Review of Swanson Vitamins Web Site

I’ve been buying supplements and vitamins for many years, long before the internet existed and offered such an overwhelming array of brands and items. In the past six months, I’ve discovered www.swansonvitamins.com. Hands down, I have found them to have the best prices for their products that I’ve needed.

Swanson offers many products that are hard to find in health food stores these days. Along with the items they offer, there is a great deal of information about each product, including consumer testimonials.

Their customer service is superior to most companies. They are informative and very easy to work with.

After being a customer for a short time, special savings coupons will be included in shipments and also sent via email.

A health-related research article is prepared and emailed every two to three weeks, in addition to a health blog on the site.  All these items – the coupons, the articles – are sent in a useful time frame. Swanson does not bombard the customer’s email inbox with several emails every day; rather, they send useful information at a comfortable time spacing so that the information can actually be read and put to use.

Every time the website is accessed, daily specials can be found, along with 2 for 1 specials. One of the especially nice features offered for search is the “search by health concern” link. There is also a search “by brand” link which is very useful as well. It is quite easy to compare the various brands by ingredients and price.

After using their products, there is an opportunity to write a testimonial about the benefit enjoyed from use of the product.

In addition to vitamins and supplements, this site also offers certified organic spices at an astonishingly low price. As an example, I purchased organic dill weed for only $2 per bottle, compared to $6.99 for the same amount at my local grocery store.

The site offers healthy pet foods and supplements also.

When making a purchase of $75 or higher, free shipping is offered (and sometimes even better shipping offers are availabe). Over time, if a family uses several products, it becomes very easy to gather an order of this amount to take advantage of the free shipping.

Swanson offers not only terrific prices for the vitamins, supplements, and spices a consumer looks for but an exceptionally user friendly website, and extraordinary customer service.

We are very satisfied customers!

Bullies in the Workplace - One Example

This is a true story about an individual I worked for (and so have many, many others).  I'll just call him/her Goldie.

1.     Goldie typically goes through four people per year on one position alone.

2.     Has recently been trying to fill another position and has gone through five people in four months time.

3.     It's literally like working for Goldilocks....this one is too fat, this one is too (insert appropriate racial remark), this one's clothes aren't professional enough, all of them are stupid when Goldie compares them to himself/herself and they can't read minds.

4.     Most people who've been gunned down in Goldie's unique hiring/firing system are responsible employees. They arrive early/on time, leave on time/stay later, and don't abuse vacations or sick days. Needless to say, they try very hard because this is one tough taskmaster. Of course they do these things; they are terrified of Goldie, the office terrorist. But of course, nothing is ever enough for Goldie.

5.     Goldie's hiring process consists of finding someone who can read, write, and maintain a body temperature of 98.6. No testing for skills is done ahead of time. Instead a person is hired, tried, and fired in a few short weeks, sometimes only days.

6.     Goldie requires complete perfection and total recall of all correspondence at all times.

7.     This is a professional company which requires experience, licensing, and professional qualifications.

8.     This company has been in business for 20 years and many employees have worked there ten plus years. Of course, none of those long-term employees report directly to Goldie.

9.     Goldie has the owners held captive. Any employee who reports directly to Goldie is fighting alone against him/her, with the owners desperately trying to avoid any conversations with Goldie. They avoid Goldie's calls and emails.

10.   Workers in other departments at least have a buffer between themselves and Goldie. If you accept a job working for Goldie, be prepared to fight your own battles, of which there will only be one and you will lose it.

11.   Vicious and vindictive, flighty and emotional, rude and possibly immoral - this is Goldie.

12.   Most conversations with Goldie have a tone which leaves an employee with a clear sense of a dangling "comma, moron" attached to the end of every sentence.

13.   Exact job posting should add "experience in a dysfunctional family is desirable, eggshell-walking experience preferred."

If you're interested in this job, please take two aspirin and think it over further.

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Should You Own Only Website or Several?

There are some very valid points to having more than one website, depending on what you are doing.  If you plan to promote only one service or topic, maybe focusing on just one site would be the best idea.  That way you can put all the information and services you want to provide in just one "go to" place for your customers and readers, complete with forums.  With many hosting providers, you can continue to extend the number of pages to what you need to accommodate your data as you go along.

