Category: Learning

Christmas · Happiness · Kids · Learning · Music

Christmas Fun with Casio

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As you’ll know, if you saw any of my posts on here or on social media, we’ve recently partnered with Casio to review their LK-S250 Home Learning Kit, which comes with an electric keyboard and everything else that BB needs to start learning to play. The kit also gives you access to online lessons which are designed to get even the most basic of beginners playing their instrument, which is a fantastic resource to have access to.

Casio LK-S250 Home Learning Kit

LK-250 Home Learning Kit

  • Touch sensitive, lighted keys
  • Power adapter
  • Adjustable height keyboard stand
  • Headphones for silent practice
  • FREE online lessons worth £49.99

While I’m not exactly fluent on any instrument myself, I do know quite a few of the basics, having grown up in quite a musical family, so I’ve been assisting BB with her learning as much as I can. She’s an incredibly capable little girl, but she lacks a bit of confidence in her own abilities at times, so sometimes she just wants someone with her while she navigates the lessons, which is totally understandable.

Unfiortunately, about three weeks ago I slammed my finger in the car door (as in, the door FULLY closed and I had to open it again to release my poor mangled finger 😱) and broke it. It was my left hand (I’m right handed) which was slightly better but as it was my index finger, it’s really limited how much I’ve been able to do. Fortunately, the splint is mostly off now and I can get back to helping BB with her lessons a bit more, but it was a painful couple of weeks.

My poor broken finger (ignore the tatty nail polish, please!)

Now that the girls are homeschooled, we try to keep as much creative stuff flowing as we can so that their lessons aren’t all strictly academic, so music and art lessons have become a regular thing. Sausage has her own keyboard already, so between the Gigajam lessons and some YouTube tutorials, the girls have been jamming together.

Last week, we decided that all of their homeschool lessons would be fun stuff, just like they’d be doing if they were in a mainstream school, and one of the things we decided to do was get them to learn some Christmas songs so that they could perform a mini concert for us, to get us all in the festive spirit. They learned to play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Christmas Song and Jingle Bells, all in the space of two days and they’ve been practising them regularly, ever since.

Learning with the LK-S250 Home Learning Kit

We’re planning to have the carol concert on Christmas Eve and I’ve also got a surprise lined up for them – I’ve bought a chocolate fountain and we’re going to have a little buffet of things to dip in the melted chocolate to enjoy together after the concert. I’m really excited as I love nothing more than surprising them. When we collected Maureen from my breeder friend, we told them we were collecting a parcel and they had no idea we were getting a puppy until they were standing in a living room full of 10 week old dogs!

Anyway, I digress…

I’ll be recording the concert, for posterity, and also for the ‘gram so make sure to keep an eye on our social media if you want to see the girls performing their songs. In the meantime, I hope you all have a very merry, stress-free, COVID-free festive period and thanks again to Casio for working with us on this collaboration.

There’s still time to get your hands on a Casio LK-S250 Home Learning Kit, if you order within the next 24 hours! It’s got everything you need to start learning the keyboard and it’s only £249, which is truly an absolute bargain.

Homeschooling · Kids · Learning · Music

Digital Piano: How to Choose the Right One

Jayne1 Comment

As you may have seen on my Instagram and Facebook stories today, we’re partnering with Casio Music UK to test out one of their learners keyboards. We’re so excited about the collaboration as I think Burrito Baby will benefit so much from music lessons. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some information from Casio about how to make sure you’re buying the right digital piano for your kids.

DIGITAL PIANO

With children now back in the swing of things at school, a lot of parents may be considering extra-curricular activities their children can take up to aid their learning and development outside of the classroom. Playing a musical instrument offers a whole host of benefits for young people and allows them to express themselves in their own unique way.

Digital pianos are a wonderful resource for kids of all ages and all kinds of disciplines. They make learning and performing much easier but still offer the satisfaction of playing on a beautiful expressive musical instrument. However, finding the right digital piano can be confusing and time-intensive. Casio, one of the world’s most renowned producers of premium, digital hybrid pianos, is here to help with the five questions parents should be asking when purchasing a digital piano for their child – from piano teacher, ABRSM music examiner and digital piano expert Chris Stanbury.

