Thursday, August 27, 2020

Tropical Rainforest Regions

Tropical Rainforest Regions Tropical rainforests for the most part happen in the Worlds central districts. Tropical woods are limited to the little land region between the scopes 22.5â ° North and 22.5â ° South of the equator - between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer (see map). They are additionally situated on significant separate mainland woodlands which protect them as free, non-coterminous domains. Rhett Butler, on his superb site Mongabay, alludes to these four locales as the Afrotropical, the Australian, the Indomalayan and the Neotropical rainforest domains. The Afrotropical Rainforest Realm The greater part of the tropical rainforests of Africa exist in the Congo (Zaire) River Basin. Leftovers additionally exist all through Western Africa which is in a sorry state because of the situation of destitution which empowers resource horticulture and kindling gathering. This domain is progressively dry and occasional when contrasted with different domains. The distant bits of this rainforest locale are consistently turning out to be desert. FAO proposes this domain lost the most noteworthy level of rainforests during the 1980s, 1990s, and mid 2000s of any biogeographical domain. The Australian Oceanic Pacific Rainforest Realm Almost no of the rainforest is situated on the Australian mainland. The vast majority of this rainforest is situated in Pacific New Guinea with a little segment of the backwoods in the Northeast of Australia. All things considered, the Australian woods has extended in the course of the most recent 18,000 years and remains generally immaculate. The Wallace Lineâ separates this domain from the Indomalayan domain. Biogeographer Alfred Wallace denoted the channel among Bali and Lombok as the gap between two extraordinary zoogeographic locales, the Oriental and Australian. The Indomalayan Rainforest Realm Asias staying tropical rainforest is in Indonesia (on dissipated islands), the Malay landmass and Laos and Cambodia. Populace pressures have significantly diminished the first backwoods to dissipated parts. Southeast Asias rainforests are the absolute most seasoned in the World. Studies have shown that few have existed for more than 100 million years. The Wallace Line isolates this domain from the Australian domain. The Neotropical Rainforest Realm The Amazon River Basin covers some 40% of the South American landmass and smaller people every other backwoods in Central and South America. The Amazon rainforest is generally the size of the forty-eight adjoining United States. It is the biggest persistent rainforest on Earth. The uplifting news is, four-fifths of the Amazon is as yet unblemished and solid. Logging is substantial in specific regions yet there is still discussion over the unfriendly impacts yet governments are associated with new star rainforest enactment. Oil and gas, cows and horticulture are significant reasons for neotropical deforestation.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Relationship between price earning ratio and stock returns

Connection between cost winning proportion and stock returns There have been countless written works during the previous years on value profit and stock return. The current written works propose various hypotheses to how the cost winning proportion may influence the exhibition of an organization and furthermore the elements that may impact it. Value Earning Ratio There are a few measures to decide the valuation of a security. Regularly, the measures are controlled by contrasting the securitys cost with various basics, for example, profit and profits. One of the most regarded stock valuation measures is the Price Earning proportion, which contrast the cost of the security with the companys income. Graham (1933) was the first to present the idea of the cost gaining proportion as a proportion of execution of the securities exchange and the utilization of the P/E proportion depended on the possibility that winning are identified with esteem. Basu (1977) recognized P/E proportion as indicator of ensuing execution and specifically high P/E firms failed to meet expectations and low P/E firms outflanked. The investigation done by Basu (1977) additionally express that P/E proportion, because of misrepresented financial specialist desires, might be markers of future speculation execution and he likewise approved Nicholsons results which express that low organizations having low P/E proportions on normal accordingly yield more significant yields than high P/E organizations. Gonedes and Dopuch (1974) pronounced that value models are adroitly second rate compared to return models under the nearness of immature hypotheses of valuation. Moreover Christie (1987) contends that value models present more econometric issues than bring models back. On the opposite there is a dominant part of studies that pronounce the prevalence of the value model on clarifying the arrival profit connection, for example, Bowen (1981), Olsen (1985), Landsman (1986), Barth et.al (1990, 1992) Barth (1991). In any case, the P/E proportion as it is usually utilized is the aftereffect of system of impacts, like the manner by which a companys share cost is affected not just by peculiar variables specific to that organization, yet in addition by development in costs on business sectors overall, and the area where the organization works. Four primary effects on a companys P/E proportion have been distinguished: The year the normal market P/E shifts step by step, as the general degree of financial specialist certainty changes The segment wherein the organization works. The size of the organization there is a nearby positive connection between a companys advertise capitalisation and the P/E agreed. Peculiar impacts. Organizations inspected around the same time, working in a similar area and of comparative size all things considered have diverse P/Es. Peculiar impacts, that don't influence some other organization represent this. Stock returns The CAPM created by Sharpe (1964), Lintner (1965) and Mossin (1966) has been the most broadly acknowledged among the numerous models created to clarify the connection between anticipated returns and hazard. As indicated by the CAPM, the market can just repays the financial specialists for bearing precise hazard or regular hazard, which is estimated by the advantages beta. The