Saturday, January 13, 2007

How Will You Learn to Play the Piano?

Is your passion listening to piano music? Would you like to be able to play just like your idols? Are you thinking of taking lessons but you are not sure where to start? It could even be that you have had some lessons but you have given up as it has taken longer than you thought to learn. Lots of other people may well be in your shoes at this moment and only need a push in the right direction.

The Various Ways to Learn the Piano

Before you do anything else, it is essential to know that there are two ways of playing a piano. These are:

1. Chords
2. Note reading

It is a good idea to know what you want to do when playing the piano. If you are happy enough playing music other people have written, all you have to do is learn how to read the notes. However, on the other hand, if you are more creative and you would like to write your own inspiring music, an understanding of chords is a must.

If you want to learn to play the piano fairly fast, it may be a wise choice to take a chord based approach. If you learn the chords on the piano, you can learn the sounds they make and, therefore, make your own music. You can always learn note reading afterwards if you choose.

The Pros and Cons of Learning from a Teacher

Finding a qualified and reliable instructor is the key to having successful lessons while learning to play the piano. You could learn at home or at the instructor’s studio. There are advantages to both, so it all depends on where you would feel most comfortable. A lot of people try to find an instructor that is local to where they live.

When you are looking for an instructor, you will need to have a goal in mind. It could be that you want to play for fun and want to learn how to play from music sheets. However, if you want to be more creative, it may be a good idea to look for instructors that will give you chord based lessons.

If you hire a piano instructor expecting to make your own music and they teach you nothing but reading notes, you will obviously not be able to reach your goal. Make sure that you know exactly what you will be achieving. Otherwise, you could be wasting a lot of money on something that you, basically, do not want. Also, it can be a huge waste of money to learn something that you could learn online for a cheaper price, and it is just as effective.

Learning online

As mentioned earlier, learning online is a lot cheaper than piano lessons and it is just as good. It can be a great benefit to learn online as you can do it in your own time and at your own pace without someone breathing down your neck. It can also help to save time, too, so the benefits are quite good when learning online.

The only real disadvantage with learning online is that a person may not have enough motivation to learn properly. Also, with an instructor, if there is something that doesn’t make sense, they can get help. When you are learning online, it may not make much sense and there is no instructor there to ask for help.

You can also learn how to play the piano with piano learning DVDs and computer software designed to help.

General Guidelines to Learning the Piano

Overall playing the piano should be something that is fun and it should certainly not reduce you to tears all of the time. If you take your time learning and have regular practice you will eventually achieve what you want. You should not give up if it is something that you have wanted to do for a long time. There may be times that you get frustrated, but just keep going and you will be able to play the piano just as good as anyone else can, and even write your own music in time.

Finding Discounted Broadway Play Tickets

New York Theaters, especially Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway theaters, have been gaining increasing popularity over the years. So much so that people who visit New York City for a short time on business, or on a vacation, want to squeeze in at least one Broadway play into their itinerary. With the Box Office on Broadway grossing huge amounts with each show, the prices of Broadway play tickets are heading northwards. What has added to the cost of tickets is the increasing production costs of mainstream plays on Broadway. The presence of many top Hollywood stars in Broadway productions, too, have added to their production costs.

With 39 theaters on the Broadway beat, and many others commonly called the Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theaters, totaling more than 100, a little research can help you get discounted Broadway play tickets for plays of your choice.

Looking For Discounted Tickets

The easiest way to purchase Broadway play tickets is through the Box Office, but they are normally sold at face value, and are quite expensive. You can, though, get your hands on discounted play tickets through the Box Office if the play is not so popular. Such discounts could be as much as 50 percent. Normally, discount tickets for a new play, and the ones that are popular, are never available, unless you get lucky and may get some extra tickets available at the last moment.

Tickets that have been reserved on behalf of actors or other patrons, for their guests who do not turn up or cancel, may be available at the Box Office. Such Broadway play tickets can be available at very reasonable prices, and these could be for great seats. Another way is to get your hands on discount codes that are released by theaters in New York for marketing purposes. You can save around 50 percent of the ticket price with such codes, which can be found on the Internet.

