The Real Reasons Why You Need To Learn Guitar Scales

The Real Reasons Why You Need To Learn Guitar Scales Suzy S. Is it really necessary to learn guitar scales? If youd rather just focus on chords and songs, youre not alone. But here, Austin, TX teacher Samuel B.  shares why practicing your scales will ultimately make you a better guitar player down the line Im a 25-year veteran of playing the guitar. In seventh grade, I took an introductory class to both the guitar and keyboard, in which I received only a B as I pretty much neglected the keyboard altogether. Besides, Id taken piano lessons already and was, by that time, more interested in portable instruments with strings and a neck as played by my musical heroes (i.e. Tom Petty and George Harrison). A few years later, I purchased a hand-strengthening tool. I suppose I had in mind (for some reason) that Id be able to use it to practice when an instrument wasnt handy. Needless to say, the hand strengthener did not serve this specific purpose. I see nothing wrong with purchasing accessories (such as this one) provided that you understand their intended effect strengthening your hand, in this case, rather than improving the fluidity of your playing. As far as fluidity is concerned, nothing beats practicing your scales. I now introduce a relevant one for each of the first two sets of first-position chords youll learn (the ones in the key of C and the ones in the key of D, respectively). Beyond that, theres more room for experimentation (particularly with blues progressions in E the next key slated in the curriculum). Scales serve multiple purposes: 1. They condition your fingers for playing chords. Think of playing scales as warm-ups. As I type, Im considering a relevant metaphor. One of the computer programs that taught us how to type in second grade (The Typing Teacher) focused on our recognition of the home-row keys (ASDF, JKL;) and the proper positions for pressing each.  On the basis of our mastering the home row, we were subsequently taught the fingerings for the keys in the upper row as well as the lower one. Along comparable lines, the C fingering is the same as that of its D counterpart a full step up the neck just with (in this case) your use of four (not three) left-hand fingers to press the notes otherwise played openly. However, the comparison itself presents a pretty simple concept that your mastery of one body of knowledge provides the basis for your branching out into mastering another. Regarding both playing scales AND typing, I dont even think about what Im doing nowadays. As a matter of fact, I sometimes have to pick my brain a little when I help students learn guitar scales as I play the ones I know (the major and the blues scales predominantly) with natural ease. At some point, I also began sensing a correlation between the components of the chords in the key of E and the notes of the blues scale. I now play them interchangeably, which is another purpose served by scales they are the foundation of improvisation. 2. Once mastered, a scale provides you with everything you need to launch a heartfelt solo even one involving fewer than five notes. From that point, the skys pretty much the limit. I even remember being prompted to play a ONE-note solo during a jazz band rehearsal. Without scale knowledge, though, Id have had no basis for playing a solo whatsoever unless it simply involved picking out the notes comprising chords, which makes for pretty dull and predictable listening. Heres a great video that shows how a basic knowledge of scales can add some flair to even the most basic melodies. 3. Scales also serve as teaching tools for introducing music theory. Im quick to point out that the C scale (the first thing youll learn) is the only one that contains no sharps or flats. I even mention its relevance to the white piano keys periodically. A Do a Deer reference would work here too. Similarly, I tend to explain the basic building-blocks of major chords (the first, third, and fifth notes of the scale) and the half-step difference between major and minor ones (regarding the lowered third note in this case). Youll also hear me mention the added seventh note in seventh chords (G7th in C for example). As a teacher, Ive found scale mastery to be the sole factor determining a students rate of progress. As you learn guitar scales, youll have a greater level of musical confidence. Just as your mastery of home-row keys determines your readiness for learning to type essays, your mastery of scales will serve as a cognitive lubricant welcoming upcoming knowledge and skills with aptitude and enthusiasm. Substitute practice your scales as the punchline to that old How do you get to Carnegie Hall? joke. Samuel B. teaches beginner  guitar lessons in Austin, TX. He teaches lessons face-to-face without sheet music, which is his adaptation of Japanese instruction (involving a call-and-response method).  Learn more about Samuel 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  Brian Finifter