beta estimates the commitment of the hazardous advantage for the peril of the whole productive portfolio. The connection between the normal return and hazard can be communicated in CAPM model: E(Ri) = Rf + ÃŽÂ ²i(E(Rm)- Rf) Where E(Ri) = the normal profit for the ith hazardous resource Rf = the normal profit for a hazard free resource E(Rm) = the normal profit for the market portfolio Þâ ²i = beta coefficient of the ith hazardous resource The foundation of the CAPM depend on the accompanying suspicions: Speculators are hazard disinclined. In this way financial specialists lean toward the most elevated anticipated return for a given standard deviation and the least standard deviation for a given anticipated return. The profits from venture are ordinarily disseminated. In this way two parameters, the normal return and the standard deviation, are adequate to portray the circulation of profits. All financial specialists have a typical single-period time skyline for their venture dynamic. All financial specialists can acquire and loan boundless measure of cash at a given hazard free rate. All speculators have similar evaluations of the normal profit for every advantage, the difference of return for every benefit, and furthermore the covariance between returns for each pair of advantages. All benefits are exchanged the ideal markets; that is, all advantages are attractive, there are no exchange costs or charges, and all financial specialists are value takers. The CAPM is tested by the confirmations on abnormalities in stock returns. The CAPM says that every single diversifiable hazard won't be redressed and the main significant hazard is the market chance. Along these lines, other than the market factor, no different components ought to deliberately influence the stock returns. The firm explicit components are catch by the blunder term, which is arbitrary. Be that as it may, the discoveries of the peculiarities, for example, size, book-to-advertise value and acquiring to-value proportion recommend that financial specialists can win irregular profits based for these exchanging rules. This may infer that the CAPM is mis-determined. Numerous observational examinations have been led and it has been discovered that stock returns are influenced by certain elements, for example, Book-to-Market Equity impact Rosenberg, Reid and Lanstein (1985) and Stattman (1980) found that there is a positive connection between stock returns and book-to-showcase value. By the methods for the time-arrangement relapse, the t-insights got obviously show a positive outcome for their theory. In investigation of Lakonishok, Scheifer and Vishny (1994), all the stock in the US showcase was partitioned into ten deciles portfolios from 1968 to1989 dependent on the book-to-advertise value (BM) proportion. The outcomes show that the normal yearly returns for deciles with the most elevated BM was 10.5 percent higher than the least BM deciles. Size impact The size impact is among the most conspicuous wonders recognized. Banz (1981) archives that there is size impact in the US securities exchange, utilizing a trial from 1963 to 1975. The aftereffect of this examination shows that little firms (estimated by showcase esteem) on the normal procure higher hazard balanced returns than large firms. Occasional impact Another proof of the presence of the irregularities is the regular impact. In certain time of the year, stock returns are seen as higher when contrasted with the lay on the schedule year. The most well-known case of the regular impact is the January impact where stocks over and over acquire more significant yields in the long stretch of January than the remainder of the months in the year. The occasional impact is likewise found in nations including Japan, Australia and Canada archived by Officer (1975), Berges (1984) and Jaffe Westerfield (1985) separately. Numerous investigates outline the connection between the cost winning proportion and the stock return of an organization. Lakonishok, Scheifer and Vishny (1994) executed P/E proportion as a normal future profit development marker, in an exorbitant cross-sectional investigation. They demonstrated that financial specialists will in general kindness stocks with outstanding past and current execution marvelousness stocks as they accept that past progress will proceed later on, that is, they trait the additional profits from esteem offers to mental variables influencing market members. As indicated by Burgstahler and Dichev (1997), when the profit to book esteem proportion is high, income are an increasingly significant determinant of value worth and the other way around. In addition, Kormedi and Lipe (1987) and Collins and Kothari (1989) among other, distinguished that the income perseverance is one of the significant determinant of the size of the profit bring connection back. Exact REVIEW A few papers inspected the capacity of cost and return models (alongside some elective structures) to oblige the arrival income relationship. A significant proportion for the more generally safe, cautious financial specialist was presented by Graham and Dodd in 1933. They presented the Earnings/Price proportion which is essentially the Price/Earnings Ratio yet flipped around as a benchmark for value valuation. After the 1929 securities exchange crash, they suggest the financial specialists that fairly by attempting to think about what the future bring, they should focus on different factors, for example, the companys past income or the estimation of its advantages. As indicated by Graham and Dodd, an organization with solid benefits and a generally low stock cost was likely underestimated. Likewise the way that each offer is esteem various occasions its present profit turned out to be usually agreeable as a particular P/E level empowers money related financial specialists to make the ir purchase/sell choice. The creators indicated that P/E proportion, which is determined by current essentials, never give a careful examination to stocks. As an end, P/E proportion was first viewed as an unpleasant benchmark for particular stock venture and a device for applying explicit budgetary systems so that in the long haul, above-showcase returns can be produced. One of the main works indicating the impact of the Price Earnings proportion was finished by Nicholson (1960). The primary investigation depended on an example of 100 