Theaters have certain seats that obstruct a clear view of the stage because of the scenery or props, or a support column. Such seats are available at huge discounts, if you are ready to forgo a piece of the action, at some particular spot on the stage. Students are offered discounts on presentation of their IDs, and are normally allowed two tickets on one ID. The discounts may vary from theater to theater and the play, but they are substantial. It involves going to the theater and standing in line to see if student discount tickets are on offer or not.

One other way of securing discount tickets is to opt for Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets. Of course, you will have no seat and will have to watch the complete show standing up. One thing is clear, though. There will be no obstruction, and the view to the stage will be clear. You may get lucky and find yourself a seat if any is available after the play starts.

These are some of the ways by which you can find yourself discounted Broadway play tickets, and save yourself a lot of cash.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Start Playing Instruments

Playing instruments is really like riding a bike. Playing an instrument is a physical, highly demanding, and coordinated activity. Nothing in playing instruments is neater than being able to get a hold of an older instrument and trying to make music out of it. One of the most important things when playing instruments is when you have just enough skill to be able to produce the music that you want. People who play instruments don’t understand why people who don’t play think its difficult, because it really isn’t.

Your child explores the world of music through singing, playing instruments, moving, and listening. Students in the early stages of music education learn by doing. Persons with almost any disability have ability when it comes to music. Experiencing music involves the creation of the following: playing instruments, dancing and singing. Creating, responding to and performing music are the fundamental music processes. Student’s experiences music through playing instruments, song and listening which makes playing music enjoyable and spontaneous. People have learned in many different ways about music and playing instruments, it definitely changed over the past 100 years. The making of music, musical intelligence, arises within the process of listening and playing.

All children derive a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from playing instruments. In the history of human race we have been writing playing instruments, songs and singing for thousands of years it is a way we express ourselves.. Playing instruments is a physical, highly demanding, and coordinated activity. Studying music is accomplished through many different methods, some of them are playing instruments, singing, and listening to music are just a few of the methods we use in our everyday lives. Since the beginning when musical instruments were invented, for some reason people have strived to convert them into automated self-playing instruments. Young people who continue playing instruments following the transition to secondary school have greater confidence in their own. Singing, listening, playing instruments, moving, performing, and creating enable them to develop artistic skills and knowledge.

For many people the experience of purchasing instruments and playing instruments has been signified by financial constraints. It is always important to consider value when buying an instrument. There are many choices when faced with buying a professional quality instruments.

Singing and playing instruments is actually a sign of being highly intelligent. Nobody know why people think playing instruments is difficult, it's not. The more you practice and the more time you put into it the easier it gets.

History Of Rock Music

Rock music, where did it all begin? Believe it or not a black man who played black music, originally founded rock music in the mid 50s, this man was Chuck Berry. Rock music became popular almost over night, and was accepted with open arms by the younger generations. This was largely due to younger generations who were excited by the thought of having music that expressed their rebellious streak and their desires to promote anti-conformism.

This style of music is a far cry from the modern rock music of today that has evolved over the decades and branched out into a multitude of different genres and sub-genres to create music that is more a way of life than entertainment. However, the still prominent fact that rock music is a form of self- expression and non-conformist desire still remains strong even after all this time.

Rock music grew stronger and stronger with idols such as Elvis Presley, around this time many of the black rock and roll artists left the rock music scene and in their place were a host of other white rockers with a style and look all of their own.

After Elvis Presley's famous entrance, other well known rock idols and bands started popping up from everywhere, but something was lost along the way, rockers started losing sight the whole reason that rock and roll had become popular in the first place, which was non conformist and rebellious attitudes.

During this time rock music, took a huge nosedive with the younger generations, who were uninterested in a mixture of country music, folk songs, and rock music. This was in the late fifties and musicians such as Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers were foremost rockers in the rock music scene.

Just as things were looking bleak, Bob Dylan entered the scene during the Vietnam War and held the heart and attention of many youth of the era with his songs of the Vietnam War and civil rights. Around this time, the Beach Boys changed the rock music scene with their new style of rock music.

