How to Have a Terrible Band Practice in 10 Easy Steps

How to Have a Terrible Band Practice in 10 Easy Steps Megan L. If youre anything like me, youre always trying to find ways to sharpen your skills as a musician and as a bandmate. Even though you try your best, there are still days when nothing seems to go right.   So I wondered, what would the absolute worst band practice really look like? Guitar teacher Jessica D. shares her nightmare vision of a rehearsal  gone terribly, horribly wrong Step 1: Nothings worse than not knowing if your bandmate will show up for practice, so why not have a lead singer who regularly gets arrested for their  art? Maybe she doubles as a graffiti artist, maybe he protests animal cruelty with a ukulele. Regardless of his or her deal, she’s messing up the band, man! Pro tip: Accept her collect call from prison, duct tape the phone to a mic and play fast: Inmates don’t get a lot of talk time. Step 2: Make sure your dad is musical, always wanted to be in a band, and then set up your practice in his garage. That way he can keep sticking his head in to say things like, “You guys need anything?” and “It’s sounding pretty good in here.” This is the gateway to him working his way over the microphone and finagling a guitar out of your hands so he can play a cover of “Black Cow real quick. Step 3: Alternatively, have a dad who uses the garage as his workshop. He always decides he has to drill a  hole into that piece of wood just as soon as you get the Marshalls fired up. Dad drill: 1. Guitar: 0. Step 4: For a truly disastrous practice, it’s necessary that someone in the band has a cold. There’s always a case of the flu, strep or mono going around. Bonus points if the singer is sick. Step 5: Make sure half your band smokes. Every two  songs the drummer, guitarist, and triangle player will be outside getting their nicotine fix while you’re inside wondering how in holy hot cakes it takes 25 minutes to smoke a cigarette. Step 6. Have a band “Yoko Ono”. Someone in the band must have  a serious girlfriend or boyfriend (probably the bassist). Ask them to bring their “other half” along so they can give unsolicited  advice to the band, break out in a spontaneous fight, or even better, storm out and then the bassist will have to chase after them. Band practice postponed! Step 7. Include your sibling in the band, but be sure  it’s the one you get along with the least. Undermine each other at least a handful of times during practice, leaving the rest of the band scratching their heads and taking multiple cigarette breaks. Taking digs at each other or insulting each other’s technique or ability is fine, but if it can come down to fisticuffs every other practice, you’ll start to get a reputation and you know what they sayâ€"no press is bad press… Step 8. Use this one with caution, for serious pros onlyDevelop a nasty little drug habit. Heroin or cocaine seem to be the rock drug of choice but those are old school, expensive and way too creepy. No, instead, stay modern and show the kids you’re relevant: get into ayahuasca or good old fashioned pain killers, like codeine. Heck, start a trend and get addicted to Advil, but make sure you let everyone know about itgotta keep that press machine churning. Step 9. It’s advised the drummer get a flat tire on their way to practice. Bonus points if it’s a speeding ticket, because when they finally arrive, they’ll demand that everyone has to split the fine with them, which will spark a debate, “I wasn’t driving, why do I have to pay?” / “Because it’s your band, dude,” and the next couple gigs will be spent raising the funds to pay off the fines. Are you having fun yet? Step 10. Crash and burn. This is an easy one. Just play your ax really hard, like you’re Jimmy Hendrix meets Jimmy Page, even if you only know  four  chords, and snap a string. Make it a good one, like an A or a B string, none of this high E string nonsense, so you’ll HAVE to stop band practice and change it. While you do that, your sibling can put you down which will start a fight, the band can go take a cigarette break, the bassist’s girlfriend will run off, the drummer will take a ride to blow off some steam and get another speeding ticket, the jailed singer will call while you’re out and blow their one chance at singing into the phone, and your dad will decide this is the perfect time to try out that new drill bit. At this point at least one band member should quit, meaning you’ll have to find a replacement and that could take weeks. Band practice on hold til further notice! Got a band practice horror story? Tell us all about it in the comments below! Post Author: Jessica D. Jessica D. is a guitar, ukulele, singing, and songwriting instructor in New York, New York. Learn more about Jessica 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