stocks which were for the most part from modern issues of trust speculation quality and the stock was taken from the period 1939-1959. The stocks were organized into gatherings of five as per their P/E proportion in rising request and were rebalanced at regular intervals. The creator discovered that the twenty most reduced numerous stocks had bigger value gains when contrasted with the twenty most noteworthy different stocks. Those with the most minimal P/E would convey 14.7 occasions its unique venture after the 20-year time frame, while the portfolio with the most elevated P/E stocks just earned 4.7 occasions its underlying speculation. After eight years, Nicholson (1968) led another examination where he took a gander at the income of 189 organizations somewhere in the range of 1937 and 1962. By separating organizatio ns into gatherings of five, he discovered that the normal return for organizations with a P/E proportion beneath ten was 12.7% per annum as contrast with organizations with a P/E

Friday, August 21, 2020

The Subjects Of Truth And Deception Philosophy Essay

The Subjects Of Truth And Deception Philosophy Essay The subjects of truth and double dealing are things that worries everybody on the planet, likewise it something everybody needs to discover. The quest for the fact of the matter is essentially what life spins around, regardless of whether it is discovering reality with regards to yourself (for example your character), in science or maybe of others; in all actuality something everybody needs to know. My experience is that the fact of the matter is elusive, for instance when in a contention with individuals reality consistently lays midways. There are no outright qualifications between what is valid and what is bogus. To respond to this inquiry it is imperative to comprehend what truth and trickery implies, likewise this inquiry is hard to answer on the grounds that reality with regards to this is elusive too. There are a variety of feelings on this issue to recognize truth from trickiness. The unpredictability of this straightforward case can be effortlessly thought little of because of its basic nature, anyway to totally comprehend the genuine intricacy of the announcement would require careful investigation of its significance and a comprehension of the procedure that we experience so as to acquire information. Meanings of truth must be deciphered up until this point, anyway a comprehension of how information in gained through the methods for knowing in every one of the zones of knowing can give further knowledge into the assurance of the case. This paper will spin around the explanation that it is difficult to totally recognize truth from trickiness; it appears that there is a slim line between what is valid and what is bogus. à ¢Ã£ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢ ¬Ã£â€¦ â€Å"To state something which is that it isn't, or to state something which isn't that it is, is bogus. Nonetheless, to state something which isn't that isn't, is true㠢㠢‚⠬⠝â [1]â . Nonetheless, valid and bogus, by and large, doesn't appear to be a straightforward highly contrasting issue, in other words, there could once in a while be no reasons for which we can choose what is valid and what is bogus. As truth is an essential piece of information, we need to recognizing what is valid and what is bogus continually through our learning procedure and our quest for information, and whether we know about it or not, the differentiations between what is valid and what is bogus, partly, shape and structure the manner in which we think and ought to subsequently be considered vital. This thought of there being an essential fact of the matter or otherwise called generally accepted fact has been bantered for a considerable length of time. For instan ce Pluto accept accepted that essential truth existed, however that reality on earth was just a sorry excuse for incredible types of unadulterated truth existing known to man. However many trust in relative truth, which implies that something is genuine relying upon the conditions. Numerous elements, for example, reason, observation, feeling, the region from which this reality is coming decide whether something is valid or not. In the event that one views discernment for instance, there are numerous speculations of moving toward observation which change unequivocally what we see and hence take as obvious. Through religion it turns out to be certain that what one sees as the fact of the matter, isn't acknowledged by others. Christians, for instance, consider God to be his creation as reality, yet nonbeliever would contend that there is no genuine verification for this and thusly they don't see it as obvious. This plainly appears too that fact is additionally something dependent on sentiments and convictions joined with verification. Everybody on the planet has an alternate impression of the world, and in this manner has various convictions and hence has an alternate origination of what reality and misrepresentation passes on. In any case, it is additionally appeared through science, Newton acquainted the law of gravity with the world which is accepted as reality by numerous however is it really the essential fact of the matter? This is something which can be addressed as a result obviously we realize that when we drop a pencil it will contact the ground in the end, yet does that confir mation gravity right away? Does that truly show the unadulterated truth of Newton㠢㠢‚⠬㠢„â ¢s gravitational law? This isn't demonstrated plainly. The case that there is no total qualification between what is valid and what is bogus is right in the event that it goes similar to essential fact of the matter, there is nothing of the sort as unadulterated fact of the matter. It ought to be remembered that reality is relative and that due to people㠢㠢‚⠬㠢„â ¢s understanding of the world; the fact of the matter is seen diversely per individual. What may be reality to one individual, could likewise be bogus to another. There is a flimsy line among truth and lie which contrasts per individual which is exceptionally mind boggling and foundations for a great deal of predicaments and inconveniences on the planet.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Fish Are Dying Downstream - 1483 Words

