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Articles from
November 2010
The Value of Instrumental Lessons for Gifted Kids
I am a very strong advocate of instrumental music lessons for children—especially gifted children.
I recently bought myself an excellent grand piano and was able to get it at a bargain-basement price. I was able to purchase it at such a good value for two reasons:
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The poor economy is limiting people’s discretionary funds.
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Since taking piano lessons is no longer the norm in American households, there is not a big demand for the instruments.
Lucky for me. Sad for those who have no interest in learning to play music. I keep trying to figure out why instrumental lessons have lost their allure. When I was young, it seemed that almost every young person I knew took piano lessons and, once they entered junior high (today’s middle school), they often took an additional band or orchestral instrument. It was all considered part of a rounded education.
I am making a plea to parents of bright kids to enroll their kids in lessons. There is so much to be gained from this instruction. In his article, The Prodigious Power of Piano Playing, Brian Chung lists some great reasons to take piano lessons. These reasons also apply to lessons on other instruments. Taking lessons and practicing will help the youngster learn to
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work hard
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focus
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be responsible
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pay attention to details
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be self-reliant
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be creative
All of these skills can transfer to other areas of the student’s life.
I have a few extra words of advice.
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Don’t expect your kids to enjoy learning music that you do not play in your own home. It may be too foreign to their ears. Play—and hopefully enjoy—a wide variety of types of music at home, including classical, jazz, folk, contemporary, and music from other cultures.
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Take your children to concerts of many types, letting them hear many types of music.
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Present music lessons as an honor, not a duty.
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Be willing to sit with your child during practice, especially in the beginning.
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Research and interview a variety of teachers before choosing one. It is very important that your child and the instructor are able to “connect” on many levels.
In Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind, the editors of Scientific American discuss studies showing that instrument training from an early age enables the brain to better focus, concentrate, and learn subtleties in sound, thereby enabling one to more easily learn a foreign language.
Serious practice on an instrument also helps students to acquire self-discipline. It is enormously satisfying to work very hard at something and then reap its rewards. If a student participates in playing instruments with a group, there is a great deal of teamwork involved. Above and beyond all of this, learning to play an instrument promotes a lifelong joy in music.
Puppetry for Gifted Kids
If you think that the art of puppetry is a simple subject, think again. Like any niche subject, there is a great deal more to learn than initially meets the eye.
Puppetry can be incorporated into any subject, it can be a study on its own, or it may become a lifelong hobby. It may even lead to a profession (think Jim Henson).
Learning to make puppets and stage puppet shows can be done at many levels, from very simple to very sophisticated, and incorporates a variety of skills, including math, language arts, art, advanced problem solving, and creativity. Many gifted kids will find it exciting and compelling.
Here are some puppetry websites that will help you as a teacher, a parent, or a student.
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Definitions—Lists information about more than a dozen kinds of puppets.
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Traditions Around the World—Traditions from 13 different countries.
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Puppet Building—Books, patterns, tutorials, materials, and suppliers.
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Using Puppetry—Puppet stages, plays, and scripts.
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Schools, Workshops, Internships, Scholarships, and Awards—A great section for those who are seriously interested in puppetry.
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Organizations—Links to organizations around the world.
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Festivals—Conferences and festivals in the United States and Canada.
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Exhibits and Museums—From around the world, with many in the United States.
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Resources—Books, mailing lists, newsgroups, and other puppetry Web sites.
YouTube—Search on “Puppet Making Tutorial” for many options to learn how to make puppets.
Puppeteers Unite is a blog for current and future puppeteers that provides information detailing puppet performances, building techniques, and positive business practices.
You may want to start searching on the Internet for puppet camps for this summer. Start with a search such as “puppet camp” combined with the name of your city.
Online Math Program Comparison for Gifted Students
If you haven’t already bookmarked the website for The Davidson Institute for Talent Development, you should do so right now. The website contains a wealth of valuable information pertaining to gifted education. Click on the Datebase link near the top of the page for various ways to search.
