Tag Archives: activities

Tutoring: Making the SAT Fun

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Studying in a privileged place like US is a dream for many who live here and elsewhere. The quality of a US education attracts students from all over the world. Especially when it comes to higher education, SAT exam has the vital role in giving us the unique key to enter into the best colleges in US. However, preparing for this three 800-point-section exam is not that easy. While preparing for SAT, one has to be mentally prepared to grasp the knowledge, as faking it will not work out in the critical reading and writing sections of this exam. When it comes to coaching, the skill is in the hands of the tutor to convert this boring test into an interesting one. Being a tutor, it is just not enough to be brainy and resourceful.

Preparing for SAT should be more than imparting textual knowledge.

Preparing for SAT should be more than imparting textual knowledge.

The amount of knowledge that you are able to explain to the students that they could retain all that counts. You should be able to delegate content to the students by allowing them to conduct virtual classrooms so that it will be easy for you to graph down their daily growth in SAT. Try including some activities, games and fun, all finally correlating with the aspects of SAT and make your class a fun place. Make the students to realize that any aspect of education learned with interest and fun stays in our mind for even decades and that is what their SAT class has to teach. When you succeed in removing the boring part of this exam and preparation, very easily you could bring on the responsibility within your students to concentrate for the SAT.

If you’re interested in either becoming a tutor or finding one, 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 learn 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.

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Piano Songs that Newborn Love

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Music plays a vital role in everyone’s life. It can be soothing as well as disturbing depending on the context where it’s played. All love listening to music to keep them entertained – babies included. They are in no way exceptional as they love listening to every single sound they hear, especially since it’s all new to them. A slow piano song is a great way to take a break from singing. You can play a sweet soothing music to the baby and tuck him or her to sleep.

Sweet dreams!

Sweet dreams!

Everything babies do makes us happy. Their little giggle or their loud cries are all a gift. In recent research it has been found that the babies are far better at music than adults. Anything that you teach or sing to the baby gets very much settled in the inner mind and might even manifest as talent later on.

These You Tube links are really are a treat to the ears. Even an adult will lull to sleep as they listen.
Soothing music lulls you to sleep
Listen to the music and sleep
‘Sweet Dreams,’ a piano lullaby instrumental CD, is released for the little ones by the O’Neil brothers. It has a list of favorite nursery rhymes. Knowing these songs already when they are taught in toddlerhood creates more of a bonding opportunity between the mother and the baby. The baby also easily grasps a lot of stuff by the time he/she is 3 years old. Early music helps them grow.

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.

Great Boxing Movie: The Fighter

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Sports movies are a favorite genre of many filmmakers. Not to forget the great blockbuster movies like Cool Runnings and Remember the Titans, which have sports as their genre. Sports lovers increase their zeal for their favorite sport by watching great movies.

Fighter - The Movie Poster

Fighter – The Movie Poster

‘The Fighter’ is one such movie which is based on boxing. Directed by David. O. Russel, it was released in 2010. The movie centers around an Irish boxer named Mickey Ward. Mickey Ward unites with his half brother Dicky Eklund and they work hard to win a significant title which will help them bring their split family together. Dicky, once praised as a victorious boxer after defeating Sugar Ray Leonard, falls into the trap of cocaine. Now considered to be the family fighter, Mickey tries hard to become a champ. Mickey is also unsuccessful like his brother and sees defeat after defeat. After he almost dies during a match, he solicits the help of his strong-willed girlfriend Charlene, who advises him to stop training with Dicky. Micky starts winning, and then his family tries to re-enter his life.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the boxing classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect boxing training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have boxing training buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you!
If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than boxing, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Five Wonderful Classical Piano Compositions

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One of the biggest tasks facing a student of classical music is finding a starting point. There is so much to choose from; so many great pieces of music. Quite often, beginners will feel overwhelmed. To help those who are just starting out in classical music, that we’re providing this list of five of the most popular pieces of classical music for beginners to learn.

Claude Debussy, the composer of Clair de Lune

Claude Debussy, the composer of Clair de Lune

• “Clair de Lune”: Claude Debussy composed “Clair de Lune”. For the most part, the piece is in D-flat major. This French creation is the most popular movement in “Suite Bergamasque”. The piece has been taught to students of classical music for years now. And it has all the qualities to give you a strong foundation. To get a feel for the piece, watch a performance of “Clair de Lune”.

The Hallelujah Chorus composed by George Frideric Handel

“The Hallelujah Chorus” composed by George Frideric Handel

• “The Hallelujah Chorus”: Composed by George Frideric Handel, this song was a part of ‘Messiah’. This is taken from the book Revelations in the Bible, and it is very popular in churches. The author of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ is Charles Jennens. Watch a performance of “The Hallelujah Chorus” here.

Rhapsody in Blue composed by George Gershwin

Rhapsody in Blue composed by George Gershwin

• “Rhapsody in Blue”: Composed by George Gershwin, this wonderful piece combines elements from popular jazz and classical music to create Al Capone’s favorite song. This piece can be heard in many advertisements and films. To watch a performance, click here.

