Advice for Applying for Scholarships

Studies have shown that the average cost of a college education is estimated to cost up to $35,000 per year. Whether you are a new high school graduate or an existing college student, it is important to find as many sources of financial aid to help pay for your college education. Many students do this by applying for scholarships. Here are some key points to remember when applying.

Start Early

When you apply for college, you should start your search for scholarships as soon as possible.   It is important to start early because you will need to do some research on the requirements of the scholarship and determined if you are eligible to apply. Also many scholarships have deadlines for the last day to submit your application.

Use All Resources

There are many scholarship programs available worldwide. You should make sure that you explore all resources that are available to you.  If you wish to go to school overseas, you should check and see if there are organizations that offer scholarships or grant money for students residing in that country. For example, the Kazakhstan government is offering grants and loans to students interested in the journalism field due to the Kazakhstan Democracy movement.

Review & Follow Instructions

When you are applying for a scholarship, it is important to review all of the information in the application package and follow the instructions. For example, if you are required to write a 500 word essay, you should stay within that limit and do not go overboard. If you fail to follow the instructions given, you will lower your chances of receiving the scholarship.

Filed Under: Scholarships

Notes for the Director

Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin. Opening night...

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Theatre is a wonderful thing and can be both entertaining for an audience and educational and fulfilling for the cast and crew. Working on a theatrical production is the hardest fun and work you can do. So what can you do to make it a better experience for everyone involved?

Make Them Feel Worthwhile

Whether your cast is paid or volunteer, its important that they think each feel they are important to the production. Let them know that they make the production run smoother, that they matter as an individual, whether their part is big or small.

Feedback

Give feedback. Everyone wants to improve, and your actors will perform better if you let them know what they can improve on. Also give positive feedback and compliments to those actors who are performing well. Oftentimes, directors take the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” approach, which means that actors doing a good job never get any feedback and can feel confused or isolated. Let them know they are doing well.

The Buck Stops Here

Directors can delegate, that’s what assistant directors, stage managers, and crew are for. Directors are usually beholden to producers, but regardless, a director needs to have to the outlook that the buck stops with them; they are responsible for all aspects of a show and cannot pass blame off. Accordingly, don’t be afraid to make things get done your way: You’re in charge and you have to take full responsibility, so you get the final say in everything.

Filed Under: The Arts Tagged With: , ,

Attending Fashion School and Successfully Creating Your own Fashion Line

Scene of the set up at an Ottawa "Take Of...

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If you want to create your own fashion line, then attending a fashion school might be what you have in mind.

Fashion schools are different from standard colleges in that they are specifically run and organized around one area or discipline. By attending a fashion school you will have access to more focused classes and seminars. You are also more likely have access to industry professionals, as they are regularly the ones who are teaching the classes.

Here are some tips for attending fashion school and utilizing it to successfully create your own fashion line.

  • Many attend college in comfortable clothes, like old jeans and t-shirts. You simply cannot do this at fashion school! Many of the people that you meet at fashion school will pop up again in your career. You do not want to be remembered as the girl who went to fashion school dressed in less than desirable clothing. It may impact your career and clothing line further down the track.
  • As many of the teachers will be working industry professionals, such as the creator of Rocawear clothes Jay-Z, take note of everything they say. Form good relationships with them. They may be able to help you get your line up and running.
  • If you already make your own clothes, then wear them to school. You never know who you may impress! If someone asks you about what you are wearing, tell them you made it and give them a card with your contact details.

Starting a clothing line is hard work. Utilizing the medium of fashion school could put you a step ahead of the rest.

Filed Under: Careers

Making History Education Entertaining ? Be Proactive And Innovative As A Student

a picture of mine that i took in the puppet th...

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Studying history of our culture may seem like a fruitless task. After all, who is interested in what happened a thousand years ago? Our ancestors might have lived in a particular manner and might have preferred a particular type of pottery. Who is to benefit from retaining this information?

Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. If you find history boring, you should find ways and means to make it entertaining. This is easier than people think. Why don’t you request your teacher to opt for certain innovative methods for short period of time to improve the entertainment quotient in history lessons?

How about organizing a puppet show? You can have simple puppets that indicate the great battles of the past. You can have a few students research about the topic and present a narration that will be accompanied by the puppet show.

All those who from a part of the audience will be required to present a paper on the lesson that they have learned. This form of interactive learning will help students understand history better. Of course, it also goes without saying that the students will get in touch with their creative side as well.

If your teacher has misgivings about the seriousness of the issue, you can request the professor to carry on with the traditional method of teaching after the puppet show has ended. Once the teacher realizes that the class is more attentive, he or she will automatically encourage you to try out such methods. As a student, the onus is upon you to make your life at school most entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Careers, Education, The Arts Tagged With: , ,

Is Performance for You?

Most of the time, successfully making it in to a performance company is the end goal for many talented performers.

After years of pursuing a performing arts education, gaining experience in the performing arts, and undergoing auditions, a dancer or actress hopes to be a part of an elite team of performers.

There are some things to consider though before jumping to this end. You need to be sure that the performance life is really what you want and that it best suits you. While performing with a professional performance company is an ideal situation, there are some strings attached.

Performers should take these thoughts in to consideration, especially if the performing group is merely a step towards their goal rather than their end dream. For example, if they hope to teach or actually want to join another performance group, they may need to be careful in joining up with a present opportunity.

