Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
Photo: Julia M Cameron
According to a budget direction summary produced by county schools staff, the decision to go to an eight-period day was made in part to save money. The change, which took effect at the start of the 2010-11 school year, saved the school system approximately $800,000.
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Bagatelle: A short, light piece, usually for piano.
Read More »Teachers in Albemarle County are lobbying the School Board to change the daily class schedule for middle and high-school students to seven periods. For the last year, students have been on an eight-period daily class rotation, a schedule that, some teachers say, is overly burdensome and gives them less time with students. Teachers from Albemarle High School signed a petition in early November railing against the more crowded school day. The petition garnered signatures from 125 of the school’s 140 teachers. A similar petition in November 2010 gained 98 signatures. Though many teachers support reverting to a seven-period day, there are those who say that there are real educational benefits to eight periods. In a recent interview, LeAnne Brubaker, gifted resource teacher at Monticello High School, said the eight-period day allows students more opportunities to take advanced placement classes. Brubaker said more classes in a day could actually be used to better balance teacher loads. “For the high-end kids it absolutely gives them the opportunity to distinguish themselves and really get into some really high-end colleges,” she said. “This schedule runs parallel to [the University of Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community College], we have shuttle buses that run to UVa and we have legitimate programs with them, and almost all of the kids we send to higher-level colleges have been through that program.” James Huneycutt, a history teacher at Monticello High, said teacher workloads should be separated from conversations about the eight-period day. Teacher workloads increased concurrently with the schedule change, but the two issues are separate, he said. Instead of moving back to seven periods, Huneycutt suggested reducing workloads for teachers while keeping the current schedule. “The compromise in front of us would be to maintain the eight-period day and reduce the workload for teachers; that would be the best for both parties,” he said. School Board member Eric Strucko said he supports the teachers’ assertion that the day is too full, and urged fellow board members to give the schedules careful consideration. “These people are putting their name on paper. What I as a School Board see is them saying, ‘It ain’t working.’ This is going to have a budget impact … but there are things that we can do to mitigate that impact,” Strucko said at a recent board meeting. “Here is something that the faculty of our largest high school wants us to do. How do we respond to that?” According to a budget direction summary produced by county schools staff, the decision to go to an eight-period day was made in part to save money. The change, which took effect at the start of the 2010-11 school year, saved the school system approximately $800,000.
You can play each note in multiple different ways (there's overlap), and you can cover every single one of the 37 notes your guitar can play by...
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Learning to play the piano as an adult can be intimidating. Many people limit themselves because they think they are too old or that it's too late...
Read More »According to the report, some of the savings were “diluted” with a one-time $1 million contribution of federal jobs bill money to fill vacant positions at the high schools. According to the summary, switching back to a seven-period day would be a cost-neutral decision, as switching back would increase high-school class sizes, rather than necessitate hiring new teachers. School Board member Diantha McKeel said she understands that teacher loads are high, but a combination of new state regulations and evidence of increased opportunities for students make the idea more attractive. “Everybody’s working hard, and it’s important that we work hard within our budgetary constraints to keep the class sizes down and teacher workloads down,” she said in a recent interview. “But the new state standards for graduation for this year’s ninth-graders will limit the number of electives students can take without the eight-period day.” Carmen Garcia, an Albemarle parent and founder of Citizens of Albemarle Supporting Education, spoke out in support of changing the schedule back to seven periods. “This action requires fixing something that you broke unnecessarily,” she told the board. Despite backlash from parents and teachers, Assistant Superintendent Billy Haun said he stands behind the eight-period schedule. “My bottom line is the eight periods … is best for students, it’s best for teachers, and I think it’s going to take more time to study and find out what’s best for both groups,” he said at the board meeting.
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What Makes a Song Sad? There are a few different answers to this question, but one of the main ones is minor chords. In general, the major lifts us...
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Generally, a piano should be tuned with each change of location, unless the move is within a single building. In most cases, a move from one room...
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