Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lessons

Help me, a mid-twenties licensed adult in NYC, finally learn to drive!

yaymukund — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:55:09 -0800

Help me learn to drive! What's a good driving school or private instructor in NYC for a mid-twenties guy who's never been comfortable driving? I have the next 10-15 days and $500 to get as many hours behind the wheel as possible. A bit of context: I will be traveling to a Ohio for one month where I'll basically need to drive to work daily. My past experiences with driving instructors were both when I was 16 or 17:

1) my dad doing his best to teach me, but I could tell he was nervous/frustrated and it made me nervous/frustrated in turn.

2) a crochety and sort of racist driving instructor who put me on Rt. 70 on my first day because he believed everyone my age learned how to drive while playing Grand Theft Auto. (Hey, buddy, have you even seen anyone play GTA??)

Anyway, I'm nervous and excited. I realize it's very short notice, but I'm also glad to have this opportunity to get over my fear. Thank you!

Seeking Advice on Jazz Drumming Lessons for 13 yr old in NoVa

Jamesonian — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:53:05 -0800

My 13 year old son has expressed an interest in learning to play jazz drums. While I'm thrilled that he's showing an interest in such an accomplished and challenging field, I have no idea how to proceed. Should he take lessons or just pick up some stix and put on some Gene Krupa? If lessons are the way to start, how do I find someone who can give him what he's going to need? The teachers in my area all seem to be self-taught rockers, making it difficult to know if they're worth the commitment. Is there a way to identify a good drum teacher? All advice is appreciated.

Music teaching with rebellious children

yoHighness — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:37:10 -0800

You are a music teacher who knows how to make lessons fun and involving for a young person in a rebellious frame of mind. I visit a brother/sister pair every week to teach them piano for half an hour each.

Their mother approached me at a gig of one of my bands. They were looking for a piano teacher who gets kids to "have fun with music" instead of "just practising scales" (parents' music teachers would hit their fingers when they played scales wrong, I guess this explains their unconventional approach). I do have a formal music education if not any teaching education, but it went great for about six months.

The girl, 14, had some difficulty with fundamentals of music, but seems glad to have a teacher. She could maybe spend a little more time than five minutes a day but she started making it a positive habit for herself, and really took to it every day.

The boy, 10, can play and sing by ear and has a totally natural pulse, but he's also indifferent about having a teacher.
What worked well so far were ear training games, rhythm games; bringing in diverse instruments; recording (unlisted) clips on youtube. Anything involving the laptop really, as we are extremely into computers.

But what to do when a talented kid has no patience for practising anything he can't play right away? When he feels like it he'll suddenly play with a strong beat, even doing mad syncopation. I do manage to level with him sort of from person to person but not often enough.

Recently he's been entirely listless. The parents of the boy say he currently "sabotages" many of his activities by acting super dispassionate, which is all part of a natural rebellious phase at this age. I get that, because I was exactly the same as a kid, and rebelled so successfully that it took me until adult life to make music my own thing. But maybe there is something I could do to help this little guy realise the opportunity he has now, with his available talent.

I and the parents need to get our act together in goal setting and logging, as at the moment all he's learning is getting things to slide. Is there something such as "memrise" but for music? So far I have a text file with his "repertoire" and lesson log on dropbox. Attempts to get him to keep papers with repertoire and lesson logs (disguised as games) failed.

I need help on structuring lessons, being more engaging, and repertoire that'll interest kids. What kind of songs do 10 year olds really go for? Tunes from "The Singing Sherlock"? Are there books with CD's or online playback which the boy and the mother could practice together?

Apologies for length. Thanks very much for any insights from more experienced Mefi music teachers.

Full-size digital piano or compact (inexpensive) keyboard for kid?

