These Child Pianist Prodigies are Super Talented and Super Cute

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Child Pianist Prodigy Ethan Bortnick

Child prodigies are still a baffling mystery to science. Weather the ability to be exceptionally good at something comes naturally to these children, or it is a result of their upbringing is still a matter of debate. Nonetheless what is not debated is the exceptional talent of these child artists. Here we list three such contemporary child piano prodigies:

• Noah Gray-Cabey: This 16-year-old is more famous for his role on TV shows like Heroes and My Wife and Kids than his piano skills. That doesn’t change the fact that this little boy from Maine, the United States started playing the piano when he was only four. He is also the youngest person to have ever performed solo at Sydney Opera House. Noah was born to Whitney Gray and Shawn Cabey on 16 November, 1995 in Illinois but has spent much of his life in Maine.

Here is a video of Yuja Wang playing as a child:

• Yuja Wang: Yuja Wang was three years older than Noah when she had her first performance and entered the coveted the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. Despite being older, she was only a seven-year-old child. Two years later, in 1998 she participated in the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists and came out winning the third prize. Since then there has been no looking back for this child prodigy.

• Heliqiong Sun: Sun is an 11-year-old living in Seattle. She started playing when she was only four and still living in Canada. A year later she wrote her first sheet music, which is an achievement in itself. Nowadays, she enthralls her listeners by posting videos on YouTube.

If you want to learn more about playing the piano, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, you can find a great instructor with HeyKiki! If you can already play the piano, and you’re looking for someone to practice with, try posting a practice buddy request on our site.

If you’re looking for a new hobby or you just aren’t interested in the piano, we have lots of other classes available too.

The Spirituality Of Yoga

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Jason Bishop

A chakra can be defined as a revolving circular current of energy that produces physical body. It is positioned at the middle line of the human body, by the side of spine. There are seven chief chakras and a number of small chakras at some places, such as the knees, the elbows and around the head. With the exception of first and seventh chakra, all others are doubling cone-shaped connected at the fine ends. Although they move independently, but their movement as an entity is back and forth and they vibrate up and down. Normally, chakras are closed in all human beings except for a few ones who have one or two chakras opened (in case of spiritually oriented persons at higher levels).

Hatha Yoga

• Effect of Yoga on Chakras: The Hatha Yoga that involves definite physical exercises by the use of limbs and muscles helps in liberating the knots and tense points in the body, opening of the chakras. This protects body from various diseases and ailments and benefits the physical and mental aspect of human body. Chakras appear in the form of tightness and stiffness in human body in various regions such as neck, chronic headaches, cervical spondylitis, muscle pains, asthma etc. and all these can be fought away with the help of yogic exercises.

Pranayama

• Other beliefs related to Yoga: The chakras related to brain, such as the the psychic blockages can be opened by Pranayama, or conscious breathing. When all the chakras related to brain are opened then you will experience a complete new world of wisdom and knowledge. You will be able to relate yourself to the ultimate truth. It will give you inner peace and enlightenment. You will come to understand the ultimate goal of life, achieving inner peace and tranquility and liberation from the cycle of birth and death in the end.

Yoga is related to physical exercises as well as psychological awakening of human beings with the help of its various asanas.

If you’d like to get more into yoga, we can help too! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the yoga classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect yoga practice for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to practice with, we have yoga practice buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Fitting Yoga Into Your Regular Exercise Routine

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Practicing yoga regularly for relief from unnecessary tensions and to maintain physical, mental and spiritual well-being is important in today’s hectic lifestyle. Due to shortage of time, we find it difficult to carry out Yogic exercises daily. To sort out this problem, you can incorporate yoga in your regular routine through some appropriate means.

Sun Salutation pose

• Sun Salutations: You can perform Sun Salutation poses of yoga at the beginning of your routine workouts in the morning time. It will just take a few moments to carry out these poses, which are of great benefit to your fitness.

Deep Breathing exercise

• Deep Breathing: Deep breathing and relaxation exercises related to yoga can be carried out in between the routine exercises as a means of break and rest. This way you will have double benefit— you will perform yoga side by side and feel refreshed for the next workout.

Stretching Exercise

• Stretching Exercises: Similarly, you can perform stretching exercises related to yoga before starting workouts. This will help you to be warmed up for the routine exercises as well as benefit you as far as protecting muscles and bones of your body from various ailments are concerned.