California had its own unique spin on rock and roll, which contained very sophisticated and vocal harmonies; this style of rock music was a change from the empathetic shouting that had first been introduced by the black musicians in the mid 50s.

In the early sixties, Britain took on a whole new aspect of rock music and created a rage with bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Animals. During this era, the Yard birds also debuted and although they were in the shadows of the Rolling Stones, they were in fact the beginnings of something great, the musicians from this band were later on to revolutionize rock music all over again.

Nevertheless, it was the birth of the Beatles that created a worldwide mania and the beginning of rock music as a business was really born. Following the Beatles, the second generation of rockers were the Kinks and the Who, the Who had changed rock music forever with their mechanically amplified guitars and songs dedicated to the angry frustrated youth of the 60s

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Free Movie Clips

Movie clips are vignettes that clue viewers in to the story, artistry, and action of a movie. They are enticements to attract the viewer to watch the entire feature film. Clips may show background scenes, set design, action cuts, director’s introductions, technicians and actors discussing the movie, or they may be used to create hype about a new movie.

Movie clips are mostly free, financed by the studios that produce the movie. They appear at a carefully planned time in selected media building up hype reaching a peak around the movie’s premier date. Advertising agencies or movie companies themselves design the movie clips, sorting out the best moments of a movie to woo the filmgoer to come to the theatre and spend his precious dollars to watch the film.

Movie clips centered on a particular theme are also common. This includes short movie clips, children’s movie clips, Disney movie clips, and funny movie clips. Fans of certain actors also organize movie clips like James Bond movie clips and Mae West movie clips. Film based movie clips are free unlike some other clips.

Who can forget the clips from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho when he takes us on a trip around Norman Bates mansion and zeroes into the bathing scene of a screaming Janet Leigh? This clip sets the tone for the movie and made it the classic that it eventually became. Sometimes editors of movies may show scenes in clips that they may not show in the movie but include merely for curiosity value.

Free movie clips are available on television, theatres, and on the Internet. Very often, studios like to showcase their upcoming features by showing clips before or after a full-length movie playing in a theatre. Movie clips are also repeatedly shown on television with interviews of cast and directors. Fans can also download favorite clips free from the Internet.

Hip Hop and Education Educating Through Music

"Hip hop is inherently political, the language is political. It uses language as a weapon -- not a weapon to violate or not a weapon to offend, but a weapon that pushes the envelope that provokes people, makes people think." - Todd Boyd,
Professor University of Southern California's School of Cinema-television.

It's true what they say about music -- it is a universal language. Regardless of where people are from or what language they speak, music that has universal appeal can do more than entertain. It can bring people together, get people to think and some cases provide a soundtrack for change. Never has his become more present than in the music
of hip hop that went from an expressive combination of lyrics and rhythm to a lifestyle and culture that has permeated popular society.

More than just a beat

As stated above the "hip hop" professor, Todd Boyd, hip hop is far more than just clever rhymes and banging beats. It has the potential to educate. Boyd is one of the many educators
blazing the trail that of bringing hip hop to education purporting that as a learning tool, it's very powerful. Take for example the organization H2ED (Hip Hop Education). Their formula of T.O.P.S.Y (teachers, organizations, parents,
social workers and youth) seeks to involve the adults and leaders in the community to band together focus educating the youth using things that they can relate to.

This Is How They Do It

According to their mission, "H2Ed is to serve as a resource for educators and those committed to helping children succeed in school by using the power of hip-hop culture as a learning tool. This is achieved by compiling and maintaining a
comprehensive list of educational resources, products and services available for educators. By providing important networking opportunities and by advocating on both the institutional and grassroots levels for educational reform.
" (About H2ED, www.h2ed.net)

The common misunderstanding or misconception is that you walk into a classroom and there is a hip hop beat blaring while a teacher attempts to rhyme the key points of American history.While that my seem like a clever and entertaining idea for
Hollywood films it's a hackneyed attempt at best to incorporate what hip hop can teach. Consider the basic tenets of recording, producing and distributing an independently produced hip hop CD.
Within this one projecct.

