Monday, March 23, 2020

Guitar Arpeggios What They Are, and How to Nail Them.

Guitar Arpeggios What They Are, and How to Nail Them. Raise Your Guitar Game with Arpeggios. ChaptersWhat are Arpeggios?Why Play Arpeggios for Rhythm Guitar?How to Play Arpeggios for Rhythm GuitarUsing Arpeggios for Lead Guitar.Advice to Improve Your ArpeggiosIf you want to get better at guitar and one day play classics like Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven - or the famous slow rock Still Loving You by Scorpions - you need to work on one guitar technique in particular: arpeggios.But how do you get started? Are there guitar tutorials?What are the basics you need to know before you start to learn guitar?These things are essential for knowing how to play the guitar - for both rhythm guitar and for guitar solos, for music theory and for guitar practice.Arpeggios are a basic guitar technique and one of the first things you should learn as you begin to play.Lots of musicians use them, whether they’re playing rock, hard-rock (Slash), blues (Clapton) or jazz guitar.Arpeggios are one of those tools that are great for jamming and improvising, because they consist of taking the no tes of a chord and playing them separately. So, rather than taking a guitar chord as played altogether, arpeggios all you to play the notes at different times.Whilst this helps you to practice, and understand, your guitar chords, it's more than that too.A Bit of TheoryArpeggios are intimately linked to learning your guitar chords and they are often taught along with the chords themselves.This is particularly true of music theory, in which you are tested, for ear training, on the sound of the major scale - say the C major - and the harmonic structure of the corresponding chord shapes. These arpeggios are the basis of many melodies - including those of your favorite songs - so they are worth learning.If you want to improve your guitar playing technique, the arpeggio of a chord contains the same notes as the chord. Knowing the notes of the chord is a key part of playing its arpeggio. The base note of the chord will normally become the tonic note of the arpeggio.However, there are as ma ny variations of an arpeggio as there are notes in a chord.There are two different types of chords - major and minor. A minor chord has a root or base note, minor third, and perfect fifth, while a major chord has a root, major third, and a perfect fifth.So for either triad, an arpeggio would begin with the base note, followed by the third and then the fifth.For example, in G major the dominant note is G, and it would be followed by B and D.Master the art of fingerpicking with arpeggios.Why Play Arpeggios for Rhythm Guitar?Arpeggios can sometimes be considered finger picking, since it’s a method that consists of playing the strings of your guitar one by one, instead of playing them all at once.  This is a soothing style that is great as a backdrop to singing, as the melody will stay soft and soothing.Specifically, here, we are using this style of guitar for rhythm guitar - i.e. to accompany a voice or another instrument.Knowing how to play arpeggios means that you can play many dif ferent chords and tab sets. Arpeggios complement the other combinations of notes and sounds with their melodious and harmonious background - but without giving that heaviness that strumming would give the piece.In popular guitar music, you can’t really just play arpeggios on their own. Playing arpeggios is a great exercise to practice your guitar, but it may quickly become boring for you and your audience if they aren’t accompanied by other instruments, rhythms, or a singer.But they also may well not. In classical guitar music, whole pieces can be made of arpeggios, and there is nothing boring about it at all. Arpeggios allow you to play very complex chord progressions - that are incredibly interesting to listen to. Check out Bach's Cello Suites for some incredible uses of arpeggios.Arpeggios are often recommended to beginners as an exercise because they help to build up your experience playing guitar and help you to learn more about the instrument and the chromatic and melodic structure of the fretboard.Two Styles of Playing ArpeggiosThere are two different styles of playing arpeggios on your guitar - the vertical and the diagonal method.In the vertical method you play one or two notes per string.  In the diagonal method, you play at least two notes per string, which allows you to play arpeggios based on 4 note chords.Why Play Arpeggios?The loops in arpeggios are repetitive patterns on the neck of the guitar. This is great for any guitar player to practice their technique.Playing arpeggios will help you play faster and more precisely in general - the speed of your playing is very important because each note is played back and forth in a range that goes up and down.Your fingers will become quicker and more agile - think of the amazing Django Reinhardt who played arpeggios with only two fingers!With or Without a PickOften people use a pick to play guitar. However, arpeggios can easily be played with your fingers - in what we refer to as 'fingerstyle'.Each m ethod has its advantages and disadvantages. Playing with a pick will give you more control as you pick strings - however, it is a technique for higher skill levels to cross strings whilst picking quickly. Playing with your fingers will allow you to go faster - as you can cross strings naturally.There’s also the option of using a long fingernail - you’ll get a sound close to that of a pick, but with your fingers.It’s all about using the thumb of your right hand to play the three bass strings - E, A, and D.The nice thing about chords is that you can learn the arpeggios easily too!Next, place each finger on a string.Put your index finger on GMiddle finger on BAnd ring finger on E.Each finger goes in a specific order, and it will be numbered on the guitar tabs:1 for your index finger2 for the middle finger3 for the ring fingerand 4 for your pinky.The Position of Your HandTo gain flexibility and avoid a cramp, the position of your wrist is crucial.  