However, it is a good idea to purchase the domains for other extensions, just to protect your main website and your intellectual data.  As an example, let’s say your main site is busyfreeway.com.  It might be a good idea to buy the domains: busyfreeway.net, busyfreeway.biz, busyfreeway.ws, busyfreeway.info, busyfreeway.mobi, busyfreeway.org  so that someone doesn't come along and start using the name you've created and promoted to fool some of your customers into buying from them.  Buying all those domains at once probably isn’t necessary until your main site starts to develop a following.

On the other hand, if you plan to do several different things to earn money on the internet, then there's probably no choice except to have different websites.  Say you want to promote horticulture  related subjects and products, you could do one site that allows you to stay on that subject, put a blog on the site, advertise items that you recommend, really develop a following of people and customers interested in that subject.  This would usually be a subject you are passionate about and will attract others who are also passionate about the subject.

But if you also provide other unrelated services, then another website would make sense.  You may develop a group of sites that deal with subjects you are passionate about.   Each site would deal with a separate facet of information and services in which you have expertise, experience, and passion.  In addition, you may want other websites that are devoted to sales of products that you like that are unrelated to your “passion” sites. 

Staying with our example, you are an expert in horticulture but you also like historical fiction novels.  The chances of finding readers interested in both of these subjects narrow considerably.  But you can set up a website that sells historical fiction as an income stream though it’s not a passion for you like horticulture. 

You might also become aware that classic car accessories is a great selling niche.  You may know nothing at all about classic cars but still set up a website that sells accessories for classic cars.  You really wouldn’t want horticulture and historical fiction and classic cars all run together on just one website.   Most readers would find that disconcerting to find all three on the same site.

But you certainly can advertise your historical fiction and classic cars sites on your horticulture site and give yourself some free advertising. 

Most people typically start with one site they are passionate about, develop the necessary skills with that site and then branch out into other optional websites.  One website or several is a never-say-never proposition.

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams

How To Avoid the Pain of a Hard Drive Crash

Wow, talk about a "crash" course in computers (pun intended)!!! 

My hard drive had a big moment a month ago.  Since then I've learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about such things.  I'm the sort of computer user that just wants it all to run when I sit down. I can figure out how to work all kinds of software programs but could not possibly care any less about the jargon or issues about how my computer works.  Just like my car, I don't want or need to know exactly how and why it works, I just want to turn the key in the ignition and the car runs like it’s supposed to.  Yesterday, the guy who FIXED my computer after a month of trying with others, showed me a problem with a motherboard (which he fixed).  See these capacitors?  They're bad.  Ok, if you show me a good one maybe I can tell the difference – but I still will only care that they are fixed. 

I had my car worked on yesterday too and got a close up look at air filters, carburetors, etc.  I'm fairly certain I can tell the difference between a carburetor and a motherboard on a good day but I still don’t care!  Just don’t mix them up in my car and my computer.

Anyway, here are my tips for the things to DO and NOT to do if you have a Hard Drive crash.

1.    Tape record yourself saying these words:  “I don't want to know all the jargon about the computer or see all the parts.  Please just fix it if you can.  If you can't fix it, tell me that so I can just move on.  Please?”  Be prepared to play your tape many times during the process of recovery.

2.    Do not ask a relative or close friend to do the work, no matter how much experience they have.  Consider this as something like teaching your own immediate family member to drive a car.  Somebody is going to wind up mad or with hurt feelings.  The harder you try NOT to hurt feelings, the more you wind up with the hurt feelings yourself and the longer your pain will continue.

3.    Don’t expect anyone to understand your pain.  This is your lifeblood, your baby, your way of life.  It has gone away and you are distraught but those around you will think you have lost your mind. This is particularly true if you are an expressive, musician type person (from Venus) and they are mechanically, factually based people (from Mars). They will try to help but they don't really understand that several years of your life are up in smoke if the hard drive isn't recovered.  Tears of frustration and pain only make them feel worse, don’t get the problem fixed, and really won't do much for you either.

Now what would I do differently now that I know the pain?

1.    Just unplug the computer and take it an outsider who really knows their stuff.  I wound up taking this to the guy in Houston who worked on my pc's when I lived there.  He's just a genius and a nice guy too.  He fixed it in a day and half while working on other people’s computers as well.  Houston is a five hour trip one way for me but it has been so worth it.  This would have been far less stressful on my family and my friends if I had just done this right away.  If you are near Houston, his company is called Electronics Outlet.