Fish are dying downstream. In fall of 2015, the fourth year of California’s drought, eulogies are being written for the nearly extinct Delta smelt, and its lesser-known cousin the longfin smelt may be next in line for that honor. Water in the rivers is so low and so warm that it can barely bring salmon upstream or sustain their nests and young long enough for the young to ever make it to the ocean. Water agencies are building a giant raft – an un-Noah’s Ark – to pump water up to intakes that provide water to surrounding homes. Those intakes are normally deep under water. Columbia University scientists have just estimated that eight to 27 percent of the intensity of the drought is due to climate change. Folsom Lake is a shadow of its former†¦show more content†¦Would not you? I roll from the paved parking lot at Granite Bay off a high-and-dry boat ramp and out into the lake landscape – or make that sandscape. The tan shifting surface is vegetation-free and trailless, and I happily pick a route based on what interests me rather than on the quickest way to get to my destination, whatever that may be. I have half a day to burn and I figure I can get from Granite Bay to or past Beeks Bight, a tight cove with a few points and peninsulas between here and there. Having recently ridden at both Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, I am pleased to note that the slopes are imminently rideable. This reservoir, lower in elevation and closer to the valley floor, has gentle slopes along this southwestern side, so the surface is gentle to flat, with occasional rocky points and muddy ravines that were once coves, and before that, streams. I know that further upstream the arms of the reservoir will narrow and the slopes will steepen to canyon walls, but there is plenty of riding between here and there. The lake bottom is crisscrossed with the prints of wide truck tires. I note that if sand will support a truck, it will generally support the fat bike. But heading straight upslope in sand is a new challenge. Even with low pressure – I am running just under ten pounds per square inch in my tires – the front of the bike bogs down and slides with even the slightest twisting of the handlebars, and the

Friday, May 15, 2020

An Explanation of Wechsler Intelligence Tests

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is an intelligence test which determines an individual childs  IQ, or intelligence quotient. It was developed by Dr. David Wechsler (1896-1981), who was the chief psychologist of New York Citys Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital. The test that is typically administered today is the 2014 revision of the test that was originally devised in 1949. It is known as WISC-V. Over the years, the WISC test has been updated several times, each time changing the name to represent the proper edition of the test. At times, some institutions will still utilize older versions of the test. In the latest WISC-V, there are new and separate Visual Spatial and Fluid Reasoning index scores, as well as  new measures of the following skills: Visual spatial abilityQuantitative fluid reasoningVisual working memoryRapid automatized naming/naming facilityVisual-verbal associative memory Dr. Wechsler developed two other commonly used intelligence tests: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). WPPSI is designed to assess children aged 3 to 7 years and 3 months. The WISC essentially outlines  students intellectual strengths and weaknesses and provides insight into their overall cognitive abilities and potential. The test also compares children to peers of a similar age. In the most general terms, the goal is to determine the potential for a child to grasp new information. While this assessment can be a great predictor of potential, the IQ level is, by no means, a guarantee of success or failure.   Where the Wechsler Test Is Used Private schools serving children in 4th through 9th grades often use WISC-V as part of their admissions testing procedures, which may be in place of, or in addition to, other admission testing like the SSAT. Those private schools that use it do so to determine both a childs intelligence and his or her performance in school relative to that intelligence level. What the Test Determines WISC determines a childs intellectual capabilities. It is frequently used to diagnose learning difference, such as  ADD or ADHD. The test also helps to assess strengths in order to determine  gifted children. The WISC test indices are verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. The subtests allow precise modeling of a childs intellectual abilities and readiness for learning. Interpreting the Test Data Pearson Education, a company that sells the Wechsler testing products, also scores the tests. The clinical data that the tests provide helps the admissions staff develop a complete understanding of your childs intellectual strengths and weaknesses. However, the wide range of assessment scores can be daunting for many and difficult to understand. Not only do school officials, like teachers and admission representatives, need to understand these reports and what the scores mean, but also the parents.   According to the Pearson Education Website, there are options for the type of score reporting available for the WISC-V, which will provide a narrative explanation of the scores including (the following bullet points are quoted from the website): Narrative summary of the child’s background, history, and test behaviorsInterpretation of the Full Scale IQ and all primary, ancillary, and complementary index scoresIntegration of the reason for referral in test score interpretationRecommendations based on WISC–V performanceOptional Parent Summary Report Preparing for the Test Your child cannot prepare for WISC-V or other IQ tests by studying or reading. These tests are not designed to test what you know or how much you know, but rather, they are designed to determine the test-takers capacity to learn. Typically tests like the WISC consist of tasks that assess various measures of intelligence, including spatial recognition, analytical thinking, mathematical ability, and even short-term memory. As such, just make sure that your child gets plenty of rest and relaxation before the test. The school is accustomed to administering these tests and will instruct your child what to do at the appropriate time.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Reconstruction Of Automobile Destruction Undertaken By...