It should be slightly bent, so t hat it almost makes a right angle from your forearm.  However, make sure that you don’t exaggerate the bend; the shape should stay natural.Using Arpeggios for Lead Guitar.By breaking down the chords and learning them as arpeggios, it’ll be easier for you to learn the chords, point blank.However, there is another way to use your arpeggios. Working on arpeggios will help your improve your jamming and composition. During an arpeggio you’re just playing up and down a sole chord, which is a great way to frame your guitar solos - but you don't have to use these arpeggio shapes as whole units.To explain this better, let's have a brief look at the theory of soloing.What is a Guitar Solo? and How is it Relevant to Arpeggios?If you want to play jazz guitar, or blues guitar, you're going to need to learn how to solo and how to improvise. This will come in handy in rock guitar songs too - but most guitar teachers teach it through jazz.We know that you are beginner guitar player, and might not really yet know how to play guitar. However, this stuff, although a little complex, is dead important.When guitar players solo, what are they doing? Just playing random notes? Or is there something special going on here?Every jazz standard, or famous blues song, is based around a chord progression, in which major chords, minor chords, and every other sort of chord that's used follows sequential chord changes. If the piece is in the key of C, say, this C will be the root note of the piece.Now, a C chord is made up of C, E, and G. (The same is true of the C major arpeggio, obviously.) So, when the rhythm section of the jazz band plays a C major chord, the soloist knows that any of the notes C, E, or G will sound nice over the top of this chord. If the soloist plays a C#, however, he might have hit a wrong note.But the C chord will ultimately change (because the best guitar songs or jazz standards ain't gonna stay on the same chord the whole way). Say it moves to E. The notes of t he E arpeggio are E, G#, and B. Now, we have to play some different notes over the top (because playing a G - as you would over a C chord - might sound a little strange).Throughout all these different chord changes, a good guitarist will be able to play notes that make sense in their solos. This happens by learning the arpeggios and turning them into interesting melodic lines that, in the guitar world, we call 'guitar licks' or just 'licks'.If you are serious about soloing, you will need to learn some scales - the pentatonic, the harmonic minor, the blues scale, the mixolydian, if you are feeling out there - as well as the chords that these can be played above. However, the arpeggios provide an incredibly easy way to remember these, as the arpeggios are halfway between a chord - any chords, from jazz chords to open chords, to barre chords - and its corresponding scale.Working on an ArpeggioThere are plenty of ways to practice arpeggios - and if you take a guitar lesson, you will def initely learn more. But here we want to suggest some ways to incorporate your arpeggios into your jazz or blues licks.These are best done when you have the basics of arpeggios down a little.Arpeggios, if you play just three of the notes together, are known as triads. These are like the bare bones of the chord. Try it. You need to make sure you only have one note on each string.Once you have an arpeggio down, try and find different places on the fingerboard where you can play the same arpeggio. So, for the C major arpeggio, where else can you play that?Don’t hesitate to work on both major and minor chords. And, when you are ready, and a seventh in their too.Extended arpeggios - another way to play an arpeggio is to do them all the way up and down your guitar neck. This means that you are not only playing the basic triad, but are stringing a long line of notes, repeating the arpeggio across different octaves.Use all of these elements to develop your guitar techniques. When you pract ice all this stuff, you'llll improve your dexterity and comfort in the whole range on your guitar, and it will help you prepare for improvisation.Advice to Improve Your ArpeggiosJust like anything else, learning arpeggios will take some training, practice, and patience. Whilst they are, in some respects, a basic guitar technique, they are also used in some of the most outrageously complex guitar tricks there are.Teach YourselfYou can easily teach yourself arpeggios by following online guitar tutorials on your computer or tablet. You can find free online guitar lessons on YouTube, for example.Learn Arpeggios with a TeacherAlternatively, you could sign up for private guitar lessons with a qualified teacher. Classes will take place at home over a set period and your instructor can walk you through arpeggios and all the main major, minor, and major seventh chords - either in fingerpicking accompaniment or for soloing.If you’re trying to find a guitar class, get in touch with a local m usic store or check out noticeboards in supermarkets and post offices - there’ll often be ads posted by professionals offering private guitar lessons. A guitar course is a great thing to do, because alongside arpeggios, you will learn all sorts of things from power chords to vibrato to the pentatonic scale.Nail those arpeggios with a guitar teacher.The advantage of taking private guitar lessons is that you can avoid picking up any bad habits and learn the proper way to sit and hold yourself. For acoustic guitars or electric guitars, it's a really excellent way to ensure that you make the most out of your new guitar.A teacher can give you advice and appropriate exercises that will help you gain the dexterity and speed you need to master arpeggios. You can also find other free guitar tutorials (like this