* Basic Business Training * Project Follow Through * Problem Solving * Social skills necessary for meeting goals * Team Building * Marketing * Sales (The DJ Project, By Dave Kim, Bay Guardian, San Francisco)

Involving youth in a project of this nature is exactly the goal of initiatives like San Francisco's DJ Project. Much like H2ED,the DJ project uses hip-hop culture to reach out to urban youths for which this music has become an integral part of their lives. It would seem that the old perception of this music being a bad influence and having no redeeming qualities has actually been changed and is now perceived as music that can actually create a sense of empowerment for many kids.

For the Colorado Hip Hop Coalition (CHHC) founded in 1979 they take this empowerment to another level by:

* Creating a cultural connection between hip hop Culture that and kids * Giving youth a stronger voice in the creation of programs suited to their needs and interests * Developing a community network of hip hop artists and entrepreneurs that
work collectively to create community economic opportunity

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Mini CD Replication

A mini CD forms the middle ground between a normal-sized CD and a business-card CD. The 185 MB of a mini CD is enough for the usual data storage. It can also be easily distributed. A business card-sized CD can hold up to 50 MB of data. A mini CD is probably a better option if your data exceeds this marginally.

The mini CD has an edge over regular CDs, as it is only 3” in diameter. Also, it delivers like a full CD-ROM and is more cost-effective than printed material. A mini CD also fits into all computer drives and regular stereo CD players. It has almost universal compatibility. A mini CD can provide up to 24 minutes or 210 MB of data, and can be used with standard audio or CD-ROM data file formats. A mini CD holds 5,400 PDF pages, 1,800-7,200 HTML pages, 15 minutes of MPEG Video, 15 minutes of CD-Audio or 170 minutes of MP3 as well as 900 Power Point slides- more than enough for a full multimedia presentation.

Mold changes to the stamper machine are used to make or replicate 3” mini CDs. These add a few pennies to each run. The mini CD-ROM is generally used for direct mailing as well as trade show giveaways. It is utilized also for the distribution of sales catalogs, product brochures or short videos. Therefore, cost-effective CD replication is a must for mini CDs.

For mini CD replication, PMS color-screen-printing can be used. This CD replication also utilizes color process offset printing and pit-art capabilities. CD replication companies also offer attractive mini CD replication services. Apart from standard replication copper or gold targets, real 24K gold targets, white or other color flood coats are also offered. The mini CDs are generally packaged using PVC sleeves or printed-paper sleeves with or without a window.

How To Obtain Affordable New York Broadway Tickets

Buying New York Broadway tickets is expensive business, especially when you are looking for premium seats for popular shows. You can buy your Broadway tickets through ticket agencies, such as Telecharge and Ticket Master, which sell around 98 percent of all Broadway tickets. These agencies, however, sell tickets at face value, and you have to pay an additional booking charge, which at present comes to $8 for every ticket purchased. You can, of course, avoid paying this booking fee by buying your tickets directly from the Box Office, but you still buy at the face value.

When a particular show becomes popular, certain private ticketing agencies buy up all the extra tickets available, and you land up paying more for the tickets you need. This happens when you approach agencies, such as eBay, and Craig list, among others.

Does this mean that you cannot obtain New York Broadway tickets at affordable prices?

Knowing How To Do It

Of course, you can buy New York Broadway tickets at prices lower than the face value of the ticket – if you know how. Let us look at the alternatives available for obtaining affordable tickets for top shows on Broadway.

Starving Artist Tickets – These New York Broadway tickets are designed for purchase by struggling artists who cannot afford to buy tickets on full price. To obtain these you must remain on line for a few hours. These can be obtained even for the top shows, and the best seats in the house can be bought for as little as $20.

Anyone Rush Tickets – These are same day tickets given out in a lottery, and are available when the Box Office opens a few hours before the production starts. If you are lucky to win the lottery, these tickets cost around $25 to $45, and are to be paid in cash only.

