Annabelle Reads and Writes

Did you know that men occupy more top jobs than women do? You would think that in this day and age, gender wouldn’t matter when looking for a job anymore. However, that is simply not the case.

While companies may be trying to create more gender diversity in the workforce, it’s not enough. According to a 2014 survey on gender diversity, there are companies that have an equal amount of both men and women in their higher up management positions, but the vast majority of these top jobs are occupied by men.

Studies show that company’s leadership roles that are balanced out by both genders are more likely to report financial returns above their national industry median. These companies also do a better job at recruiting and keeping talented workers, as well as stronger and better customer relations. This is said to be because these companies reflect the gender diversity in society today.

It turns out that these companies also tend to make better business decisions because of the more vast selection of opinions they have.

So, what’s the big deal? Why do men continue to outweigh women in higher positions? If it is proven that gender diversity in the workforce can be beneficial, why are men still running the majority of things?

Many companies complain that their plans to bring more diversity to their businesses aren’t working, and that their quotas just aren’t making the mark. While steps are being made to get women to those higher positions, women still hold less than a quarter of the top jobs in 92% of these companies. Women make up 37% of the total workforce, and 22% make up middle managers, 14% that are senior managers and vice presidents, 9% committee members, and 2% of CEO’s.

In case you couldn’t tell, that’s not much at all. The rest of those percentages are being run by men. Shocker, right?

Well, there’s a running problem throughout these businesses. The thing is is that companies have not changed their accommodations to fit women’s needs. Normally, workspaces require employees to be at work during certain hours. Typically, this is from 9 to 5. This is a bit of a problem, as women are usually the primary caretakers of their children, and it is hard to match those hours. While there is the option to work from home, a lot of managing jobs require being at the office.

Now of course, there are many ways to avoid this, but a lot of companies don’t take initiative to change things. Not many companies move past the idea that “flexible work hours” aren’t enough. (p.s. they’re not.) Some companies also refuse to move past the assumption that women are “risky hires” because of parenthood.

It’s not just the fact that men occupy more jobs than women do, they are also paid more. This has been a problem for a really long time, and it is still a problem today. For every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 79 cents. That doesn’t seem like such a big difference at first, but in the long run, women earn a LOT less than men do. Even if a man and a woman work the same jobs, there is still a pay difference, even if it is less substantial.

This wage gap exists in the first place because it is thought that men and women typically work in different fields of employment. However, as the world progresses, this is not the case anymore.

The wage gap has been around forever, and isn’t going to easily be taken away. Despite that, there are steps that can be taken to make a difference. One suggested solution is for employers to offer flexible work hours to both men and women, and encourage more men to take advantage of them. Another way is for it to be required that companies give men and women equal pay for equal work. There are many different options that can be made to strive for change, someone just needs to step up and take action.

Personally, as a young woman, I wholeheartedly agree that change needs to be made. There has been a huge stigma around gender diversity for a long time, and men have outweighed women in the workforce for years. Not to mention the unequal pay, which is a huge problem. In my opinion, actions need to be taken in order to balance out employees gender wise. Women’s needs should be taken into account throughout more companies if change wants to be made.

Long before modern day, as a consequence of World War I, the economy plummeted, and the stock market crashed. This was the start of the Great Depression in August of 1929. This impacted the world greatly, as money lost its value and prices skyrocketed. People lost their jobs and had no food, no way of healthcare, and awful living situations. It was a global crisis. This lasted until 1933 when the world decided to pick itself back up and change things. Governments and finances made reformations for the better, and to pull their countries back to prosperity.

A similar problem is happening in Venezuela with hyperinflation, with prices increasing rapidly. The country has experienced hyperinflation since the first year of Nicolas Maduro’s presidency, where money printing became a big problem. This crisis also began due to corruption, food and medicine shortages, and one of the world’s highest homicide rates. The country’s hyperinflation rate has increased from 9,02 percent to 10 million percent in the matter of 2-3 years. Venezuelans have been fleeing the country because of the issue.

This problem in Venezuela has taken a great toll on the people, and is only getting worse. There are shortages of everything, including medicine and food, which are both necessities in life. The inflation has gotten so bad that people are using cash as toilet paper instead of buying toilet paper.

Impacts

This hyperinflation has taken a huge toll on the people who live in Venezuela, in more ways than one. This crisis has affected the economy, their governments, and their home lives.