2.    I had a brand new external hard drive that was to be used for backup.  It was supposedly set to do back-ups automatically.  It apparently quit working.  When the guy in Houston took it apart to see what was wrong with it, guess what he found?  Yes, it also had a failed hard drive in it!  I was not destined to win this.  But here's the learning moment - make SURE your backup is actually working by testing it about once a month.  If you do intense data entry, you may want to test this more often - maybe once per week. 

3.    About three months ago, I started getting an error message when I started up the computer. I did what was requested in the error message and was able to continue starting the computer just fine.  However, the message continued to come up on every start up.  I asked my family and friends about the message but everyone shrugged and said they didn't know what it meant.  Looking back, I should have recognized this as a warning sign and taken action.  I should have called the guy in Houston and asked him.  Coulda – Woulda – Shoulda.  So if you are getting error messages or odd behaviors from your computer, ask someone knowledgeable FIRST.  Do not continue to ask the shoulder shruggers.

4.    If there is another external hard drive in your house, even though it belongs to someone else - ask them if you can use it to back up your work when you KNOW your backup system isn't working.  Just ask people who are close at hand for what the specific things they CAN do to help you before the problem occurs. 

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams

Developing Good Communication Habits

One of the biggest problems with oral and written communication skills is the lack of good grammar skills. Poor grammar detracts immensely from a listener's ability to concentrate on the speaker's message. Many people think poor grammar reflects on the intelligence of the speaker and will reject the message without evaluating the meaning. The same response applies to poor spelling in written communications.

If poor grammar is a problem area, enroll in a community college English program and learn these skills. Some community colleges offer professional writing courses for the workplace as well.

Another problem area with effective communication skills is the use of repeated phrases throughout conversation; phrases such as "you know".  If that is a problem, start speaking more slowly. If you are not certain your listener understands, rather than say "you know", say "Does that make sense to you?" or "Do you understand what I am saying?" Wait for your listener’s response to those questions. These remarks are good check points that your listener is following along with your message and also gives them a chance to give you feedback or to ask questions. Working with a speech coach can prove very beneficial in overcoming these problems.

Still another problem in good communication is the use of “jargon”. Every profession or activity has its own terminology and acronyms. There is a lot of jargon in the world today – computer terms, texting abbreviations, sports terms, internet terms, acronyms, software terms, and business abbreviations. Be wary of using this jargon with someone who is unfamiliar with this terminology. They will nod and smile as though they understand but they will be completely confused when they leave you. They will go in search of someone who can speak to them in language they can understand. While it may be tempting to show off expertise in a particular field, it's probably going to send the wrong message to the listener.

Another communication problem is the failure to truly listen when someone is speaking to you. If you find yourself overly eager to say what you want to say in response to their comments, then you're probably not fully concentrating on their message. The worst offense in this area of communication is interrupting someone while they are still speaking. Most people find that extremely annoying and if you do it often enough, they will avoid being around you. It sends the signal that you are just not interested in what they think or say and that you believe your input is more important than theirs.  It also exhibits very poor manners.

Speaking too softly or too loudly is another problem in effective communication. This is a problem if people constantly ask you to repeat what you said (too soft) or they back an extra foot or two away from you (too loud). Again, this is an area that a speech coach would be very helpful in overcoming.

Accents, such as some southern accents and some northeastern accents, can really work as a hindrance to good oral communication. Many people have a built in distrust of someone who speaks very fast and with a northeastern accent. Some people have that same issue with a southern drawl. Many people will make an assumption about the intelligence of the speaker based on their accent. Their assumptions block them from truly hearing the message.

No matter how much we feel that being judged by our accent, our grammar, or the rate of speed with which we speak is completely unfair, it’s still a fact and most listeners can't overcome it. It’s an instinctive survival skill to distrust the unfamiliar. Listeners will have a very difficult time overcoming that instinct in order to hear the message.

Since the listeners can’t or won’t overcome it, it is up to the speaker to work on improving in these areas. There are resources available to help with this - usually at a community college or private tutor.  It is not easy to overcome the patterns of speech that have been used all of one’s lifetime. It takes work and practice. However, the benefits of working on these problem areas are very great:  better paying jobs, more friendships, more comfort and ease in a job, and an appreciation of the struggles of others to learn good communication skills.

