Things to consider before buying music instruments

In a perfect world we would all have a steady stream of income so that we would be able to buy anything we want without much thought. But in reality most of us follow a set budget; important purchases such as a instruments necessitates a lot of research and planning. This is why I often emphasize that before you go and buy an instrument you must first determine your budget, the quality of the instrument and your needs as a musician. Remember, the quality of an instrument may either make or break a musician, especially if you’re just starting out. 

Source : http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/bb/b4inst.htm

Streaming: Music to the ears

 Thanks to the rapid development of technology, music recording has expanded into a massive and flexible digital network. And with that, comes evolving and higher demands from consumers, whose lives now meteorite on the fast lane, heady and high with upbeat hip-hop that came with advances in technology. In recent years, there has been a growing need for on-demand entertainment. Many consumers, particularly the young generation now prefer to have their entertainment “on the go” as and when, and where they want it. Hence, on-demand entertainment or digital streaming is the name of the game, and is taking the world by storm given its affordability and fluid mobility. Eric Harvey of the Chicago-based Pitchfork Media points out that the idea of music streaming has been around for more than a century. He noted, in fact, it can be traced back to 1888 with Edward Bellamy predicting the idea of listening to streamed music via phone lines when he wrote his science fiction novel “Looking Backward”.

 Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/12/13/streaming-music-to-the-ears/ 

Kids Feel the Power of Poetry in Performance

Kids -- 12 and 13 years old -- pour their guts onto paper in verse. They spend weeks furiously writing, revising, and coaching each other, and revising again. When they are done, they stand alone in front of their peers and recite poetry, using voice and gesture to bring their words to life. This may sound like an English teacher's pipe dream, but it is becoming a common experience in classrooms across the country. In lower-income neighborhoods in cities like New York and Chicago, students are competing with words and then settling in for discussions of metaphor, assonance, consonance, and allusion.

Source : http://www.edutopia.org/poetry-slam-global-writes

A poetry slam

Simply put, a poetry slam is a competitive poetry reading in which poets perform their own writing for scores. Slams are open and democratic in nature; anyone who wishes to sign up for the competition can. The scores, which range from 0.0 to 10.0, are assigned by volunteer judges (typically five of them) selected from the audience. The highest and the lowest scores for a poem are dropped and the three remaining scores are added together for a maximum total of 30 points. There is also a time limit of three minutes and ten seconds per performance; poets may and do go over this limit, but a time penalty is assessed and figured into their scores. Poets are also restricted in how they perform; no "props, costumes, or animal acts" are allowed. Musical accompaniment, except for that which poets can make with their own body, is also usually excluded. Beyond that, poets are free to use the microphone and any other items on stage to perform their poems. At stake are titles, small cash prizes, and even gag prizes. From the winners of local and regional slams, representative teams from cities across the US and Canada (and some international teams) are certified to compete at the National Poetry Slam, which takes place annually in August.

Source : http://www.rattle.com/rattle27/somerswillett.htm