Archive - February 2018

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

Even though it comes as no surprise that technology makes everything much more convenient, a lot of people still tend to downplay the significance of its role in education. This is a grievous mistake, seeing as how music is capable of making a learning process more enjoyable, more interactive and even more available. Online apps, games and YouTube tutorials are probably the living embodiment of this idea. Apart from this, sending feedback becomes easier as well, which allows developers, creators and online tutors develop their skills as well. Overall, it creates an advanced holistic system of music learning. Here are several examples of how this works.

Teaching young children

One of the greatest problems with teaching music to young children is the fact that they usually don’t do it by their own choice but because their parents made a decision to enlist them. Sure, just learning to play a musical instrument brings many advantages, for instance, it boosts one’s language development, increases their IQ and helps boost their both spatial and temporal skills. Besides it also helps them become more popular in high school.

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

All the jokes aside, forcing anything onto anyone might cause a conflict and diminish one’s intrinsic motivation to master an instrument. In fact, it might make one resent the idea of studying music quite early on. On the other hand, using video games developed to introduce young ones into the world of music or might make this transition much easier.

Online lessons

Another great boost to one’s ability to learn an instrument is the ability to do so online. First of all, it means that you have a much broader spectrum of potential tutors to choose from. Second, it means that you no longer need to travel to your target location, which additionally expands your reach and your choice of tutors.

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

At the end of the day, a lot of people find this much more convenient, seeing as how they don’t even have to leave their room, where they all of their notes and instruments, not to mention that it’s their comfort zone. To make this as simple as possible, online lessons significantly tip the scale in favour of your effort-to-reward ratio.

More free options

The next thing worth keeping in mind is that there is a greater number of free options out there, for people who work on a tight budget. Sure, hiring a professional to tutor you is always more effective, yet, looking up a YouTube tutorial is completely free.

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

Moreover, for people who don’t have a formal education in music and don’t know how to read music notes, software like Guitar Pro provide a great, graphical instruction. In this way, even a person that is completely oblivious to the music theory can try to learn a song of their choosing. To some, this may seem as quite ineffective, yet, learning by experimenting is all but ineffective.

Purchasing an instrument online

With the money you’ve saved so far on those free options, you can now consider getting a higher quality musical instrument. Luckily, even this becomes much easier through digital means. You see, there are so many online retailers of musical instruments out there, that it becomes much easier for you to find something that you like, while staying on the budget at the same time.

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

Apart from just selling these items, some agencies even offer a wide array of instrument-related services. This is especially important for those interested in pianos, seeing as how tuning, repair and restoration might all be things you come to depend on later down the line. Apart from this, some platforms even provide piano rentals, which is a frugal short-term solution to your immediate problem.

Technology and Music Learning: Make The Most Out of It

At the end of the day, it becomes more than clear that, through technology, even the concept as old as music learning gets a completely new dimension of efficiency. Apart from becoming more frugal, more practical and more engaging, learning music in this way creates a completely new sense of accomplishment, seeing as how it requires more resourcefulness on your part. In other words, technology and music are able to create a truly powerful symbiosis.

6 Easy Ways to Save Money Effortlessly

Chances of saving money should be among the top list of any individual looking for opportunities to grow financially. Most people tend to use pay increases and monetary windfalls as a way of justifying in an increase in expenditure. There are some ways on how you can save money effortlessly. The following are some money saving tips that does not require you to struggle much every month.

  1. Food Portion Control

Most people spend a lot of money on food than the necessary. Whether you typically cook or order your food from a restaurant or café, food portion control is a crucial way of saving money effortlessly. You should only cook or order an amount of food you can eat in one sitting unless you are a fan of leftovers. You will save hundreds and thousands of dollars through portion control. According to a research study, about 20 pounds of food is thrown away each month by an average U.S citizen. This translates to about $43 which is a lot of money that can be saved for other things.

  1. Avoid pricey membership programs

You need to do a cost saving analysis before considering some programs such as gym membership. For example, if you pay $ 100 monthly for a gym program and visit the facility ten times a month, it means that you are charged $ 10 per visit. Why should you spend more money on a gym membership program if you can get fit without visiting the gym?

  1. Consider selling some stuff

Several valuable items are lying around your home or house that you are not using or have no intentions of using. You can sell them online using channels such as Craigslist or eBay. Through these mediums, you can sell just anything you want, ranging from used furniture, fine art, jewellery, gift cards and many others. If your items are less valuable, you can use a flea market or yard sale. You can also pawn your car for some quick money. Pawn shops have become among the best ways of accessing emergency loans. You can pawn variety of items, ranging from watercrafts to cars. However, truck and car pawn programs are the most common.

  1. Have Some Negotiation Skills

Ranging from the market to service contracts, Negotiation skills are essential energy saving skills in almost every business transaction. You should always learn to negotiate for goods and services whose prices are not fixed. Similarly, you can save much money by purchasing your foodstuffs, groceries and other goods from local shops and vendors compared to supermarkets. This is because local stalls and shops allow you to negotiate for the prices of their products while supermarkets have fixed prices for the goods they sell.

If you are overpaying for your services such as cell phone, cable, pest control and others, you need to re-negotiate Service Contracts with your service providers. You should reach out to the vendor and inquire from him/her about available cost-efficient options on the services they are offering you. Are they unwilling to give you a cost-effective solution? Kindly threaten them that you are going to change your service provider. Your threat will apparently move them and offer you better solutions. If they fail, make a move of your risk and change to a cost-effective service provider.