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams

Bell Choir Info and Tips

Tips for Learning to Play in a Bell Choir

Nearly everyone likes to hear bell choir music.  If listening to a recording, some may not know exactly what they are hearing in this day of electronic music.  It is a very pleasant and reassuring sound to hear a bell choir.

I began playing in bell choirs about 10 years ago.  I attended a new church that had several bell choirs – adult, youth, and children’s choirs.  I really wanted to know what it was like to play in a bell choir.

It’s really best if you already have at least some rudimentary musical training, so that you can read either bass or treble clef and have knowledge of the note values such has whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes.  Generally, some experience playing in a concert band is excellent background.

Typically, in a beginning to intermediate bell choir, you’ll only be assigned to play two to four notes.  Your job is watch for those notes when they occur in the music and play at the right time.  One choir that I played it encouraged the members to place the sheets of music in plastic sleeves.  They would then use a black, red, or blue permanent marking pen to circle the notes they were to play.  For example, if they were going to be responsible for F5 (bottom space on the treble clef) and G5 (second line on the treble clef), they would circle every F in blue marker and every G with a red marker.  If you are a fairly good music reader, you can get along fine without these special marking techniques.

The bigger bells require a fair amount of arm strength and you definitely need strong wrists.  The mid range bells are fairly easy to work with, both from size and the amount of playing time.  To play the very small bells, the player needs to be above average in note reading skill because much of the melody is in that bell range and is written quite high above the treble staff.  Often, the players of these small bells will play “two-in-hand” – holding two bells in each hand in order to cover all their assigned notes with the least amount of exchanging one bell for another.

If you’ve always wanted to try playing in a bell choir, find a local church that has bell choirs and go talk to the director.  See if they have an opening that would fit your previous musical experience.

For those who are not familiar with this type of music, here is a link to a video I found recently.  These players are obviously very accomplished and they are playing from memory.   Playing from memory is not often seen in bell choirs.  These players are also extremely adept at exchanging bells (laying one down and picking up another) so they are each playing six to eight bells.  The group is HeavenSound from Houston TX  HeavenSound Bell Choir - Houston TX

This article first appeared on www. factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams

Tips for Beginning Saxophone Players and Parents

The most daunting thing for most 10 year olds learning to play the alto saxophone is the sheer weight and size of the instrument.  While in its case, it’s heavy and it remains heavy when being held to play.  So it’s a good idea to start an average to larger than average size child on the alto saxophone and not a smaller than average child.  If you have a child that has their heart set on playing the saxophone but is on the small side at age 10, start them on the clarinet.  They can play that for a year until they “grow into” the saxophone.  The fingerings are essentially identical on most ranges of the saxophone so what is learned on the clarinet very easily transfers to the saxophone. 

If the child refuses to listen to the suggestion about playing the clarinet first, which they often do, take them to the band director and ask him or her to let your child hold a saxophone for about 5 to 10 minutes in the playing position.  The director can also let the child walk around the band room with the instrument in its case.  The student usually learns quickly that the instrument is really heavy for them right now.  This doesn’t always work but it’s worth the try in order to give your child a good chance at a successful band experience.

The tendency for 10 years olds who are struggling with holding the instrument is to let it dangle from the neck strap.  This is a VERY bad thing to do.  A large number of used alto saxophones will show signs of repaired damage on the bottom curve and bell area.  That damage usually means the instrument was dropped while dangling from a neck strap.  It can be repaired but repair bills on alto saxophones can be very costly.

It is best for the beginning saxophone player to work with just the mouthpiece and the “gooseneck” (top joint) of the saxophone for a week or two.  The student needs to get very comfortable with the way the mouthpiece should feel in his mouth and how a good sound can be produced.  Once the student is comfortable with that, it is easier for him to guide the instrument into proper playing position when the whole instrument in his hands.

By working with the mouthpiece and gooseneck alone for a week or two and learning the right amount of air needed to produce a sound, the switch to playing and holding the whole instrument will be much smoother.  The child will be well grounded and on their way to a successful experience as a saxophone player.  Using the “gooseneck” along with the mouthpiece will give a much more pleasant sound than using just the mouthpiece alone.  The mouthpiece alone gives a sound very similar to an unpleasant duck call. 

