated. Last year 25.8% of students got an an A or A* grade in all subjects; and whil e this may sound impressive, what it also means is that more than a quarter of students can only be ranked into two groups, differentiated by the A and A*. With a more challenging syllabus, and a grading system permitting a finer grading resolution, perhaps our education system will be able to compete with those of Asia and parts of Europe. Given the UKs dismal position in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings over the last decade, a change of some kind is certainly needed. 3 years ago0Add a Comment