Math Teacher - Polynomials - Online Tutoring

Math Teacher - Polynomials - Online Tutoring Poly means many and nomial means terms. All together polynomials are a combination of many terms. They are combined by using Polynomials or NOT? 3xy + 5x 6y +9 It is a polynomial Degree: The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of its terms. Example: Degree of the polynomial x2 y3+2x2+7x+8 is 5 Degree Polynomial Name 0 Constant 1 Linear 2 Quadratic 3 Cubic 4 Quartic 5 Quintic Number of terms in a polynomial is 1Monomial (Example: 4ap3) Number of terms in a polynomial is 2Binomial (Example: 3y2-8) Number of terms in a polynomial is 3Trinomial (Example: 3p+5ax2+4) Example: Select a polynomial from the following (a)2/(x+2) (b) 1/x (c) -3p +8/12 x (d) 4ap(-3) Answer: c Example 1: Evaluate 3x3 +x2 -2x -4 at x= -2 Answer: Replace x with -2 3(-2)2+ (-2)2 -2(-2) -4 = 3(-8) + 4 + 4 -4 = -24 + 4 = -20 Example 2: Simplify 2x2 -5x +6 - x2 +7x -12 Answer: Combining like terms (2x2 - x2) + (-5x + 7x) + (6-12) x2 + 2x - 6

Top Tips for Completing Your College Applications

Top Tips for Completing Your College Applications The following piece was written by Kofi Kankam. Kofi has been featured in our Admissions Expert series and is a former admissions interviewer for The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-founder of Admit Advantage. For many, October means cooler temperatures, beautiful fall foliage, and close to fall festivals and outings. But in the world of college admissions, it often means, Yikes! Peeling away the September calendar page to reveal that of October can incite anxiety at looming early November application deadlines. Here are some practical tips to get you through: Set measurable and obtainable goals. By this time, you have hopefully identified all of the schools to which youd like to apply early. Use 3-7 day intervals to complete items. This is particularly helpful when it comes to writing essays and responding to short answer prompts. Setting these self-imposed deadlines will also allow for you to work through multiple drafts while receiving feedback from one or two trusted sources, as well as meet your other academic, work, and extracurricular obligations. It is likely that something will have to give during the fall as you prepare these applications. Keep your priorities aligned with your long-term goals, which means that the thing you will likely have to sacrifice is your social life. Rest easy, however, by keeping things in perspective. This short window may seem interminable while you are in the midst of it, but before you know it, your life will regain its sense of normalcy and completing applications will be a thing of the past (that is, until its time to complete applications for consideration under Regular Decision). Make sure that you have connected with your school college counselor to confirm that they have all necessary materials to complete the secondary components of your application. For a humorous look at the shortcomings of a fictional college counselor and the mayhem that ensues, watch Orange County but not until all of your applications have been completed, of course. Confirm that your recommenders have everything they need to complete their portion of the application. Revisit your essay drafts over the next two to three weeks until they reach submit status. Submit status means that when you read and reread the essays, there is nothing that you wish to change, omit, or add. That being said, there are changes that could be made indefinitely if there were no time constraints or deadlines, which in the real world, is never the case. Use the following checklist to ensure that your essay has reached submit status: the essay addresses the question or prompt; the essay is written in your voice and comes across as genuine; the essay is personal rather than generic and speaks to your specific experiences; the essay flows well from one idea to the next; the essay is free of grammatical mistakes. Once you have submitted your early-admission applications, give yourself a pat on the back. Then, give yourself a week or so off from the process before tackling applications that have January or later deadlines. This will allow you some downtime and perhaps facilitate the completion of second-round applications with a renewed sense of creativity and drive. Visit Admit Advantage for more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Elimination Method Solver Online Tutoring

