Concert List

Learn to Read Music Online-If you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music, it’s a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet gives us all access to almost unlimited information, and can deliver an incredible array of products and tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there are some really clever products out there that can help you learn to read notes.

“Piano is Fun” from Anthony Fernando is a great beginner package for a very reasonable price that will teach you how to read music. The knowledge and practice available here would cost many times the purchase price ($24.95) in personal lessons. Included in the price are free lifetime upgrades and a 30 day money-back guarantee.

Purchase and Installation

Purchase and installation are both a snap. The entire process takes no more than five minutes and is virtually foolproof. So, what’s in the product? A series of lessons and practice games that teach you how to read music and make it fun! And that’s quite an accomplishment! Most students find it an awesome, dreadful task, but it really doesn’t have to be, as this product demonstrates. When you start the program, you might think that the product is just for kids. Well, it is great for kids, but it’s also fun for anyone that wants to learn to read music for the piano. My own bass clef reading skills fade in and out, and I actually enjoyed clicking through the lessons and “games” (review tests).

Getting Started

The basic package features a series of twenty lessons that start very simply and progress through both the treble and bass clefs. The graphics are big and bright and easy to read. There are good sound and visual effects – enough to keep your interest up but not so much that it distracts from the point of learning the notes. The way to get started with the product is to take the tour, which explains the layout of the lessons and the “games” that are used as review tests for each of the twenty lessons. As a student progresses through each lesson, awards are given and displayed on a separate screen – great little reinforcers to keep you going.

Menu and Options

The main menu is completely self-explanatory and includes a button for “Start Here” which leads to the “tour”, a “Lessons” button, which leads to the twenty lessons, an “Options” button (explained below) and buttons for advanced tests called the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenges. The Options button lets you control what happens when a correct answer is entered (there are a few different choices), and contains an option for teachers that allows the addition or deletion of a student’s name. It is also possible for a “teacher” to construct “custom” lessons that operate like the other lessons. The option is in choosing the notes that are presented in the test. So, if you want your child or student to concentrate on recognizing certain notes, you can easily create exercises that contain only those notes. There is also a sound option that lets you turn on or off the sound effects that accompany parts of the program.

Extra Challenging Exercises

The Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenge exercises are more note recognition tests but with the notes passing across the screen at a faster pace, obviously requiring a quicker response from the user. If a student can master these, there isn’t much doubt that they know their notes.

So that’s about it! This program doesn’t balance your checkbook, manage your portfolio, or vacuum your carpet, but it never claimed to! If you want to learn to read music, or have a child that’s about to start lessons or just shows interest, this product is a great buy. Imagine your piano teacher’s surprise when your 5 year old shows up knowing how to read music on both the treble and bass clefs! She’ll fall off her piano bench! By the way, my son, who has been taking lessons for two years, came home from school yesterday and ASKED if he could use the Piano is Fun program! Think about that!

Listen, Listen, Listen To Your Prospect-Many years ago John Burroughs, a naturalist, one summer evening was walking through a crowded park. Above the sounds of city life he heard the song of a bird. He stopped and listened! Those with him had not heard it. He looked around. No one else had noticed it. It bothered him that everyone should miss something so beautiful. He took a coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air. It struck the pavement with a ring, no louder than the song of the bird. Everyone turned; they could hear that! It is difficult to separate from all the sounds of city traffic the song of a bird. But you can hear it. You can hear it plainly if you train yourself to listen for it.

One of our sons has always been interested in radio. When he was a little fellow, his Christmas present was a very elementary radio construction set. As he grew, and as we could afford it, and as he could earn it, he received more sophisticated equipment. There have been many times over the years, some very recently, when I have sat with him as he talked with someone in a distant part of the world. I could hear static and interference and catch a word or two, or sometimes several voices at once. Yet he can understand, for he has trained himself to tune out the interference.

When prospecting you need to focus on the prospect intently or you may miss some form of communication that may be vital to the success of the conversation. The most effective communication breaks down into three critical areas, the words we use, our tone of voice, and our body language. Which do you think is most important? As ingredients of a successful communication it looks like this, words 7%, tone 38%, body language 55%.