_sirmissalot_ — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 10:15:27 -0800

My young daughter (kindergarten) will be starting piano lessons soon, and the teacher wants us to buy an 88 key digital piano with weighted keys - that seems to be about $500 minimum. However we're not sure the lessons will stick, and as a bonus we are space-challenged in our small house. For about $160 we could get something that is still big but not 88 key big, touch-sensitive keys instead of weighted keys (i.e. Yamaha NP11, open to other recommendations). We are piano ignorant, so don't know how to judge the trade-off. Should we suck it up and buy the big boy, or will it not matter at this stage of learning?

Voice lessons in northeast Ohio?

DeltaForce — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:25:52 -0800

How can I find a vocal teacher in my area? I've tried to find a voice teacher via Craigslist and another kind of sketchy website that got some awful reviews. I've posted on Craigslist and replied to ads regarding voice lessons with no success.

Side question: Assuming a good ear, good pitch, and good tone, how much can one's singing voice be improved?

Newbie: ski OR snowboard at Windham Mountain

zippy — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:21:50 -0800

I'm going to get lessons to ski or snowboard for my very first time. This will be at Windham Mountain. Either looks like fun. If I have to pick one for my first outing on this mountain, and with this mountain's beginner classes, and this season's snow, which should I choose? I've previously skiied cross country (track and telemark). I can do simple turns on those and snowplows and generally not die going down gentle hills, groomed or otherwise. I have ok balance and can ice skate without killing myself. I have never skateboarded.

Piano lessons in Somerville/Cambridge/(Boston?)

DoubleMark — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:01:14 -0800

Dear Hive Mind! I have succeeded at finding guitar lessons and failed at finding drum lessons in this area here before, so let's try a third instrument: I want to learn piano in the Somerville area. I love both classical and jazz. Somerville is best, the T is fine, I can car if necessary. I am a rank beginner; more on that below. I can play several other instruments decently (brass, drums, guitar), and I have a basic grasp of classical theory; I've tried to hack my way through playing basic piano pieces on multiple occasions. However, either I am thoroughly cursed, or the piano is an evil thing, sent to the earth from the darkness beyond. For some reason, around this instrument my hands become uncoordinated and uncooperative. I am going to need a *really* patient teacher. Help me, hive mind!

Where can I find lessons for sword-and-shield fighting in SE PA/NJ

Strudel — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:07:30 -0800

Anybody know of sword-and-board instructors or lessons in the southeast PA/NJ area? Ladyfriend and I are interested in learning to fight sword-and-board. Not fencing (I don't care for rapiers and I'm looking for something more physical). If anybody knows about options this specific, what we're really looking for is short swords and bucklers to better suit us; we're both under 120 lbs and have more the builds of distance runners than musclebound warriors. I've seen a few things online, but not much really looked promising. We're willing to drive a fair distance, but I'm really interested in anything people have personal experience with. If we can't find something I guess there's always Nerf swords and whatever you make a shield out of, but professional instruction would be better, and I kinda think this would be a fun bonding experience too.

Drum lessons in Cambridge/Somerville(/Boston?)

DoubleMark — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:10:44 -0800

Does anyone have strong recommendations for a teacher of drums in the Somerville/Cambridge area? The rock cannot be stopped! Previously, I asked about guitar lessons for a friend. Now I'm looking to increase my own groove level, but I prefer drums. Does the mighty hivemind have any favorite teachers?

I've played non-percussive instruments for 17 years, and my music theory is strong; what I need here is technique. I enjoy both rock and jazz, and would like playing both. T accessibility would be really, really good.

Thanks, glorious hivemind!

What next for web design?

mean cheez — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:12:12 -0800

How best can I get on a good track to grow and learn as a web designer? I've been using Codecademy, but I'd like to branch out. Over the past few years I've tried my hand at web design a few times, only ever using HTML, CSS, and the most basic jQuery. Each time I've really enjoyed it. I love looking at raw code in Notepad++ and trying to figure out why it works. But inevitably I'll finish a project or hit a wall and drop out of it for a while.

I started powering through the lessons on Codecademy last week and it's been great to get back into it. But I'll run out of material pretty soon, and I'd love to hear how others have learned.