How Long Does it Take to Learn French

How Long Does it Take to Learn French How Long Till a French Learner Can Speak Fluent French? ChaptersDifferences in Grammar Between English and FrenchVerb ConjugationBuilding Your French VocabularySpeaking French with Native French SpeakersHow Much Time Does it Take to Learn French?Learning a foreign language can be fun, exciting and stimulating; a companionable activity  undertaken amidst like-minded learners.It remains nevertheless a serious proposition that requires diligence and hard work. And time.In spite of the wealth of French words that populate the English language, any native English speaker must accord proper time to such a momentous endeavour as studying another language.How much time would be considered proper?Let us investigate the aspects of learning French that would cause mastering the language of Molière to be a years-long commitment.In spite of the many similarities between the two languages, French is radically different from English   Source: Pixabay Credit: MagnascanThose respective distinctions make for deep linguistic divisions between the different languages. For our purposes today, suffice to say that French has a rhythm and flow that makes it particularly attractive, and English, for all of its grammar rule exceptions, tends to be more practical.In fact, French grammar may be your first stumbling block, especially their noun classification system.Unlike all of the romance languages, the English language does not employ grammatical gender.Articles the, a and an all take the place of either le or la; un or une to describe countable nouns.Such grammar rules lend precision to French speech!Let us examine this sentence: The teacher gave us each dictionary.How  can we know whether that is teacher male or female?There would be no such question, were the same sentence to be spoken in French.Le maître would be used if the language instructor were a man; la maitresse would be for female teachers. Even indefinite articles are gender-specific in French! Un maître and une maitresse, for example. Grammatical AgreementOne of the most di fficult aspects of learning grammar in French is agreement: any adjective, if used, must be the same gender as the article and noun, or pronoun. It would not be correct to say la maison blanc.As the article and noun are both feminine, the adjective must also be; making it blanche.Whereas blanc and noir and a few other colours can be either masculine and feminine, some, such as yellow (jaune), red (rouge) and brown (marron) cannot. Don't let exceptions to this rule shatter your confidence!Take heart, dear French learner! Your new language has fewer grammar rule exceptions than your mother tongue does.The final word on grammatical gender and agreement in French: most verbs have to agree, too!Verb ConjugationGood news! Conjugating a verb in French will most likely only happen during your French classes!To our knowledge, nobody must recite je suis, tu es... to gain any privilege or entry to any facility in France; nor is it required in order to enjoy any French podcast or film.Of course , nobody will make you conjugate any verbs in English, either... unless you are still in primary school.We point out verb conjugation as a potential pitfall in learning French because, as opposed to English's 12 verb tenses, the French language has 23!You might be relieved to find out that only six of them are routinely used.You should still study subjunctive, indicative and conditional verb constructions, for when next you immerse yourself in the language and culture of France.Note: as we make no distinction between mood and tense in English for this argument, we are not making one in French, either.Are you wondering if French is a hard language to learn?Vocabulary is the building blocks of any language, including French Source: Pixabay Credit: Design_Miss_CFrench words and phrases.Words related to politics and economics; the military and, especially to science and food: our native language is nearly a third French!It would not necessarily be a good idea to hunt for English words w ith French roots â€" or that come, wholly formed, from the French language.Actually, that would be counterproductive to your efforts in learning the language, and it would waste quite a bit of time!Instead, you could make flashcards while learning new words in French, especially if you are a beginner at learning a new language.As you build your bank of vocabulary cue cards, outside of your language course, you will undoubtedly recognise words that you use every day in conversational English.While attending language classes, your attention should be totally focused on classroom activity!Finding familiar word patterns in a foreign language will give you a sense of familiarity, which will boost your confidence which, in turn, will help you in learning vocabulary faster!In economics, this is called a virtuous cycle, or a positive feedback loop.Find out about how to get a good French tutor on Superprof.Speaking French with