  1. HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO SPEND?

A good beginner’s digital piano should cost between £300 to £400. For this, you’ll get a great quality instrument that’ll support your child’s learning for a number of years. Avoid anything cheaper than this from online sellers as these don’t tend to last and offer a poor quality sound. It’s important to invest in something that’s satisfying to play as it will maintain your child’s interest.

  1. WHAT FEATURES SHOULD I LOOK FOR?

Digital pianos can have various features but the one thing you must check is that it has 88 weighted keys. This is something all pianos have and it is essential for developing the correct playing technique. The keys also need to be touch sensitive, which means that they are the same as a traditional piano. The harder you hit the keys, the louder it will sound, the softer you play the key, the note will have less volume. This feature is very important.

  1. IS A DIGITAL PIANO BETTER THAN AN ACOUSTIC PIANO? 

A good, acoustic (traditional) piano usually costs £1,000 or more. Pianos that are offered free on marketplace or auction sites are rarely in good condition and should be avoided. Acoustic pianos also need maintaining: the strings inside must be tuned at least twice a year at a cost of about £80 a time.

You get much more for your money with digital pianos. They take up a lot less space and don’t need tuning. Plus, you can plug in headphones for silent practice, which is perfect for busy households!

  1. WHAT OTHER FUNCTIONS DO YOU GET WITH DIGITAL PIANOS?

A great benefit of a digital piano is that if your kids love their gadgets, they’ll really enjoy connecting a digital piano to their phone, tablet or computer. This makes learning a lot more fun as they can take part in interactive lessons and play along to backing music.

Casio provides a free music learning app with all their digital pianos, called Chordana, and there’s free lessons too from Dr Chris himself on the Casio Music UK YouTube channel; so anyone can start playing right away. All owners also have access to the Casio Music Academy too, which also includes music lessons exclusively for Casio piano users

  1. WHAT DIGITAL PIANO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR A BEGINNER?

My personal favourite is the Casio CDP-S90. It’s light, very compact and has a great sound. It’s also important to mention that it comes with a proper piano stand included (worth £88). This means the piano is at the correct playing height, which is important for developing good posture and finger skills.

Learning

A whole new Supermum: The Academic Mother

JayneLeave a comment

hands-woman-legs-laptopIt is expected in today’s society, that a mother be able to juggle both family life and career. Yet, the realities of having children still pose difficulties when it comes to returning to work. Whether it’s to continue academic studies, or to start afresh on a whole new career: finding that balance to fulfil both roles can be daunting.

But, it is possible.

The archaic notion that a woman’s role is in the kitchen is gone. More women now are the main bread earners in their family, and are able – with some support – to balance their roles as both mother and worker. It may not be as perfect as the glossy, high quality Instagram photographs of “super-mums” show, but with the help of improving technology, it is now more feasible than ever. Not only get to a degree after childbirth, but to study for a better career that will earn a more comfortable living for the family.
So, how is it done?

Time management. Motherhood will already demand this, so creating a routine that incorporates study time and time with your children is a must.
Work out schedules that will be realistic and time conserving.
Enlist support, not only from family and friends, but also from your study advisor; and embrace any resources offered by your university or college.
Even simple things like getting up an hour earlier, doing your studying while your children do their homework, or doing extra studying while your child sleeps, can all make a big difference.

Also, embrace technology. It has never been easier to sign up for – as well as to acquire – an online university degree. By now, most large and well-known universities offer certain courses online, some even for free! But it might be a good idea to check universities that offer the possibility to study online full-time, like NC IUL for example. Besides the ease and convenience of applying and enrolling, you are offered many different and diverse areas of study to choose from.

Online courses provide greater flexibility: you can work at your own pace from the comfort of your own home, opening up a new range of choices for the new mum looking to keep informed and develop a career while away from work, or making a complete career change. This flexibility does not mean an easier pathway to a desired career. Most online courses will require the same amount of coursework as classroom courses; but you will be able to do so at your own schedule.

Make up a designated computer space for online study that will have the same effect as a campus classroom. This can be anything from your dining room to the campus library: the key is to have an area that is yours for studying alone with no distractions for that set time. Take advantage of supporting resources offered by the online course, and keep in touch with fellow students and lecturers with social media to help with your studies.

Above all else, know your limit. Make sure to schedule downtime, from both studying and your children. If you don’t, you risk a breakdown; and both your studying and your family will suffer.
It will be hard work, and there will be stressful times; but the rewards will be worth the efforts.