Get Your Child Excited About Music. Read now! Image shows young students playing musical instruments in a music class.

Get Your Child Excited About Music

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Get Your Child Excited About Music

 

Get Your Child Excited About Music. Read now! Image shows young students playing musical instruments in a music class.

 

Allow them to choose their instrument

It’s important for children to develop their own interests and discover their likes and dislikes. Also, your student might be more resistant to the idea of learning an instrument if they feel they are forced to play something that they don’t get a say in. We have expert music educators that can teach almost any instrument, so take a look and discuss options with your child.


Celebrate victories, big and small

Learning an instrument will take time, so make sure you’re encouraging your student throughout the process. Additionally, it won’t always be easy. There might be times when your student gets frustrated or discouraged. Encourage them to keep working hard and acknowledge the progress they have made. Consider tracking progress visually or reward your child after reaching a goal with a fun activity or treat.


Encourage and attend performances

Performances serve as an opportunity for students to set a goal, rehearse, and share their progress in front of peers, family, and teachers. It can also be a wonderful way for them to gain confidence because it can be quite intimidating to perform in front of other people. Your encouragement and presence at their performance will help them see how important it is and how exciting performances can be.


Listen to music with them that you know they like

Keep interest in music up outside of your student’s lessons and performances. Listen to music they like in the car and at home. Ask them questions about why they like this particular music or simply share that you enjoy aspects of it as well.

 

Book Private, 1-on-1 Music Lessons With Hodis Learning & Music!

Schedule private music lessons today by calling (626) 227-1149 or emailing us. Our expert music teachers studied their instrument at the university-level and have been teaching music to students of all ages for many years.

Navigating Group Projects. Image of children working together on a school project. Image contains blue and orange, the latter of which is the main color of Hodis Learning & Music's brand.

Navigating Group Projects: Part 2

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Navigating Group Projects: Part 2

 

Navigating Group Projects. Image of children working together on a school project. Image contains blue and orange, the latter of which is the main color of Hodis Learning & Music's brand.

 

Last week we shared our first four tips for navigating group projects. Today, we have four more final tips and tricks to help you succeed!


Tip 4: Determine What Group Meetings Will Be Used For

Is that the time when members can work on their assigned portion of the project? Or should members have their assignments completed prior to the meeting so things can be put together and you can move on to the next phase of the project?


Tip 5: Take Meeting Notes & Distribute Them To All Members

You can assign the role of note taking to the group leader or to another member. The notes don’t have to be extremely detailed, but make sure they include important information like which members were in attendance, when the next meeting will be, who is assigned to what, deadlines, and any other relevant information. Make sure whoever takes the notes sends them to everyone after the meeting. Notes can also be used to hold group members accountable.


Tip 6: Communication is Key

Regular and respectful communication is incredibly important while working in a group project. Make sure you understand what you are assigned to work on and when those portions are due. If you are uncertain about something ask a group member for help or advice. That is the benefit of these unique circumstances- you are supposed to ask your classmates for help!


Tip 7: Play to Everyone’s Strengths, When Possible

If you are a strong writer, perhaps you take on the responsibility of putting together the final report for the project and make sure all sections are cohesive. If you love putting together PowerPoints, maybe you volunteer to oversee the creation of one for your group presentation. While it might not always be possible to do work that plays to your strengths in a group project, if you find opportunities, certainly take advantage of those.


Get Help From An Expert Tutor

If you need help with an upcoming school project, call us at (626) 227-1149 or visit hodislearning.com to get in touch with an expert educator today!

Navigating Group Projects. Image of students working together on a school assignment.

Navigating Group Projects: Part 1

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Navigating Group Projects: Part 1

 

Navigating Group Projects. Image of students working together on a school assignment.

 

Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no doubt about it: group projects are incredibly practical and helpful in preparing students for future academic success and for real life beyond the classroom. You will definitely have group projects throughout high school and college, and you will most likely be working with a team at some point in your professional career. Learning how to successfully work in a group will benefit any student.


Why Are Group Projects So Challenging?

First, group projects bring together different personalities and working styles. This is why they are so critical, but also why they can be frustrating. Second, group projects often take place over a longer period of time, so it’s often necessary to coordinate schedules if you all must meet outside of the classroom to work together. Third, group projects usually demand a division of labor, which, if done incorrectly, can lead to some group members feeling like they are taking on a majority of the work while others don’t do anything. Finally, the grading criteria for a group project can be different from the criteria of your usual assignments, which might feel stressful or intimidating.