Native French SpeakersAs your French vocabulary expands and your confidence grows, naturally you will want to practice your language skills at every chance. The best way to do so is by having conversation with native speakers of French.You should be at conversational French level after about nine months of study.Around that time, your French teacher should be conducting role play activities in the classroom, and arranging for dialogue with your fellow students.While speaking French in class is great, nothing says you cannot also find chat partners online who speak French and are willing to help you learn their language!The average language learner, especially beginners, tends to translate into their first language what they hear in their second language, formulate a response, and then translate it into French.Should you communicate with a French speaker on a regular basis, you would short-circuit that process. The words you have already learned will flow with a fluency you might never have expected to achieve so soon!Adding live conversation to y our learning process, making use of language exchange programmes that are so readily available online, and listening to French audio will exponentially increase how fast you learn.If you're looking for French lessons London or Glasgow, head directly to Superprof: you will find hundreds of French tutors waiting for you!If you spend any time at all at the computer, you are familiar with the concept of input and output! Source: Pixabay Credit: SimonHow Much Time Does it Take to Learn French?Short answer: there is no hard and fast rule or timetable for learning French, or Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese.One of two sure statements to be made on the topic is: how quickly you learn depends on you.We'll reveal the other surety later!Your ability to learn French quickly depends on several factors:Your reason for learning â€" because you have to, or because you want to?You will learn faster out of desire than obligation!Motivation: can you see the end-use of your French language lessons?Whether to holiday on the Riviera or for a business startup; visualising your success is critical to your learning speed.Dedication: for every class hour, you should commit at least double that time to independent studyFlexibility: incorporate non-traditional learning methods into your language study habitsYou would be surprised at how much learning is deterred by the thought of sitting quietly at a desk!One aspect of mastering French that we've not yet touched on is pronunciation.From your very first French class, when you learn the French alphabet, you will realise that there are sounds in this language that do not exist in English.That guttural R, for example, or the sound of the French U.Whereas language learners tend believe the most difficult aspect of language learning must be mastering its grammar, it is actually pronouncing words correctly that is most problematic.After all: your French friends will forgive you for gender agreement mistakes, but they can only do that if they unders tand what you're trying to say!Thus we aver that working on your spoken French, its pronunciation and rhythm, will progress nicely only if you spend a substantial amount of time practising.Now, for the other fundamental truth of language learning: it is a lifetime undertaking.At no point has anyone ever said: I know enough French now; no need to study language anymore.Whether you actively seek them out, or absorb them passively â€" by exercising your listening skills, any exposure to the language will compel you to learn new words and phrases.By full immersion into the language â€" sojourning in France; speaking and hearing the language daily, your French learning speed will go into overdrive!This is called the input-output theory, or IO.You surely are familiar with the concept of getting out what you put in: from computing, from function tables in maths, from economics...Economics, again???François Quesnay was a French economist who provided the foundation for today's commonly-use d economic input-output model,  that was formulated  in the 1970's... some 230 years after the original Tableau Economique was established!Interesting footnote: it is based on this economic model that Google ranks its searches.So, the final answer to the question of how long it takes to learn French: the more effort you put into the venture, the better and faster the outcome.As a guideline to what you can expect to master in a given time, the table below outlines forecasted milestones set up by data from French language learning institutes.Time FrameLevelCapabilities0-1 monthAbsolute BeginnerSimple greetings: bonjour and merci; basic verb tenses and vocabulary1-3 monthsBeginnerAble to order food in a restaurant and hold simple conversation3-6 monthslow-intermediateunderstand and use developed grammar; gain confidence in speaking6-12 monthsintermediateexpanded vocabulary; able to understand and express abstract conceptsWhat are you waiting for? A la volée!