article!).Searching for guitar lessons London produces the most results on Superprof. But there is a lot more choice if you're willing to learn online.A last bit of advice:To succee d at arpeggios, here are a few final tips:In accompaniment, work on the articulation of your thumb and fingers to gain agility and speed.Don’t jump in at the deep end, but begin with easy guitar pieces and gradually increase in difficulty.Don’t hesitate to play with a metronome to help regulate your rhythm. At the beginning, you may have to slow down songs to learn them, and then gradually increase your speed to 100%. It's a good way to learn to play songs because it ensures you get your technique right.Don’t limit yourself to just one piece of music - make sure you’re working on a few different pieces and styles of music so that you can really learn all of the different subtleties of arpeggios.Don’t struggle to find time to play - make sure you’re practicing regularly. Just 10 or 15 minutes a day is better than 2 hours all at once at the weekend.An ideal breakdown might be spending 5-10 minutes working on your range and technique and then 10 to 15 minutes working on you r pieces.And finally, stay motivated and keep playing guitar!For bass guitar lessons, see here.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Introverts How to Lead a Team to Success - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / Introverts How to Lead a Team to Success - Introvert Whisperer Introverts: How to Lead a Team to Success? Extroverts have proven that they are great leaders because of their out-going and bold personalities. However, introverts are as strong leaders as extroverts. Introverts everywhere are active listeners and great forgers of strong one-on-one relationships. These two qualities are characteristics of an excellent leader who can and will help their team reach their full potential. In terms of leadership styles, an introvert’s approach is quite different from an extrovert’s approach. When faced with adversity, extroverts engage with others and tend to lead their team ahead of the pack while introverts prefer to lead their teams from behind. Here Are Ways Introverts Can Lead A Team To Success When Faced With Adversity At Work: 1. Practice Active Listening Although introverts are known to be natural listeners, they tend to get lost in their own thoughts. To effectively lead a team as an introvert, practice the habit of attentively listening to your team. Stay present and focused on the topic at hand. Hearing and listening are two different things. When you listen attentively, you hear what your team has to say regarding a subject matter making them feel more comfortable in expressing their ideas. This helps them open up and come up with solutions to solve the current setbacks in your department. 2. Speak Your Mind Learn when to speak your mind. Introverts are known for their overthinking manner and this can be advantageous and disadvantageous at the same time. An introvert’s timidness can hinder him or her from speaking his or her mind and share his or her thoughts to his or her team. When you found a solution after gathering data from your team, assemble them and formulate the best possible solutions to fix the issue at hand. Share the details of how to best approach the issue and let your team do their part to quickly resolve the matter. 3. Let Your Team Take Charge Be reminded that your team are experts in their areas and they can do well even without your constant supervision. Know what are the strengths and weaknesses of your members to delegate tasks to your team accordingly. Let them take charge of the sections their an expert of and lead from behind. Trust your members to do well and assist them when needed. 4. Guide From Behind There are different styles of leading a team. Most say that leading ahead of the pack or leading a team by their side is the best approach. However, there is no one way of doing things right when many people are involved. Choose which style helps your team evolve and grow the most. Some introverts lead a team from behind giving support and advice when they see that their team needs it. There is no definite answer to leading a team successfully especially when faced with adversity. You only need to do your best and make sure you and your team are working well together to resolve the issue. 5. Celebrate Victory Celebrate even the smallest victory and acknowledge your team for the efforts they put in to make things happen. Recognising your teams’ contributions helps build a stronger relationship between you and your team. Don’t be afraid to give distinctions to those who have excelled and motivation to those who need it. These are great practices for introvert leaders to lead their team to victory when faced with problems at work. However, it’s important to build a great working relationship with your team first before you can lead them naturally. Valuable Tips To Keep In Mind To Lead Your Team Better As An Introvert: 1. Build Great Working Relationships The foundations of a strong relationship are trust and open communication. Open all lines of communication with your team. Refrain from sticking to online communications as some people prefer communicating online. Communication is the backbone of trust in a relationship. If you are transparent to your team about the details of the project, they’ll trust you more and will be open to suggestions and constructive criticism to meet and exceed expectations of the client or company. 2. Identify Individual Strength Of Team Members Learning and familiarising yourself with your team’s individual strengths can help you delegate tasks better. It also allows you to check if you can push your member beyond the comfort of their expertise to learn new things. Another benefit of learning their strengths is that you will be able to determine who you need to seek when you need advice regarding a particular matter. 