Tip 1: Meet & Go Over Assignment Expectations As Soon As Possible

Get your group together to meet in person as soon as possible after the assignment and groups are announced by your teacher. Go over the assignment, grading criteria, and timeline to ensure everyone understands the requirements. Exchange contact information and decide what your main form of communication will be, whether that is email, a group chat, or a messenger app. 


Tip 2: Consider Assigning a Formal Team Manager or Leader

Sometimes teachers assign a leader and sometimes they do not. If your teacher does not assign a leader, consider doing so in your first group meeting. A leader doesn’t have to be the loudest person or the person who tells everyone else what to do. It can be someone who makes sure each element of the assignment is completed, creates the group chat, and submits the final project.


Tip 3: Determine Your Group Meeting Schedule

If you aren’t given time in class to work or you know you will need additional time outside of class to complete your assignment, make sure you determine when you will all meet again. You can simply set the next meeting date or you can create a schedule and say, “We will meet every Sunday at 3 PM at the local library.” 


Some helpful scheduling hacks:

  • Consider setting a tentative recurring meeting date, to be used as needed. That way, if there is a week where you know you’ll need to meet in-person or an emergency comes up, you avoid last minute scheduling and everyone has that time blocked off in their calendar for meetings.
  • Make sure every member blocks out your agreed-upon meeting time in their calendars. 
  • A day or two before, have your group leader double check with everyone that you all are still meeting at your designated time and place. 
  • If everyone cannot meet in a physical location, or you feel that you don’t need to meet in-person, consider briefly checking in over Face Time or Zoom to make sure every member is on track.

If you need help with an upcoming school project, call us at (626) 227-1149 or visit hodislearning.com to get in touch with an expert educator today!

 

Check out more of our tips here to get the most out of your group project.

Tutoring Explained in 140 Fewer than 140 Characters. Photo contains images of books as well as the text, "Hodis Learning & Music".

Tutoring Explained in Fewer Than 140 Characters

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Tutoring Explained in Fewer Than 140 Characters

 

Tutoring Explained in 140 Fewer than 140 Characters. Photo contains images of books as well as the text, "Hodis Learning & Music".

 

In an age where ideas and concepts are reduced to soundbites and 10 second video clips, we thought we’d challenge ourselves to explain our craft in 140 characters or less. This is what we came up with:


Tutoring is focused, individualized academic instruction that helps students become independent learners.

 

Tutoring is like a cast for a broken arm. When you break your arm, you get a cast to help the bone heal. Once the bone is healed enough, the cast is removed and you are free to use your arm as you did before. Tutoring acts as a cast for students who are struggling in their academics by providing them with a deeper understanding of the material as well as study and organizational skills.

As the student becomes more confident with their academic abilities, a tutor is no longer needed on a regular basis. Just as a person with a recovered broken arm will still need to see the doctor for follow up appointments, sometimes a student who graduated from regular tutoring will need a couple “tune-up” sessions before soaring completely on their own.

At Hodis Learning & Music, our expert tutors are dedicated to helping students become independent learners through private, tailored sessions. Contact us here to book a session with one of our tutors!

Exceptional service at every skill level! Read more now on Hodis Learning & Music's website.

Exceptional Service at Every Level

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Exceptional Service at Every Level

 

Exceptional tutoring service at every skill level! Read more now on Hodis Learning & Music's website.

 

At Hodis Learning & Music, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional service for every skill level. Sure, any company can say they do these things, but we actually do, and we’ll explain how.


Our Expert Tutors and Teachers

We use a rigorous and methodical hiring process to ensure we have the most talented, experienced staff. We make sure that educators are proficient in the areas they are tutoring in and have several years of tutoring experience at the age-level they will be working with. 

The same goes for our art and music educators. All music and art educators have completed formal education in their area of expertise, so you know you’re not only getting an instructor who is passionate about their instrument or medium, but also someone who was trained at the highest level. 


Holistic Values

While we absolutely value improvement and high achievement at Hodis Learning & Music, we also value kindness and use it to guide everything we do. We use positive motivation, empathy, and engaging teaching methods to ensure students feel supported and excited to learn. When students feel safe and supported, improvement and excellence follow.


Every Skill Level

Whether you are a beginner who has never touched a guitar in your life or a drummer with 17 years of experience under your belt, we are able to help you achieve your goals and excel at the next level. This is true for every art medium and academic subject we teach. Academic tutoring can start as young as kindergarten and go up to college. Art and music instruction is for everyone from school-aged children learning an instrument or art medium for the first time, to adults picking up a hobby, to high school students looking to apply to art or music colleges.

Learn more by visiting our website at hodislearning.com or call us at (626) 227-1149 to start working with us today!