Discount Ticket Codes – These secret codes are given out for marketing purposes. If you are able to obtain the code, you could avail of between 25 percent to 60 percent discount on the face value of the ticket. These discount codes can be used at the Box Office or with Telecharge or Ticket Master . Partial View Tickets – Certain seats have obstructed view due to the scenery, or due to the support columns that come in the way. New York Broadway tickets for such seats, which may be at the very front or the sides of the orchestra, are available at significant discounts.

Student Rush Tickets – These are ideal for students, and are available when the Box Office opens, or a few hours before the production starts. These cost between $20 to $25 per ticket, and each student ID can purchase two tickets. Standing Room Only – These tickets are very inexpensive and may cost around $20 for even the top Broadway show. These do not guarantee any seats, but you may possibly get a seat if any remain unoccupied after the show has started.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Get Acquainted with the Versatile Art Dealer, Mirek Klabal

The tale of Mirek Klabal is an amazing story that can only happen in America. Mirek Klabal started out as a boy in Prague, dreaming about the world of art. Even at a young age Mirek Klabal had a passion for art. As a kid Mirek Klabal was always reading art books and going to art museums. Mirek Klabal studied art in college and told his parents that he would find a way to make art pay off for him. Boy did Mirek Klabal make good on that promise. Mirek Klabal is one of the world’s most prominent art dealers. Mirek Klabal’s expertise is routinely sought out all over the world. That sometimes makes Mirek Klabal’s travel schedule hectic. Mirek Klabal has clients on every continent which is an amazing feat, and it speaks volumes about the level of service Mirek Klabal provides for his clients.

Mirek Klabal is living the American dream. Mirek Klabal is a living a lifestyle that people see in movies. Mirek Klabal has obtained all the finer things in life. Every day Mirek Klabal drives to office in a fancy sports car. Mirek Klabal’s office is the most stunning gallery in the land. Mirek Klabal has elegantly combined two apartments to form an amazing gallery. Mirek Klabal has custom made floor and lighting. The gallery called MK Fine Arts is a thing of beauty. Mirek Klabal says his gallery makes him feel happy and productive. Mirek loves the hustle and bustle of making deals and acquiring “one of a kind” paintings. Mirek wouldn’t trade his job for any other in the world. Mirek Klabal’s company is called MK Fine Arts. The gallery is so modern looking and minimalist it is a true delight to set foot in there. There is nothing else like it. When you walk into the gallery you are engulfed by the soft music that is playing and all the fine paintings that you see. Mirek Klabal has a huge inventory of paintings. The artists that Mirek Klabal collects for his own personal collection are: Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Edgar Degas, Wassily Kandinsky, Gustav, Klimt, Joan Miro, Henri Matise, and Jackson Pollack.

Mirek Klabal is so happy that he made his dreams come true in America. Mirek spends the weekends at his compound in leafy Greenwich, Connecticut, where Mirek Klabal mingles with the upper crest of society. Now days Connecticut is surrounded by the hedge fund billionaires. Mirek Klabal lives next to all these new potential customers. Mirek Klabal hopes the hedge fund boom continues as Mirek Klabal says “Hey they pay lots of commission, they want the art they want and I facilitate their art transactions.” Mirek Klabal loves living in Greenwich; he says it is so close to the city but so far away. Mirek lives to play tennis and golf. Unfortunately he has been so busy his tennis and golf game are not where he wants them to be. That is the story with most successful businessmen like Mirek Klabal. They are driven by their passion and in Mirek’s case that passion is art. Art is the essence of Mirek Klabal.

The Benefits of Disposable Cameras

Disposable cameras are cheap and easy to use. If you just want to take some snapshots and have fun then this is the camera for you. You can buy them in bulk for weddings and other special occasions. You can even take some of them underwater. Whether you take them snorkeling or to a messy kid’s birthday party, you won’t have to worry about ruining your expensive equipment.