The parts of the saxophone are:  mouthpiece (plus ligature and reed), gooseneck, body of the saxophone, and neck strap.  There is also a mouthpiece cover, which should always be used when the instrument is placed back in the case.  Remember to remove the reed after every use and not leave it in place on the mouthpiece.  The ligature is the metal (or plastic) piece with small screws, which slips over the mouthpiece.  The purpose of the ligature is to hold the reed in place.

The student should begin with at least three number 2 reeds.  In this beginning stage, there is no need to purchase expensive reeds, the basic ones will do just fine.  Until the student learns how to properly handle the reeds, there will be breakage, so be prepared for this.  The instrument cannot be played with broken reeds so have extras on hand.  After the first month or so, the student gains proficiency with handling the reeds and the instrument and reed breakage will greatly diminish. The placement of the reed on the mouthpiece is very important and takes some practice. 

When first learning to assemble the instrument, sitting in a carpeted area is recommended.  Mouthpieces are easily dropped and often break when they hit a hard surface. 

To begin assembling the mouthpiece and gooseneck of the saxophone, use a bit of cork grease on the cork on the gooseneck.  This makes it easier to assembly and take apart and prevents damage to the cork.   Don’t use a lot of cork grease, it will only be messy and cause the instrument to be slippery.  While doing this, the reed should be placed in the mouth so that it will be wet and ready to play when the instrument is put together.

After applying cork grease on the gooseneck, put the gooseneck and mouthpiece together by gently twisting the two pieces together,.  Then slip the ligature over the mouthpiece.  The screws should be toward the back of the mouthpiece.  Holding the mouthpiece with the left hand, use the left thumb to raise the ligature up slightly and then slide the reed against the mouthpiece (shaved side up), pressing the unshaved part of the reed with the right thumb and let the ligature slide down on to the mouthpiece.  NEVER touch the tip of the reed with a finger or thumb because it will bend very easily and crack.  It is then useless for playing.  Instead, adjust the placement of the reed from the sides, touching only the unshaved part, making sure the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the reed are even and the reed is straight up and down.  Now still holding the mouthpiece in the left hand, hold the reed in place with the left thumb and tighten the ligature screws gently with the right hand, not too tight, just enough to hold the reed in place without slipping around.  Now the gooseneck and mouthpiece are ready for the student to begin learning to produce a sound.

Learning the correct embouchere (placement of teeth and lips on the mouthpiece) is the single most important thing the beginning student will do which will produce a successful experience learning to play the instrument. 

The correct embouchere for the alto saxophone is formed in this way.  The student needs to first roll the lower lip slightly over the lower teeth, just enough to cover the tops of the lower teeth.  The mouthpiece, reed side down, then sits directly on the lower lip.  Holding the mouthpiece at approximately a 75% angle downward, the top teeth go firmly but not tightly on the top of the mouthpiece.  Then close the lips snugly around the mouthpiece so that no air will escape when blowing into the mouthpiece.  The whole embouchere needs to be firm but not extremely tight and compressed.  Once the mouthpiece is set, simply blow into the instrument without puffing out the cheeks.  It is not necessary to blow excessively hard into the mouthpiece. 

If no sound comes out, the lower lip and top teeth are probably compressing on the mouthpiece too tightly; relax this and try again. 

If there’s still no sound, the student may not have their top teeth placed firmly on the mouthpiece.  Some children dislike the feeling of their teeth on the mouthpiece at first and will try to skip doing that.  It won’t work that way; a good sound cannot be produced that way.  Once they have it set right, there’s no rattling or buzzing and they become comfortable with playing the instrument.

If there’s a loud screech, the lower lip is not covering the lower teeth enough.  Correct that and try again.  No great force is needed to produce the sound.  The child should seek to produce a medium volume long steady tone.

When assembling the whole saxophone, place the body of the saxophone, bell (curved side) down, over the right knee/thigh area, pointing the top of the saxophone to the left and do a sort of “gentle hug” by placing the right arm over the body of the saxophone to hold it in place.  Using the left hand, guide the gooseneck into place and align. Use the right hand to gently tighten the screw which holds the gooseneck in place – still doing the “body hug” on the saxophone body.   When the gooseneck and mouthpiece are in place, attach the neck strap and place the right hand thumb under the thumb rest and the left hand on the top part of the instrument, left thumb on the thumb button.