3. Encourage Offline Communication Offline communication in big groups can cause anxiety in introverts. However, encouraging face-to-face conversations will help you and your team bond and communicate better. Face-to-face meetings and conversations also add social support among peers and help everyone acknowledge each other’s value and contributions. Encourage offline communication and don’t veer from it. 4. Be Transparent Transparency is a must in everything. It is a key component that fosters trust between leaders and members. If you become transparent in your needs for every project requirements, you indirectly encourage engagement from your members. Thus, creating better solutions for every challenge your team faces. The result of high-level performance is a combination of authentic relationships, trust, and open communication. Practice transparent leadership to promote high levels of performances from the whole team. 5. Step Out Of The Box Occasionally Closing yourself from opportunities of personal and professional growth will only hinder your progress in life. Occasionally step out of your box and explore life outside of work with your team. Schedule an exclusive team building or gathering between you and your members to get to know each other on a deeper level helping you understand each other better. Doing this once in a while will help you and your team be familiar with each other better and improve your team dynamics. 6. Be Authentic To Inspire Stay true to yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re an extrovert or introvert, being authentic is vital. Don’t shy away from your introvertedness but rather embrace it. Showing who you are to others will inspire them to do the same. Bio Jasmine Anne Cantrell is a Content Writer and aspiring Book Author. She loves to express her emotions through words in forms of poetry and short stories. For her, writing is a whole new universe everyone can escape to. Linkedin :https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmineannepalaoc/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/missJACantrell Go to top   Bottom-line â€" I want to help you accelerate your career â€" to achieve what you want by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my 4 Building Blocks to Relationships eBookâ€" the backbone to your Networking success and fantastic work relationships.   Grab yours by visiting here right now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Thursday, March 5, 2020

4 Things to Know Before Taking Skype Spanish Lessons

4 Things to Know Before Taking Skype Spanish Lessons Suzy S. Interested in learning Spanish? As youre deciding between in-person and online Spanish lessons, consider these points by Fairfax, CA tutor  Jason N... Spanish continues to gain traction as the undisputed second language of California, and the United States for that matter. In the next decades, Spanish could even become the most commonly spoken language in this country. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Los Angeles, California, for example, is 53% Latin American and growing. That means that if you’re Caucasian or born in this country, you could be an English-speaking minority in the near future! So clearly you want to learn Spanish, but you are busy with children, work, family relationships, and many other competing demands on your time. Maybe you are a college student and don’t have time or space in your schedule to take a Spanish class. Maybe you may have tried mobile applications to learn Spanish, but have noticed that you learn best with a live human tutor rather than through an app. A couple months ago, I wrote a blog about what to look for in a tutor, where I underscored seven key traits of an effective tutor, which was written assuming that you meet with your tutor in person. In this day and age in 2015, as technology increases in effectiveness, increases in use, and becomes progressively commonplace, many people are seeking tutors via Skype. The global market of “Skype tutors” continues to grow by the day. Consequently, for a myriad of reasons, you may be considering Skype Spanish lessons. Here, I underscore four points to consider before deciding to take Skype Spanish lessons. 1. Skype lessons are often cheaper Maybe you are interested in private Spanish lessons but don’t have the budget to regularly meet with a private tutor, and have realized that Skype lessons can be a cheaper or more convenient option. Let’s be honest: private, in-person Spanish lessons can be expensive. Skype lessons can very well be a cheaper option. Many Skype tutors charge around $10 per hour lesson, when the average Spanish tutor in this country charges between $20 and $100 per hour. 2. Spanish via Skype  can  be convenient Often we are too busy to fit in another outside activity. Undoubtedly, meeting with a tutor via Skype enables you to have the personal live tutor experience without having to leave your house or invite a tutor into your home whom you don’t know yet. It’s important to shop around first and find a great match. TakeLessons has a network of instructors who offer live Spanish lessons online via video chat. 3. Consider the technology Despite the two benefits above, speaking from three years of experience tutoring Spanish usually in person and seldom by Skype, I strongly believe that learning is enhanced when the tutor explains and writes key words down on paper or in a textbook with you next to him or her, to facilitate learning. While Skype has a convenient screen-sharing option, it can be easily compromised by not being able to see your tutor’s face and hand gestures as he/she explains to you what they are demonstrating on the screen. This makes it similar to a short YouTube video lesson, which is not worth paying for or scheduling. 