Socially, the crisis has had a huge impact. The hyperinflation affects the daily lives of the citizens of the country.

Due to the rapidly increasing prices, people haven’t been able to buy enough food. Venezuelans are going hungry at night. According to statistics, the majority of people are eating less and less because they don’t have food at home. Many also said they go to bed hungry because they don’t have enough money to buy food. Naturally, this is taking a toll on the nation’s health. Sources of iron, vitamins, and other important nutrients have been lacking from the people’s diets. People are turning to vegetables and foodstuffs that were once considered “poor people’s food”.

Economically, the impacts that the inflation has made are disastrous. The inflation reached an all time high of 1.8 million percent in 2018. The rapid rise in prices is hurting the economy badly, and is leaving no one with any purchasing power. This inflation also means that companies are struggling to get pay checks out. Due to this, workers are being paid in things like eggs, or other foods. The Venezuelan currency has become so useless that it costs 14 million bolivars for one chicken.

Another area this inflation has had a toll on is politically. The current president of Venezuela is Nicolas Maduro, and has been since 2013. Obviously, being the president during an inflation, Maduro has been blamed for the crisis in the country. The people of the country blame him and his socialist government for the decline of the economy. Maduro was re-elected in 2016 controversially.

The plans that have been put out by the Venezuelan country have done pretty much the opposite of what they were intended to do. A plan issued early on was to make goods more affordable for the poor, but backfired. Companies who dealt these products weren’t making enough money, therefore not being able to produce the products, and then charging more so they can.

Globally

Globally, the inflation in this country can have a bigger impact outside it’s original plane. However, I think it will only affect the countries that surround Venezuela, and not the whole world, since it is one of the minor nations of the world. Countries who have connections to Venezuela might suffer, but it will not be a global crisis.

Globalism; a kind of international agreement between the nations of the world. Globalism is like a policy of treating all nations in the world as a proper sphere for political influence. The practice of globalism is made up of other terms, like nationalism, imperialism, colonialism, militarism, and isolationism. These terms, or practices, are what make up globalism. Globalism is performed by many nations to expand, and influence other countries around the world with their ideas. A good example of modern globalism is trading. Have you ever noticed how a lot of things in America are labeled, “Made in China”? That’s an example of trade. China makes a lot of our items, and usually trade them with us for goods. Another good example of globalism can be seen in media and entertainment. A popular music genre in America is K-Pop, which is based in Korea. Many popular movies in America and other countries are from around the world. These are all examples of modern globalism.

Good or Bad?

Personally, I believe globalism can do both good and bad things. However, I think it does more good than bad.

Globalism can solve a lot of the major problems in our world, like unemployment and poverty. Influence of other countries can create new jobs, and therefore poverty can be prevented by giving people more jobs. Another pro is free trade, which helps reduce barriers between nations. Free trade also supports global economic growth. It also benefits poorer countries, by giving them resources and creating better conditions for their people.

Globalism helps countries influence other countries. This can be a very good thing, because it helps people gain more knowledge of the world around them and embrace new cultures. It also provides an easier way to know what’s going on in our world.

Globalism in the Past

Globalism has always been a huge power in our world, and a lot of things wouldn’t be the way they are today without it. Globalism has a huge impact on our world, and we don’t always realize it.

A good example of globalism falls during the time period 1885-1914. This was called the Scramble for Africa.

The Scramble for Africa is almost exactly what it sounds like. Countries around the world were fighting for land in Africa, to gain global power. They wanted to expand their people and influence around the world. Many countries invaded territory in africa, and colonized it. Africa was also divided, many countries owning different parts.

The Scramble for Africa lead to the Berlin Conference. All the leaders from different countries met together to divide up Africa. Britain and France won the biggest divisions of territories, however Africa was still split to multiple countries. The people of Africa had no say.

That’s an example of globalism. Leaders of countries showed nationalism, and wanted their countries to flourish, and prosper. They wanted to gain global power and spread their influence throughout the world.

Globalism is still a prominent thing in today’s world, in more ways than one. While we may not always see it, globalism is one of the things running the world we live in.

Russia is a great and huge country located in Europe, and runs under the rule of a dictator. This dictator is named Vladimir Putin.