Meditation

• Meditation: One of the most important aspects of yoga is meditation. It is vital for the physical and mental aspects of human body. It can be performed at any time of the day and at any place even before or after the regular exercises. All you need is concentration. Meditation is the easiest way to get rid of stress and tension and attain a relaxed state of mind.

From the above points, it is clear that yoga and routine exercises can be performed simultaneously without any conflict. In addition to above exercises of yoga, you can gradually start performing other yogic exercises also with regular practice. This way yoga will slowly become a part of your routine workouts.

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Balancing Responsibilities As A Tutor

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Tutoring is a process of teaching in which the students are taught by a private tutor on one-on-one basis or in small groups. Some at-risk or even gifted students take help from private tutors to perform better in academics. The responsibility of the tutor increases all the more since the students as well as their parents or guardians rely upon him for their academic performance as well as success in life. Therefore, a tutor must make all efforts to fulfill the expectations of the parents as well as maintain healthy and friendly relations with students.

Tutor must develop a friendly attitude towards students

• Considerate and Balanced Behavior: You must develop a friendly attitude towards students in order to become aware of their academic as well as personal problems, and help them sort out the same. It will help students to understand things better. At the same time, make it clear to them that you will not accept any unwanted activity or misbehavior by them. It will help in a speedy learning process and a maintenance of discipline. That is what all parents want from their kids.

• Humor: Kids are at an age when they love activities full of fun and laughter. Teach them in such a way that they enjoy every moment and at the same time learn the concepts being taught to them. Humor makes the atmosphere light and lively and children feel at ease in such an environment and their memorizing power also increase; that in turn helps in improvement in academic grades.

• Communication and Interaction with Parents: Keep parents of students informed about their performance in a consistent manner. Communicate with them via regular notes and have face to face interaction at regular intervals of time. Discuss the students’ plans and tutoring strategies so that parents know about their kids’ interests, as well as their strong and weak points. These factors matter a lot in the educational career of a child.

You can fulfill your responsibility as a tutor and as a friend with your students efficiently by following teaching strategies.

If you’d like to get more into tutoring, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the classes and tutors on HeyKiki and find the perfect tutoring for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have study buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than tutoring, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Free Piano Programs For Your Computer

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Piano software can be very helpful in learning to play the piano. From turning your computer into a virtual piano to making it a virtual teacher, piano software can come in handy if you are learning without a teacher or want extra practice at home but don’t own a piano. There is a whole range of piano software available to assist a student in learning to play.

Some of the software cost hundreds of dollars, while other programs can be downloaded for free. Most of the instructional software comes at a cost, while many virtual piano programsto edit audio or midi can be downloaded without paying a cent. In this article, we have provided three popular piano softwares which are free to download:

Sweet Little Piano

• Sweet Little Piano: This is a simple but elegant piece of software. It doesn’t boast of many features, but it is an excellent option for any one just starting. It’s clutter free and it plays very well. The software can be downloaded from here.

Electronic Piano

• Electronic Piano: Unlike the Sweet Little Piano, this freebie is designed for pros. So many newbies may find the sheer number of adjustable settings a little overwhelming. An expert, on the other hand, may not be able to do without chord settings, octave settings, acoustic settings, choice of notes and the other features available in the program. It has been created by a Brazil based software developer Maurício Oliveira. It can be downloaded from here.

MidiPiano

• MidiPiano: Falling somewhere between the previous two softwares in terms of ease of use, MidiPiano lets a user open MIDI files and then plays them on the piano. It also allows you to record MIDI files through its virtual piano. In case you don’t happen to like the keyboard layout, it can always been changed. This powerful software is fun to use and offers many features. It can be found here.

If you’d like to get more into piano, we can help! If you’re in the New York City area, check out the piano classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect piano training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have piano buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than piano, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Aromatherapy and Yoga

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Aromatherapy employs the use of natural oils known as “essential oils” taken out from different parts of a plant, such as flowers, bark, stems, leaves or roots for psychological and physical fitness of human body. These oils can be immersed into the blood stream via the skin or can be inhaled directly and help in curing body ailments as well as the encouragement of brain functions. Yoga is also aimed at physical, mental and spiritual well-being of human kind through various exercises. Therefore, combining the two can help in enhanced benefits.

Aromas to be used during Yoga: orange peel, peppermint, lemon, cinnamon, Lavender, eucalyptus, ylang ylang, clove, lemon, tea tree, peppermint, bergamot, Cedarwood, Raven and Sacred Frankincense.