4. Key pitfalls There are undoubtedly pitfalls to learning Spanish via Skype. These include: Interruptions can be a lot more frequent than if the lesson were live. Having a regular Skype Spanish student, I’ve grown accustomed to the inevitable bad Internet connection on either or both sides, which can be frustrating and disrupt the flow of the lesson. As I stated above, it is harder to teach conjugation and the nuances of the many and complex irregular verbs in Spanish. Screen sharing can only do so much. It is hard to teach pronunciation across a screen, for example where to place tongue while pronouncing Spanish words that end in L, and how that differs from English. Just like the visual pixel resolution is particularly superior in-person than on an iPhone 6, for example, the hearing ‘resolution’ is undoubtedly better in person. Have you compared the difference of a drum set and electronic drums? The electronic sounds will never sound as pure. In conclusion, Skype Spanish lessons can be an attractive option depending on your specific needs, preferences, and life situation, while you don’t lose touch of the pitfalls. Skype lessons can be a cheaper, convenient, and unique adjunct to successful second-language learning. That said, based on my experience of learning Spanish in other countries, I’ve come to believe human contact in person is an indelible part of learning a language. Click here to find a tutor in your area! Readers, what do you think? Have you tried taking Skype Spanish lessons? Leave a comment and share your thoughts! Bonus:   Learn about the budget-friendly options for learning Spanish! Jason N. tutors in English and Spanish in Fairfax, CA.  He majored in Spanish at UC Davis, lived in Mexico for 3 years where he completed a Masters degree in Counseling, and studied Spanish Literature and Psychology at the University of Costa Rica. Learn more about Jason 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 Photo by  Mattias Frenn

Learning How to Sing How Often Should I Take Lessons

Learning How to Sing How Often Should I Take Lessons Suzy S. Before you begin learning how to sing, youll need to find a teacher and schedule your voice lessons! But how often should you really be meeting with your instructor? Find out how to determine your needs create your perfect schedule, with these recommendations from  Forest Hills, NY and online teacher Claire W.: Working your way toward learning how to sing means gaining control of your voice and refining your ability to express yourself with song. It can be a challenging task, but as the saying goes, Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Depending on your personal goals, learning how to sing can be a very long-term project. Because there are so many aspects to the skill, the frequency of your lessons depends on the goal you want to work toward and how fast. Keep in mind though, that developing the ability to sing on key and with control of your voice and breathing for a range of genres requires a bit of muscle and memory training. Any kind of music especially the type that uses your very own body as an instrument is extremely cerebral, and requires you to manage and control many different variables at once. But you can do it, and if you ever doubt yourself and think Im tone deaf! This is impossible?!, do keep in mind that tone-deafness is actually a recessive trait in humans, so your chances of actually being tone-deaf are low. This article will discuss the suggested frequency of your training per (1) type of training and (2) level of musical proficiency so that you can learn how to sing. Beginner to Intermediate Level   If you are a beginner at music, the first and foremost highest leverage thing for you to do when learning how to sing is to invest a lot of time in recognizing and copying the production of sounds from another instrument and identifying their names and tonal values. For example, as a helpful exercise your teacher might: (1) play a note for you, (2) tell you what its numeric or syllabic value is, and (3) give you feedback when you try to produce the exact sound with the number or syllable. You can benefit immensely from having ear training lessons once or twice a week, in addition to or in combination with a weekly voice lesson. Later on, more advanced ear training has you identify and reproduce the relationships between two tones or three tones in intervals, broken chords, or scales. Have patience with yourself, and expect the first few tries to be rocky, but dont give up! Remember you are literally training the synapses of neurons to form for sound recognition and reproduction. Because of this, frequent repetition of this training is highly recommended for all levels. Ear training is the first step in becoming a strong singer of any genre or style, and is something that all musicians and singers practiceâ€"even when they are at a professional level. I would suggest 60 minutes of ear training once a week until recognizing and reproducing tones or simple intervals becomes natural and automatic. Intermediate to Professional Level   If you are at an intermediate level of musical proficiency, learning how to sing will be much easier, because you’ve probably done a lot of ear training already. Now it’s time to populate your understanding of song with a lot of data. By data, I mean practicing songs from different genres and refining your understanding of your pitch range, sweet spots, and breaks in your voice. Once you are at an intermediate level, most students can move from ear training to focusing all on singing during your weekly lessons. One lesson a week however, does not excuse you from practicing for at least 30 minutes every day! When you practice on your own, you’ll be able to figure out how identify the little basic things in a voice that make an audience feel a certain way. The length of your lessons will depend on a few different factors. Professional Level Eventually, you’ll have gotten so much feedback, practiced so many songs, and listened to so many genres that you’ll be singing at a professional level. Huzzah! I can’t wait to see singing