What other languages should I try and study? I think my long-term goal is to learn how to design a beautiful, functional front-end, and then build a bare-bones CMS to easily maintain and update a personal blog. I know I could do this with a blogging tool, but I'd much rather learn how to build it myself, even if it is a huge time commitment.

Any tips for other resources, personal stories about learning web development, and ideas for simple projects to practice would be awesome. Thanks for reading!

Should I teach guitar lessons "under the table" or create a legitimate business?

Eradicator! — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 01:00:06 -0800

Should I teach guitar lessons "under the table" or create a legitimate business? So I used to teach guitar lessons in a studio, but I have since left this studio because I got another job.

I am planning to teach lessons privately, from my home.

Currently, I charge $25 per 30-minute lesson. I'm not yet sure how many students I will end up with.

The way I see it, I could go one of two ways with this. I could either advertise on Craigslist and teach "under the table," and not declare anything when tax time rolls around...

Or I could make my own website, register as a legitimate business and then write off all my supplies.

A couple of questions for any accountant types out there...

1. Which of the two ways would make more financial sense, under-the-table or legit business?

2. Assuming I go the legit route, exactly what would I be able to write off? Obviously method books, printer paper, etc. But how far can I go with the write-offs? For instance, if I decide to teach lessons via Skype, could I write off the cost of a computer?

Could I write off my cell phone? What about guitars? :)

Would I be able to write off my own lessons with my teacher?

These may be dumb questions, I don't know much about this stuff.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Like something from Yoda, but not...

xenization — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:14:13 -0800

Quote suggestions from science fiction/fantasy books or stories related to teaching? I'm working on a research paper focusing on how writers of speculative fiction teach writing, especially in formal classroom settings. Hoping to find a punchy epigraph.

I know there are a bunch of books and stories that deal with schools (the whole school-for-wizards thing, for one), so I'm wondering if you Mefites have any recommendations for specific quotes from speculative fiction literature related to teaching, learning, education, or something to that effect.

Thanks!

The bass is at my place, but now needs to get in YO' FACE

Admiral Haddock — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:25:32 -0800

I bought a bass! Can you recommend any specific online tutorials / resources (e.g., on the youtubes) to learn to play the thing? I already play guitar. Bonus: I like Britpop. What are some fun Britpop songs to play on the bass? Bought the Fender Mustang suggested in my earlier AskMe. I'm happily plonking away on the bass.

I already play guitar, and I'm looking for some fill-in-the-gaps instruction for the bass. I'm trying to learn fingerstyle, for instance, but I'm more comfortable with a pick.

Also, as I get used to the bass, it's been fun to play along with recordings again. I like Britpop, and have been playing along with things like Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, and New Order. Some Blur as well. Anything else Britpoppy with a fun bassline to try my hand at?

NYC Piano/Synthesizer Lessons?

shotintoeternity — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:14:50 -0800

Hi, I'm a (somewhat) experienced piano/synthesizer player interested in taking lessons in New York City. I took about 4 years of classical training in piano, violin, and voice when I was in high school, but I'm looking to grow my skillset as a musician. I'm looking for a piano teacher in Manhattan or Brooklyn who would be comfortable with teaching synth lessons. Can anyone recommend a good piano (or synth) teacher in NYC?

Commuting by bike - soup to nuts

notcomputersavvy06 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:33:15 -0800

Biking to work. Don't even own a bicycle. I have a month to prepare. Please impart your wisdom on this newbie. I am an in shape woman in my 40s but with a not-so-great back. I will be starting a job that requires me to be in the office early every M-F and I won't have time to workout. My solution - bike to work. It will be a 10-mile commute each way. I plan on taking my bike most days except when the snow won't allow for it. I'm in Arlington, VA and will be riding about 2 miles on the Capital Crescent trail but the rest will be the mean streets of DC (I'll be heading to L'Enfant Plaza area). I know nothing - less than nothing really - about (1) biking, (2) biking to work, or (3) biking to work in an urban environment. Those of you who have been there/done that, can you provide some advice or lessons learned as to what I should be doing to prepare myself for this commute over the next 4 weeks. For example, specific equipment to buy - e.g., commuter bike for folks with a bad back, lights for riding in the dark on some slightly bumpy paths, special backpacks? Do you go into the office on the weekend with all of your "work" clothes for the week? I'm not sure if I'll have easy access to a shower and I need to be rather gussied up for this job. Riding in the dark? Bike locks? Preparing myself to ride in traffic especially if just the idea makes me jumpy? I'm up for the challenge but I'd like to be as ready as possible. Thanks for the help.