Benefits of using aromatherapy during Yoga:

Triangle Pose

• Vitality or Strength:The “triangle” or “wide leg forward bend” poses of Yoga help in producing a state of high energy and it can be enhanced to a higher level with the help of essential oils such as orange peel, peppermint, lemon and cinnamon which help in speeding up of blood flow all through the body.

Boat Pose

• Tranquility or Harmony: The basic twist pose, boat pose and extended prayer poses of Yoga help in heightening the state of harmony, inner peace or silence in human body and mind. This state can be made even smoother with the help of oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, ylang ylang and clove. The flowery smell of these oils aids in relieving stress and relaxing the mind.

Kneeling Twist Pose

• Enhanced Immunity: The kneeling twist pose and child’s poses of Yoga help in enhancing immunity and it can be increased further with the help of essential oils such as lemon, tea tree, peppermint, and bergamot. These oils kindle the senses giving an indication to the body to enhance flow of blood and energy all over the cardiovascular and nervous system.

• Other Benefits: Enhanced strength, relief in muscle tension, deeper concentration, mental transparency, reinforced mind to body association, enhanced memory power and skill of noticing minute details.

Combination of aromatherapy with the help of essential oils and Yoga can lead to a happier and healthier way of life.

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Multiple Choice Test Taking Strategies

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Jason Bishop

A multiple-choice test consists of numerous questions. Each question has a set of four or five options as answers, from which the candidate has to select the most appropriate answer and mark the same on answer sheet. These tests are also recognized as “selected-response tests.” A person has to appear in such tests at the time of college admission, state exams, government jobs, various medical/engineering admissions and so on. One can pass out such tests by following some guidelines.

All Multiple Choice Test questions must be read carefully

• General Strategies: All the questions must be read carefully to have a comprehensive understanding. Think of the answer in your mind by yourself before selecting any of the given options. Keep a watch over time also to finish the test in allotted time. You must consider each of the answer options as true or false and then after analyzing all the options, select the truest of them as your answer.

• Answering Complicated Questions: In case of complicated questions and uncertainty about the answers, you must try to eliminate as many answers as possible to enhance your chances of answering the question correctly. The unfamiliar terms, concepts, and expressions must be answered with the help of past information of word prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Avoid using negative terms such as none, not, never etc. and superlatives such as all, more, always, and only in the answers. The unanswered questions must be marked for quick return to answer them later on.

• Making Guesses: Always prefer to make a well-informed guess and start it with elimination of inappropriate answers. You can take hint from the language of the question or answer for elimination process. After elimination, you must select the most accurate answer. Avoid selecting any answer options that appears to be unrelated to the situation. In case of numerical answers, try selecting from the middle of the series instead of highest or lowest range.

By following the appropriate guidelines properly and using your educational knowledge, you can easily pass out any multiple choice tests.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than tutoring, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

The Qualities of a Good Yogi

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Jason Bishop

An avid fan of yoga who has been successful in controlling their senses and is invariably set in consciousness is known as a Yogi. They are just like a tortoise that draws its limbs within the shell— they are constantly engaged in self-realization with their mind and spirit, concentrated in God.

Yogi is full of inner Silence, sacredness, humility and Gratitude

Qualities of a good Yogi:

1. A good Yogi is free from hatred, joy, jealousness, fear and concern, attachment, selfishness and desire. They treat friend and foe, pleasure and pain, good and bad, praise and criticism, respect and disgrace, and happiness and sadness all equally.

2. A good Yogi is sociable, sympathetic, merciful, satisfied, temperate, united with their own self, confident, unadulterated, silent, steady-minded, and dedicated to God mentally and spiritually.

3.Besides, these qualities, a true Yogi is full of inner silence, sacredness, humility and gratitude.

Yogi must practice Yoga regularly for health, strength, recreation, healing and inner peace

You can achieve all these qualities by following some steps:

• Practicing Yoga: You must practice yoga regularly for health, strength, recreation, healing, inner peace, and illumination. With illumination, you will start living in God.

• Believer or non-believer: By becoming a believer of any religion, e.g., Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism etc., or even by being a non-believer, you can gain inner peace and contentment by regular practice of Yoga.

• Meditation and Positive Thinking: You must have a positive and loving attitude towards life and all living beings as well as meditate deeply for clarity of mind and thought. In addition, you must perform your routine physical jobs regularly. These fundamental techniques of yoga must be followed properly to become a good Yogi.