Elimination Method Solver Online Tutoring We can say Elimination method solver is an online tool to find the value of variables in the given equation. If we have two equations, then we can easily find the solution of the given equations. For example, 4x 5y = 21 and 6x 7y = 9 is there, With Elimination method solver we can find the values for the variables x and y. Example1: Solve the system of equations by using elimination method solver 3x + 4y = 10 2x + 3y = 5 Solution: Now we can label the given equations 3x + 4y = 10...................... (1) 2x + 3y = 5......................... (2) First we need to multiply the given equation by a suitable number to make the coefficient of one variable equal. Now we can plug this value in the equation 3x + 4y = 10 3x + 4 (-5) = 10 We can write this as x = 10 (x, y) = (10, -5) Example 2: Solve the system of equations by using elimination method solver -2x + y = 6 x + 2y = 2 Solution: Now we can label the given equations -2x + y = 6...................... (1) x + 2y = 2......................... (2) First we need to multiply the given equation by a suitable number to make the coefficient of one variable equal. y = 2 Now we can plug this value in the equation 2x + y = 6 -2x + 2 = 6 We can write this as x = -2 (x, y) = (-2, 2).

How to Learn Cantonese Vocabulary.

How to Learn Cantonese Vocabulary. A Guide to Learning New Words and Phrases in Cantonese. ChaptersWhy Learn Cantonese?Why Focus on Learning Vocabulary?How to Learn Vocabulary in Cantonese.In language learning, there is a lot to get on top of. You have the grammar, the pronunciation, the syntax. You have the essential receptive and productive language skills â€" listening and reading, and speaking and writing, respectively. And you have all those quirks that a particular language might have: a strange common idiom, an idiosyncratic way that nouns and adjectives need to agree, or the particular stress of a syllable.All of this contributes to make learning a language one of the most difficult â€" and intimidating â€" tasks that there is.But then there is a language like Cantonese, which necessarily brings its own particular challenges. The different script â€" as in, the non-alphabetic, logographic writing system. The phonetic differences, including the tonal structure of the language and the aspiration. And the fact that there are no verb tenses in the language at all â€" o nly temporal indications through the adverbs.All of this makes Cantonese a little tricky to get your head around â€" at least at first.Yet, there is something even more important than all of this for learning Cantonese â€" and arguably any language. That’s vocabulary learning, the process by which you will be encountering, memorizing, and using a new word. To some experts in linguistics, this is the most important part of the process of learning a second language.And so, we’re here to tell you how best to learn your new vocabulary. We’ll be looking at some ways to learn new words in Cantonese â€" and ways to use them too.Check out how you can learn to read Cantonese! NingChinese Teacher 5.00 (10) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorraineChinese Teacher £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoyceChinese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicoleChinese Teacher £ 60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KatyChinese Teacher £16/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YangChinese Teacher £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ChengChinese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Learn Cantonese?Although we’re often told that, in this day and age, it is best to learn more commonly spoken languages â€" such as Spanish, Mandarin, or Arabic â€" sometimes people are just drawn to a particular foreign language.They don’t care to learn languages just because they might be useful, but â€" rather â€" they have different reasons for the appeal of a given new language. They might have fallen in love. Life might have led them to move to a particular place. They might have developed that strange interest in a place that just comes out of nowhere.So, if you’re convinced that you want to be fluent in your language, there’s often no changing your mind. And we’re guessing that, if you are here, Cantonese is the language fo r you.Without much more, we’ll let you know at least that it is a great language to learn, by the way. Sixty million people speak Cantonese, in one of the most commercially and culturally important areas of the world: China’s Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau.But it’s also one of those wonderful languages that native speakers of different languages learn to communicate with each other: a lingua franca. It’s used as such across southeast Asia.As we said before though, this information probably isn’t enough to get you interested in the language. That, we hope, has happened already.Check out our full guide to learning Cantonese. Practice your Cantonese vocab - and head to Hong Kong!Why Focus on Learning Vocabulary?A more important question really is why so much focus on learning vocab?This isn’t as daft as it may sound. Yes, we all know that languages are made up of words â€" thanks. And so, without vocabulary, you aren’t going to go very far â€" thanks again.But it’s more important than that.Many linguists believe that our normal vocabularies are actually much smaller than we might assume. Whilst there might be over 