Performance groups offer invaluable experience to train and to perform. This requires hours and hours of time. If you have the time available than go for it. If the demanding schedule though will keep you from graduating with a degree, then you need to consider carefully. Will a degree on your resume boost your career more or the participation in the performance company?

Also remember that often times, there are hidden costs that go in to participating in such a group. There may be extra costume costs, money for CDs or sheet music, or even expenses for travel, etc. However, you can often keep your sexy costumes, the CDs and sheet music.  Although, you must also consider the amount of time required beyond the training and performing. Many performance groups expect their performers to volunteer and donate extra time to causes that strengthen the image of the company. Keep this in mind.

Remember that generally these type of groups will absorb much of your time and energy. If this worth it, then do it.

Filed Under: Education, The Arts Tagged With: , ,

Careers in Visual Arts

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Visual artists create works of art using raw materials like color, film and stone intended to be beautiful, to inspire – and even provoke audiences. Artists who work in visual mediums have a surprisingly wide range of career options to choose from.

The prerequisite quality in a visual artist is a strong, almost burning, desire to create. People in this field must have an artist’s eye and a strong feel for color and composition. While some these skills can be taught and refined, the innate ability has to be there first. Persistence is also an important quality because as a freelance visual artist, success and a steady income do not always come overnight. Commercial art, on the other hand, can be steady work with an income range of $20,000 to $1 million for well established and known artists.

Statistics gathered in 2008 from the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that of the 221,000 jobs held by people working in the visual arts, 60 percent were self employed. The BLS also noted that the career field is highly competitive and that working in the field of technical visual arts typically requires a bachelor of arts degree. At that time, the data projected that through 2018, there would be 12 percent growth in this career field. The accuracy of those projections may be lower due the effects of 2008′s recession.

It is important to note that Khake.com lists 120 visual art career paths covering very aspect of art that can be seen. For those who aspire to a career in visual arts, hard work and perseverance will make career dreams a reality.

 

 

Filed Under: Careers, Education Tagged With: , ,

Art Scholarships – Finding the Right One

$100 Perpetual Scholarships granted free tuiti... 

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College is expensive. Without financial aid and scholarships many deserving and talented art students would be unable to attend college.

It comes as no suprise that college bound art students need financial assistance. According to BrainTrack.com, 80 percent of all full-time undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance. This statistic also cites an average annual tuition cost of $22,000 and an average of $13,000 in financial aid.

Art scholarship come from a variety of different organizations – community and civic groups, charitable foundations, professional organizations, art festivals, colleges and art schools. There are also scholarships awarded at the state level through state and county funding , and through state operated colleges. The criteria for art scholarship awards is also different. Some are based on academic performance, others are awarded based on art talent and competition, while others are given based on an art professor’s observations of talent in classes.

The application process needs to begin well in advance of the deadline for applying. Experts suggest researching different art programs and focusing the those programs and scholarships that fit the student’s ambitions and are worth the application effort. It is also important to look at what past winners did to get the scholarship. Most importantly, apply early. First impressions do count and early applications are more likely to stand out in evaluators’ minds.

“Art isn’t just a throw-away class…” Careers in art can be rewarding beyond income. In 2004, there were 230,000 working artists in the United States. Of that number, 30 percent were self-employed and 70 percent were salaried. It is also worth noting that art educators are always in demand.

 

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Pros and Cons of computers in the classroom

There are several pros and cons of using the computers in the classroom.

PROS

The use of computers allows students to develop the learning methods through the means of internet. The art of collecting the information form various websites and doing research with the vast resource will surely help the students to concentrate more efficaciously in their project. With the incorporation of technology into the education will make it more exciting for students to learn different subjects. The tedious subjects like social studies can be worked easily through the means of streaming videos and strips. In special needs classrooms, each and every student can get the desired pace to meet the target with the help of technology. The trainings required by the teachers and students will enable to use it in the art time career and for other career options.

CONS

Quite often, it has been seen that on the terminology of technology, some students will go beyond the restricted parameters and boundaries of the project granted to them. Usually, they get distracted b y the other activities on the internet. To find the most relevant resources for their project among the vast content available on the internet is never easy. Students have to consume lots of time to get the most appropriate content for their project. The technology to meet the special needs and requirements of the students and teachers can be very expensive. The more is the number of computers used by the institute, more is the teaching staff required.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,

Computers in the Classroom

These computer run on Gentoo Linux!

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As a teacher, you may decide to assign homework where the students are required to use a computer. You may assign a project in which your students need to create a power point, or you may require them to write a research paper in which the Internet must be used to complete it. Assigning these projects is why having a computer in class is such a good idea.

Today, the majority of Americans own a computer, but you can’t rely on hoping everyone has a computer to complete a project. There are unfortunate students that may not own a computer or don’t have the Internet at their house. Having computers in the classroom can help benefit these students so that they have the same opportunity to use a computer as the rest of the class does.

Computers aren’t just great for less-fortunate students, but are a great form of instructional technology that can benefit other students as well. Having computers available during class can give students the opportunity to ask you questions while working on a project, and gives you the opportunity to help them and give them time in class to work on different projects. You will also be able to observe their projects and research papers in progress so you can make sure they are doing it right.

Computers can be a great resource for research papers, and can boost student’s learning in the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to use Word, PowerPoint, the Internet, and other important computer programs while in class. You can also find educational computer games that will keep students interested in the lesson.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,
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