Overview The study, Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction undertaken by Loftus Palmer in 1974 consisted of two experiments, these experiments were completed in order to test their hypothesis that ‘the way in which a question about an eyewitness testimony was asked can change the recollection of events perceived by the witness’. The study served to aid the argument that memory can be altered and distorted when they subject is presented with new information that is given prior to the event. In order to test their hypothesis, Loftus Palmer conducted two laboratory experiments; both experiments took the design of an independent measures. The first experiment consisted of a group of 45 students who were shown footage of car accidents, following each film questionnaires were answered. The critical question from this questionnaire was in regards to the speed at which the car was travelling. In this question the verb used to describe the actions changed, meaning this was the indepen dent variable. The results of this question varied depending on the verb used. With the highest mean speed being for the word ‘smashed’ and the lowest for the verb ‘contacted’. The dependent variable in this experiment was the estimated mean speed. The second experiment differed in that it had a sample size of 150 students, they were divided into groups of 50. Again the groups were shown footage of car accidents however in this experiment one group of 50 were asked how fast the cars were

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context free essay sample

To instill an even greater understanding and love of the domain thus enabling our students develop a genuine interest and continue a life long journey hats undertaken in varying degrees and through diverse roles. Phoenix (1986) stress on the fact that knowledge of methods makes it possible for a person to continue learning and undertake inquiries on his own (p. 11). Estelle Jorgensen in her book Transforming Music Education eloquently describes the need for music education to be transformed for the very reason that children be able to continue developing their knowledge beyond the classroom.Effective music education is built of a foundation that encompasses discussions, goals, materials and strategies, based on a teachers knowledge and experience of music and child development, educational guidelines and overarching, and developing philosophy of music education (Fiske, 2012). Before elucidate my philosophy about music, recognize the need to clarify my stand as a music educator who is passionate and determined to elevate the status of music education within classrooms around India. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Music Education in the Indian Context or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My Musical Experiences Music has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of music, especially the performance aspect, goes back to when I was three years old and sang a solo for a Christmas Concert that was organized by the radio station that my father worked at. I have memories of him kneeling on one knee and playing the guitar for me while I sang after which I was delighted to receive a big present from Santa. Ever since, have enjoyed performing, and have so felt so comfortable on Stage. All along I grew up listening to Christian gospel music and many contemporary arrangements of hymns. Supplementary to that my father offered me a rich experience of Indian Hindustan devotional music. Learned songs by ear and didnt realize what I was missing at this point, imagining what I learned in music to be the only way to absorb and internalize it. Performing was something that enjoyed doing and it came naturally to me, partly because of my early initiation into leading worship at church.My true test of endurance came about when I was introduced to Western Classical Music at the age of 14, through the study of two years of piano. My teacher, like many others around, displayed an extremely formalistic approach and didnt do much to expand my understanding of music beyond what was on the page and how was supposed to read it. In response to this method didnt enjoy learning from the pages of notated music books, as much as I did learning by ear, and intended to develop as a musician who played by ear and improvised at will. Studying opera during undergrad was a trying phase for me because of my inability to connect the dots as easily as I should have been able to. My aural skills remained excellent and I sometimes relied on that to carry me through certain phases. Hard work and determination became my motto, and Spent hours to understand and perfect music that Was assigned to me, as I wanted to do my very best. Although I had composed songs earlier, without notating them, the study of music theory opened up a whole new world for me. Old now add variety and richness to my music through the concepts was learning. Music became a new language for me; I was captivated by the way it lent itself to diverse experiences through different musical roles (something that I wasnt aware of or didnt pay attention to earlier). As a Music Teacher Although initially joined a conservatory to study vocal performance, found myself deeply drawn towards music education, and during my second semester decided to learn more about devising meaningful and persuasive strategies to improve the standard of music education in India. This thought merged from an understanding that I had felt almost cheated for having lost out on so many years of studying music formally, yet effectively. I didnt have a choice because structured music instruction simply wasnt available at all the schools that studied in, or the quality of instruction didnt serve the purpose of educating or informing students like me. What gave the impression of a music class/lesson at school was in reality an .NET acoustic way of keeping students occupied for forty minutes in simple singing, with a concert for parents every once a year.We learned songs by rote to perform them, year after year. During those years though, I didnt realize the limitations that this system came with and continued to enjoy the fact that I was in choir and able to sing. This vacuum remains largely visible and unattended to in schools today, although some music educators in the recent past have taken huge steps towards improving the quality and effectiveness of their instru ction in classrooms around India. Their efforts however remain predominantly an enthusiastic endeavor. What is urgently required is certainly something much more than sincere teaching.It calls for a transformation of the present system, giving room for every child to receive period music education that fits into the whole. The need of every student being met in a transformed educational framework that constantly reshapes itself to accommodate new ideas and strategies. After all, as Reckless (2003) rightly points out that music (music education) is for everyone and notes for an elite few. The turning point in my decision to finally teach music myself came about when I enrolled my four-year-old daughter, Tiara, for after-school piano lessons.I hoped to give her a head start, with the understanding that she