English Conversation and Listening The Story of Stuff

English Conversation and Listening The Story of Stuff Ever seen the Story of Stuff? Its a short video that has been used in many school rooms around the world to teach some environmental concepts to students. We thought it would also make a good English listening exercise video, as wall as a great topic for a conversation class.The video has been somewhat controversial in some part of the United States. This New York Times article talks about controversy caused by the video in Missoula, Montana, a city about 3 hours south of where Teauna and I live. Heres a quote from the article:Mark Zuber, a parent of a child at Big Sky High School in Missoula, had a stronger reaction when a teacher showed the video to his daughter last year. “There was not one positive thing about capitalism in the whole thing,” Mr. Zuber said.Corporations, for example, are portrayed as a bloated person sporting a top hat and with a dollar sign etched on its front.He described the video as one-sided. “It was very well done, very effective advocacy, but it wa s just that,” he said.Mr. Zuber argued before the Missoula County School Board that the way in which “The Story of Stuff” was presented, without an alternative point of view, violated its standards on bias, and the board agreed in a 4-to-3 vote.The title of the video pretty accurately summarizes its content. Annie Leonard, the videos creator, talks about how stuff whether that be a computer, a radio or a plastic bag, is made, consumed and disposed of, from beginning to end. It paints a negative picture of our system, from how people are treated in countries where stuff is made, to environmental issues and human happiness. Watch the video below, and see if you can answer the questions. Contact us if you would like to take group or individual English conversation classes. Well, I looked ____ __ a little ___ more.All along the way, its ______ up ______ limits.What does this mean?Here, we are ______ __ against our first limit.Where I live in the United States, we have less tha n 4 percent of our ________ forests left.How does the word added to the previous sentence change its meaning?If everybody consumed at the US rates, we _____ ____ 3 to 5 planets, and ___ ___ ___? Weve only ___ one.Which some _____ ___ is another word for ___ ____ that ______ ___ on somebody elses land.What happens in this system if you dont own or buy a lot of stuff?Are you still using your pillow?We could think of a ______ ___ to ___ our _____ from ________ on ____ at night.How could $4.99 possibly capture the costs of ______ this radio and _____ into my hands?What are stewardship, resourcefulness and thrift?What is the ultimate goal of the US economy, according to the video?What is the difference between planned and perceived obsolescence?Why wont recycling be enough?Its ___ not _______.Do you think it is possible to live in a way that would not have the impact on the earth that the video talks about? Have you tried consuming less? Do you think people judge each other for the way t hey consume?Do you think this video is an accurate description of how things are in the world?

Guiding Your Uncertain Teen Toward College

Guiding Your Uncertain Teen Toward College When youve put money away in that 529 plan and talked with your child for years about college, it might feel like a punch to the gut when your teen suddenly declares that they arent interested. What can you do? Here are a few tips to guide your uncertain teen toward the pursuit of higher education: Talk about the higher earning potential. As teens become more independent, the appeal of a more comfortable living might be a good way to nudge them toward college. After all, its been proven over and over again that workers with bachelors degrees earn more than those with high school diplomas. This Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows that the median weekly earnings of a worker with a bachelors degree is $461 higher per week than a worker with a high school diploma. Talk about the big difference in unemployment rates. College or no college, your teen will need to support him- or herself as an adult, and its a lot easier to be employable with a college degree. The same BLS report mentioned above shows that the unemployment rate of workers with high school diplomas is 4.6%. Those with bachelors degrees, on the other hand, boast an impressive 2.5% unemployment rate. Discuss the fact that college is where self-exploration happens. A common complaint among uncertain teens is that they dont know what they want to study or do for a career. While it would be great if your teen were decisive about the future, college is the time to self-exploration and discovering interests. If your teen hasnt gravitated toward a high school subject, in college, theyll be pleased to discover a range of interesting majors that go beyond the typical English, math, and science disciplines theyre used tofrom exercise science to philosophy, from graphic design to political science. Share that even some college is a smart idea. At a minimum, your teen should give college a try. The fear of the unknown might be holding them back, but the truth is, they arent alone. College can seem as nerve-wracking as it is exciting. But the fact is that the earning potential of a high school graduate with at least some college education is higher than that of a student with no college at all. Encourage your teen to commit to one year of college. Chances are, theyll find it valuable even enjoyable by the end of those nine months. Make it sound fun. If your attempts to elevate colleges importance flop, try the easy route. Tell your teen that college is a great time. There are new people to meet and many activities and clubs with which your teen could get involved. College campus life is vibrant and exciting. Your teen will get the chance to explore newfound passions and do things on their own for the first time. It is the perfect opportunity to reinvent themselves. You might not be able to change your teens mind overnight about college, but be persistent and patient. Offer your advice and encourage your teen to be open-minded and do a little soul-searching. College will benefit your teen in numerous ways. Do your best to convince your child it is worthwhile!