Well, Putin is technically a president, as he was elected by the people of Russia. However, he runs the country much like a dictator, and has basically absolute power over his citizens. Naturally, the people of Russia have a big problem with this, because he has absolute control over them. In Russia, if you are an average person, life under the rule of Putin isn’t very good. In fact, it’s not good at all.

As of 2019, the human rights of Russians has just gone down the drain. Constantly the people of Russia are fighting for their rights as people of their country. Many repressive laws and bans have been put in place by authorities to try and control the uproar of civic activism. People are protesting on all types of matters, and will not go down without a fight.

Torture and Cruel Treatment

Torture and other ill-treatments are not uncommon in Russia, especially in pretrial detention and prisons across the area. There is a lot of evidence that leads to people being mistreated in prisons to get them to confess to crimes. It’s not just interrogation, it’s actual torture and mistreatment of human beings.

Election Protests

Many political leaders in Russia have sparked peaceful protests based on the elections Russia has. These peaceful protests have been sustained, and unauthorized. Despite these protests meaning no harm, police have used excessive and harsh force against the protesters. This lead to some protesters sustaining injuries, and record numbers of arrests on demonstrators and even random bystanders.

Aiming to end the protests, authorities opened several criminal investigations. By November, 23 protesters were arrested on unfounded charges of “mass-rioting” or assaulting the police, which was just not true.

Five people were sentenced for assault to two-to-three-and-a half years in prison. One of whom were released in September due to a vigorous public campaign.

Police in Ulan-Ude, a city in Russia, used excessive force to break up peaceful, election-related protests that were started by the victory of the ruling party’s mayoral candidate.

Freedom of Expression

In December 2018, President Vladimir Putin signed law amendments that decriminalized the incitement to hatred offenses. Russian authorities often misuse incitement to hatred offenses to stifle legitimate protected speech.

Authorities restricted artistic freedom by canceling many rap and pop performances under the idea of protecting children from the promotion of drugs, suicide, and other things.

The government also continued to control internet freedom, and a report from Google showed that in 2018 the total number of content Russia was trying to block on their computers spiked. In fact, in May Putin even signed a law to give Russian authorities to partially or even fully block access to the internet without judicial oversights in the event of a security threat. The law envisions the creation of a natural domain system providing the country control of the country’s internet traffic.

Freedom of Religion

Russian authorities persecuted numerous religious groups that were designated as “extremist” under Russia’s broad counter-extremism law despite NO evidence that they committed or promoted any violence.

In February, a court in Oryol sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness and a Danish citizen to six’ years imprisonment on extremism charges. This happened yet again to another Jehovah’s Witness in November on the same charges. Authorities also prosecuted on extremism charges members of certain Islamic groups that have no history of incitement or violence.

Going Back to the Early Days

Clearly, Russia is a tough place to live in. I mean, you don’t have a lot of your basic human rights that you think you would have. In Russia, you wouldn’t have the right to free speech or the right to express yourself as a person.

What is going on in Russia actually relates a lot to the old days. Russia is basically running under an absolute ruler, who has complete control over every aspect of life. This is called absolutism, and this originated a long, long time ago.

During the 1500-1600s, there were a lot of absolute rulers around the world, places like France and England ruled through absolutism. And surprise surprise, Russia was also part of this trend. Russia was ruled by Ivan the Terrible, who was a harsh and cruel ruler. Sounds a lot like today if you ask me.

These absolute monarchs ruled for a long time, and had absolute control over their country. However, they weren’t around forever. Some of the rulers were cruel and mistreated the people of their country very badly. The people began to protest, much like they do in Russia today, and eventually overthrew the leaders, thus ending the reign of absolutism.

Sources:

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/russia#

It’s no secret that 2020 has had its ups and downs (mostly downs) and this year is definitely going to be one to go down in the history textbooks. From the deadly Covid-19 world pandemic to the stock market almost crashing, 2020 has been a rough year.

On top of all that, 2020 is the year of the election. The U.S. presidential election takes place every 4 years, and the people of America vote to decide who will be the next president of the country. The people vote on who they believe will be the best choice with many factors. There are two main parties, Republican and Democrat, and citizens vote on which they believe the best party is and the best candidate is. The election was last held in November of 2016, 4 years ago. This year, the election is on November 3rd, and the people of America are counting down the days.