neednt have to face the same challenges in learning music, like I had to. However, after a few classes, realized to my complete dissatisfaction that there was no structure, no thought and imagination, and no clarity in what was being thought to her. Her fingering on the piano was all over the place for the two songs that her teacher worked on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. And Baa Baa Black Sheep Her teacher (l later learned wasnt introduced to classical notation), taught her these songs by writing letters in a book and instructing her to commit it to heart.Lesson after lesson they would follow the same outline with no emphasis on any other musical aspects whatsoever. Cited wasnt going to take this lying down! I had to do all within my capacity to change the face of music education, as the vast majority of people understand it. I began studying about music education as well, to inform and equip myself for the task at hand. Around this period, my voice teacher encouraged me to coach students in voice, and I began shying away from it believing was under qua lified and needed many years of study to begin teaching. However, with a newfound passion and vigor, accepted to coaching some of his voice students and also began to teach small groups of students on the history of music (because I Ovid learning about it). Meanwhile, I started training both my young daughters at home constantly developing new ideas and strategies to introduce musical concepts to them. A friend noticed my teaching style and asked if I would teach her daughter too, and thus began my professional journey as a music educator. Four years since then, I find myself accountable for the music instruction offer to over 250 children across various age groups, who are part of my school.The need is so great within schools, and only a few educators are willing to take the extra effort of educating homeless and being channels of superior music instruction-catalysts of sorts. I am blessed to have a team of ten teachers who share in my vision and work alongside me in imparting music to the children who are part of our music school, Harmon y. My long-term vision is to enhance the music programs in India for the betterment of as many children as possible. Individuals dont realize what theyre missing until theyve been given a taste of it, a glimpse of the bigger picture (much like my case).Through our school performances I aim on providing a window for the change to take place. A transformation that not only affects my students, but others around them as well through their personal interactions with each other and the community as a whole. My Personal Philosophy A field or discipline without philosophical guidance, without critically examined ideals and commitment to their revision in light of the diverse and changing needs of those it seeks to serve, is more akin to an occupation than a profession (Bowman ; Freer, 2012, p. 3). For my vision to bear fruit and show evidence of becoming something concrete, I realize the need to develop my philosophy of music to an extent that equips me with the exquisite tools to be able to initiate the change that I seek after. In the words of Jorgensen (2008), I want to excavate beneath the superficia l and demonstrable skills to think about the ideas and principles Of music teaching, the things that drive and shape. According to Kiev (2002), A practice or discipline or body of knowledge, then, seems to become eligible (If that is the right word) for philosophy, properly so-called, when it becomes for us a way of life: when it cuts so deeply into our natures as human beings that we are impelled to explore and reveal its innermost workings (p. 7). It is necessary for me to clarify the major dimensions of musical experience so I can effectively offer them to, and nurture them within, my students (Rime, 2003, p. 9), this despite the passion and conviction with which I teach and advocate the need for arts in schools. I have begun to develop a synergistic mindset in my philosophy of music education after my reading and researching the literature, coupled with practical experiences over the last few years. Rime (2003) points out A synergistic mind-set is one open to cooperation as an alternative to contention, to searching for points of agreement or confluence as an alternative to fixating on discord, to recognizing nuances in which seemingly opposed views are capable of some level of contention (p. 30). I agree with Reamers democratic view that musical meaning is meaning that individuals choose to give to and take from music, based on their life experiences and their musical orientations. He further adds that there is to be no one right way, and calls for an adaptation of a synergistic blend in music teaching. Music must involve decision making through discernment and connections within a particular role (Rime, 2003, p. 213). Eisner (1987) illuminates the deed for a curriculum that exploits the various forms Of representation and that utilizes all of the senses to help students learn what a period of history feels like(p. 7). Similarly, offering students a basis for understanding music in all contexts involves a thorough exploration of musical meaning within its definitive parameters, along with contemplation or reflection. Introducing students to the music and other art forms of various cultures is a wonderful way to broaden their understanding of the meaning of music. A student does not need to lose his own musical identity in order to study other music. On the contrary, in learning about other music, a students life is enriched.Rime states, In the spirit of adding to the self rather than us obstructing other selves for ones self, the study of the music of foreign cultures enriches the souls of all who are engaged in if (p. 191). Music and Meaning As advocates of music, music educators are often expected to express the meaning of music through words, yet words are incapable of truly describing the beauty and emotion felt through experience. The concern is not to arrive at a definition and to close the book, but to arrive at an experience (Acrid, 1975, p. ). Acrid states that there still lingers belief that a dictionary definition is a satisfactory description of an idea or of an experience (p. 1). Words may attempt to describe music, yet true meaning must be derived from the actual music experience Rime (2003) discusses the difference between meanings drawn from words or language and the meanings found through music. He writes, Language is created and shared through the processes of conceptualization and communication.Music is created and shared through the process of artistic/aesthetic perceptual structuring, yielding meanings language cannot represent (p. 133). The real power of music lies in the fact that it can be true to the life of feeling in a way that language cannot (I-anger, 1942, p. 197). Phoenix (1986) highlights the need to kick for aesthetic meaning in music concluding that there has to be a delicate balance between descriptive proposition that serves the purpose of laying out a historical background and allowing for freedom to gain perceptual features.Though music may evoke emotions in my students as they compose or serve as an outlet