Halloween and the establishment of gender roles

Halloween and the establishment of gender roles PartyCity.coms boys and girls toddler Cookie Monster costumes So although I was concerned? disappointed? upon seeing a post on Tumblr the other day comparing the boys and girls options for Cookie Monster toddler-sized costumes (see image, left) the other day, I cant say I was surprised. Now, Im not saying that someone sat down and brainstormed how they could make the toddler girls Cookie Monster costume sexy. I rather hope that anyone who would do such a thing is, you know, in jail. But I also think that the comparison at left shows the roots of the gender divide in Halloween costumes. The costume intended for boys (and therefore marketed to the parents of boys) is concerned with actually duplicating to some degree what Cookie Monster actually looks like. It also looks like its made of warm material, which is important in a large sector of the United States. By contrast, the girls Cookie Monster costume (marketed to the parents of girls) is merely a hat tip to the character of Cookie Monster slapped onto the basic frame of a frilly dress. There is essentially no attempt to make the costume actually look like Cookie Monster. And if relative warmth of a costume is an issue, parents will have to provide a turtleneck and tights to wear under the dress themselves, because keeping the costumed girl warm is clearly not a priority of this costume either. On PartyCity.com, the toddler boys section of costumes has separate career and classic themed sub-sections. In the toddler girls section, the two are combined.   Careers to which the boys might aspire? NASCAR driver, police officer (including SWAT and regular uniforms), soldier (generic army), admiral, fighter pilot, commercial pilot, firefighter, astronaut, UPS driver, postal worker, magician, and clown. With the girls career costumes combined with the classic ones, its difficult to pinpoint the precise number of careers Party City believes little girls might be aspiring to. Near as I can tell, they are as follows: cowgirl, cheerleader, clown, magician (although Id have pegged the costume as a magic-using princess if they hadnt labeled it as a magician), celebrity starlet (a la Paris Hilton), half-pint referee (in a miniskirt even the NFL replacement refs didnt wear miniskirts), and a can-can girl. PartyCity.coms toddler Superman and Wonder Woman costumes Further perusal of the selection of toddler costumes shows a general tendency for the boys costumes to attempt to duplicate (with varying degrees of simplification) the actual look of whatever the costume ostensibly represents whilst there is a general tendency for the girls costumes to attempt to fit whatever the costume ostensibly represents to a frilly dress, usually at the expense of direct representation. Often with the girls costumes there isnt even an attempt to pretend a real thing is being represented a frilly tutu dress with a cupcake on it becomes a Lil Cupcake costume. Is she supposed to be a cupcake? A person who sells cupcakes? A person who eats cupcakes? Its not a costume! Its a frilly dress with a cupcake on it! Another tendency I noticed is that with the boys costumes there is a marked tendency to add muscles. This is not particularly unexpected when youre talking about the superhero costumes (such as the toddler Superman costume at left), but it becomes a bit ridiculous when the toddler astronaut costume adds muscles. Im pretty sure you cant see muscles in a spacesuit! Maybe Im just looking at them from the wrong angle. This pattern of adding muscles to boys costumes even when logic dictates one shouldnt is not at all present in girls costumes even the superhero ones. Arguably, WonderWoman should have some muscles. Magic bracelets or no, shes a superhero, and Im pretty sure theyve got muscles. But the WonderWoman costume is just a dress and some accessories. (And I wont even mention the fact that whilst none of the boys in any of the age groups are wearing discernable makeup unless its an intrinsic part of the costume, even the toddler girls are clearly fully made up. Lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, blush, the whole deal.) My favorite irony in the toddler section, however, is that in the boys selection of TV/movie costumes, there is a costume for Hedwig, Harry Potters pet owl. There is not a Hedwig costume (nor indeed any Harry Potter-related costume) in the toddler girls section. This is ironic because Hedwig is a female owl. (Apparently she was played in the films by a male owl, but she was still referred to in said films as a female character.) PartyCity.coms