Disposable cameras are also called "single-use" or "one-time" cameras. You can get both digital and film disposable cameras. They’re available almost everywhere, from your local camera store to the grocery store. These cameras take all the work, worry and fuss out of picture taking and leave pure enjoyment. The photo quality is often quite good, and the point-and-shoot nature of almost all disposable cameras mean that you can capture those moments that are missed as you fiddle with all the buttons and wires and the 100+ pages of detailed instructions in your expensive camera's owner's manual. Additionally, when you point a little plastic camera at someone, the reaction you get will likely be very different; people are disarmed, more casual and open.

There are a wide variety of Disposable Cameras on the market -- and many uses for them, too. Most models come with a rear monitor to view images. They are fully automatic, including the flash (if they have one), usually have a self-timer, and occasionally have an image-delete function. Prices for a camera with the capability for 25 or 27 pictures range from $9 to $19. These prices may or may not include processing, which adds around $10. You can get cheaper prices if you buy in wholesale in quantity or buy without a flash. They can be as inexpensive as $2.00 each!

Most models will yield an image of sufficient quality that it can be blown up to an 8 X 10 inch print, but not all. Some models that are under $10 create overexposed flash images when used with the camera's short flash range (only 4 feet to 8 feet). Another drawback with some of the cheaper models especially is that the viewfinder can be difficult to see through. Typically, even the more expensive versions make you wait between flashes, limiting how many pictures you can take in a given period of time.

Many disposable cameras have a rear monitor that lets you delete the image you just took. However, on most of these, you cannot scroll through the photos you have taken, or use the screen to frame a photo. On some of the less expensive models, the delete function is useless because there is no rear monitor to see what you are deleting.

Both the film disposable camera and the digital disposable camera are convenient and fun, but if you are looking for professional results or a variety of options, stick with the higher end film or digital cameras. And if you shoot photos on a regular basis, it's cheaper in the long run to purchase a regular, non-disposable camera even if you pay to process the prints.

However, having the option to take a disposable camera with you on a family vacation, work party or wedding can be great. Sometimes you don’t want to take an expensive camera on a trip for fear it will be stolen, you’ll leave it behind, or it might get broken --- an alternative solution comes in the form of the less expensive but perfectly serviceable disposable camera. You get the photos you want without the worry you don’t need.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Times in need of heroes

NBC’s Heroes was dubbed a “surprise” success, but should it have been? In times like this, when we are assaulted with fears of sudden danger everywhere, aren’t Heroes exactly what we need? Many folks point to the cinematic qualities of the show, the urban-pasteurization of the super-hero motif, or the hyper-realism of Heroes as its reason for the success.

Heroes is a parable, above all. It’s a story that tells us that the ability to avert horrible disaster is sleeping within us; not in our genetics, but in our dormant sense of morality. The characters of heroes must break free of their lives of addiction, low self esteem, and indifference to beat the clock and save the world.

Peter Petrelli is, perhaps, the most metaphorical of the characters. His job on Heroes is as a monitor in a hospice center. He watches people die while his dreams to fly fall flat. It is not until he walks away from his indifference that he becomes one of the shows Heroes.

While the press fumbles to make sense of Heroes success, another thing becomes apparent about this tale. We watch these Heroes come together over a great expanse with a single important cause, to save the world. It is as if Heroes is making a hypnotic, subliminal call for globalization. A cry to the Heroes within us all.

Then again, maybe the media has it right; maybe it’s just the evolution of the superhero culture, a paradigm shift in a story-telling venue that is long overdue for a little re-energizing. But when I look at what the media has to say, I still can’t help but think that they might be missing the point. Heroes is, like any other superhero story, about our struggle to fly; our dream to find the hero within ourselves.

Grey's Anatomy and Music Everybody Wins

Grey's Anatomy is a great show for a number of reasons. One of my favorite, however, that few people talk about, is the music. Grey's Anatomy features some of the best up and coming talent that the music industry has to offer. After every episode, I go on line and check out what those awesome songs were on Grey's Anatomy that night and then I go to iTunes and I download them. Lot's of my favorite CD's have come from me first hearing about them on Grey's Anatomy.