The two major candidates this year that are going head-to-head are Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Both candidates are doing everything they can to win, and the race has been neck-and-neck for a while. No one really knows what to expect out of this election, most of the polls being almost 50-50.

However, today I’m here to tell you the real unbiased opinions of the 2020 U.S. election. I’m going to explain the polls, the predictions, and everything between with who is supposed to win the 2020 presidential election.

Meet the Candidates

Like I said earlier, there are two well-known candidates running for president this year. One of them is a Democrat, and the other a Republican.

Let’s learn who the candidates are.

Our first candidate is actually our current President, Donald Trump. Trump ran for President against Democrat Hillary Clinton back in 2016, and pulled out a win. He has been the President for the past 4 years, and is a representative of the Republican Party. Before Trump became President, he was a well-known business-man and television personality.

Our next candidate is Joe Biden. Biden has been involved in politics for a long time, even since the 1970s. In 2008 he was elected as Vice-President alongside former President Barack Obama. He was also re-elected as Vice-President in 2012 with Barack Obama once more. This year, he is running for President. Biden is a representative of the Democratic party.

Who’s Predicted to Win?

Before I provide the facts, let’s look at the popular predictions.

Currently as we speak, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are making their last campaign pitches. Both candidates are laying down their different views on our nation’s biggest problems. After all, voting day is tomorrow.

Currently, Biden is favored to win by a landslide. Many say the odds are 90% of Biden winning and 10% of Trump winning. Biden had been predicted to win against Trump in opinion polls, but the polls remain tight and many officials predict that it could take days for them to tally enough ballots to determine a winner.

Nearly 100 million people voted early before Tuesday, the official election day. A lot of people did this to avoid crowded places amongst the pandemic. So, these votes are already set in stone. Another thing to mention is that dozens of states could change the election outcome. These states have a critical role in delivering the Electoral College votes needed to win the election.

What’s the Electoral College? The Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by an amendment in the United States Constitution to form every four years for the purpose of electing both the president and the vice-president of the United States. There are multiple electors for each state in America. In fact, in the last election of 2016 Donald Trump won because of the electoral college votes. He was running against Democrat Hillary Clinton, and was almost certain to lose according to the polls. However, he won in the electoral college, so he won the presidential election.

In total, there are 270 electoral college votes needed to win the election. Due to the uprise in mail voting, the results of the election may not be known on election day.

Okay, Let’s Look at the Facts

Fact, the election of 2020 is definitely going to be one to go down in the history books. There are so many of our nation’s problems that need to be fixed, and the citizens of America are voting on who they think will be the best to take care of them. From the global pandemic to the economy, whoever is elected president has a lot on their plate to handle.

Okay but for real, who’s actually supposed to win? What do the statistics say? Well let’s take a look.

Let’s start with the electoral college votes. According to BBC, “the US uses an electoral college system, so winning the most votes doesn’t always win you the election.” It is predicted that Biden is very likely to take the win here. Currently, Biden has the chance of winning by 97%, while Trump only has about a 3% chance. Biden also has the chance of winning the most votes with a 99% chance, with the leftover 1% going to Trump. Lastly, the predicted range of electoral college votes is 259-415 for Biden, and 123-279 for Trump. So yeah, it looks like Biden takes the win here.

Next, let’s look at each candidate’s chance of winning the states. According to BBC, “the number of votes you win is less important than where you win them.” Presidential Candidate Joe Biden is predicted to win in 27 different states, while Trump is predicted to win in 20 different states (the last three states are uncertain.) There are some key states in America that have a big effect on the election. These states typically have more electoral college votes than other states. Currently, the top three key states are Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin. These states have the chance of being the “tipping-point” of the election.

Finally, let’s look at the polls. Again, it looks like Biden will be victorious. Statistically almost all of the polls favor Biden to win by an absolute landslide. These polls were taken by using the poll resource website, “Real Clear Politics. According to BBC, “RV indicates those polled were registered voters, while LV indicates likely votes.

So, statistically, it looks like Democratic candidate Joe Biden is going to win the race to the White House. While things may change, this is the current stance on who is most likely to win the 2020 presidential election.

My Opinion

Personally, I am a republican. While I don’t agree with a lot of the things Donald Trump says and does, the Republican side has a lot of the same values I do.

If Biden does win, which it looks like he will, I think there are a lot of different things that will be bad for the country.