kids cowboy and cowgirl costumes I moved on to investigate the kids section, which is again divided into boys and girls sections and further subdivided by theme. On the plus side, in this age group there are enough career costumes for the girls to have their own section of them. Of course, said section is still littered with careers such as cupcake cutie, gypsy princess (nice work if you can get it?), 1950s carhop (aka waitress), another miniskirted-referee, another impractically-dressed cowgirl (my sister is the genuine article and I promise you shes never looked anything like the girls costume at left, although she has come close to the boys version), and three varieties of cheerleader, none of whom sound particularly cheery (the bad spirit cheerleader, the cheerless cheerleader, and the gothic cheerleader). There is a doctor costume which pops up in the results, but it is the same costume thats listed in the boys section, right down to the little boy who is modeling it. Naturally the boys career selection is somewhat better at having actual careers represented. Additionally, the trend of boys costumes leaning more towards actual representation and girls costumes leaning towards making the supposed subject of the costume fit onto a dress continues in the older age group, even extending to odd costumes like the birds from the game Angry Birds. The boy version is vaguely angry bird-shaped, whilst the girl version is a little red dress with an angry bird face on it. PartyCity.coms boys Escaped Prisoner and girls Miss Dee Meaner Prisoner costumes And then theres the criminal costumes. For toddlers, there was one prisoner costume. It was essentially striped pajamas and was listed only under the boys section. For older kids, there are boys and girls options. The boys option (far left) is simply titled Escaped Prisoner costume and consists of loose-fitting striped pajamas, a pair of over-size manacles, and ball and chain for the childs ankle. The girls option, on the other hand, is titled Miss Dee Meaner Prisoner costume. It consists of capri-length leggings, a fitted tunic, and pink handcuff bracelets. Its a pretty short step from this to the Wardens Mistress womens costume, thats all Im saying. In and of itself, the Miss Dee Meaner costume (which again, is intended for young girls, not teens) is perhaps only minorly problematic. Indeed, in and of itself, the toddler Cookie Monster dress isnt particularly problematic. Its not particularly effective either, at least not if ones goal is to dress ones child up as Cookie Monster, but hey, some little girls just want to wear a frilly dress. Which is fine. If your little girl wants a frilly dress, give the girl a frilly dress. But the problem is that unless the parent (or the child) thinks to/is willing to look in the boys costumes as well, there arent very many options that arent a frilly dress or, as the child gets older, a slinky dress. PartyCity.coms toddler Lil Cupcake and teen Cupcake Girl costumes For example, the Lil Cupcake frilly dress for the toddler (far left) turns into the Cupcake Girl extremely abbreviated slinky dress (near left) for the teen. And Im still not entirely sure what career this represents for the toddler, or how cupcake patterned minidress qualifies as a classic costume for the teen. Then again, perhaps the reason why costume makers for young girls find it so difficult to create girl versions of police officer costumes or firefighter costumes or military costumes has to do with what the woman versions of those costumes look like. As far as people who make costumes for grown-ups are concerned, female Naval officers look like this, female Army commandos like this, female fighter pilots (excuse me, Air Force Angels, because obviously there are no female fighter pilots) like this, female cops like this, female firefighters like this, female astronauts like this, and they have no idea what female doctors look like, because all female medical professionals are nurses who look something like this. This article doesnt even really begin to scratch the surface of the murky gender issues surrounding Halloween and I didnt even get to reminisce about all the varieties of sexy _____ to which I bore witness over three Halloweens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but I hope Ive given yall something to think about. Im not sure what my Halloween plans are this year, but if I do find myself a party to attend, I think Ill just go as Arthur Dent from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Yeah, hes a man and Im not, but all Id need would be pajamas, a robe, and a towel. Sounds like a plan to me.