for their feelings when they perform, the ultimate significance of music lies in its ability to symbolize/portray deeply felt emotions. In the pages of his article, How Does a Poem Mean, John Acrid (1975) shares with the reader his view that language is not capable of completely conveying the meaning that is discovered through experience. Living through the poetry is more powerful than attempting to interpret it. Believe that language does, however, seer. e a purpose of enhancing and is required when teaching for musical meaning.Words such as diction, metaphor, rhythm, and counter rhythm describe elements that lead to the understanding of form. Once a student can identify changes in the form through performance, he will have identified the poem in action (p. 5). He will no longer ask what the poem means but will see how it means (p. 95). Acrid suggests questions such as, Why does it build itself into a form out of images, ideas, rhythms? How do these elements become the meaning? and How are they inseparable from the meaning? (p. 100). These questions are helpful in leading a student to the ultimate meaningful experience.Likewise, music students may use their knowledge of musical elements, such as rhythm and dynamics, to see how a piece of music means. Rime (2003) says language has the essential function of disclosing and explaining the music. Music elements are inseparable from the performance of the music as they help to explain the musical experience. On their own, however, words and definitions remain dull and lifeless. I believe students should be immersed in the experience, while in a chorus, performing their instruments and listening to those around them. Meaning can be discovered through active participation in music and through the emotion and beauty the music portrays, for Music means whatever a person experiences when involved with music (Rime, 2003, p. 133). Cirris (1975) statement: It is the experience, not the final examination, that aunts (p. 3) is particularly striking. The Indian society places high emphasis on examinations in music as with other subjects, very often overlooking the need for students to value their experience through the process of learning. Sometimes feel pressured by the community to meet high concert performance expectations and good examination results.Although I recognize that performance and the International music exams is a wonderful opportunity in which students can share their music with the community, or understand their level of competency, the true reflection of meaning in the USIA should be experienced in day-to-day music making within my classroom. Do my best not to focus on the examination repertoire alone but to include other music as well giving them a chance to draw out meanings and experience the music. Acrid (1975) describes a poem as a dynamic and living thing (p. 10). He continues stating, One experiences it as one experiences life.One is never done with it: every time he looks he sees something new, and it changes even as he watches (p. 10). Similarly, music is capable of revealing something new each time it is experienced. The meanings my students derive from an initial listening of a piece of music may be vastly different than the meanings understood months or years later. The meaning of music constantly changes with personal life experiences and new perspectives. Rime claims, Music education exists to nurture peoples potential to gain deeper, broader, more significant musical meanings (p. 133).I believe my students should derive their own meanings from the musical experience and without my influence. By explaining meanings to them, I face the fear of casting into oblivion the celebration of their own unique experience with the music, much the same way a language teacher might, in more ways than one, take away from the experience of a students feeling experience of poetry as she explains the meaning in the verses of the poem. Instead of teaching what music means, I will instruct students on how music means, enabling them to derive meaning from experiences that occur beyond the classroom, and within t heir own roles. Feeling through Music Music does for feeling what language does for thought (Bowman, 1 998, p. 200). As a musician, understand the power of music to evoke feelings. Listening to or performing a great work of music in a concert hall may bring tears or chills to the musician in a way that only music is capable. Similarly, students emotional lives may be heightened by experiences in the classroom. According to Rime (2003), the emotional dimension of music-its power to make us feel, and to know through feeling-is probably its most important defining characteristic (p. 2). In Western history, emotion has often been regarded less valuable than intellect (Rime, 2003). Some people do not consider the arts to be as important as other core subjects such as math and reading in education due o the belief that arts are based on emotions and not reasoning or intellect. Recently, however, scientific scholars have begun to recognize that human intelligence, or cognition, is exhibited in a variety of forms, directly related to functions of the body, and tied to feeling.Dimensions of the mind, once thought to be separate and unrelated, are now known to work together, contributing to the things we know and experience. Anthony Damasks, a research neurologist, believes feeling is likely to be the key factor in human consciousness itself and an essential ingredient in human cognition (Rime, 2003, p. 76). The capacity to feel pervades and directs all we undergo as living, aware creatures (p. 78). Direct experiences of feeling are embodied in music and made available to the bodied experience of those engaged with it (p. 80).The use of descriptive and symbolic language in the classroom, in the teaching of a varied repertoire of expressive music, aids in drawing out these responses of feeling from students. Including music that is heavy and loud or delicate and light will bring out an array of feelings. I believe students should be given an opportunity to articulate these feelings through journaling and in- lass discussion. Musical Roles and Intelligence Human cognition, or intelligence IS demonstrated in various forms or roles. Within a particular role and across as well (Rime, 2003, p. 213).I would like to highlight the intelligences within the different roles of music. As a composer, one displays intelligence by linking Of sounds into meaningful configurations through a process of decision making, reflections about previously made decisions, and altering and adding to and deleting sounds previously decided on as new implications and possibilities arise (Rime, 2003, p. 221). Within reforming Rime (2003) talks about discriminating the peculiarities of each sound to be made and how these sounds connect to all others within the performance, a performers ability to explicate the composers thoughts with a personal flair(p. 22). Improvising straddles performance and composition in the midst of performing as it relies largely on intuition in the spur of the moment (Jorgensen, 2008, p. 1 67). Improvising requires one to think-in the- moment, which is difficult and comes with a unique excitement, a role that