Since most of our prospecting is done by phone it is critical that we focus on the words being used by the prospect but more important is the tone of voice. We must listen well enough to understand how they feel about certain things. Are they really motivated? What is their true why for wanting a change. This will likely require that we be in a quite place where we won’t be distracted or wherever we can best focus on the prospect and how he/she is using words to express himself. We must tune out the busyness around us so we can hear the song of a bird.

Online Music-Music is the essence of the day to day life of any person. It is immaterial that you are young or aged, the love for music among people never dies. Being a music lover, I know that the thirst for good music never ends and how is it possible when it is such a sweet and soft gift for us.

In the early days, people had to buy music cassettes or records as soon as they were launched in the market. Sometimes, it also happened that any specific music was not available due to finished stock or other factors. But today, with the help of new technology such as Mp3, the distribution of music has become even faster and much wider. Now you have the options for music cassettes, compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), mp3’s and also online websites that let you hear the music of your choice.

If you wish to purchase a music CD you have to visit the store that requires your time and if the album is in huge demand then it might happen that you have to wait until the next day. Online music makes it very easier whereby you can easily find the song tracks you wish to hear. There are many online music websites whereby you can enter the name of the song or the artist you wish to listen and the track shall be played online.

To get access to online music, you need to have a computer with the compatible software such as media player, an internet connection and attached sound system. Most of the websites offer free music service whereby there are no charges involved except the download charges that you need to pay with your internet bill.

You can also make a collection of your favorite music tracks just by downloading from the website into the hard disk drive of your computer which you can later burn in a compact disc. This saves your money from purchasing different music albums if you love songs of various artists and movies that are not available in a single album.

Find The Right Music For Your Ears On The Internet-Gone are the days when the only option that you had to listen to music was to go to the music store and browse through the ocean of CD’s available. Then there would be times when you like one song from a CD and don’t really like the others but are forced to buy the whole thing since singles were not available.

Things have, however, changed over time and the Internet is full of all kinds of music. These sites allow you to download any song that you want. You can pick a mix of your favorites for different genres like romantic, fast track, jazz and a host of others and burn a CD. A creation like this can be a great option for a gift for someone special as well. You obviously have to pay for each song that you download if you are looking at legal music downloads. Do invest in this amount since fly-by-night sites will pollute your computer with viruses that will cause your system to crash.

Today you not only have various options of music that you can surf for on the Internet but also have numerous options on how you want to listen to them. You can listen to music on your computer, play it on a CD player, an MP3 player or download it on your iPod to ensure that you have something pleasant to wherever you go. If you decide to listen to the music that you have downloaded on your computer, then you will need to have an application that can play an mp3 file. You can download a Real Player or Quick Time or Windows Media Player from the Internet easily. Some of the latest computers do not require you do download such software and play CD’s automatically.

Be careful not to open too many applications when you are listening to music if you computer is an old one. The older versions cannot handle too many applications that require a high amount of processing capability. If you try and push your system too much, the music will probably stutter and drag and there is a possibility that your computer might hang.

You might get so addicted to browsing and buying music online that you may forget that there is another option called the music stores that provides a different kind of pleasure. Though online music is convenient, browsing and finding something you like in a music store can be a magical experience.

Music Helps In Relieving Stress-Listening to music does wonder to alleviate stress. Everyone has different tastes in music. We should listen to the music that makes us feel comfortable. Sitting down and forcing yourself to listen to relaxation music that you don’t like may create stress, not alleviate it.

Music is a significant mood-changer and reliever of stress, working on many levels at once.

The entire human energetic system is extremely influenced by sounds, the physical body and chakra centers respond specifically to certain tones and frequencies. Special consideration should be given to the positive effects of one actually playing or creating music themselves.

Among the first stress-fighting changes that take place when we hear a tune is an increase in deep breathing. The body’s production of serotonin also accelerates.

Music was found to reduce the pain during dental procedures.

Playing music in the background while we are working, seemingly unaware of the music itself, has been found to reduce the stress.

Music was found to reduce heart rates and to promote higher body temperature – an indication of the onset of relaxation. Combining music with relaxation therapy was more effective than doing relaxation therapy alone.