Help Me Get My DIY On In The Bay

foxy_hedgehog — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:33:47 -0800

I just moved back to the Bay Area and am trying to get my DIY on again. Please recommend resources and spaces for ceramics, knitting, and sewing lessons/classes/circles in the East Bay or SF. At this point East Bay is slightly preferable but I'm happy to take BART or drive to get to the right places and/or people. Thank you!

Need quality driving lessons in Toronto.

theNonsuch — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:39:49 -0800

Where's a good place for an adult to take driving lessons in Toronto? For numerous reasons I've managed to make it to my 40's without a driver's license. I had my learner's back in my 20's and drove a bunch then, but that's been the extend of my driving experience.

Having a child has changed my attitude towards driving, however, but I'm completely flummoxed as to the best place to learn. I know about Young Drivers, which I've heard good things about from other late-onset drivers, but it's really expensive (around $1k). Driving schools in general seem to be like moving companies - there's only anecdotal evidence, and it seems impossible to determine quality without a lot of digging.

So, any suggestions for a reasonable, high-quality place to get driving lessons?

Recommended progressive piano studies for adult beginners. which are interesting but easy, eg Bartok’s Mikrokosmos.

choppyes — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:20:54 -0800

Recommended progressive piano studies for adult beginners. which are interesting but easy, eg Bartok’s Mikrokosmos. I have been learning how to play piano for a couple of months, practicing around an hour a day. Until recently I have been resigned to playing kids method books, grade 1 ABRSM pieces, scale books and adult all in one tuition books which are too heavy on folk tunes and blues for my liking. But then I stumbled upon Bartok’s Mikrokosmos, which is a set of progressive studies, from complete beginner up. The studies are interesting, melodic, discordant, emotional, jazzy. Perfect. I am hungry more just like it. Is there such a thing as a contemporary set of progressive of studies for complete beginners, which are melodically interesting. Or am I cutting corners?

Let's not get back problems this young

atlantica — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:56:47 -0800

What non-computer based activities can I use to teach video game development to 10-12 year olds? I'm putting together a summer camp for 4-6 graders on Video Game Development. (Thanks to the answers to this question I'm looking at using Game Maker with them). In the past I have used Scratch and XNA Game Studio but only for 1 hour at a time (a weekly class). This camp will have 3 hours of 'class time' a day for 5 days. That's a lot of time spent looking at a computer screen! I would love to get them thinking about the concepts we'll be learning about in other ways, especially ones that involve movement and creativity.

I'm looking for suggestions from either your own experience or pointers to any good resources, for games/labs/activities/crafts/anything goes that will help get across the concepts of Video Game design (e.g. What is a game? Genres of game, strategy, rewards......) without using a computer.

I'm also interested in anything that might get them thinking about some of the 'controversies' in Video Game development (e.g. violence in games, gender representation) - I would love to arm them with evidence to be able to talk about it from both sides - although I realize this might get difficult for the age group(?). Thank you.

Guitar 101

Lucinda — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:00:04 -0800

I want to learn how to play guitar. I know nothing about guitars. Help me! I've wanted to play guitar ever since I was a little kid, and I figure there's no time like the present.

Unfortunately, I haven't progressed much beyond that. I figure I'd want to get an acoustic guitar, but what kind? Is one brand of guitar better than the other? What sort of strings should I get, do I need a pick to start or should I just learn without one, that sorta stuff.