  1. Reduce your energy consumption

Reducing your energy consumption enables you to save on energy expenses. The best way to go about this is through doing an energy audit. If you are tired of spending an excessive amount of money monthly on energy, then you need to call your utility provider for an energy audit. You can also consider doing it yourself by putting off energy appliances when not in use. For example, switch off the fridge and lights when you are not using them. Such devices attract higher electric bills.

  1. Stop smoking drinking and going out

You can save thousands if you quit smoking or drinking. Apart from contributing to your health problems, alcohol and cigarettes waste your money. Smoking and drinking are two habits that are hard to kick out. However, you can always refer to ways of stopping cigarette smoking or drinking. A typical tobacco addict spends a lot of money on cigarette products whose prices keep on rising. If you calculate the real cost of smoking, you can effortlessly boost your financial savings.

Setting saving goals is one of the steps towards generating wealth. Committing to ambitious saving goals can be easy if you can learn on ways of saving money effortlessly. The above are just a few of many methods of saving money. Though they may seem difficult to achieve, trying them consistently will make you perfect and enable you to save as much as possible. You need to decide on the duration you will require reaching each of the methods.

Hygge Food To Warm Your Heart and Hearth All Day Long

How do we explain hygge to someone who’s never heard this word before?

First of all, it’s pronounced hoo-gah (I know, totally unexpected). And it’s quite simple: imagine logs crackling in the fireplace, tea brewing, and the smell of freshly-baked cinnamon cookies lingering in the air as you read your favourite novel underneath a fuzzy blanket. That’s hygge for you. This Danish word describes a way of life in which you take pleasure in small, everyday things, getting cosy and happy and just warm inside.  

As the cold has settled and the night falls early, we all seem to be after that cosy quality, that hygge way of life. That’s where lovely, delicious recipes for the best comfort foods come in. So slip into your fuzziest slippers and head to the kitchen, because you’ll be getting your hygge.

  • Creamy cauliflower soup

Hygge Food To Warm Your Heart and Hearth All Day Long

What says healthy comfort food better than a creamy vegan soup? And this one has mustard-roasted chickpeas for some extra crunchiness and flavour.

To make 4 servings, you will need:

For the Soup:

  • 1 small cauliflower head
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
  • 1 parsley root, peeled and diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 3 cups water
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • a pinch of ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the Chickpeas:

  • 1 can cooked chickpeas
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons mustard
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/347°F.
  2. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place the florets into a bowl with salted water and let them sit for five minutes.
  3. Rinse and drain, then steam for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the celery stalks, parsnip, parsley and onion to a soup pot, cover with water and bring to boil over medium heat.
  5. Turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

In the meanwhile, get the chickpeas ready:

  1. Rinse them thoroughly and drain before placing them onto the baking tray.
  2. Season them evenly with coconut oil, mustard and cayenne pepper.
  3. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the chickpeas get a golden hue. Then remove the tray from the oven and set aside.

The final touch:

  1. Pour the liquid, vegetables and steamed cauliflower into a blender. Add tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, caraway and lemon juice, and pulse.
  2. Pour the blended soup into serving bowls and garnish with roasted chickpeas. Eat while it’s warm and toasty!
  • Breakfast cacao hot chocolate

Hygge Food To Warm Your Heart and Hearth All Day Long

Hot chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please! This is a super simple recipe for the cosiest drink of all, and instead of cocoa, it uses cacao, the purest, healthiest form of chocolate. Mmm. This recipe is also vegan and we suggest adding vegan protein to the mix to make this a strong, healthy breakfast that’s simultaneously comforting and indulging.

To make 2 servings, you will need:

  • 2½ cups almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 2 scoops vegan protein powder of your preferred flavour
  • 1 tablespoon organic honey
  • ½ teaspoon coconut oil
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • a tiny pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or by whisking in a bowl.
  2. Pour the mix into a saucepan over medium heat. Add more milk if the drink is too thick and stir a little bit until it is heated and ready to serve.

Voila! Simple yet luxurious.

  • Sliced baked potato (Hasselback)

Hygge Food To Warm Your Heart and Hearth All Day Long

Just hearing “baked potato” sounds pretty cosy and winter time-y already. But then add spice gourmet cheese among the slices and you’re living the hygge life.

Assuming you can stop at only one potato (heads up, it will be difficult), this is a recipe that serves two. You will need:

  • 2 large potatoes, scrubbed and dried
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
  • 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, sliced into 2-inch long squares
  • a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F.
  2. Cut slits in each potato to make about 1/4-inch thick slices. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through, because you want the potatoes to stay in one piece.
  3. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and brush them all over with half the oil.
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Brush with remaining olive oil and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and tender.
  6. Take the potatoes out of the oven and gently open each slit with a paring knife. Put a slice of cheese in between each slit (you can skip some if the slices are really thin – add a piece of cheese for every 2-4 slits).
  7. Stuff the rosemary and chives in as well and season with more salt and pepper.
  8. Return to bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted, then remove and let cool for just a couple of minutes.

That’s three recipes to inspire you and warm your heart and belly. Cosy up and enjoy, for happiness is found in the little things!