Now the student is ready and set to really start learning to play this wonderful instrument.  The saxophone is a very versatile instrument and very necessary to a great band program, both in the concert hall and on the parade grounds.  The saxophone student can have many enjoyable experiences from middle school right through high school participating in band activities of all kinds.  College band experiences are great fun too and a good saxophone player would always be welcome.

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams

Tips for the Beginning Flute Player (and Their Parents)

The flute is a very popular band instrument choice for young girls and a few young boys. There are relatively few things to consider whether this is the best choice of instrument for a student. The flute is vital to the band's performance, both in concerts and on the marching field.  It is an instrument that can be played and enjoyed long into adulthood. 

The first thing to consider is whether the child can produce a tone. Most prospective flute students have no trouble with this. However, some students will have a small protrusion on the bottom their top lip. If it is too large, it can block the center of the mouth hole when the student is trying to play. The result is the air stream the student produces is split to the left and to the right and never goes directly into the flute as it should. Some students have this protrusion but when they pull their top lip back to form the correct flute embouchere, it disappears. If that is the case, then there’s no problem with them playing the flute. If the protrusion does not disappear when forming the flute embouchere, then another instrument should be chosen for the student. Best alternate choices would be clarinet, oboe, saxophone, or percussion. Brass instruments would not be a good alternative choice.  This situation only occurs in 1 out of 300 or so students and of those, it only affects perhaps 1 of 400 seriously enough that they should choose another instrument.

As with other instruments, the student should begin with just the head joint, not the entire flute.  This lets the student concentrate on learning the correct way to produce a tone rather than also thinking about holding the instrument properly also. 

The correct flute embouchere is achieved as follows.  The lower lip is placed on the embouchere plate and covers about ¼ of the mouth hole.  After placing the bottom lip, the student then pulls back the lips by tightening and drawing back the corners of the mouth.  The student then blow across the top of the mouth hole to produce the tone.  An excessive push of air is not necessary and in fact, the tone is easier to produce with a more gentle push of air.  It is not uncommon for beginning students to use more air than necessary and cause themselves to feel light-headed.  If this happens, they should stop until the feeling passes and then try again with less force of air.

It is up to the student’s teacher to determine how long the student should spend working with only the head joint.  Generally, a week to two weeks will be adequate.  During this time, the student will learn the right amount of air to push to obtain the best sound as well as learn time values of notes and some rhythm skills.

The flute is easily assembled.  There are three parts:  the head joint, the body, and the foot joint.  The head joint should be inserted into the top end of the body (where there are no keys) with a gentle back and forth twisting motion.  The embouchere plate (or lip plate) has the mouth hole in it and the mouth hole should be lined up with the top rod on the body of the flute.  The foot joint is the smallest part of the flute and only has a few keys.  This should be attached to the end of the flute body, again with a gentle back and forth twisting motion.  The rod from which the keys extend on the foot joint should be lined up with the center of the bottom key on the flute body.

The flute should be held parallel to the floor and perpendicular to the body, not dipped down.  The student’s head should be straight and looking forward, not turned and bent down.  The best way to describe this is the student should stand (or sit) straight looking straight ahead and bring the flute up to their mouth while maintaining that position.

There is a thumb key for the left hand but not for the right.  The left thumb should be placed on the thumb key.  Then the wrist should be held as closely as possible at a 90 degree angle to the hand and the three fingers and little finger will fit over the keys perfectly.  The index finger goes on the second key from the left, the next key is skipped, the fourth key from the left is played by the middle finger, the fifth key from the left is played by the ring finger, and the little finger operates the side key below the fifth key.

To position the right hand, hold the flute in the left hand.  The right hand little finger should be resting on the first keys on the foot joint.  The fingered keys are obvious for the right hand.  The right hand thumb will rest directly below the index finger key, forming an “O”.

Holding the flute correctly is very important to the finger dexterity required of flute players.  Supplying the beginning student with a music stand is vitally important.  Without a music stand, students tend to practice on a bed or couch with the book laying down beside them, heads down.  Practicing in this position can develop very bad habits of breathing, posture, and fingering that will be hard to break later in the playing career.  Using a music stand right from the beginning for home practice will help prevent developing a bad embouchere, hand position, or posture from ever developing.