Johann Sebastian Bach composed The Well-Tempered Clavier

Johann Sebastian Bach composed The Well-Tempered Clavier

• “The Well-Tempered Clavier”: ”The Well-Tempered Clavier” was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Composed a little less than 300 years ago in 1722, this solo piano piece was composed by Bach to teach students piano playing. It consists of 24 pieces, and a variation of this composition was released in 1744. Click here for a recording.

Antonio Vivaldi, the composer of The Four Seasons

Antonio Vivaldi, the composer of The Four Seasons

• “The Four Seasons”: It was composed by Antonio Vivaldi. Consisting of four violin concertos, this Baroque piece dates back to 1723. Also considered a series of tone poems, it’s relatively easy to follow because of conductor phrases such as “the barking dog” and “the drunkards have fallen asleep.” To watch The Four Seasons, click here.

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.

Popular Piano Concertos

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Mozart Piano Concertos

Mozart Piano Concertos

Piano concertos, more popularly known as ‘Piano concerts’, are the stage musical shows that involve a piece of music specifically written to be played on piano along with a whole set of instruments in an orchestra. Since the times of Handel and Bach, these piano concertos have been entertaining music lovers around the world.
Thomas Arne and Joseph Hayden had written some exclusive and exquisite concertos for conventional pianos as well as the early piano including ‘haspsichord’ and ‘fortepiano’.

History of Piano Concertos

The history of this sophisticated branch of music dates back to 18th century in the era of classical music. The early concertos were beautifully written by one of the legends of music, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart had written many concertos for the classical era and even stretched his genre of music to the era of romantic music as well.
With the rise of the piano as a respected instrument, many more musical composers contributed to this fine art of music composition; Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Robert Schuman to name a few.

Popular Piano Concertos

• Mozart’s concerto – The legendary concerto no. 9 of Mozart was composed in 1777. It is perhaps Mozart’s first concert and he wrote it when he was only 20 years old.

• Emperor concerto – Written by Beethoven, this musical piece was composed from 1809 to 1811. The list of piano concertos is incomplete without this ‘slow movement’ created by Beethoven.

• Rachmaninoff concerto – composed in the 1900′s, this is probably the most popular of all piano concertos. The list of songs based on these notes is endless.

In addition to aforementioned concertos, there are innumerable works written by lesser known musical greats.

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.

Five More Movies About Piano Players

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Various movies have been prepared on diverse topics, great personalities, real incidents or musical instruments like piano. There is an infinite list of movies related to piano, revolving around the instrument itself or around the pianist. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Competition was directed by Joel Oliansky

The Competition was directed by Joel Oliansky

• The Competition (1980): Directed by Joel Oliansky, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving. The story revolves around Paul, a disheartened pianist who falls in love with another pianist Heidi at a concert where Heidi wins the competition. Paul’s feeling of disappointment for coming in second slowly fades away as he celebrates Heidi’s victory.

Fame was directed by Alan Parker

Fame was directed by Alan Parker

• Fame (1980): Produced by David De Silva and directed by Alan Parker, this film focuses on a group of students studying at New York High School of Performing Arts. There are various segments of the movie related to auditions and interclass relations at the school. Fame appeared on number 42 on the list of “50 Best High School Movies” by Entertainment Weekly for the year 2006.

Amadeus was directed by Milos Forman

Amadeus was directed by Milos Forman

• Amadeus (1984): Directed by Milos Forman, written by Peter Shaffer, the movie was shot in Vienna, Austria. It is a story of jealousy on the part of composer Antonio Salieri who ruins Wolfgang Amadeus because of his perfection in playing piano. It bagged eight Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes and one DGA Award.

The Piano was directed by Jane Campion

The Piano was directed by Jane Campion

• The Piano (1993): A drama movie about a mute pianist and her daughter, written and directed by Jane Campion. This movie bagged Best Actress (Holly Hunter), Best Supporting Actress (Harvey Keitel) and Best Original Screenplay (Paquin) awards at the 66th Academy Awards.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a French Movie and directed by Jacques Audiard

The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a French Movie and directed by Jacques Audiard

• The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005): This is a French Film, directed by Jacques Audiard with Roman Duris playing the protagonist, Tom. The story revolves around Tom and his father Robert having opposite views and approaches towards life. Tom wants to be a concert pianist while his father is involved in unlawful business deals. The story has a tragic ending that is worth watching.

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.

Five Jazz Piano Songs That Are Great For Beginners

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Learning jazz piano is like an adventure. It’s one of the most exciting things you could do in your life. That said, it can all go wrong if pick the wrong songs to start with. When you are only beginning to learn the jazz piano, the choice of songs matters a lot. They need to be harmonically easy and rhythmically simple. This will keep you interested without over challenging you. There are many great basic songs in the jazz canon that are perfect for beginning piano players. Here are a few of our favorites:

Fly Me to the Moon written by Bart Howard

Fly Me to the Moon written by Bart Howard

• “Fly Me to the Moon”: Written by Bart Howard, this song has a beautiful melody, and a chord progression that moves smoothly in cycles of fifths. It’s mainly diatonic and has a rhythm that can be interpreted as either Latin or Swing. Related chords are mostly from C major and a 32-bar ABAC form. You can watch the video here.