Rilo Kiley, Corinne Bailey Rae, Snow Patrol, James Blunt, Iron & Wine, The Fray, Tegan and Sarah, and much more have all been featured on Grey's Anatomy. It's incredible, really. Creator Shonda Rhimes is a ridiculously huge music buff (every episode is title after a famous pop song) and it shows on Grey's Anatomy.

It is also beneficial to artists looking for publicity. In today's world it's harder for great bands to shine through, with the plethora of available bands out there who are saturating the market. Weeding out the bad from the good is a difficult task. When something like Grey's Anatomy can do the heavy lifting for you, its a huge weight off the shoulders of any music fan.

Grey's Anatomy is a great show and would be regardless of the music being used. However, there is no other show out there that uses music as well or with as much intelligence as Grey's Anatomy does. If you haven;t already you should buy the soundtracks or at least check out the great new bands that have their music showcased on Grey's Anatomy every week.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Top 3 Movies Of All Time

There are some movies that each and every one of us has seen at least once. They have made a very strong impression on us and, no matter how long it has been since they were released, we would still want to watch them when we have the time. These movies are great achievements of the film industry that will never be old and boring to any of us.

The Godfather seems to be the movie leading the list of all time favorite films. It is based on the novel by Mario Puzo, called Mafia. The first part of the The Godfather trilogy pictures Don Vito Corleone, head of the Corleone crime family, struggle with the realities of an ever changing world. He falls foul of Sollozzo’s backers the Tattaglia family, because he refuses to work with drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo in an attempt to push heroin in New York.

Michael, as the son of Vito, was not involved in the family business, but still, he was close to being killed. His father Vito was wounded in this attempted assassination. Michael is sent to Sicily and returns after his brother Sonny is executed by the rival Barzini family. Michael finally gets to be the head of the family. Vito Corleone dies of a heart attack. Michael plans for the murder of the heads of the other families to take place during the baptism ceremony of his nephew. And all this in revenge for the attacks on his family. The film also presents the execution of Michael’s brother-in-law, Carlo Rizzi, whom he suspected of being involved in Sonny’s death.

The second part of The Godfather trilogy pictures the adolescent life of Don Vito Corleone in Sicily and New York during the early 20th century, explaining the way he has managed to become the Mafia Don.

Another very important movie of all times is The Shawshank Redemption, which is based on a novella written by the famous author called Steven King. The story speaks about a successful banker wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover. His name is Andy Dufresne. He is sent to the maximum security Shawshank Prison to serve two life sentences. There he meets Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, a prisoner who helps him get used to prison life.

So, these are the top 3 movies of all times. I haven’t told their whole story, because there might be a slight chance that you have not yet seen these movies. I will leave you to discovering the magic of these great films!

Practicing And Performing Music

There is a perception that performing and practicing music are two very different activities. I think that the relationship between performing and practicing is deeply intertwined and at a certain level the distinction between the two virtually disappears.

At some point in a musical career, performing itself becomes the greater learning experience. Greatly significant aspect of performing is the tremendous energy that is experienced during a live performance in front of a receptive audience.

The true purpose of developing mechanical and musical ability becomes evident and the focus of practice sessions is changed. At that point, ironically enough, performing itself becomes the true learning experience because a tremendous energy is experienced during a live performance in front of a receptive audience. The energy of the audience, as perceived or felt by the performer, pushes him to new heights of artistic achievement and practicing becomes preparation to concentrate and enhance that experience; this marks the beginning of the transition from musician to artist.

The artist will find new ways of practicing to bring live performances closer to the pure ecstasy of musical expression in all ways. Bringing diverse disciplines such as psychology and other artistic disciplines such as theater and dance will enable the artist-musician to achieve greater control of the instrument and maximize the overall performance itself.

This is the true transformation from musician to artist, by developing personal, unique and creative ways of expression. As these progresses, the artist will realize great improvement in concentration, ease of performance and greater synchronicity of body, mind and what professional musicians like to call "soul".

As practice is transformed into a more fulfilling and rewarding experience is reached an important step towards scaling the heights of artistic achievement. As music is something that the artist enjoys, practice is, in effect, playing music and should always be enjoyed for its own sake.