stars popping up and talking about this article being their inspiration to become singing stars. Keep in mind that even professionals still work with vocal coaches to continue improving even its just once a month or so. In closing, learning how to sing is like learning how to read, write, or speak. At a certain point, you’re just expanding your grasp of the expressive ‘vocabulary’ (e.g. a crescendo, diminuendo, or a trill) and eventually, you get to the point of familiarity that you start creating new vocal conventions and styles of your own, whether youre drawing inspiration from Beyoncé or Pavarotti. Always go through cycles of practice and rest, otherwise you can tire out your voice. Even Beyoncé has to do this! Grit through the beginner phase and you’ll be singing like a star in no time. Remember, everybody’s voice ends up being beautiful in the right context and there are so many genres to be appreciated, so never give up, find your sound, and keep on right on singing. Claire W. teaches music and tutors in Forest Hills, NY, as well as online. As a recent graduate of Columbia University, she majored in Applied Statistics and Psychology, and earned her  Texas  State  Teachers  Certification  in 2014.  Learn more  about Claire 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 Photo by michael_swan

How To Become Bilingual In Italian

How To Become Bilingual In Italian How To Master Italian? ChaptersHow To Test Your Italian?MOOC Italian CoursesTake The CILS And CELI TestsHow To Work On Your Italian Accent?Nowadays, learning a language is a real challenge, which everyone takes up from school onwards. A challenge, but also a pleasure, which makes it possible to communicate with people from all around the world, but also to immerse yourself in another culture. A language other than your mother tongue is, therefore, an important tool for opening up to the world. Practising Italian is the perfect example of such a discovery.To learn Italian online and improve existing skills, you will need to work at least a little bit and go through a fair amount of resources. Because yes, what could be better than watching movies in their original version?Even if Italian is sometimes claimed to be a language of gestures (as illustrated by the 243 movements that Lilia Cavallo has gathered in a dictionary, like a real language), the fact remains that the Italian language is a very rich and di verse language!So, of course, we can wonder how to speak Italian fluently, and that's what we'll see right away! DanielaItalian Teacher 5.00 (9) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LuciaItalian Teacher 5.00 (4) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarilùItalian Teacher 5.00 (8) £22/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarcoItalian Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GiusyItalian Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EnricoItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FedericaItalian Teacher 5.00 (2) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow To Test Your Italian?Among the things to do, when you want to learn Italian and be ableto chi chat with a native speaker from Venice, you obviously have to test your level of Italian. Thanks to simple, effective tools and supports, it is then possible to evaluate where you stand on the scale of a foreign language and to find the right exercises to progress quickly in Italian. Travelling, working, meeting people, everything is a pretext to become bilingual in Italian!Between Italian grammar rules, vocabulary, Italian phrases, verbs, pronunciation and memorization, you will know in a few tests what level you are at and how much effort you will have to put on learning this millennia-old language.But if schools reject you, language tests, such as IELTS, CLIP (the equivalent of TOEFL in English, more for professional use), or CILS (Certificate of Italian CILS from the University for Foreigners of Siena) exist and will attest to your level in Italian. For a price ranging from £100 to £160, it is then possible to know if our Italian is that of a beginner level, or more confirmed, up to bilingualism!Of course, there are also more basic solutions, such as a teacher. A private tutor will give you a more personalized assessment so that you will know how best to progress. Superprof offers this type of course, enjoy it! Finally, do not hesitate to travel, go to Italy, and talk to the locals. This is probably the best way to find out if you are bilingual, or if there is still room for improvement.Even if there are no classes at school, you can still learn Italian. (Source: skitterphoto.com)MOOC Italian CoursesYou may be familiar with MOOC courses since this is the acronym for Massive Open Online Course. Sometimes known by other names such as Open Online Training (OOT), but also Open and Massive Online Courses (OMOC), MOOCs allow us to validate our foreign language skills with a certificate or not, so that we can attest to our bilingualism or not in Italian, for example!While a weekly quiz validates the progress, this type of Italian  online course, limited in time, has training objectives and themes defined by the teachers, but also by the learner. This freedom and this notion of sharing then give full meaning to MOOC courses, wh ich will make it possible to see real progress, thanks to exclusive content, and teachers who are listening!After the MOOC courses, it is, therefore, possible to master the Italian language at your fingertips, to take part in major university competitions, to move to Italy, or simply to travel in the best possible way. Because yes, what could be more stimulating than getting by in a foreign country? Not much, I'll give you that!Take Italian courses London and start learning more about Italian vocabulary, Italian culture, and improve your Italian fluency.Take The CILS And CELI TestsFrom a linguistic perspective, taking aptitude tests is often a very