Blue Bossa composed by Kenny Dorham

"Blue Bossa" composed by Kenny Dorham

• “Blue Bossa”: Composed by Kenny Dorham, this song provides a beautiful introduction to not only ‘Bossa Nova’ but also to minor key chord changes. This song is mainly composed in C minor, Db major and 16-bar AB form. Also, it is syncopated to Latin rhythms. Click here to watch “Blue Bossa”.

So What was the leading track on Miles Davis' 1959 album 'Kind of Blue'

"So What" was the leading track on Miles Davis' 1959 album 'Kind of Blue'

• “So What”: This song was the leading track on Miles Davis’ 1959 album ‘Kind of Blue.’ It is a very simple but powerful modal melody introducing a beginner student to the essential concept of “less is more” in the world of jazz piano. It is composed in D Dorian modal chords using 16 bars of D Dorian, 8 bars of EB Dorian and 32-bar AABA. To watch “So What”, you can click here.

George Gershwin, the composer of Summertime

George Gershwin, the composer of "Summertime"

• “Summertime”: Like ‘Blue Bossa’ this is a diatonic melody consisting of simple rhythms played on 16-bar AB form and D minor’s related chords. This composition of George Gershwin is considered a “must know tune” for every student of jazz piano. For sample video, click here.

Autumn Leaves composed by Joseph Kosma

Autumn Leaves composed by Joseph Kosma

• “Autumn Leaves”: This tune was composed by Joseph Kosma. This is a melody you can often hear in ballads. It’s sung in swing style using chord changes in G major, E minor and the 32-bar ABAC form. Click here for the video.

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.

This Mother’s Day, Do Something Special With Your Mom

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Every Mother’s Day, we do the same old things for our moms: we buy them flowers, we take them out for brunches, or if we live far away, maybe we just send them cards with chocolates. At a certain point, these cute acts stop being as meaningful as they once were and start to feel hollow.

That’s why this Mother’s Day, we’re proposing something new — instead of buying something for your mom, do something with her. We think that one of the cutest things that you could do would be to find a new mutual hobby. Whether you try yoga, skiing, knitting, or baking, we’re sure that there’s something that the two of you could share.

Here are a few of our favorite ideas for classes to take on Mother’s Day:

Yoga Classes - At any age, yoga is a great way to stay fit and healthy. Whether you’re new to yoga or you’ve been doing it for years, a yoga class would be a relaxing way to spend a day together. Afterwards, the two of you could catch up over tea.

Cooking Classes – We’re not suggesting that your mom’s cooking isn’t the best thing on the planet. We’re just saying that a cooking class is a great way to spend quality time together and eat a delicious meal. Try taking a class on the food of another culture like Indian or Thai food. A cooking class with mom would be a great way to expand your palettes and learn something new in a comfortable and fun environment.

Dance Classes – There are tons of great Mother’s Day themed dance classes. Why not take your mom out for an afternoon of sangria and salsa dancing or tango? If you find that you love going out dancing together, this could turn into a monthly event!

This year, skip on the cards and flowers and instead spend some time with your mom. Have a great Mother’s Day!

The Importance of Parks and Recreation

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Central Park

Having just had our first absolutely gorgeous day of the year here in New York City, this week’s featured activities on HeyKiki can all be practiced or played outdoors. All week long, we’ll be discussing sports and activities that are perfect for spending leisurely time outside and keeping your physical and mental skills sharp throughout the spring and summer months. 

Most people spend a majority of their time in daily life, either working, sleeping, and handling social duties, with little time left for leisure, a prerequisite for recreation. Considered a human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, leisure is a force that allows individuals to consider and reflect on the values and realities that are missed in the activities of daily life, thus being an essential element of personal development and civilization. 

If you’re living in a crowded urban or suburban area, most often, the best place to practice these sports and activities is in local parks (areas of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government), which are typically divided into active recreation areas, which require intensive development and often involve cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds, ball fields and skateparks, and passive recreation areas, which emphasize the open-space aspect of a park and normally involve a low level of development, including picnic areas and trails.

Whether you enjoy tossing around a football, playing a pickup soccer game, biking, hiking, bocce, or even skateboarding, New York City has more than 1700 parks, playgrounds, and recreation facilities for a variety of outdoor activities. Watch the video below for a tour and to learn more about them.

New York City Parks: A 12-Minute Tour

So, now that Spring is here, with Summer quickly approaching, make it a priority to get outside and learn something new. Start now by searching on HeyKiki to find trusted local sports and activity instructors and classes in your area.