170,000 words in the English language, the reality is that we use just the tiniest fraction of these day-to-day.Three hundred words, actually, make up sixty-five percent of the things we say.Think about that for a moment. With three hundred words, you can unlock the majority of content, speech, and lines in a given language. And, around those most common words, you can build your grammar, your own speech.So, before you freak out about the amount of stuff you need to memorize, just think. T hree hundred words. That’s getting you over half of the way to fluency. After that, when you build vocabulary, you are only becoming more advanced â€" but you know the essentials already.Learn how to write in Cantonese!How to Learn Vocabulary in Cantonese.With that thought in mind, we hope you are going into your Cantonese vocabulary acquisition process with happy thoughts and a bit of optimism. Because developing a bit of fluency in a language is not as hard as you are often told it is.Anyway, here are some ways to extend your own vocabulary list. They are, in fact, the only ways you’re going to improve your vocabulary.Find out the Most Common Cantonese Words.The step for a language learner hoping to develop their vocabulary skills is to check out the most common words in their target language.You’ll find these quite easily with a quick Google. Memrise, for example, has a great feature on precisely this.This list of words will constitute the fundamental elements of your vocab ulary development. It provides a substantial and systematic way of organising your lexical learning â€" rather than just learning the words that you encounter (which is something that you will do later). Find new vocabulary from your reading.Write Down Your New Cantonese Words.If you have found these word lists, then write them down for your own personal study.Yes, we said write them down. We don’t mean copy and paste, print, or type up. We mean literally write them down. In this process, words stick better. You have to think about them, their shape, their sound, their ‘spelling’.And we say ‘spelling’ because you need to write these words, initially at least, both in the Chinese characters and in their Romanized form. This way, you’ll get used to the shape and image of the Chinese character, but also have the crutch for your pronunciation.Accompany this information with the meanings, any phonetic aids (such as the tones), and any mnemonic that will help your memorization.Create a Cantonese Dictionary or Flashcard Bank.With these words, you can do a couple of things â€" yet the aim here is to have a database of your new vocabulary.This can be in flashcards â€" that you can carry around and flick through whenever you have a spare moment. These are good if you want to test yourself or want other people to test you on your new words.Or, you can be old school and use a dictionary â€" but only one that you have made yourself. Building a receptive vocabulary is great, sure, but if you actually want to use these words, you’re going to have to develop that productive part of your language knowledge too. So, write them down; produce that language that you are hoping to memorise.Find tips on Cantonese characters!Use Language Apps.Once you have got the basics down, try using language applications on your phone. Depending on how sophisticated they are, you can use them to practice all of your language skills â€" from reading and writing to speaking and listening.What apps like Memrise, Duolingo, and Babbel do is organise your language learning into thematic stages â€" with quizzes, challenges, and tests. These provide vocabulary relevant to the particular them e that you are studying â€" and reinforce your knowledge through repetition, primarily.When you are on the move, they are a great way to keep practising. But don’t rely on them entirely. The internet is a great place to learn Cantonese vocabularyImmerse Yourself in the Language.What you really want to be doing to develop your language skills is to pick up language and vocabulary from authentic contexts and situations. This means that your primary aim â€" after the initial three hundred words â€" should be to discover new words in dialogues, books, tv programmes, etc etc. In other words, places from which Cantonese people would learn language themselves.This, among other things, means that you ought to do the following:Read Cantonese literature and magazines;Listen to Cantonese radio and music;Watch Cantonese television and films.In these places, you will find all sorts of colloquialisms, idioms, and expressions â€" and you’ll find that you’ll recognise many more words than you think you will.Remember, after those first three hundred words, you are much better than you think you are.Find other Cantonese learning strategies!Simply Translate the Words You Need.At th is point, you are welcome to just translate yourself the words that you encounter in the world.We don’t recommend things like Google Translate. Rather, find a reliable source of information on Cantonese, such as an Oxford Dictionary, a dictionary published by Routledge, or another prestigious institution.Encounter a word, translate it, and write it down. Then you can start to memorise it.Use Your New Words.Yet, the fun starts when you actually start using your new vocabulary. There is no point learning it if you don’t intend to use it.So find a native speaker of Cantonese â€" either a tutor or a friend. And practise, practise, practise.