good idea, so that you know what your level is, or simply realize that you are bilingual, or not! In Italian, there are various tests, two of which have performed well: CILS (Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera, or Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language) and CELI (Certificato di conoscenza della Lingua Italiana).The C ILS is a certificate, recognised by the Italian State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allows the learner to report on his or her Italian language skills. Born in the 16th century, and divided into four levels, it will then be easy for you to understand whether or not you are bilingual, depending on the results of the test, delimited by the common European reference framework for languages.You don't have to go to Italy to learn Italian... (Source: skitterphoto.com)The CELI is also a certificate of knowledge of Italian, which, helped by levels ranging from A1 to C2, determines and confirms that language learning can be transformed into bilingualism at any time, whether you are learning a new language, or whether you are almost bilingual.Note that CELI 3 is the level that allows you to enrol in an Italian school, without having to take the admission test for foreigners offered by the school.CILS and CELI in Italian are therefore quality certificates, which, in addition to tr avelling simply, allow you to open doors, professional, academic, but also personal! In an autonomous way, you will then work on your Italian without pressure, and, for a few hundred pounds for the registration, finish in style by validating your skills. Who said learning a second language was complicated?How To Work On Your Italian Accent?The Italian accent is often perceived as a particular accent, complicated to implement, and possibly difficult to learn. And yet, there are many ways and means to work on your Italian accent in a simple and effective way.Indeed, to learn how to pronounce certain syllables, to improve oral expression, and to make yourself understood in a simple way, one can think of films and series in the original Italian version. Because having fun and learning languages is possible! Let's think of works like Call me by your name, Life Is Beautiful, Gomorra, or My Brilliant Friend in the Italian language.But that's not all! Indeed, while the emphasis is on the ex tra soul of bilingualism, we can think of taking Italian lessons with a private teacher. Online, they will be able to meet all your expectations when it comes to saying a few difficult words. Superprof offers this service, don't hesitate to take a look!It is also interesting to look at new technologies, sites, and mobile applications, such as Babbel, Duolingo, LingQ, or One Wolrd Italiano, which show different techniques for perfecting your Italian, all this without going anywhere, like an online tutor. Between videos, online games, and small exercises, most often free of charge, becoming bilingual in Italian has never been so much fun!Hop over to Italy for a weekend getaway, and to practise your spoken skills Source: Pixabay Credit: Sergio GridelliOne last technique to improve your Italian accent, and gradually become bilingual, is of course to travel! Indeed, practising in the field, even if it is more expensive, is even more training than all the techniques and media mentioned ab ove. To immerse yourself in a language and culture, to work on your accent by speaking with the locals, what could be a better learning experience?Whatever your level, the Italian language is a rich language, which must be learned by different means in order to become bilingual. Knowing your level is a good basis for positioning yourself on the linguistic scale, while several supports exist to raise us and make us understand that Italian is not so complicated!

Huntington Celebrates Education Week

Huntington Celebrates Education Week Oradell, NJ November 3, 2014 During the week of November 17, 2014, the Huntington Learning Center will celebrate American Education Week, which recognizes public education and honors those who work to ensure every child in our country receives a quality education. The celebration kicks off on Monday, November 17, and is followed by daily events: Parents Day: Tuesday, November 18 Education Support Professionals Day: Wednesday, November 19 Educator for a Day: Thursday, November 20 Substitute Educators Day: Friday, November 21 American Education Week was founded in 1921 by the National Education Association and the American Legion as a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of education. Education is one of the essentials for success, and we are thrilled to come together with peer organizations, teachers, students and others this week to celebrate its importance, says Eileen Huntington of Huntington Learning Center. We encourage everyone in our community to get involved in education and support our children as they pursue their educational goals. The Huntington Learning Center hosts activities throughout the year to promote education, including free workshops on topics such as homework help, summer learning, SAT/PSAT/ACT exam prep and preparing students for a successful school year. Our message to families and others in our local community is that todays children are tomorrows leaders, and it is absolutely essential that we equip them with the tools and confidence to succeed, says Huntington. Huntington salutes our nations teachers and education professionals for striving to do just that. We encourage everyone to recognize their good work during this important annual event. To learn more about American Education Week, visit www.nea.org. For more information about Huntington Learning Center and its upcoming events, contact Laura Gehringer at Huntington Learning Center -201-975-9431, gehringerl@hlcmail.com or visit www.huntingtonhelps.com. About Huntington Learning Center Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com.