• Learning Five Fundamental Features: You must learn truth, peace, love, self-discipline and contentment to be a Yogi.

• Beginning from a Master: You can get started from an illuminated master to get your enlightenment energy opened so that you may have inner enlightenment of your own by regular practice and on appropriate time.

• Self-purification and Contentment: Compare yourself with an onion that is peeled off layer by layer to reach the core. Similarly, you must purify yourself step by step and reach the inner self for ultimate joy and happiness.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the yoga classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect yoga practice for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to practice with, we have yoga practice buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!

If you’d like to learn a sport or activity other than yoga, we have other sports and activities instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Just Because You Graduated Doesn’t Mean You Have To Stop Learning

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Learning is a process of becoming familiar with new things, ideas or concepts that come in the way of life, same as when we used to learn new things related to various subjects in our academic syllabus during school or college. Since learning is a never-ending process, we can continue learning through different modes even after completing out basic education or degrees at a college level.

Reading at Public Library enhances your knowledge about the subject matter

• Public Library: You can go to public library in your free time, pick up a book or magazine of your interest and read the same. It will enhance your knowledge about the subject matter and keep you aware about recent updates.

• Career of your Interest: Opting for a career of your interest is another way to keep learning. It will help you to perform your job in an efficient manner in addition to enhancing your knowledge about the field.

• Conferences and Seminars: You can also gain some new ideas or concepts of your interest by attending conferences or seminars being held in your office, area or city.

• Training Courses at Workplace: Nowadays, a number of training courses are being organized in offices to make employees progress in their career. Such courses are great source of learning as well as getting promotions in the workforce.

• Audio Books during Driving: If you’re short of time, you can continue your learning process by listening to audio books available on various topics during your drive to the workplace.

• Learning from the Seniors: You can even request your seniors at workplace to explain you some particular concept or make you familiar with some new software package related to work.

• Constant Reading Habit: In order to keep learning, you must develop a habit of constant reading. You can buy, borrow or download some books of your choice. Fix a particular time of day and make sure you read something worthwhile during that period.

Learning is a process that can be continued throughout one’s life via different modes and sources.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than tutoring, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Tutoring for the Gifted

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Jason Bishop

Generally, tutoring is considered to be meant for the at-risk or failing students. However, it can be a great boon for the gifted students as well. Since gifted students are fast at learning anything, therefore they sometimes feel bored or disinterested in the classroom because the teacher has to teach all the students at a standardized speed. Therefore, due to lack of interest, sometimes the gifted students may also tend to underachieve. Tutoring can be a great help for such students.

New Academic Challenges for the Gifted

• Building up Confidence: Due to lack of interest in the classroom, such students lose confidence in themselves. In one-on-one or small group tutoring process, such students can be encouraged by way of support and praise in a positive manner to build confidence and achieve greater degrees of perfection.
• New Academic Challenges: During tutoring, such students can be presented new and somewhat complicated academic challenges in the areas of their interest such as science or math. This way they will be engaged to solve out new problems being faced by them and their performance level will be enhanced automatically.
• Group Leader: Learning can be made interesting for such students by making them team leaders and asking them to explain concepts already known to them to other students during tutoring. This will help in revision of concepts in a creative manner without any boredom.
• Motivation: Some gifted students need motivation in order to get interested in some particular subject. Being a tutor, you must tell such students about the importance of the education and connect it with future use, such as the importance of math and science in becoming an astronaut.
• Time Management: Gifted students learn quickly and easily but this advantage is sometimes problematic for them. They do not know how to manage their time effectively. Proper time-management schedule is even more necessary in educational as well as professional life. In addition, this can be learnt efficiently from a tutor instead in a crowded classroom.

Tutoring can help gifted students who underachieve due to some reasons in the academics in many ways.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than tutoring, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Learn Practice Teach – HeyKiki

Author Archives: Jason Bishop

These Child Pianist Prodigies are Super Talented and Super Cute

The Spirituality Of Yoga

Fitting Yoga Into Your Regular Exercise Routine

Balancing Responsibilities As A Tutor

Free Piano Programs For Your Computer

Aromatherapy and Yoga

Multiple Choice Test Taking Strategies

The Qualities of a Good Yogi

Just Because You Graduated Doesn’t Mean You Have To Stop Learning

Tutoring for the Gifted