However, I don’t think that either of the candidates would be that great to be president. I don’t like either of them as a person and think they are both not very good people. I think that they may both do a couple good things for our country, but there are a lot of things that both of them stand for that I don’t like.

Have you ever heard of the Reformation? The Reformation was a series of events that happened in the 16th century in the Christian Church. Because of corruption in the Catholic Church, some people saw that the way it worked needed to change.

There was a man behind these changes, and his name was Martin Luther. Luther was a German monk who forever changed Christianity when he nailed his famous ’95 Theses to a church door and used the printing press to print the Bible in 1517, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

The Protestant Reformation was one of the first times there was religious conflict (that we know of) in history, or in the real world. It caused many long-lasting impacts on our world today, and affected many of our now common beliefs. The Reformation however was not the beginning and end of religious conflict, but perhaps the spark and the first of many in history.

In many different countries, it is only acceptable to believe the common religion. For example, the Middle East. In the Middle East people are being punished and even killed for following the religion of Christianity. Christianity even faces being “wiped out” in that area.

In fact, the Middle East is not the only place that Christians are persecuted, but many other places in the world take part in the act. It’s not only the Geographic spread of persecution against Christianity, but the increasing in severity. It’s happening all over the Globe, and is becoming a bigger and bigger problem.

Christianity is also facing persecution in places like China, Palestine, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. In Iraq, there were around 1.5 million Christians before 2003, and that number has dropped to less than 120,000. In Palestine, less than 1.5% of the population is Christian. Lastly, in Sri Lanka, many people were killed by a bomb blast in a local church.

And it’s not just that. Christians are being persecuted in Sudan, Russia, Nigeria, North Korea, Colombia, and India.

A big reason for this is that Authoritarian governments view the religion of Christianity as a threat to their power. Many places like North Korea seek to control all religious thought and expression to oversee any and all aspects of everyday life. Some of these governments identify some religious groups as enemies of the state because some religious groups hold beliefs that challenge the rulers.

These acts of persecution aren’t just a new thing. In fact, in the Protestant Reformation, Christians were also persecuted all due to Martin Luther. However, this was for good reason. The Catholic Christian church was corrupt, and was doing many things that weren’t right. The church made many indulgences, saying you could “buy your way into heaven.” Luther called the church out on this and turned himself and many others away from the teachings of the Catholic Church at the time.

It’s clear that the Protestant Reformation sparked my Martin Luther was not the beginning and end of religious conflict. In fact, it may be one of the deeply rooted reasons that this is going on in our world today.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48146305

Christian persecution

In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, our main character Rainsford is stranded on an island. He is then met by General Zaroff, and is told about the general’s concerning hunting habits. Rainsford is then forced to become the general’s prey and be hunted by him, and if he fails to escape him, he loses and dies.

The author’s purpose of the story is to show readers the theme, and deliver the message in order to understand others, we must walk in their shoes. In the story, Rainsford becomes the animal, or the prey, and is hunted by the general. Rainsford didn’t understand how the animals felt and what they experienced when he hunted them until he experienced it first hand.

The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” raises many questions to those who read it. One main question being whether or not hunting is good or bad, and how it affects the prey.

There are many different opinions and statements on this subject. Some people would say hunting helps keep the population of animals down, and prevents overpopulation. Other people however will argue that the sport of hunting is inhumane, barbaric, and morally wrong.

Overall different people have different opinions depending on who they are. There are very many factors that affect people’s opinions. I’m here to tell you the main pros and cons of the sport that is hunting.

How does it affect the environment?

Hunting can help the environment in different ways that human may not realize. Hunting prevents overpopulation of different species that could become too much for the environments carrying capacity. If the population wasn’t controlled, there wouldn’t be enough food or resources to support the increasing population anyway. Hunting also keeps the multiple species amounts at a balance. Hunting also helps keep the animal populations at a suitable amount for human life and land usage.

Despite that, there are also many ways that hunting hurts the environment. Some species of animals that are hunted don’t need to be, and their populations do not need to be controlled. Some species are hunted so much that they are endangered, and are on the verge of extinction. Hunting can also throw off the balance of the environment if there is too much hunting, as it throws off natural predation and population growth of wildlife. Some hunting is too much, and is hurting the population rate rather than helping it. Hunting can also disrupt migration and hibernation of some species.