3 Test Prep Material Updates Designed to Get You Results!

3 Test Prep Material Updates Designed to Get You Results! Here at AJ Tutoring, we are always striving to keep our test prep materials as up-to-date as possible in order to better serve and prepare our students. In order to do this, we continually audit and update our materials to make them as effective as possible. Here’s what we’re working on right now!One: Practice testsOne of the challenges with the new test has been the scarcity of available practice tests. So far, the College Board has released only seven SATs and a handful of PSATs. While larger test prep companies have also released tests, the relative speed of their publishing process means that their tests may not accurately reflect what was released in the latest College Board tests. Our solution has been to purchase real tests for our students and to wait until there was a statistically significant number of released problems before we developed our own tests to supplement instruction. Our rigorous creation process uses and analyzes all data available about the SAT in order t o make the tests as true-to-form as possible. We analyze trends in word length, subject distribution, and even subject matter before we even begin a test. Once the test is written, it goes through rigorous testing by our expert tutors who have seen everything there is to see of the SAT. Expect to see our new tests debut to students in June! If you’d like to learn more about our SAT program, click here!Two: Our SAT/ACT HybridNot sure which test is right for your student? One of the challenges with the new test is simply figuring out which test is going to be the best fit. While most of our students do take both the SAT and ACT, we have also developed a diagnostic test that looks at the most crucial parts of the SAT and ACT (timing, content, and style) in order to determine which test is right for your child. Interested in having your child take our hybrid test? Reach out to one of our directors of client services today or click here to find out more about our hybrid SAT/ACT program and test prep materials. Three: Continually improving SAT test prep materialsAs part of continuing to make sure that our materials align as closely as possible with the SAT, we also continually work to update our teaching materials as new information becomes available. Right now, we are working on expanding our Writing and Language packets to even better prepare our students to conquer grammar and style! We are also creating larger banks of questions for all parts of the test so students can have even more practice in vital concepts as they prepare for these difficult tests. Curious about our SAT tutoring process? Click here to learn more.

Language Marketplace Now open to Language Schools and Companies

Language Marketplace Now open to Language Schools and Companies Were excited that we have expanded the Language Marketplace to include language companies and schools. Now language learning companies can partner with italki and offer their services and products to italki users. We think this is a major step towards making italki a destination site for language learning. Our first partner company, Eleutian Technology, targets the largest language learning market in the world: Learning English.   Eleutian uses American certified-school teachers and the highly-regarded Pearson English Language Learning Instruction System (ELLIS) to teach English online. click to go to marketplace Language Learning Ecosystem Our plan is to expand the marketplace to include every language, and to support a variety of services.   By creating an ecosystem for language learning, we believe everyone benefits:   students, independent teachers, language training companies, and application developers. Students benefit by having more choices.   They can pay for premium services, or use the free community generated ones.   Students are able to share information about different service providers and make informed choices.   Students are also able to pick and choose a combination of services that may be useful to them.   Most of all, a central location helps students find online providers of language education. Teachers and companies benefit by having an active market with demand for their service.   Companies and teachers can reach out to students around the world, and transact without having to deal with individual payment issues.   Quality teachers and companies also benefit by having their reputation socially confirmed by their customers. Again, were thrilled to be opening our expanded marketplace, and to have Eleutian join us as our first partner.   If youre not learning English, just be patient were planning to add more companies and services for other languages soon. If you represent a company that might be interested in partnering with italki, please contact us at business at italki dot com. View the press release (PDF) The italki Team Language Marketplace Now open to Language Schools and Companies Were excited that we have expanded the Language Marketplace to include language companies and schools. Now language learning companies can partner with italki and offer their services and products to italki users. We think this is a major step towards making italki a destination site for language learning. Our first partner company, Eleutian Technology, targets the largest language learning market in the world: Learning English.   Eleutian uses American certified-school teachers and the highly-regarded Pearson English Language Learning Instruction System (ELLIS) to teach English online. click to go to marketplace Language Learning Ecosystem Our plan is to expand the marketplace to include every language, and to support a variety of services.   By creating an ecosystem for language learning, we believe everyone benefits:   students, independent teachers, language training companies, and application developers. Students benefit by having more choices.   They can pay for premium services, or use the free community generated ones.   Students are able to share information about different service providers and make informed choices.   Students are also able to pick and choose a combination of services that may be useful to them.   Most of all, a central location helps students find online providers of language education. Teachers and companies benefit by having an active market with demand for their service.   Companies and teachers can reach out to students around the world, and transact without having to deal with individual payment issues.   Quality teachers and companies also benefit by having their reputation socially confirmed by their customers. Again, were thrilled to be opening our expanded marketplace, and to have Eleutian join us as our first partner.   If youre not learning English, just be patient were planning to add more companies and services for other languages soon. If you represent a company that might be interested in partnering with italki, please contact us at business at italki dot com. View the press release (PDF) The italki Team