Why Secession Petitions are Good and the Death Star is Bad

Why Secession Petitions are Good and the Death Star is Bad starwars.wikia.com In the past weeks, petitions have sprung up for a variety of clearly ridiculous proposals. The most notably absurd of these is the request for the government to build a Death Star. I assume its safe to say that people dont actually want the government to begin planning for the construction of a fictional intergalactic warship, which means there must be some other motive behind this petition and others like it. The most likely reasoning is the belief that by signing a Death Star petition people are protesting the existence of secession petitions by highlighting the fact that using the White House website to advance a cause does not make it legitimate. But in fact, all this does is cheapen the relevance of White House petitions in the first place. There are people who would argue that the petition policy should be done away with, but for those who still believe in the First Amendments right to petition, this should not be satisfying. Ill be the first to tell you that secessionists, even in my home state of Texas where secession talk is nothing new, are being illogical, divisive, and un-American, but the existence of petitions which express seriously-held political views does not justify a backlash against this entirely beneficial White House policy. I may not like it and you may not like it, but some Americans feel that their state should leave the Union, and the great thing about that Union is that it offers them a way to make their voices heard by the highest authority in government himself. But now, due to political disagreement, people have taken to disrespecting and defiling the system which is meant to be used for petitioning the White House. You might get a chuckle out of the request to deport all secession petitioners, but signing something like this without genuinely being in favor of the cause is equivalent to voting for Bruce Wayne in a presidential election. You may not be doing anything inherently ba d, but you cheapen the legitimacy of our democratic system by doing so. President Obamas petition policy could be a great thing. Sure, well have to weather the occasional ludicrous request, but a simple no from the White House is as far as those petitions will get. In exchange for that small annoyance, as few as 25,000 people can now bring any issue they wish to the attention of the federal government. Serious pending petitions on the site right now range from a request to support Catalan independence from Spain (an issue where the president has no tangible power, but can exert influence by expressing an opinion) to support for finalizing standards for gluten-free labeling. These are issues that matter, brought by citizens who care about their causes, and by getting the required number of signatures they are at least able to secure a response from the White House, symbolizing a first step in the political process. For many Americans, secession petitions represent the worst kind of political action, but the real enemy are the ones who make a joke of the e ntire system.

Can Creativity Be Taught

Can Creativity Be Taught We'll probably never have a concrete answer to this age-old question. Try as we might, myriad online tests attempt to help us discern how creative we are. For those who score high on these tests, that's great. But what about those of us who feel we could use an extra boost of creative energy? Is it possible to be taught creativity? Answering this question may prove easier if we first acknowledge some universal truths about creativity. Truth #1: Creativity takes work There is a notion circulating that creative genius is innate, perhaps somehow even tied to our genetic makeup. Thomas Edison didn't wake up one day with the incandescent light bulb prototype etched into his mind. He worked countless hours at solving the problem of how to build it. Bestselling novelist Stephen King treats his writing like a 9-5 job and works at it daily. The creative muse tends to alight on those who regularly put in the time and the energy. Truth #2: Creativity takes breaks Everyone has sat frustrated before a problem, unable to readily discover a solution, even after a long time spent hacking away at it. The best thing to do in this case is something else. Listen to music, take a walk, have coffee with a friend. Oftentimes stepping away from a problem can be just as effective as stepping up to it. Truth #3: Creativity is full of trial and error Creative people admit their failures and aren't afraid to throw ideas out the window if they're not working or coming to fruition. Tossing out rough drafts of a screenplay or admitting when a dish you've cooked tastes terrible are both productive efforts toward creating something worthwhile in the future. Don't get bent out of shape about failure: it helps you recognise success. Truth #4: Creativity celebrates its successes On the flip side, creative people key into their intuition and aren't afraid to acknowledge when something is good or worth holding onto. Recognisng when you've latched onto an idea with steam and forging ahead with it is remarkable. Sharing your successes with others is one of the best things about creative work. So, can creativity be taught? Remember: everybody is at least somewhat creative. No one person should think they are utterly devoid of creative energy. Give yourself a little credit, and don't think that if you're not painting watercolors regularly, you're not creative. Try to discover how you best create. Find your ideal environment, and commit to routinely practicing what it is you love to do. Stop worrying about how creative you are, and spend more time thinking about what it is you want to create.