3 Key Components of a Good MBA Application

3 Key Components of a Good MBA Application GMAT MBA Admissions Blog Applying to business school is an extremely competitive process. Top schools such as Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Wharton hold applicants to high standards, so putting together a good application is key. The three key components of a good MBA application are: a strong academic profile, work experience, and a compelling answer to why you are applying to MBA programs. A Strong Academic Profile Your academic profile is the first impression you will make on an admissions officer. A good GPA, strong GMAT or GRE, and competitive undergraduate institution, will put you in a good place. Your GPA is an indicator of how well you perform in a traditional academic setting, and admissions officers will look to this number as evidence of your ability to succeed in business school. If you have certain concerns with your GPA or transcript, such as a drop in grades one semester, or a slow start at the beginning of college, these are points you can address in an addendum. That being said, the addendum should be used to explain extenuating circumstances, such as a drop in grades one semester due to a death in the family, or something of that nature. Using this additional information section to explain these sorts of situationsâ€"without making excusesâ€"can be a good way to shed light on your GPA or transcript. The GMAT or GRE are thought of as indicators of how well you will succeed in your first year in business school. For students coming from non-business-related majors, the GMAT is a good opportunity to display your aptitude at quantitative skills, if you are lacking those in your academic background. Applying from a competitive, undergraduate school will also help your chances at top MBA programs, especially if you performed well at that school. That being said, your GPA, GMAT, and undergraduate school are simply the first means of evaluation. Once you meet a certain academic threshold for schools, it becomes a matter of standing out in comparison to applicants with similar qualifications. Good Work Experience Good work experience is a major point of evaluation for MBA schools. Unless you are applying directly out of undergrad through a program such as Harvard’s 2+2, you will need a strong resume. If you are coming from a more traditional finance or consulting background, then you should think about ways in which your work experience has differed from your peers. Have you led individual projects? Have you recently been promoted to a managerial role? Have you displayed leadership and initiative in your recent jobs? An upward, promotional trajectory is something top MBA programs look for on applicants’ resumes. Your letters or recommendation should speak to your leadership and initiative in the workplace. Make sure that your recommenders can draw on concrete examples of how you were a changemaker at your job, and how you will continue to impact the business world following your MBA degree. An Answer to: Why are you pursuing an MBA? Many students apply to business school to simply “get ahead.” Yet, admissions offices are looking to admit students who will use their MBA degree in impactful, meaningful ways. This means that as you write your business school essay, you should consider this question of why are you pursuing an MBA degree? You want to be able to tell a compelling, cohesive, and unique story through your application. Let’s say, for example, you have been working at an Investment Bank for the past few years and have been a leader in your specific division, but that your true passion is in sports technology. Maybe you played a Division I sport in college, and you have continued that interest by running in marathons or volunteering to coach a youth basketball team. Now, you need an MBA in order to transition your past leadership skills into this new field, in which you plan to start your own company. This is a compelling answer to “why I need an MBA.” It also brings work experience, academic interests, extracurricular activities, and future goals together in a cohesive way. As you work on your MBA applications, think about what makes you a unique applicant. Formulate your application around this persona. Your academic background may qualify you for top schools like HBS or GSB. But the story you tell about your work experience and your goals for the future may be the ultimate, deciding factor. About the Author: Hannah Smith is a Graduate Coach and admissions expert at InGenius Prep, an MBA admissions counseling company, with Former Admissions Officers from top business schools such as Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton.