embraces risks and provides immense satisfaction (Rime, 2003, p. 23). Listening does not necessarily require an individual to be a composer or a performer.Listening without assuming other roles, or being a part of any other role is the most widespread of all, within which musical interconnections and discriminations can be made (p. 224). Jorgensen (2008) identifies about eight ways of being a listener-intellectually, sensually, experientially, formatively, contextually, technically, peripherally, and repetitively (p. 1 14). It is then evident that individuals have different capacities/levels of intelligence and varied areas Of interest, that is genetically determined, based on the cultural milieu and available opportunities to name a few.Gardner (2006) discusses the possibility of identifying an individuals intellectual profile (or proclivities) at an early age and then draw upon this knowledge to enhance that persons educational opportunities and options. Introducing students to different roles in music and identifying areas that they may be interested is certainly beneficial and yields promising results with the passage of time. In my school, I have group lessons where focus on introducing children to as many musical roles as possible. We call this the Core Music Program, and work with the group on composing, per forming, improvising and listening. Although lessons are structured with the Western Classical system in mind, I have begun to think of ways to introduce an informal adaptation of these musical roles as well. Over time, my teachers and I identify certain areas that some children show a keen interest in, and communicate with their parents to schedule private lessons so that these areas may be nurtured with an understanding that each role requires its own way to educate for the developing of the intelligence upon which it calls (Rime, 2003, p. 0). I realize the need to feed into each of these areas, guiding students to make connections and discriminations so that the students can show a steady growth in their musical endeavors. Learning is more than just the continuous accumulation of new knowledge; its a creative reorganization of thought (Keith Save »year, 2012). I am conscious that each of these roles can be approached with an emphasis on creativity and have explained them below in that context.Music and Creativity Young children are constantly creating songs in their games, even unknowing focusing on the so, mi, la relationships in their singing. As they gradually develop physically, mentally and emotionally, they respond to the world around them in many interesting ways. There comes a time when they live in a world of make believe and enjoy taking on different roles, pretending they are fairies, princesses, super heroes etc. Very often they create songs that they feel fit into their new roles thus revealing a creative ability within themselves.Children create songs in their bedrooms and on the playground. Some are quiet songs lulling dolls and teddy bears to sleep. Others are declaratively triumphant works underpinning flying machines and wizard eels (Chubb Smith, 2009, p. 3). Although children have always created music, music education has placed a greater emphasis on the quality of performances than on opportunities for children to develop their creative abilities (Chubb Smith, 2009).My most vivid and treasured music experiences during childhood involved opportunities to be creative within the home environment and performances outside. Although the schools that I was enrolled in didnt offer a comprehensive view of music, I believe that students in India must receive consistent music education during their evolving years, along with plentiful opportunities to develop creative decision-making skills. Classrooms today can provide opportunities for students to think in sound, and students can be led to realize how meaningful and pleasurable music creating can be.Webster (2002) defines creativity in music as the engagement of the mind in the active, structured process of thinking in sound for the purpose of producing some product that is new for the creator (p. 26). He believes creative thinking can be identified in all individuals and can occur at various levels, from the spontaneous songs of he very young child to the products of the greatest minds in music (p. 27). Rime (2003) echoes this sentiment, declaring all humans are capable of being creative to some degree and are capable of improving that degree if they are helped to do so (p. 09). When I witness my youngest students explore the sounds of new or different classroom instruments, experimenting with rhythmic and melodic patterns, I am reminded of the truth in these statements. I believe creativity can be experienced through improvising, performing, composing, and listening at any age. Performing and Improvising. Performers are artists-are creative in imagining and producing musically expressive sounds-precisely because they must make creative decisions with the materials (compositions) with which they are engaged (Rime, 2003, p. 13). Since encourage children in the act Of performing, it is my duty to engage the them in making creative decisions about the music as they perform. Rime discusses the reality that creativity of musical performance is often a shared act (p. 1 14). Even in student groups at beginning levels, the sense, the flavor, the excitement of feeling the music individually and intriguing that individuality to the conjoint musical expression emerging, can be experienced genuinely (p. 1 15).Although students must follow the demands of the conductor and music and blend with sections, Rime believes creativity in the performance ensemble/chorus/band is achievable. When conducting my chorus in the past, I tended to make most of the decisions for my students. I plan to engage the students more in class discussion on the individual creative decisions that must be made when performing a piece, emphasizing each students unique opportunity to contribute and giving them a voice within the choir. Improvisation, or creating in the moment, is also an important activity.In prior teaching, I have engaged students who are part of contemporary band, in simple jazz improvisation that included various scales and chord changes. I wish to incorporate more improvising into their performance setting, and to include all students. There is a certain thrill and beauty in knowing that each improvised performance will be unique. Composing. The act of composing is a process that allows the child to grow, discover, and create him- or herself through artistic and meaningful engagement with sounds (Chubb Smith, 2009, p. ). Insider the work of Michele Chubb and Janice Smith fundamental as I explore ways to engage students creatively through composition. They believe compositional opportunities should be given to every child because the process of composing: challenges children to consider their understanding of the world in new ways, Allows children to exercise their generative potential in music, develops a way Of knowing that complements understandings gained through other direct experiences of music, and . .. Invites the child to draw together the full breadth of his or her musical knowledge (p. 4/5).