Morality of hunting

Some people will tell you that hunting is natural, and just about every species on the planet, including humans, has been both the predator and the prey at some point. Some people even say hunting is a “ritual” that lets a person participate in the cycle of “life and death” in which the environment depends on.

However, many people believe that hunting is harmful, and very morally wrong. A lot of people believe that hunting is unacceptable regardless of some considerations. Some people believe hunting causes intense suffering and pain of the animals and prey. It is said that unlike natural predation in the wild, hunters kill animals for the sole reason of pleasure.

Others say that hunting is simply “not practical” and that a lot of species that are hunted for “population control” do not require population control.

How it relates to “The Most Dangerous Game”

In the story, Rainsford has to survive being in the place of being the prey, and being in the animal’s shoes. This can change the reader’s opinion of hunting, and cause them to think about how the animal feels.

The story raises questions of morality, can can make a reader question their morality. For example, many times in the story Rainsford felt terrified, because if he were to be found by general Zaroff he would have been dead. He was scared for his life and scared of being found and killed.

This causes the reader to think about how the animals feel. Since Rainsford is a human and is being hunted as if he was an animal, the readers realize how it feels, and how the animals feel. The readers realize how being hunted is and experience what the animals go through from the story.

Conclusion

“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is a great story focused on making the reader think about how the animals feel. The short story has a great theme and message and can apply to modern hunting today.

Being an amazing musician is no easy task, and this is coming from someone who is a musician. It comes with a lot of discipline and practicing. There are so many different things that contribute to being a good musician, and I’m here to tell you them.

1. Learn Your Notes

I guess this one is a given. Learning your notes is the key factor to learning to play music. There are many notes on many instruments. Multiple octaves, flat and sharp notes. To help you learn notes, there are typically things called fingering charts. You can find these for different instruments online most of the time. Many different types can be found to help you on your way to being the best musician.

A fingering chart has a list of the notes that are possible to play. It should also have the fingerings for each note. The fingerings are what keys or pads you need to press down on the instrument to play the note. There are normally many different keys on an instrument, so it may be a little overwhelming at first, but you eventually get the hang of it.

The next thing to learning your notes is memorization. It would be pretty hard if you didn’t have your notes and fingerings memorized while you were trying to play a song. That’s why it’s important to memorize. Remember to be patient, it won’t just come automatically. A good way to memorize is to hold out the note for a while when you first learn it, or play it. Also, try moving your hands on the keys of the note. Another thing to do is get used to playing the notes. The hand placements may be uncomfortable or weird at first, but if you get used to it and practice them you can get the hang of it pretty fast.

2. Take It Slow

Being a good musician definitely won’t just happen automatically. You can’t just jump to the big music pieces or to the really high notes. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. You have to be patient, and take it slow at first. I recommend a beginners band book. A beginners band book has many short perfect pieces of music for beginners that will definitely put you on the right track to success.

A good beginners book I recommend is the Essential Elements Beginner Book for Band. This book is perfect for beginners. It even comes with it’s own fingering chart on the first page! It also has so many different short pieces for beginners to help them learn. It starts out slow and easy, but eventually moves to bigger and more advanced things. This book can be found on Amazon, and is typically sold for around 10 dollars. It’s a perfect book for beginners for a good price.

In the beginning of your career of a musician, you have to take it one step at a time. You won’t become a great musician overnight. Remember, everyone starts somewhere.

3. Set Goals for Yourself

A good way to push yourself and to become better is to set goals. For example, say you’ve been practicing but you want to practice more. Maybe set a goal like, I will master this piece of music by 3:00. That’s a good goal for you to push yourself.

Goals are very important in music. I still set them myself when I’m practicing. I normally practice around once a week. When I do, I try to focus on something specific, or something I’m trying to perfect in my playing.

Another good goal to have in mind is to be consistent in your practicing. Maybe a good goal to set is to practice once or multiple times a week for a certain amount of time. It’s also important to remember that goals can help you have a fixed mindset on what you’re learning. Setting goals for yourself is a good habit that really every musician should adapt and learn.

4. Practice, Practice Practice!!

You ever heard the old saying, practice makes perfect? Well, it’s true. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t practice. Practice is important in becoming a good musician. Many famous musicians spend hours practicing a day to perfect themselves.