Musical Compostion – How To Listen To Music Like A Composer-Did you know that there is more than one way to listen to music? I first read about this from a small book by composer Aaron Copeland.

You see most people listen to music as if something were washing over them. They listen to the oncoming barrage of notes and chords and never wonder or understand how it achieves the effect it does.

Not composers. They listen differently. While most people enjoy music for music’s sake – a composer listens for sections or how the music is constructed.

I’m not saying that composers never listen to music for pure enjoyment. That would be terrible. No. What I’m saying is that a composer or anyone who takes the time to learn, can begin to hear how music is put together.

And most music created today is comprised of sections. More specifically, we have A and B sections, introductions, transitions and endings and so on.

All these “pieces” go into creating a piece of music. Even spontaneously improvised pieces of music have been given a name by composers. They call it “through composed” which means that there are no distinctly repeating sections.

For example, take the lesson “Cirrus.” It starts out with a few notes that, by themselves, seem to go nowhere. But, if you listen to the entire piece of music, you’ll begin to hear sections. Musical composition is the art of repetition and contrast. This is what composers listen for. They listen to see how the songwriter uses these 2 qualities. The piece “Cirrus” was actually an improvised piece but it turns out that even with this, you can hear that repetition and contrast was used.

This can be done consciously, as many composers do as they create a piece, or simply generated spontaneously as in the case of “Cirrus.”

How To Promote A Concert: A Few Tips-Please accept the information below as a guide offering suggestions for publicizing a concert and encourage maximum attendance
and success!

Some of the recommendations may not be appropriate for your type of concert. While some of the concepts may be obvious,
others may be new but worthy of a try.

I will cover the aspects of flyer/poster concert promotion and a few tips for media promotion..

Firstly, the single most importand thing when you want to promote a concert is to start delegating duties and make sure helpers know
what’s expected of them.

So let’s start!

[Flyers and Posters] It’s importand to have a well designed, eye-catching flyer or poster. It will show people that the concert deserves their anticipation,
time and money.

The artist’s management may provide you with some flyers or posters to start with.

If you prefer to create your own flyer or poster, you should find a graphics professional or pronting company willing to donate
services in exchange for advertising..

If it’s the first time the artist is coming to your town or city be sure to include a testimonial on the flyer or poster. A flyer that simple
advertises an artist or a band will mean nothing to someone who has never heard of them!

Assign volunteers to post the flyers in places likely to attract the most attention. Try grocery stores, local chamber of Commerce
offices, Art Councils or other communities, malls, shoping plazas, music stores, book stores, galleries and other popular gathering
spots where flyers are displayed routinely but be sure to ask for permission before posting.

Do not forget to post the flyers or posters to the concert location itself! Try to hang posters as close to the average eye level as possible..

[Media and other sources of publicity] List the concert in community calendars, Newspaper, Magazines or radio and TV stations if possible. Radio and Tv stations may be
willing to anounce events for free.

Be sure to notice them many weeks in advance. In the listing include the date of the concert, time, location, ticket price, ticket outlets,
sponsors of course and phone numbers for information.

Ask promotional material from the artist’s managementslike interviews, video clips, song samples, photographs etc. Try to deliver the
material to the media along with the news release anouncing the concert.

Make sure you follow up by phone. Ask from the management to arrange an interview with the artist(s) if possible. Discuss other
possibilities.

Provide artist’s promo material (if available) to radio stations likely to air it. Encourage them to play it often especially a week or two
before the concert. Have volunteers and friends telephone the stations and request more..!

If you are using an answering machine make a recording using sound clips from the artist. Advertise the phone numbers available to call
in newspapaer or on the radio. Include a short message in the recordings detailing concert info.

When you are online, subscribe to any music-related newsgroups or bulletin boards. Post messages about your anticipation, plans and
later, show specific information! Of course if you own a website, consider creating a special area to advertise the concert with a hot-link
to the artist’s home page (if any).

Ask from the media to co-sponsor (sharing in work or revenues) or to endorse the concert for publicity purposes. If they say ‘YES’
then make sure you include a ‘..co-sponsored by..’ message in the flyers and other promotional material..