Lastly, the flute should never be left lying across a bed or couch and should definitely never be placed on the rack portion of a music stand.  Damage to flutes from someone sitting on them is very common but costly to repair.  Flutes also tumble from music stands frequently when the stand is accidentally bumped. 

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams 

Tips for Beginning Clarinet Students (and Their Parents)

Perhaps the most formidable obstacle for the beginning clarinet student is learning to properly assemble and disassemble the instrument.  This instrument has more pieces than any other band instrument and care must be taken to assemble it correctly. 

The parts of the clarinet are:  mouthpiece (plus ligature and reed), barrel, upper joint, lower joint, bell.  The ligature is the metal or plastic piece with small screws, which slips over the mouthpiece.  The purpose of the ligature is to hold the reed in place.

I recommend the beginning band student have three #1 ½ reeds.  The least expensive reeds would be best for beginners.  For beginners, use only one of these three reeds until it breaks.  Beginners will break reeds, it’s just a fact of life until they get used to handling them.  It will not take long for them to get used to handling the reeds and caring for them.

Before assembling the clarinet, use a bit of cork grease, supplied with the instrument, on each of the tenon joints:  mouthpiece, upper joint (top & bottom), and lower joint.  Don’t use a lot of cork grease, it will only be messy and cause the instrument to be slippery. 

After applying cork grease on the mouthpiece cork, put the barrel and mouthpiece together by gently twisting the two pieces together,.  Then slip the ligature over the mouthpiece.  The screws should be toward the back of the mouthpiece.  Holding the barrel in the left hand, use the left thumb to raise the ligature up slightly and then slide the reed against the mouthpiece (shaved side up), pressing the reed with the right thumb and let the ligature slide down on to the mouthpiece.  NEVER touch the tip of the reed with a finger because it will bend very easily and crack.  It is then useless for playing.  Instead, adjust the placement of the reed from the sides, making sure the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the reed are even and the reed is straight up and down.  Now hold the reed in place with the left thumb and tighten the ligature screws gently with the right hand, not too tight, just enough to hold the reed in place without slipping around.  Put the barrel and mouthpiece aside while assembling the rest of the clarinet.

Connect the lower joint (the piece with the thumbrest on the back) with the bell by holding the lower joint in the right hand and gently twisting the bell onto the lower joint.  Then, still holding the lower joint gently with the right hand, pick up the upper joint with the left hand.  As you move the two joints together, be sure to raise the key which will connect the two joints (the bridge key) by pressing the fingers of the left hand over the ring holes on the upper joint.  Do not press on the ring holes of the lower joint.  Gently push the two sections together with a slight twisting motion; there should be no need for force at all.  When these two sections are lined up, pick up the barrel and mouthpiece and attach it to the upper joint by gently twisting from the barrel section onto the upper joint.

Your child’s band director may choose to have the students use only the barrel, mouthpiece, and reed for the first few lessons.  This is highly recommended because it is easier to get the correct lip and teeth formation this way.  The child will be asked to produce a sound, which is done by rolling the lower lip lightly over the lower teeth and pressing that against the reed.  The top teeth are then placed on top of the mouthpiece, and the lips close around like a rubber band around the mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece should be at about a 45° angle to the floor.  The child then just blows into the mouthpiece, without puffing out the cheeks.  If there’s no sound, the lips are too tight around the mouthpiece so let up slightly. 

If there’s still no sound, the child may not have their top teeth placed firmly on the mouthpiece.  Some children dislike the little feeling of their teeth on the mouthpiece at first and will try to skip doing that.  It won’t work that way; a good sound cannot be produced that way.  Once they have it set right, there’s no rattling or buzzing and they become comfortable with playing the instrument.

If there’s a loud screech, the lower lip is not covering the lower teeth enough.  Correct that and try again.  No great force is needed to produce the sound.  The child should seek to produce a medium volume long steady tone.

When the child is ready to play the completely assembled clarinet, it should be held with no neck strap.  However, sometimes a few children have trouble with this until they grow a little and become more confident with the instrument.  Neck straps are made for the clarinet if it proves absolutely necessary for the first few months.  If a neck strap is used, never allow the instrument to just dangle from the neck strap; keep hands on it at all times. 

Now your child is ready to start reading notes and counting rhythms – ready to start the new adventure!

This article first appeared at www.factoidz.com, authored by Lorena Williams