When practicing, it’s good to spend time on one thing at a time. It’s not really efficient to practice multiple things at a time. It’s good to take your time on one thing and perfect it first before moving on to something else.

It’s also important to remember that when practicing to remove distractions. This could be your TV, cell phone, a beloved pet, anything that will possibly distract you. When practicing, it’s good to have a clear head and be able to focus on your music alone. It’s also good to practice in a quiet area again so you can focus, and won’t be distracted by what is going on around you.

Like I said earlier, practice makes perfect. Perfection won’t come overnight. Just remember to have patience and have fun with it.

5. Practice Different Techniques

After you’ve gotten a hang of the basics, you can move on to bigger and harder pieces. There are thousands of different techniques and types of music people all around play.

If you have a beginner band book, you can use that to find different techniques and music pieces. Near the end of the band book I recommended, there is definitely harder things. I would say just look through your book, and if you want to play something harder, try it out!

Another thing to note about those band books is that they tell you about different techniques of playing. They teach you about your embouchure, the way you hold the mouthpiece of your instrument in your mouth, and different ways to do that. They also teach you different notes and ways to play your instruments. For example, they teach you that some single notes have multiple fingerings, or techniques to play them. This is really good in finding what you’re most comfortable with.

6. Have Fun With It!!!

Whenever you are playing, or whatever instrument it is, make sure to have fun! Playing an instrument you love should always be fun, and be something you want to do and make time for. It should never be a burden or something you don’t have fun doing. Having fun with your instrument can improve your motivation and your playing skills.

There are many ways to have fun with an instrument. Maybe give it a name! It’s always fun to come up with a funny name for your instrument. Another good way to have fun is to maybe find music on the internet for a favorite song of yours. It’s so fun to learn to play a popular song on an instrument and impress your friends and family. Another good way to have fun is to sign up for competitions, or honor bands. This can be such a good way to meet other musicians and amazing people who share your love for playing music.

In my opinion, having fun is the most important thing in playing an instrument. It’s so important to love what you’re playing and doing.

Well, there you have it! 6 ways to become an amazing musician. Being a musician is such a good hobby and a great way to have fun. Being a musician is amazing experience that I recommend all people to try in their lifetime. Now, go have fun!!!

Survey here:

The Scarlet Ibis is a story written by novelist James Hurst, and no doubt has some deep meanings to it. The story follows a young boy and his disabled brother Doodle.

Doodle is born with a serious medical condition, but overcomes his challenges. However, he is pushed too far by his prideful brother, leading to a sad ending in the story.

Anyways, back to the point. What’s the big idea? What’s the lesson? What is the THEME of this story? Well don’t worry, I’m here to tell you. There are many themes that could go with this story, but I have two big ones that really represent the message the author is trying to tell us, the readers.

Throughout the story, Doodle’s brother (not named) is set on making his brother something he is proud of. Continuously through the story he is trying to get Doodle to walk, swim, run, and just be a normal boy. However, it’s not really out of the kindness of his heart. He was really just trying to protect his pride. He kept pushing and pushing Doodle eventually to his limit, leading to his heartbreaking death.

Love Versus Pride

And on that “happy” note, we lead into our first theme. Love versus pride. Doodle’s brothers intentions go between love and shame throughout the story. He did have some love in his heart for his brother, however his shame over his disabled brother and his failed attempts are what results in Doodle’s death in the end. His pride eventually overcame his love, and it lead to a sad ending, something the brother would regret for the rest of his life.

Acceptance Versus Expectation

Another theme that can be taken from the story is also surrounding Doodle’s brothers’ feeling towards him. Acceptance versus expectation. We know from the story that Doodle’s parents except him and love him for who he is, despite his limitations and disabled person. However, his brother tries to force Doodle to keep being more, and keep being better. He’s just never satisfied by his brother. He never truly accepts him. He keeps forcing Doodle to make his expectations, which we know in the end results in his death.

Conclusion

The Scarlet Ibis is a great story, and has really deep important meanings. Both themes I have talked about can apply to my life, and anybody’s life. They both teach an important lesson that everyone should know, and should not be overlooked in the storytelling.

Something to Think About

Oh also, a couple things to keep on your mind; How do these themes apply to my life? How do these messages affect anyone, and their lives? How can we, as readers, also find other themes for this story?