In my blog entry today, I want to draw your attention to a particularly useful website for those who are considering enrolling a student in an online math program. Online math programs may be beneficial whether the young person participates during school hours or after school. It may serve as enrichment or acceleration and may offer classes in areas that are not readily available. An online math program may also be a good choice for a student who is homeschooled. The Davidson Institute has put together an Online Math Program Comparison. The information provided is a one-stop shopping experience when considering an online class. This database presents a table of the ten most popular online math programs used by Davidson Young Scholars. Included are Internet links to each program’s website, prices (one is free), topics offered, enrollment periods, whether or not the program is self paced, financial assistance, levels/grades offered, and age/grade requirements.
One of the major benefits of studying math via an online mathematics program is the opportunity to study a subject at the right level of challenge. The student can work at his or her own pace and at the right level. One of the most difficult aspects of online math programs is that the student should be highly self-motivated and an independent learner. Some students thrive in this atmosphere, others feel isolated and find that they prefer being in a classroom setting.
If you are considering an online class for your math student, be sure to look at the comparison table offered by The Davidson Institute.
Prufrock Press Acquires Cottonwood Press
 I would like to share some exciting news with you.
Today, my company, Prufrock Press, announced the acquisition of a wonderful publishing house, Cottonwood Press.
Colorado-based Cottonwood Press is a leading publisher of more than 85 engaging education products for the language arts classroom. Cottonwood Press' titles have been enthusiastically used in K-12 classrooms for 25 years.
This exciting and creative company built its reputation on quality language arts materials with a flair for humor and creativity. Cheryl Thurston, the publisher at Cottonwood, created a company beloved by language arts and English teachers around the country.
I am honored that Prufrock Press will be the new home for Cottonwood's excellent product line.
I invite you to learn more about our acquisition of this fine publisher of respected products. For more information, click here to read our press release about our acquisition of Cottonwood Press.
Social Networking for Advocates of Gifted Kids
This year at the NAGC convention in Atlanta, GA, I'll be moderating an exciting panel discussion titled, "Social Networking for Gifted Education Advocacy, Professional Development, and Communications."
Web-based social networking tools allow parents and teachers to coordinate advocacy efforts, learn about gifted education resources, and share ideas about gifted education and parenting with a global community. Social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and web-based discussion groups offer a rich source of support and information about children who are gifted. This panel discussion will explore how parents and teachers of gifted children can use these tools to coordinate advocacy efforts and improve classroom practice
The panel is comprised of some of the country's most popular gifted education social networking advocates:
Join us at the NAGC Convention for this great panel discussion:
Date: Saturday, November 13, 2010
Time: 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM EST
Room: Atlanta Ballroom E
Immigration Studies for Gifted Students
Gifted students will find the controversial and relevant topic of immigration especially interesting. I have tried to find Web sites on the subject that are politically neutral and offer more facts than opinion. These sites are divided into historical immigration and current immigration.
Historical Immigration
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More than 12 million immigrants arrived at Ellis Island in New York Harbor between 1892 and 1954. Now you can hear first-person accounts of their ocean journeys, daily life in their home countries, and experiences at the federal government’s former processing station. Ancestry.com is a subscription genealogy Web site that contains an incredible amount of information. Some information is free, including more than 1,700 taped interviews with immigrants.
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Digital History gathers together a multitude of research items. You will want to spend time clicking through the various resources on the left side of the page.
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Current Immigration
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The Urban Institute offers much statistical information on current immigration, including where immigrants are settling and information about children of immigrants.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the official Web site to check when wanting to enter the United States legally. Readers will discover the various ways that a person can enter the U.S. and how the application process works.
Possible Questions for Study
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Why do people immigrate to other countries?
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What factors are considered when immigrants choose a destination country?
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In what ways has immigration been a positive influence?
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In what ways has immigration been a negative influence?
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How has the view of immigration changed or stayed the same over the years?
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