(for what it's worth, I'm planning on going to the House of Guitars as I live in Rochester.)

Guitar Lessons in Cambridge/Somerville(/Boston?)

DoubleMark — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:55:39 -0800

I have a friend who's looking to learn (rock) guitar. Any firsthand recommendations for teachers in the Somerville/Cambridge area? She's a big classic rock and metal fan, so advise accordingly. She has a basic knowledge of music theory, but it's not at the intuitive level yet; she's also the kind of person who would learn best with a solid theory grounding. She's very much a beginner at actually playing. We're in Somerville, but Cambridge is also a reasonable option - at any rate, T accessibility is a must, since she doesn't have a car.

Thanks as always, mighty hivemind.

How to make my voice project louder and sexier?

6spd — Sun, 06 May 2012 09:44:28 -0800

How do I get my voice to project louder, naturally? I've always had an issue with my voice not being very bold or full of oomph. I think the best way to describe it is, 'strained.'

For example, let's say I'm at a loud club and trying to talk to someone, even if I'm within earshot's distance away and talking to their EAR, they still have trouble hearing what I'm saying. It's almost as if I have to forcefully SHOUT to get them to hear what I'm saying. Of course, that comes with the tonal inflections and sounds that make you sound angry.. cause you're shouting.

Anyway, how do I naturally get a voice that projects deeper and farther?

I have a boss who has a really loud voice that's full of bass and warmth. You can hear him on a conference call when his door is shut. I'm not quite sure if he just naturally talks louder than most people, but he has a very charismatic voice and it really demands a lot of executive presence. This is what I'm aiming for.

To give you some context, he is around 6'5" and probably north of 225 pounds. I, on the other hand, am a slim 6'1" and 150 pounds. I'm sure this has something to do with it as well.

Do I need to take voice lessons (do those even exist)? Singing lessons? I also feel like I don't have a very attractive voice, so if there's something I can do about that, that'd be great as well.

Gracias!

Jill of all trades, master of one

yawper — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:42:16 -0800

What kind of activities can I put my daughters in that, if pursued to a certain end, have the potential to end up on a resume? Example: “ability to swim” is not something you’d put on a resume. But “Certified Lifeguard” is. I want each of my daughters to have at least one skill that they can say they mastered. Growing up, I was put into a lot of different activities, but never pursued any to the “end”. There was nothing inherently bad about that, and I’m thankful that I had the chance to experience many different things. As a result, I am a decent swimmer, skier, tennis player, skater and horseback rider. By decent I mean I can participate in all of these activities above the level of a beginner, but I’m not great at any of them. I do wish I had mastered something.

So I want this for my kids. I still plan on putting them in varied activities of course, but I want some of them to provide the potential of an end goal. I can think of a few more examples of this sort of thing:

Martial arts --> black belt
Boy scouts --> Eagle Scout

Can you help me come up with more? Also, if you were a kid who did accomplish something like this, I'd like to hear your perspective. Are you glad you did it? What were the pros and cons?

Lastly, though my parents never put me in any artistic/musical activities, I would like to expose my kids to them, so suggestions along those lines are welcome.

My kids are 7 and 8 and have so far been in swimming, skating and tennis (these are all ongoing, though not all at once).

Note: my motivation for this is not to give my kids a competitive edge and start padding their resumes before they’re 10. It’s to instill confidence in them and teach them the value of working hard to accomplish a goal.

Goal: old Patsy Cline songs, off by heart

finnb — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:18:40 -0800

Lap steel lessons in the Ann Arbor area? I'm taking up playing lap steel, and seeking someone in the Ann Arbor area who could start teaching me. Books and videos are great, but it's such a weird instrument to try to start playing cold. I've asked at the Herb David Guitar Studio, but does anyone have suggestions for other leads? Thanks so much!

So, I lit the fire, isn't it good?

holdkris99 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:22:39 -0800

Where can I find Sitar lessons in Dallas, TX?