English Listening Exercises The Most Famous Man Youve Never Heard Of

English Listening Exercises The Most Famous Man Youve Never Heard Of Hello online English learners! Ive been busy for the last week, but well be posting a lot of new blogs and videos this week, starting today.Were starting off with an English listening exercise using one of my other favorite English language podcasts, Radiolab. Radiolab is hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. According to their website:Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and well feed it with possibility.Basically, the show is really interesting and fun to listen to. Below youll find one of their shows, about Lincoln Beachey a great aviator, the first person to discover aerobatics, but has been essentially forgotten by history. After the podcast, there are reading questions to try. Contact us if youre interested in a class based on this program./* */Today on t he podcast we start off ____ ___   _____ in New York City.What does the above phrase mean?Lincoln is the most famous man _____ _____ ____ __.What was Lincoln like as a kid? What in particular was unusual?What were planes like when Beachey was 18?What happened to him in L.A.?But Lincoln Beachey __ _ _____ ______ decided to do something _______ ___.He went _______.What did he do with a handkerchief?What does Jad think of that?Why did he retire, and return from retirement?How did he die?What kept his name alive?Online English Classes

What to Know About Making a Personal Website

What to Know About Making a Personal Website Photo Credit: weebly.com 1. Who should create a personal website? Considering only a small portion of our generation has personal websites,  you should make one. As a college student or recent college grad, having a personal website can be a real asset when applying to jobs or starting to plan your future. 2. What should you put on your personal website? The first thing that you should put on your personal website is a well-written bio or summary about you, your accomplishments, your goals, and why people should notice you. The second thing you should figure out is  what your message is.  What do you want someone looking at your site to take away? Whos your target audience? What are you trying to say? These questions are important to consider when youre writing your bio and thinking about making a personal website. If you dont have a message or purpose to your website, your audience will be able to tell and your making a personal website is pretty much pointless. Thirdly, you want to decide on the logistics. What do you want your  personal website  to look like? What will your content say? What site should you use? Youll want to be sure your website has no typos, that your page isnt too crowded, and that your overall design and content are mature and project the right message. Lastly, you should include links to or samples of your work whether its photography, writing, videography, or something else, include pictures of you doing what you love and what youre good at and the pictures should be somewhat professional, not just a bunch of selfies. Photo Credit: Think Stock 3. Why should you have a personal website? There are several reasons why  making your own website  is important. Firstly, it sets you apart from your competition since most people dont have a website, your having one makes you stand out. Secondly, it will make it easier to contact you as your site will include links to your social media accounts and other means of communication that work best for you, all in one place. Thirdly, having a personal website shows youre serious about networking and getting a job, plus it shows initiative, creativity, and that youre technologically savvy. Lastly, your personal website is a great place to publish your creative works in one place, like an online portfolio. 4. How can I build a personal website for free? There are lots of free sites you can use to build your own personal website. Tumblr is easy to use and allows you to pick your theme, plus its completely free though it does include advertisements. Also, if youre part of the Tumblr community, having a Tumblr website means you can easily share or comment on other users postings. Weebly is another good site to use to design your own personal website as it allows you more customization options than Tumblr and no ads. Its easy to use and the basic service is free. WordPress is a great platform to use when building your personal website as it offers a more advanced set of blogging options, plus over 200 themes to choose from or the ability to customize your design. WordPress is free for basic use, with fees for extra features. If youre really serious about building your personal website,  you may want to look into other more customizable and advanced options, especially if youre more tech-savvy. If youre super knowledgable about coding and such, you may even choose to build your personal website from the ground up independently. Once youve built your site and added your content, links, and pictures to it, get a second opinion, like a friend or family member to look at your personal website, and ask them for feedback. Theres no better time for you to create your website than summer, when youve got plenty of free time to explore your site options, write up your content, and start posting. Your personal website is only clicks away!